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S.
, no one needs to tell you how hectic and stressful this time of year can be.
Sure, it's festive, and everyone's supposed to be in a jolly mood; but often, small businesses rely on the holiday period to make their balance sheets for the year.
There's a lot at stake.
So entrepreneurs must keep themselves focused on profit, and often work long, hard days (and nights) during the holidays.
Meanwhile, even folks who don't have to work extra-hard really struggle with their health habits during the holidays.
There never seems to be enough time to work out.
Every gathering is a party featuring a constant flow of goodies that may not be all that good for your body.
And who gets enough sleep? Add the rigors of running a business to all that, and the holidays can pose a real threat to your energy and vitality.
Though it's a challenge, successful entrepreneurs know they have to stay disciplined with their health habits, even during the holidays.
If you "run out of gas" during this crucial time of the year, who will drive your business when it most needs driving? So here are a few suggestions to help maintain some attention to the five most important daily health habits I call "The NEWSS" - Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sleep, and Supplements.
The first big step to take with your nutritional efforts is to simply cut the junk out of your diet.
But during the holidays, that's much more easily said than done.
Let's face it, you're going to eat and drink some junk in the next few weeks! Rather than feel guilty about it, though, try this: hold your goodies to high flavor standards.
That's right: evaluate every cookie, every eggnog concoction, every bit of candy in terms of how delightful it will taste.
For instance, you know a candy bar out of that machine down the hall is going to be OK - and no better.
If you're going to splurge, have some truly wonderful candy! Remind yourself that you're celebrating a long year of great, disciplined nutrition (you are, aren't you?).
And you'll find that the really high-quality treats don't create so much craving for themselves, and that you don't end up eating as much as you would of the so-so stuff.
Oh, and for every "bad" treat, make yourself have a piece of fruit or veggie.
All year you've made exercise part of your daily routine.
But during this season, especially when it's too cold outside to simply roll out of bed and start jogging, working out can start to be more time consuming than your business may allow.
Try to do as many of your "normal" workouts as you can, but don't feel guilty for the mornings you have to skip.
Meanwhile, do some isometric exercises during meetings.
If you're the one presenting or speaking, you need to focus on doing that...
but if you aren't, you can be tensing and relaxing some muscles while listening attentively! Working your abdominals in this way can actually be fairly effective.
Don't make a big show of it, but you can accomplish some exercise when you otherwise would be sedentary.
Water is the miracle substance for your holiday health.
Why? Because it's still easy to make sure you get at least two liters of water every day.
If you haven't yet done so, get a half-liter sport bottle and make sure you fill and drain it four times a day (minimum).
Another holiday trick is to make yourself drink half a bottle (around eight ounces) of water with each "bad" beverage you drink (coffee, beer, wine, or pop).
You'll drink less of the bad stuff, and keep the good stuff in your system.
You need eight hours of sleep each night, minimum, to recharge your body for optimal vitality.
But if you can't get enough sleep because of the holiday demands of your business, try carving out three minutes of quiet time around the middle of each day for breathing exercises (I've discussed these in many previous articles).
Three minutes of deep breathing, clearing your mind of stressful thoughts, will compensate a little for the loss of sleep.
If that won't work for you, maybe you can cut your overall caloric intake down by about 25%...
if you eat that much less, you can "get away" with less sleep, especially for a short, finite period of time like the holiday season.
Finally, taking a good multi-vitamin is another no-brainer.
No matter how busy you get during the holidays, you have time to take your vitamins.
I recommend a liquid nutraceutical that packs a lot of nutrition into a one-ounce swallow, and that is easily absorbed by your body.
This is important.
Especially if you have to let the other four habits slip a bit during the holidays, you want to mitigate the damage to your body, and the multi-vitamin is a good way to get some crucial nutrients in there.
That's a quick look at the holiday NEWSS; now to close with an opinion.
If you want to profit, both in business and in health, you need to relax and enjoy the holiday season as much as you can.
Push back hard against the temptation to see the holidays as nothing more than a lot of extra work that can't be avoided or delegated.
It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year! So make sure you take some time to really enjoy the season, the crisp weather, the holiday music you hear everywhere, and the people that make your life worth living.
You need your mind to keep telling your body how happy you are.
You might be amazed at how effective that can be.
Here's wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season! by Michael D.
Hume, M.
S.
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