I love the holidays! Fresh snow, pine trees, twinkle lights. hot chocolate, everyone feeling generous and festive… what’s not to love?! For three out of the last four years, I got to spend Christmas time in a bonafide snow globe. And the last two I got to spend with my family. Perfection. This year was a little different. I had to stay in Portland this year, but was awesome! Yeah, I was apart from my family, but I’ve been here for 8 months, so I have a community around me (versus my first Christmas away in Breckenridge when I’d only been in town for 3 months). Caitlin and I just moved into a new apartment, so a lot of our time was spent organizing, cleaning, decorating, and enjoying our new digs. Also, Mt Hood has been getting dumped on with snow! So I got to ski 7 times within 10 days! Yeah, perfection…
This year it began to feel a lot (or little) like Christmas on… Christmas Eve. I’d been so busy with opening the studio, starting a new job, and moving, that there wasn’t much time to create a festive vibe. I’d been surviving on coffee, takeout, and adrenaline. Until I could start skinning, I still wasn’t able to partake in my normal workout regimen that uplifts me and my mood. Everything I was doing was awesome, it was just very busy! Christmas Eve and Day, New Year’s Eve and Day were amazing! Skiing in the morning followed by movies and vegging with wine and chocolate in the evening was the perfect recharge! (Can you say, “snow day Netflix marathon?”) So how does one cope with returning to the “real world” after the holidays haven?
1. Get outside
Getting outside in the snow on my skis (or on the trail in my trail runners) has become my normal! Y’all know how I love skinning… It gives me distance from my phone and notification feed, from expectations, from, well, everything. I can turn my overanalytical brain off for a time and decompress. So the fact that I could get out 7 times within 10 days (and most of those were powder days!) made my heart oh-so-happy!
2. Hydrate
After weeks of too much coffee, wine, and champagne, my body is craving hydration! As much as my ex-boyfriend tried to convince me drinking coffee counted as hydrating, I know better… I attempt to constantly drink water, and always have my Nalgene with me. Sometimes time just slips away from me and I realize it’s been way too long and I’ve been sweating way too much since the last time I had water. A girl sometimes needs a little SOS! I’ve always been a Gatorade girl. So when my yogi and ultra-runner friend Jamie gave me some SOS Rehydrate packets to try, I was a little skeptical. I remember those Crystal Light packets (shudder)… However, I became hooked on SOS over the summer when I was out running and sweating in the incredible heat we had up here in Portland! It’s significantly less sugary than Gatorade and Powerade, and quenches even the direst thirst. SOS just released their new mango flavor! (Side bar: I love anything and everything mango!) Not only does it taste amazing, but it’s the perfect level of “lifestyle hydration” to help recover from a night of cheers-ing champagne!
3. Curb Cravings
Having the sweet tooth that I do, I like to treat myself a little extra during the holidays. That does make it a little more difficult to get back to routine after the holidays, though. As much as I’d love to be able to have sugar cookies as a side to my eggnog every day, that’s just not possible. So it is the perfect time to discover MealEnders! They are flavored lozenges designed to help prevent overeating. Read more about how they work and help me stop mindlessly nibbling here.
4. Yoga with Friends
My favorite way to get back into my activities is to make workout dates with friends! There’s no better way to stay accountable while also having a blast than to have a buddy right alongside of you!
As of Monday January 4th, we the Sweat Pink team have opened our very first physical space: Flex & Flow! It’s a yoga studio geared toward athletic conditioning. So high energy flow classes, inversion and arm balance classes, Jamie’s very own Flex & Flow HIIT workout (our signature style), bootcamps, a trail running club, and active stretching for athletes. (Read more details about the classes here.) We’ve been busting our asses for weeks DIY-ing the buildout, finding an awesome tribe of teachers, and getting all the nitpicky details covered. And voila! We did it, and are up and running! As I’m getting closer and closer back to 100% physcially, I’m so so so excited to get my yoga on with my new tribe!
5. Sweat Pink Pose of the Day Challenge
Another way to make sure I get my yoga on every damn day is the #poseoftheday challenge we’re hosting with Sweat Pink. I’ve taken part in many a daily yoga pose challenge (hello, #handstand365), so I’m stoked to be heading up my own with the Sweat Pink community! Read more about the challenge here and check the Fit Approach Instagram account daily to see the pose and some different variations.
Those are 5 ways I’m trying to kick my post-holiday blues and get back into my beloved routine. What does it for you?!
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by SOS and MealEnders, and any opinions expressed are my own. I truly appreciate all of the brands that support the Sweat Pink community!