CNN – Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude, connection and celebration, but it can also be physically demanding and mentally draining. Hours of cooking, sitting at the table and navigating a full day of activity and socializing can leave you exhausted, bloated and stiff by evening.
Simple mind-body strategies woven throughout your day can help you avoid that fate, supporting your energy, digestion and nervous system from morning through bedtime.
1. Lay the groundwork with deep breathing: Before the day gets busy, spend a few minutes focused on establishing long, deep diaphragmatic breaths. You can do this before getting out of bed, seated in a chair, or lying on your back with knees bent in a breathing bridge.
Place your hands on your lower ribs to guide and monitor their movement. Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your ribs expand outward.
Then exhale fully, drawing your ribs back inward. Try to double the length of your exhale — if you inhale for four counts, exhale for eight.
Deep breathing with extended exhales activates your parasympathetic nervous system — your body’s “rest and digest” mode — and sets a calm, focused tone for the hours ahead.
2. Hydrate strategically: Reach for a glass of water before that first cup of coffee. Your body has been fasting all night, and starting with hydration helps you recover from overnight dehydration.
Research shows that proper hydration supports cognitive function and energy levels, and plays an essential role in digestion.
If you plan on drinking alcohol later in the day, getting ahead on hydration early helps. Also try to drink a full glass of water for every cocktail or glass of wine you consume.
3. Move through a full-body mobility flow: Before you get into full swing in the kitchen, spend five minutes gently mobilizing your major joints with a quick yoga flow or by doing a few circles in each direction with your ankles, hips and arms and then rotating side to side through your mid-back …
