Seasonal tips for a Healthy Holiday

Today’s blog will share some simple, energizing remedies to help you enjoy this wintery season!

1) Getting enough sleep- The cold weather and increased darkness of winter is our cue to coccoon, settle in, and hibernate a little (bears have the right idea)! The reality though is late night parties, stores tempting with 5 AM openings, and a general disruption of our sleep patterns. Learn to guard your sleep time zealously! For most adults, get 8 hours of sleep a night and maintain regular bedtimes and morning wake-ups!

2) Dry skin- Running in and out of shopping malls and our cold, dry Colorado air can leave us with dry, flaky, itchy skin. Remember to pamper your skin by frequent use of moisturizer and hydrate skin from the inside out by drinking plenty of water!

3) Using scents to soothe- Soothe those frazzeled nerves with aromatherapy. Christian tradition holds that three Wise Men traveled far to bring precious gifts to the Baby Jesus. Two out of three of these gifts were aromatherapy! Both Frankincense and Myrrh come from plant resins and both have a calming, soothing scent. Studies have shown that aromatherapy using Frankincense can decrease symptoms of depression. Several drops of these essential oils can be lightly inhaled from an aromatherapy room diffuser. For more information on use of essential oils, contact an aromatherapy practitioner or request information by this blog site. Oh… the third gift of the Wise men was Gold! Pretty special gifts, huh?

Another wonderful way to use soothing scents this season is to make an Orange Pomander. You can take an orange and insert whole cloves into the orange in a pattern of your choice (or all over). Place a pretty ribbon on it for tree hanging or put in a pretty tabletop bowl. The orange scent is uplifting and the clove scent is said to increase contentment and happiness. Enjoy!