Thursday, December 20, 2012

Wellness during the holidays

Health and wellness are especially important during the holiday season. While this blog focuses a lot on the physical aspect of health and wellness (healthy eating and physical activity), there are other areas that are just as important. The six dimensions of wellness are (from the National Wellness Institute):
  • Physical
  • Occupational
  • Social
  • Intellectual
  • Emotional
  • Spirtual

Here are some ways to be healthy during the holidays in all areas of wellness.

Physical - even if you are pressed for time, make time for some form of physical activity. Park further away and walk, take the stairs, walk an extra lap at the store, turn on music and dance while cleaning the house, take breaks and do exercises, or go ice skating.

Occupational - do something nice for a co-worker (it doesn't have to cost anything!) or give a compliment and smile to a co-worker or class participant. Take a few days off around the holidays to decompress.

Social - invite a friend or family member to go shopping or help wrap holiday gifts. Go to a movie or dinner with a friend. For something inexpensive, meet for coffee or at a bookstore. Call up a friend or family member that you haven't talked to in awhile.

Intellectual - learn something new or read a book on a topic that you are unfamiliar with. Learning is one way to keep our brains sharp. Go to the library or download a free Kindle book. MU employees have access to MyLearn with a lot of books and other learning opportunities.

Emotional - practice some stress management techniques that work for you, have a positive attitude, and learn from your mistakes during the holiday season.

Spiritual - there are many spiritual opportunities during the holidays, so practice in accordance with your beliefs. Also, base your actions on your values and provide others with compassion. Surround yourself with joy and faith.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Holiday Food and Fitness

MissouriFamilies is your one-stop shop for all the information you need about holiday food and fitness. Here are some of the articles on the website.
  • Cook and Freeze Now to Avoid Holiday Stress
  • Six Steps to a Healthier Holiday Season
  • How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
  • Be a Thoughtful Giver with Food Items
  • Holiday Eating Strategies
  • Tips for Your New Year's Resolutions
  • Resolve to Replace Diets with Good Health Habits
  • Secrets for Making Resolutions Stick
  • and more!
Visit the MissouriFamilies Food, Fitness, and Holiday page for this and more great information.


About MissouriFamilies:
MissouriFamilies provides unbiased, research-based solutions for better living. Beginning with the basics—food, clothing, shelter, finances, family and community—we concentrate on providing scientific solutions for contemporary challenges in human lives.

Our far-reaching realm of expertise includes family financial education, designs for living and working environments, human development, nutrition and wellness, and community support systems.

MissouriFamilies is provided by University of Missouri Extension, a partnership of the University of Missouri campuses; Lincoln University; the people of Missouri through county extension councils; and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

December Cook it Quick newsletter

Are you looking for some inexpensive, yet unique gift ideas for the holidays? Look no further than the December Cook it Quick newsletter. You will find instructions on making these mixes:

  • French vanilla coffee mix (who wouldn't love that?)
  • California walnut granola mix
  • Mint candy coffee mix (yum!)
  • Country chili mix
  • Double chocolate peppermint candy hot cocoa mix (for those cold winter nights)
  • Spiced tea mix
  • Homemade trail mix
North Dakota State University Extension also has a webpage with these mixes:
  • Homemade cornbread mix
  • Cranberry oatmeal cookie mix
  • Friendship soup mix
The mixes are easy and use ingredients that you have on hand or would be easy to find. You just need some glass jars and fabric and ribbon to make them look festive. You will need a food processor for some of the coffee and hot cocoa mixes.

Another resource is Alice Henneman's blog post on homemade holiday food gifts.

These homemade gifts are a great way to save money and give a gift that someone will actually use.