Navigating the Holiday Season

It’s that time where friends and family come together to celebrate. There can be parties where you are being served cocktails and appetizers as you mingle through the crowd, family dinners filled with rich foods and yummy family recipes passed down from generations, and likely an uptake in the enjoyment of sweets and desserts. This is all wonderful until it catches up to you and you feel pain, bloating and weight gain – especially in your belly.

The challenge also comes from the fact that usually there is more than 1 celebration. In the month of December, you may attend as many parties as you do during the rest of the year. This can be great for your social calendar, but your liver and waistline may have a different experience. Of course, you don’t want to miss out on all the fun, but when you are in pain and your clothes don’t fit, the fun factor lessens. But . . . what if you could enjoy all the festivities and still maintain your health and keep the bloating at bay.

The most important thing to understand is how to support your liver function. This amazing organ has many jobs, but most importantly filters all the blood in the body and breaks down poisonous substances to keep your cells from harm. Giving the liver some extra attention is a great way to support it as it supports you. The simple act of breathing diaphragmatically is the best way to give the liver the energy that it needs, as this mechanical movement of this muscle provides a continual massage to the liver, which lies just below the diaphragm. The stomach also receives the magic of proper breathing as it also sits just below the diaphragm. Part of what helps the stomach break down food is the energy provided from the up and down action of this muscle.

Sometimes just understanding something is enough to create a change in the way you do things, as your body wants to be healthy and function as it is designed. Aside from the food and beverages that you consume, it’s also what you do with them that matters. The tongue muscle takes part in chewing and talking. These are very different actions that just one muscle is responsible for, so doing both at the same time often causes you to swallow whole chunks of food, rather than chewing until the food is liquid.

You can see how the combination of what you consume, combined with the frequency of consumption, plus the inability to use your body to its best during this time can stress the stomach and liver, causing pain, bloating and weight gain. Of course, you don’t want to have to miss out on these fun filled times, so what if you could spend 10 minutes before and after the party to create the best environment to handle the extra stress you put on your body and not reap the negative consequences – at least to the same degree.

An athlete prepares for the game, and likewise you can prepare for the party. An athlete also does a proper warm down so to not feel stiff and sore the next day, and you too can give your organs the love and attention they need so they aren’t as taxed after the celebrations.

In this video, I am sharing how to activate your diaphragm as well as prepare your stomach and liver to handle the added burden that for many, comes in December. This work can be done before and after whatever event you are attending to give you added energy to handle the stress of the season, so you can feel amazing as you celebrate with friends and family.