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Say Goodbye to Seasonal Stress FIND OUT HOW TO REMAIN CALM AND COLLECTED IN THE MIDST OF THE HECTIC HOLIDAY SEASON. BY ASHLEY RYAN KASPARS GRINVALDS/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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hether it’s planning out a curated menu for holiday dinner parties or checking everything off your shopping list before Christmas rolls around, there is so much to accomplish during the fall. When you add in visiting with the family, holiday events, healthy eating and working out, everything can seem daunting—and a full schedule likely won’t include much time to relax. But it’s vital that we try to minimize stress, even during this time of year. “Once fall starts, the weather changes and temperatures begin to drop, [and] we have less hours of sun exposure, which affects our Vitamin D levels,” says Bianca Gillett, director of recreation and fitness at Newport Beach Country Club. “… Think of vitamin
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D as your immune support micronutrient. [Without it,] we naturally become more susceptible to colds, flus and other diseases during the holiday period.” While the holiday season can be a lot of fun, it often comes with more food and alcohol consumption, increased social outings and less sleep, which allows the stress to pile up more easily. Gillett says keeping your immune system high is the best way to feel your best throughout fall and winter. “We have enough to stress about in life in general, and even more so during the holiday season,” she adds. “If we learn how to take care of our bodies and have tools in our back pocket to keep us healthier, … [it] will naturally reduce our stress, which makes us more pleasant people to be around.”
PROS AND CONS In addition to keeping us from getting sick, taking care of our bodies and reducing stress ensures improved mental health, less holiday weight gain, a better mood, and more energy to make it through the holiday season. “Research shows that holiday weight becomes a major contributor to annual weight gain,” Gillett notes. “Managing stress and … [using our] helpful tips will help prevent this.” Some of the most common ways you could be harming your immune system this fall are with stress or anxiety, alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, an unhealthy diet, dehydration, smoking or lack of exercise. Each of these tend to be exaggerated more during the holiday season. Stress affects the body in a number of
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10/18/23 12:04 PM