Merriment of Movement & Holiday Hydration

Resource Roundup

The Merriment of Movement

The book “The Joy of Movement” Kelly McGonigal PhD, writes about the brain chemistry that happens when we move. We get much more than an endorphin rush from exercise. She writes, “Physical activity influences many other brain chemicals, including those that give you energy, alleviate worry and help you bond with others. It also reduces inflammation in the brain, which over time can protect against depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Regular exercise also remodels the physical structure of you brain to make you more receptive to joy and social connection. The neurological changes rival those observed in the most cutting-edge treatments for both depression and addiction. The mind-altering effects of exercise are even embedded into your musculature. During physical activity, muscles secrete hormones into you bloodstream that make your brain more resilient to stress.” The evidence suggests that our entire physiology was designed to reward us for movement. 

She goes on to state,”at the most fundamental level, rewarding movement is how your brain and body encourage you to participate in life. If you are willing to move, your muscles will give you hope. Your brain will orchestrate pleasure. And your entire physiology will adjust to help you find the energy, purpose, and courage you need to keep going.”

Staying Hydrated Over the Holidays

Staying Hydrated Over the Holidays

It can be easy to forget to hydrate with the excitement of the holidays. If you’re drinking alcohol it’s even more important to balance it with proper hydration. Here are some healthy non-alcoholic drinks to stay hydrated.

1. Flavorful hot tea. The Republic of Tea has seasonal and unique flavors and can usually be found at health food store.
2. Cranberry lime sparkling water
3. Kombucha-a fizzy, fermented tea with probiotics and B vitamins.
4. Healthier homemade latte like a gingerbread latte or a pumpkin spice latte
5. Add sugar free electrolytes like LMNT to water

5 Fun Ways to Move During the Holidays

1. 30 minute Christmas dance workout
2. Learn the Blinding Lights dance, teach it to your family, film it and share on social media.
3. Real Simple magazine suggests phone hot potato. Pick a phone to pass around the group. Set it to self-timer mode—10 seconds is best—and use regular photo mode, not selfie mode. Pass the phone around, with each person holding the phone up for a moment, posing for the camera. Pass until the photo is taken, then repeat. At the end, take a look at the (probably undignified) photos.
4. Play a game while you walk:
   • Sweet or sour: Wave to someone and if they wave back, they’re sweet and if not, they’re sour. Keep a tally for the end of your walk.
   • Invite people to come with you for a walk and take a deck of conversation cards
   • Do a walking scavenger hunt contest. The first person to take pictures of all the items listed wins.
5. Play Combat Spoons. This is a fun and active twist on the Spoons game that my family created years ago when we were in a power outage. Find a deck of cards and a set of spoons (or candy). Have enough for each player, minus one. Place the spoons in another room. Deal four cards to each person playing. One person, the dealer, will keep the remaining deck next to them and draw one card at a time. They will look at the card and trade it out for a card in their hand or pass it along to the person next to them, who will do the same thing. The goal is to collect four of the same card; when that happens, run to the next room to get a spoon. Everyone then must run to grab a spoon, whoever is left without a spoon at the end is out. Remove one more spoon and play again.