October 30, 2025

Move Through the Chaos: How to Thrive This Holiday Season

The holidays have a funny way of testing our limits.

Between travel, family, work deadlines, and social commitments, stress skyrockets while sleep, nutrition, and movement often take the hit. Ironically, this is when your body and brain need self-care the most, and not just the bubble-bath kind. We’re talking about the kind backed by real science that builds your resilience, energy, and long-term health.

Your Nervous System Is the Unsung Hero of the Season

When you’re stressed, your body shifts into sympathetic dominance, fight-or-flight mode. Heart rate rises, cortisol spikes, digestion slows, and inflammation increases. Over time, this chronic stress dysregulates the nervous system, leading to burnout, fatigue, and even injury.

But here’s the fascinating part:

Movement is one of the most powerful regulators of your nervous system. Even 10 minutes of intentional exercise or controlled breathing can activate the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) system , lowering cortisol, improving focus, and restoring balance. Your body is wired to adapt when given the right stimulus and recovery. 

Why Prioritizing Health Right Now Changes Your Future

Think of this season as your physiological reset,  the time your body recalibrates for a stronger, more resilient year ahead.
By investing in your physical and mental health today, you’re not only managing stress but also:

• Improving cognitive function: Regular movement boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which enhances mood, learning, and memory.
• Increased Productivity: Studies show that people who exercise report up to 40% higher productivity, focus, and motivation on workout days.
• Preventing burnout and illness: Exercise improves immune response and reduces the inflammatory load of stress.
• Increasing energy efficiency: Strength and mobility training improve mitochondrial health, your body’s energy factories.
• Building longevity momentum: Consistency compounds. Your future self is being shaped by the habits you choose today.

Tips for Success – 

Through Workouts:

1. Move with challenge: Engage in challenging movement at least twice a week, ideally three times. “Challenging” doesn’t mean maximal effort; it means working at a threshold that stimulates adaptation without overwhelming your system. True adaptation happens in that middle ground, enough intensity to trigger growth hormones and tissue remodeling, but not so much that you flood your system with chronic cortisol. Acute stress is productive; chronic stress is destructive. The art of training is knowing the difference (and yes, that deserves its own deep dive).
2. Train functionally: Choose workouts that integrate mobility, strength, and stability. They prepare you for life; whether that’s skiing at Mammoth, heaving that Costco load of Thanksgiving supplies in from the store to your car and your car to your home, or traveling on adventure.
3. Focus on neuromuscular re-education: Functional movement is more than exercise, it’s retraining your nervous system to engage muscles correctly. This process, known as neuromuscular re-education, restores coordination, improves balance, and helps your body build new movement patterns that reduce pain and prevent re-injury.
4. Incorporate rehabilitation-based exercises: If you’re experiencing pain, instability, or limited range of motion, you need targeted strengthening and stretching exercises tailored to your needs. These corrective movements help improve joint stability, flexibility, and functional control, especially for areas like the shoulders, hips, and spine that tend to tighten or weaken under stress.
5. Prioritize recovery: Foam rolling, soft-tissue work, and low-intensity mobility are not “extra.” They are the science-backed glue that keeps your nervous system balanced.

Outside of Workouts:

1. Ground daily: Just 5 minutes barefoot on grass or sand can reduce cortisol and inflammation by restoring your body’s natural electrical balance with the earth.
2. Get morning sunlight: Step outside within the first hour of waking. Natural light helps regulate your circadian rhythm, balances cortisol levels, and boosts serotonin, setting the tone for calmer energy and better sleep at night.
3. Hydrate with purpose: Even mild dehydration can reduce focus, mood, and muscle recovery. Start your day with water before caffeine, and sip consistently throughout the day to keep your cells firing efficiently.
4. Eat for stability, not spikes: Focus on protein, fiber, and healthy fats at each meal to keep blood sugar, and energy steady. Balanced glucose means sharper focus, fewer crashes, and a more stable mood.
5. Breathe through your nose: Nasal breathing increases nitric oxide production, improving oxygen delivery and calming your nervous system. Try it during walks, stretching, or moments of stress.
6. Connect with people who recharge you: Positive social connection activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering stress hormones and increasing resilience. Sometimes the best recovery comes from genuine human connection.
7. Sleep like it’s your job: Recovery hormones like melatonin and growth hormone peak during deep sleep. Protect your sleep window by dimming lights and avoiding screens an hour before bed, it’s one of the most powerful longevity tools you have.

Picture yourself stepping off the lift at Mammoth; knees stable, hips strong, lungs full of crisp mountain air.
Or exploring new places, whether it’s a weekend getaway or your favorite local trail, moving with ease and confidence, your body supporting every step instead of holding you back. Or simply walking into the new year with that quiet, grounded confidence that comes from knowing your body can handle whatever life throws your way.

For those who already have a consistent routine, you’re ahead of the curve. My advice? Lean into it. Book your workouts now and protect them like any other vital appointment. Treat your training as the non-negotiable cornerstone of your health and longevity, not an optional task to squeeze in later.

If you don’t yet have a movement routine, take a breath.
I know the intrusive thoughts show up fast:
“I don’t have enough time.”
“I’ve tried before and failed.”
“I’m injured.”
“I don’t even know where to start.”

Start simple and start with support. You need to be met where you are at this moment, not placed into a one-size-fits-all program. You’ve experienced many years of life up to this point, and you need someone that understands your body, goals, and can see you as a whole being with a unique story.  Book a complimentary call with one of our team members. We’ll help you find the right place to begin, design a plan around your needs, and show you how success is built one small, smart step at a time.

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