Holiday festivities are meant to be enjoyed. But even celebrations, when taken to an extreme, can become negative. One party per weekend, wonderful; seven parties per weekend, exhausting. A packed social calendar can mean going through the season feeling stressed out.
"Fight or flight" is our body's primitive response to stress. That was the perfect response when the threat was a beast or enemy aggressor. But stress takes a completely different face in today's world. Instead of man-eating animals, the stressors are situations like harried schedules, traffic jams, or long lines. The body's reaction remains the same, preparing us to be aggressive or to run. Obviously, that makes no sense when the stressor is everyday life. So we suppress the response, until the next stressor crops up, and the cycle begins anew.
There's a better way to manage stress! Instead of suppressing the fight or flight reaction, respond to it with exercise. An activity as simple as walking allows the body's stress to be released in a physical way, just as nature intended. If not released, the stress hormones continue to act on the body, like pulling a string tighter and tighter. That is one of the reasons why high stress, if not tempered with exercise and other stress-relieving activities, is a risk factor for chronic diseases including heart disease.
Maintaining an exercise routine over the holidays is critical to maximize your enjoyment of the season. For extra motivation, give yourself an early gift—a pedometer. Pedometers give you constant feedback on how many steps you've taken. After you've assessed your usual number of steps, set a goal of adding 2,000 more per day, and move up from there.
Walking away your stress is a perfect gift to give yourself this month. Want to learn more about cruising through the holidays with less stress? Go to Solutions.
