These Tips Can Change Your Health and Outlook in Life.
The holidays are over, but some are contracting Post Holiday Syndrome. I love the holidays, because it makes me smile from cheek to cheek. It puts me in a cheerful mood. I’m excited to get dolled up, to decorate my home, buy gifts, invite loved ones over for good eats and entertainment, and travel to visit family. In fact, if I get another puppy, I’ll name it pumpkin, yammy, cranberry, jolly or merry!
Whenever one feels sad, it’s important to find reasons to celebrate. Here are some creative ways to get inspired and celebrate all year round (not just the holidays).
1. Charity: People are usually more charitable during the holidays, because it makes them feel great about themselves, and donations are tax deductible. So don’t just give presents to loved ones or donate to the needy during the holidays. Do it monthly or quarterly — give clothing you no longer wear to the Salvation Army or gently used toys to needy families. Donate to, buy from or join a charitable organization such as, but not limited to: Avon Foundation for Women, National Breast Cancer Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Cancer and Careers, CEW, (RED), Thrive Global Foundation. Not only will giving be a tax write-off, it’s also liberating when decluttering.
2. DIY Arts and Crafts. Make your own gifts. DIY Arts and Crafts is a wonderful hobby to get into yourself or with your kids. Instead of spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on gifts such as new bags, coasters, clocks, home decor, furniture, pillows (for people and pets) and wall art, you can make it yourself with ease. For example renowned DIY guru, Amy Howard is very inspiring and makes it simple to ‘rescue, restore and redecorate’ old items around the home and furniture pieces from reclaimed wood. She makes it easy and fun to transform even an old pillow that one may find in the attic into a dog bed, or an old wooden box into an luxe dog house!
3. Food and Entertainment: Eat and indulge in your favorite foods when getting together with family and friends. Many people love sweet treats and meat such as turkey, beef and sausages, but only reserve it for the holidays because they think it’s not healthy to eat meat. For example, Jacks Gourmet offers lean and healthy meats and sausages that are minimally processed, kosher, gluten free and contain no fillers. Thanks to Lands’ End, china, crystal, linen and wine glasses don’t have to be expensive. Take them out of storage more often, and invite family and friends over on weekends or a few times a month to share special moments. Instead of saving great home cooking and fine china for the holidays, it’s important to spend time with loved ones more often throughout the year to enjoy a happy meal together and reminisce about the good old days. For some great food and entertainment ideas, visit Lifestyle411.
4. Invest in yourself. Go to a gym and get fit all year long, and not just to lose the holiday pounds. There are so many innovative classes to try at gyms such as TMPL, David Barton’s newest venture or ClassPass, which enables guests to experience various fitness classes and studios nationwide and internationally via a flat-rate monthly subscription service. Instead of doing a juice cleanse before the big party, try it throughout the year to stay light and balanced with Pressed Juicery. There are many health benefits when you cleanse. It helps neutralize and remove toxins and waste products from the body, so you can experience an increase in energy on a regular basis. Invest in a smart scale such as Body Composition Wi-Fi scale by Withings that offers full body composition metrics, nutrition tracking, weight trend so you can set personal goals and achieve them.
5. Pamper yourself. Some may rush to book a professional makeup artist and hair stylist at the last minute, and go insane to find a dress that fits prior to attending a special holiday event. Instead, take some time to destressify and pamper yourself. Get together with a BFF and color each other’s hair with easy to follow at-home hair color kits by Clairol, L’Oreal Paris or eSalon, which individually formulates each one’s hair color and sends a single shipment or auto delivery. Visit a beauty boutique such as Sephora or Ulta, or a department store such as Nordstrom or Saks every couple of months. The sales representatives will gladly introduce beauty, skincare and hair products that cater to your individual needs. They also offer free samples and fashion advice, so you know how to do your own makeup and hair like a pro, know what types of clothes fit your body type, and don’t have to wait till the last minute before that special party or hot date. A wonderful spa to pamper dry winter hair is HavenSpa, which offers luxurious deep conditioning hair treatments. Dermalogica in Soho has an amazing ‘skin bar’ to treat dry winter skin. To learn more about the latest and greatest in beauty, visit Lifestyle411 here.
6. Security. Your home is your sanctuary, so you can go about your day or sleep with a peace of mind. Gifting yourself a home security system, is most probably one of the best presents you can ever gift yourself. Depending on your individual needs, there are many to choose from. A few of my DIY home security must-haves are:
- Arlo Smart Home Wireless Security Cameras come in a three pack, so they also help save money.
- Blue Air Purifiers are quiet, effective in delivering clean air and they look like a beautiful piece of furniture.
- D-Link Wi-Fi Routers offers a fast home network to ensure maximum performance for gaming and HD media, and home networks can be manged from smartphones or tablets.
- Reolink offers wireless security indoors and outdoors at affordable prices.
- Roost Smart Smoke Alarm is a 4-in-1 smoke and carbon monoxide detector. It also detects flames from fire and presence of natural gas! Roost has a smart backup battery to connect to your wi-fi network and sends alerts to your smartphone if the alarm goes off.
7. Travel: Don’t just travel for the holidays — do it throughout the year. Traveling makes one happier, because it introduces new experiences, new people all over the world and creates lasting memories. Many hotels and resorts create a fantasy experience for both adults and kids. Some hotels, such as Hyatt Regency WhySettle create a special program for those who want the best of both worlds — to eat delicious, healthy foods and stay in shape. To learn more about this amazing program for your upcoming travels, check it out at Lifestyle411 here.
Originally published at medium.com