Energize Yourself This Holiday Season!
We’re here again. Another new holiday season promises party food, extreme calorific drinks, sinful desserts, and a to-do list that’s already a mile long. And, it’s only just Thanksgiving around the corner! The challenge is to get to 2025 without feeling depleted.
HOW TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE:
Control your Day in Your Morning
Don’t Let Dehydration Zap Your Energy
Create an Autopilot Eating Plan
Are your schedule and to-do list scary? Two things you can do to get the most out of your day include a healthy breakfast and an early-rising morning walk. (If the walk is out, a few minutes set aside for exercise are good.)
I like an early walk because I feel that the exposure to the early-morning sun really helps. I like getting my Vitamin D fix early in the day.
SET YOUR BREAKFAST UP FOR STEADY ENERGY THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY. Include protein, healthy fat and carbs.
My preferred breakfast includes muesli topped with a protein powder and applesauce.
I pour 1 serving of Bob’s Red Mill Muesli in a bowl. I add 1 scoop of Collagen peptides from Woodstock Apothecary (in Woodstock, NY) and 1 serving of Musselman’s Unsweetened Applesauce which I get at my local Hannaford’s Grocery store.
This breakfast is nutritious, delicious, and the easiest meal I’ve found. There is nothing to heat up, nothing to chop, and nothing to cook.
If you feel like you need more food, add a small container of yogurt or 4 ounces of milk.
You really can’t get anything easier than this and it is optimum nutrition. This recipe offers the most nutrition with the least amount of preparation.
This covers step 1 of my holiday success plan.
STEP 2: KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED.
Develop hydration habits which become second nature. Drink something often throughout the day. Just because you’re not sweating doesn’t mean you don’t need the water.
People younger that me can’t keep up with my energy if they don’t keep hydrated. To avoid fatigue, begin drinking your fluids early in the day. Water is essential to your holiday to-do list success. Include teas, broths, and soups. The rule here is this: whatever works. Just keep fluids in your daily activities.
STEP 3: YOUR DIETARY AUTO-PILOT PLAN
prepare meals which are fun to eat, nourishing, and easy. Save the exciting meals and adventurous foods for parties. For everything else, stick to your easy-to-buy-and-fix favorites.
These three things should get you to to 2025 without feeling depleted.
If you can squeeze it in, schedule a Reiki or Reflexology Session just for you!
ALSO, my wish for you is that you will be able to develop new health habits which are easy to use and help you get through your days better.
Thanks for reading this article!
TWO HOLIDAY READS:
This is a fun book to read if you’re questioning your future moves.
Volume 1 is still available on ebook.
This holiday book: “Just for Gabriel” is available on both hardback and ebook.
Order them at ThurmanGreco.com or email me at thurmangreco@gmail.com.
Again – Thanks for reading the article.
In Memory: Grandpa Woodstock
I found the story about Grandpa Woodstock on Trish LeaseWay’s Facebook thread. Her words and the pictures she took transported me back in time instantly to the first time I met him.
“Grandpa Woodstock is coming! Grandpa Woodstock is coming!” His very own herald announced his arrival with Lady Estar and Hector, their fluffy little white dog, as they made their way to the food pantry for Wednesday afternoon grocery shopping.
He parked his famous colorful cart at the pantry entrance under the shade of a tree so Hector wouldn’t get overheated. While Grandpa Woodstock and Lady Estar came in to shop, Hector patiently waited in the cart.
In Woodstock, Grandpa Woodstock was the most colorful of the colorful and the most charming of the charming with his props and smile. Residents loved him. Travelers from all over the globe adored him. Women, especially, responded to him. How could anyone resist?
While waiting in the hallway to shop, Grandpa Woodstock entertained everyone: “My, how beautiful you look today!” he gushed enthusiastically as he sounded the horn attached to his walking stick “Toot toot”.
I was no exception to the rule. His words melted my heart. Because, in reality, working in the pantry was tough with the overcrowded hallway, overstuffed food shelves, and overtired shoppers. When Grandpa Woodstock and Lady Estar shopped in the pantry, none of it mattered.
He made us feel special when he showed off his clothes, his cart, his horn, his peace sign, and posed for photos.
What a pair! Grandpa and Lady Estar looked alike. My eyes told me they were a pair of matching perfect size 8’s. Their long flowing silver hairstyles and their lovely matching beards only emphasized their striking appearance as they stood in the pantry selecting veggies for the evening meal they planned to serve to their closest homeless friends.
He and Lady Estar dressed beautifully in flowing silk skirts and kimonos. They favored red floral print jackets, dresses. Their toenails were painted and they wore matching Teva sandals. As they chatted, I felt they were already dressed for their evening event.
When they left the pantry, Grandpa Woodstock pushed their cart out to the village green so admirers could take pictures, buy post cards, and donate money in Grandpa’s tip jar.
None of Woodstock’s rich and famous got so many requests for autographs, photographs. They couldn’t compete with Grandpa Woodstock’s show off tricks. Maybe some of these famous people should have gotten a horn.
This was street theater at its finest. He drew us in, made us feel special for a moment. Life was beautiful!
“My how lovely you look today!” he announced to the crowd, waving a peace sign in the air. Grandpa Woodstock convinced us all with his smile and the toot of his horn that we were accepted by the community, that we were okay, and that our pantry was important.
As I remember this special moment in time, I’m reminded that neither Grandfather Woodstock, nor the Woodstock he lived in, exist anymore. Grandpa was the last of the line. Everyone else was gone – one way or another.
Time and gentrification is moving us forward – with no exceptions.
