The Bigger Picture:There are exactly five weeks left to that famous day when we all wake up and decide what great changes we'll wishfully resolve to bring into our lives for the coming year. Rather than panicking and overburdening ourselves on that Tuesday morning with what feels like "too great a task to achieve", it's worth considering now what changes we want in our lives and how we can lay the road for future success.
The first question is, "How can we possibly think about New Year's resolutions when Christmas has yet to come? Surely it will thwart all our plans." Christmas, being synonymous with joy and merriment, must inevitably be counter-productive to any "life improvement" initiative. Herein lies the definition of our problem: Having things that are "important" to us in life is invariably in opposition to what is joyous and fun. No wonder few of us succeed in changing our lives.
The fact that the number one New Year's resolution is "to lose weight" and Christmas is defined by sweets, pudding, alcohol, parties and excesses, exemplifies this point. "Life wouldn't be worth living" without all these decadences, and so life with health and vitality must be unimaginably dull.
It is a myth that a healthy, nourished, vitalised life would be tedious beyond belief. On the contrary, when we eat well with an abundance of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and sufficient fibre, carbohydrates, proteins and essential oils, we have energy enthusiasm, motivation, concentration and sex drive!
In contrast, when we are full of sugar, fried and processed foods, and recovering from alcohol, we lack energy, motivation, drive for life and enthusiasm. Many of us feel low. What's more, we get sick more easily and begin to develop chronic diseases. Yet, we believe we are enjoying ourselves more. How is this possible?
The answer is simple: we are under the influence of chemical drugs. What sugar, grease, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine do - at least in the first instance - is act on our central nervous system. They make us feel "pleasure" in our minds despite (and over-riding) whatever else is going on in our bodies.
As such, we are chemically fooled into thinking we're "happier" when, indeed, we have less joy. This is the addiction element of our excesses and, as it goes on, we increasingly hate our appearance and struggle with our mobility.
Exercise plays a role. Although we believe we feel better when on the couch watching TV, in fact we feel more sluggish. As time goes on, we begin to notice the emergence of aches, pains and stiffness. Worst of all, we slowly lose access to our physical power which dulls our confidence. While it can be difficult to get back into exercise after prolonged periods of inactivity, exercising regularly improves our mood and energy.
It seems the biggest hurdle to having a new life in the New Year might be our approach to Christmas. So I've come up with a few ideas for how to make it just a little less gluttonous and a little more empowering for you:
If you're going to run around like a crazy thing, doing the Christmas shopping, decorating the roost, organising parties and sending all the cards to the post, why not really let yourself run around? Get a pair of comfortable shoes and enjoy getting as much exercise as possible while doing it. That way, when you arrive home exhausted at the end of the day, at least you can feel good about having done something for yourself.
If you plan to start an exercise plan in the New Year, why not get into the mood now with some regular gentle stretching? Stretching is an unsung miracle for the body, slowly lengthening our muscles, increasing circulation and the body's ability to communicate with and facilitate healing in its different areas. What's more, we can stretch while watching holiday movies or our favourite television programme.
Plan to include alkaline foods at your Christmas table, and to your daily meals. Most of the foods we eat produce acid in our bodies, resulting in bloating, heartburn and a general feeling of "unwell". Alkaline-producing foods counteract the acid and make us feel better. Fruits, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, beets, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, leeks, garlic, onions, potatoes (all not fried or cooked in oil), olives, yogurt and almonds to name a few.
Add fibre to your diet. In addition to improving your colon functioning, it will help to move through the remains of anything you've recently regretted eating. A simple way is to add bran, which quickly disappears, to any sauces, casseroles, vegetable dishes.
Add water to your day, drinking at least 2 litres of pure or filtered water (and more to compensate for tea, coffee, etc). Water gives us energy. Being well hydrated also reduces stiffness and aches and allows our body to remove toxins.
Let yourself notice a difference between experiencing "joy for life" versus an artificial stimulation of "pleasure". Choose life, it may well be the best Christmas present you give yourself this year.
Shalini works as a life coach for clients in Ireland and internationally, and practises the Bowen technique in Dublin and Wexford.