Holiday Survival Kit

December seems like the longest month of the year, doesn't it?

There are a million things to do: shopping, cards, parties, decorating...it's enough stress to whip even the most zen of us into a frenzy. Then there's the food. Oh, let's not even get started on the ways you can derail your plans for fitness this month.

Okay, so we're all on the same page- this isn't easy. Luckily, there are a few quick tricks you can stash up your sleeve to stay CLEAR during the holidays.

Relax

 If When your family is grating on your nerves, or that jerk at the mall stole the last sweater in your dad's size, you can sneak away for a couple of minutes and re-center with this breathing exercise found at Dr. Andrew Weil's website.

Sit somewhere that your back will be straight. Place the tip of your tongue against the back of your teeth, just where they meet the gums. You'll keep your tongue here the entire time as you do this exercise. It might seem a little awkward, but give it a try. 

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Restore

Try this great pose from Yoga Journal to help you restore:

Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose), supported

Stack a couple of folded blankets on top of a bolster near a wall. Put a block between the bolster and the wall and a blanket on the floor in front of the bolster for your head and shoulders. Sit on the side of the bolster and roll your sacrum onto it, lifting your legs up the wall. Scoot yourself close to the wall so that the buttocks touch or come near the wall. Gently lower your shoulders and head to the floor. If you slide off the bolster, you can push yourself closer with your hands on the floor. Straighten your legs and press the thighs into the wall as you open your chest. Rest for 5 minutes. To come down, bend your knees, push your feet into the wall, slide away from the wall, and rest your back on the floor.

Or- just come to CLEAR for an hour and fifteen minutes of peaceful bliss in a Restorative Yoga class! 

Apple Cinnamon Water

Ahh, the holidays. They are upon us.

It can be tough to stay on track with a plan for wellness during this time of year. (Trust me, I'm struggling with it myself.) So what do I do when I'm struggling with something? I head to the internet!

Sometimes, that's a giant backfire waiting to happen- but other times, I stumble on to a gem. This is one of those times! While browsing Pinterest a week or two ago, I discovered a recipe for Apple Cinnamon "Day Spa Inspired" water. It touted itself as a detox drink, and I thought, "I'll take all the help I can get!"

So I followed the pin, a couple of different blogs have their take on this, but the two most popular I found were Lose Weight By Eating and Running Away? I'll Help You Pack!

They each have their take on it, and here I'll share mine.

Here's what I use:

2.25 Quart (approx 1/2 gallon) pitcher
1/2 Washington Honeycrisp Apple (my personal favorite, you can pick whatever kind you like)
1 stick of Cinnamon

Slice the apples into thin slices, add the cinnamon stick, fill the pitcher about 1/2 way with ice, then add your water. Leave it sit for a while in the refrigerator, approximately 10 minutes or so. The water needs some time to absorb all the apple-cinnamon-y goodness!

If you are using a gallon pitcher, I'd say double the recipe, using a whole apple and 2 sticks of cinnamon. I find I am able to re-fill the pitcher at least once or twice before throwing out the apples and cinnamon and starting all over again!

It's also nice to hold back a slice or two of apple for your glass. It's a refreshing change from plain old water, and everyone knows getting plenty of water is a staple for a healthy diet.

What you might not realize are all of the health benefits that apples and cinnamon bring to the table!

Apples have been shown to:

• Lower LDL (bad) Cholesterol
• Protect/strengthen bones
• Help prevent several types of Cancer
• Assist in weight loss
• Boost exercise endurance

Cinnamon has been shown to:

• Regulate blood sugar levels
• Boost cognitive function and memory
• Act as an effective natural remedy for headaches and migraines
• Inhibit bacterial growth and food spoilage
• Reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cells

With these kinds of benefits, it seems like upping your daily intake of apples and cinnamon is a no-brainer!

To learn more about these and other health benefits of apples and cinnamon, visit the following links:

Huffington Post- Eating Well

Health Diaries- Eat This!

Organic Authority