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PrintTai Chi and chai tea
Healthy, stress-free ways to enjoy the holidays.
Feeling frazzled instead of festive this “fa la la” season? If so, you are not alone. For many, the holidays are synonymous with stress and are not the most wonderful time of the year. Having too much to do and too little time or money can be both physically and emotionally overwhelming.
Juggling our usual lives — family, friends, finances and work — with holiday happenings can cause overload and turn anyone into the Grinch. Adding traffic, travel delays, a desire to create the perfect holiday, shopping, cooking and the quest for the perfect gift can result in sidetracking, often debilitating stress.
Under-exercising and over-eating are common, yet counter-productive, coping methods. Irritability, tension and too many yummy holiday munchies, if not managed, eventually take their toll. Before we know it, we rob ourselves of a jolly holiday.
The more stressed out we become, the more vulnerable we are to colds, flu and a host of chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
“We need to apply some time-management strategies to help us embrace the true spirit of the season,” says Dr. Susan Steele, a family medicine physician and clinical assistant professor with Oklahoma State University Medical Center. “The relationship between stress and life can be compared to that of a string on a violin. If the string is too loose, the tone is flat. If it’s too tight, it breaks. When properly balanced, the musical tone of a violin, like our lives, can be beautiful.”
We all need that balance and some peaceful, silent nights. A few simple strategies can turn holiday jitters into joy almost as fast as gift-shopping online.
Start with some Tai Chi
The Chinese have recognized the health benefits of Tai Chi Chuan (pronounced “Tie Chee Chawaun” and meaning “grand, ultimate fist”) for hundreds of years. The Western medical community has conducted scientific research to measure the benefits of Tai Chi within the last 20 years.
Rick Thomas has been a sifu (teacher) at Thomas Academy of Tai Chi Kung Fu for more than 17 years.
“External things cause stress,” he says. “In today’s world, we are taught to hurry. Tai Chi teaches the art of slowing down; it quiets us on the inside. Tai Chi helps us find that safe, secure, comfortable place we all have.
“This martial art was designed more than 2,000 years ago to increase longevity. Giving practitioners the ability to realize a greater human potential in themselves and have genuine compassion for others, Tai Chi, with its gentle strength, moves one closer to feeling more truly alive.”
Discipled in China by grandmaster teachers, Thomas authenticates and emphasizes traditional breathing, balance and movement in his teaching.
“Every movement teaches participants to expend only the required amount of energy to perform any given task,” he says. “We strive to detach from fear, hurry, worry and resentment. This same system can be used to help keep stress from taking its toll.”
Tai Chi may be used to fight off others when necessary. It is also used to combat fatigue, stress, overwork or lack of understanding of oneself and one’s body.
Thomas says daily practice of Tai Chi promotes mental clarity and a healthy body. It improves cardiovascular function and reduces blood pressure and cholesterol. It is restorative and preventative, improves balance, reduces falls and is safe for those with common medical ailments such as arthritis. The discipline can be especially helpful during the holidays, as Tai Chi teaches to “rest first” when faced with a threat or stress.
Now for some chai tea
“A warm cup of tea also helps us rest,” says Tom Tobias, owner of The Yoga Room. Tobias serves chai tea regularly for that reason.
For some, just the aroma of chai tea is enough to evoke an audible “Ahhhh!” It’s a delicious holiday treat, too, with spices of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger, generally used more during the fall and holiday seasons.
Michell Culbreath, owner of Mecca Coffee Co., says chai tea actually helps people relax. The various spices in chai have been used in traditional Asian medicine for centuries.
Ginger helps to ease sore throats, along with cold and flu symptoms, and it can also calm an upset stomach. Cloves, traditionally used as an invigorating spice, may promote circulation as well.
Cinnamon is a common stimulant, while cardamom eases indigestion and has a calming effect. Pepper promotes healthy digestion. For those who experience indigestion after eating rich holiday treats, a cup of chai might be just the remedy.
To ensure that a cup of chai provides you with the health benefits you seek, make sure you brew it yourself. Mecca offers chai tea in several varieties.
Green tea chai and red (rooibos) tea chai come in individual tea bags. Mecca also offers chai in a liquid concentrate (a holiday favorite) and in loose bulk tea, which is weighed by the ounce. During the fall and holiday months, Mecca sells chai in instant, individual servings. Add hot water or milk for a quick cup of enjoyment.
Black tea, the base ingredient in chai tea, has a small amount of caffeine. Those who are caffeine sensitive or have ulcers or heartburn may want to drink in moderation.
Try these chai tea recipes from Mecca Coffee Co.
Other ways to reduce stress
When not savoring teatime, decking the holiday halls expends more than just energy. Dr. Lindsay Patterson, psychologist at Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital, offers her top 10 tips to make sure the holiday season doesn’t take a toll on your physical health.
- Keep expectations manageable. Don’t try to make this season “the best ever.” Set realistic goals. Making a list, like Santa, is helpful. Prioritize the most important activities.
- Deal with problems ASAP. If you can predict a conflict or feel some anxiety, listen to those feelings. If possible, talk to people around you or the people involved.
- Enjoy seasonal activities. Take in the beauty of holiday decorations, watch or listen to holiday programs and focus on your faith. Decorate or cook only what you feel you would enjoy.
- Don’t over-indulge in food and drink. Excessive eating and drinking brings out the “bah-humbugs” in all of us.
- Exercise often, even if it’s a quick walk outdoors. Healthy sleeping and eating habits are also helpful during this time of year.
- Enjoy time with kind and positive people. Take steps to contact people you care about.
- Make time for yourself. Alone time is restorative. Do something you enjoy — try Tai Chi or chai tea, perhaps.
- Continue valued traditions and enjoy your hobbies. Honor lost loved ones. Do something new.
- Serve others without expecting anything. Help someone outside your circle of acquaintances.
- Practice patience, laugh often and … smile!
Pay attention to your health
Gini McFarland, an exercise physiologist at Hillcrest Exercise and Lifestyle Programs, suggests that people make a goal to burn calories, not gas, during the holidays.
“When out shopping, park farther away and walk instead,” she says. “If you have a party to go to after work, take your walking shoes to work and exercise on your lunch break. Even climbing stairs is beneficial. If you are going away for the holidays, see if you can get a guest pass at a gym. Give yourself a guilt-free gift this year and commit to staying fit.”
To maintain proper balance during the holiday season, you must make a conscious effort to do so. Paying attention to your health, inside and out, does pay off. Try something new or embrace a tradition or two from your past. Recall some nostalgic memories, such as rocking an infant while singing “Silent Night,” savoring the sound of laughter at a family gathering or letting a 2-year-old “help” with the baking.
Applying a few healthy holiday tips can help you juggle many holiday chores and activities. With a plan in place, you may just jingle all the way this year.
