Wellness expert Reena Vokoun shares strategies to manage the holidays, when 50% of Americans report heightened stress. She recommends scheduling 10 to 30 minute workouts, following an 80/20 nutrition split to allow treats guilt-free, and getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Setting boundaries and saying no when necessary keeps you present.
Reena, it is so good to see you in studio again, and you're gonna help us all stay on track with our health and wellness goals throughout the holidays. You know, you do a practice of this year-round through PassionFit, but the holidays, they can be extra tough.
Absolutely. According to Newsweek, a study shows that 50% of Americans actually feel a lot of stress and anxiety during the holidays. And while it is a busy time of year, there are things we can all do to keep our wellness practices intact so we can reduce our stress and stay healthy.
Obviously, let's Start with fitness. We all know that gets endorphins going, but I'm sure there's much, much more.
Absolutely. If you can calendar your workouts, you're gonna be able to actually prioritize them in your day. Um, it is tough. Obviously there's holiday parties, there's travel, there's photo shoots and holiday cards and all that fun stuff, but it is important to be able to work out even if you're working out for 10, 20, 15, even 30 minutes a day. That's what's most important. It's the consistency. I see a lot of people that might go into the gym and put an hour and a half or 2 hours in, and then they don't touch it for another week or 2. And that's gonna kind of defeat the goals of that stress management, of elevating your mood for endorphins and all those other things. So I can't stress enough, with all the obligations you have, just take a little bit of time most days of the week to get your workouts in, and you're gonna be so glad that you did.
Okay, yeah, and put it right in the calendar, 'cause if it's there, you're mindful about it. Yes. And ready to go.
Absolutely.
Snacks as well.
Yes, and you can all enjoy them afterwards. So what this is about is really just demonstrating taking the 80/20 approach to your nutrition. When I work with clients, I'm not somebody that says you have to deprive yourself of anything. I think taking a very balanced approach to your nutrition is going to help you to not feel guilty, but also not feel deprived. So 80% of the time, yes, there's going to be holiday parties and events and all these delicious and decadent foods, but if 80% of the time during the holidays you can focus on getting your fruits, your vegetables, your whole grains, your lean proteins, your low-fat dairies, that's all great. And then that other 20% of the time, if you wanna enjoy your treats, allow yourself to do that because this is the time of year where you're meant to have enjoyment, but also you don't wanna fall off track on your nutrition goals. So just remember 80/20.
Okay, some guilt-free holiday fun.
Yeah.
Take care of yourself and let yourself indulge.
Absolutely.
Once in a while. Now you mentioned at the beginning of our conversation, Just how many people feel stress and anxiety throughout the holidays. So what can we do to alleviate that?
Yeah, so two of the best things you can do to alleviate stress and really protect your mental and your emotional health are getting enough sleep. Um, research shows that 7 to 8 or 7 to 9 hours of sleep, and not just sleep in general, but deep sleep and REM sleep, that quality sleep, is really important. And then being able to take some deep breaths every day. It's something that's so simple and that can be done when you're driving in traffic or you're picking your kids up from or even at work, or when you're cooking in the kitchen, just take some deep diaphragmatic breaths and get a good night's sleep, and that's just gonna go a long way in allowing you to feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
I know, and aromatherapy, gosh, I noticed you brought some of these items.
Yes.
Just getting the right scent helps with all of that that you just mentioned.
Exactly. Lighting candles, using essential oils, practicing what we like to call good sleep hygiene, so that putting away screens so that you can get good quality sleep.
Okay, and I love this calendar that you brought. I imagine you're gonna talk a little bit more about staying organized and on track.
Exactly. You know, it's prioritization, right? With work, there's probably tons of Q4 end-of-year projects on people's plates. You have all these holiday obligations, family visits, all those things, and it's important to just look at it and prioritize, right? I think we often— I myself am guilty of saying yes to more than I can take on sometimes, and I've learned, and I'm trying to get my clients to learn, how important it is to be able to feel comfortable saying no, or maybe not right not now but later. So prioritize the most important things during this time of year and then let go of the rest so you can be present and engaged and create a really memorable holiday experience.
Well, these are great tips that we can immediately put into action, and people can get even more from your book, The Wellness Empowered Woman. Where can people find this?
Yes, so The Wellness Empowered Woman is available on Amazon and barnesandnoble.com, so feel free to check it out. Yes, it's very holistic, very comprehensive, and it gets into a lot of these tips in even more detail.
All right, Reena, thank you so much. Thank you, Ashley.
