Christmas: It's good for your health!

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Happiness of giving and receiving
“The presents we exchange are a kind of emotional food”, decodes Sylvie Tenenbaum, psychotherapist. We make gifts to show our attachment and attention to each other; “An exchange of pleasant and appreciated presents strengthens the mutual confidence and the attachment”. There is apprehension as we aim to please, pride when we achieve it, shared thanks, and a wave of emotion for some presents that delight us. All these sincere emotions stimulate activity in the brain, similar to that of caresses, as hormones associated with well-being, dopamine and oxytocin, are released. The result is an exhilaration that erases stress, chases away the greyness and makes people happy - thus, promoting better physical and psychological health.
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The right to nap
If nights are often too short during the festive period, the nap postprandial is widely recommended and even socially favoured (which is not always the case). As a result, we can lie on the sofa without guilt, submitting to the body’s natural rhythm at its peak loss of vigilance between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. As a result, we have energy to spare after a 20-minute nap (maximum) along with greater levels of concentration.
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Shopping, decorating and cooking: It’s a sport!
Who would dare comment that we are sedentary or non active? The hours spent cleaning the house, carrying home the shopping, installing and decorating the Christmas tree, going back and forth from the kitchen, stuffing the turkey or bringing up water and wine from the cellar are all real physical activities. We spend energy (translate: calories), eliminate stress, maintain muscular and cardiovascular mass and enjoy better quality sleep. Moreover, the family walks taken to aid digestion during the festive period are beneficial, as we should ideally be walking for 30 to 60 minutes each day.
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Singing helps us relax and develop muscle
Whether we sing Christmas songs near the tree or take part in karaoke with the family, the health benefits of singing are undeniable. Singing requires control of our breath, which has to be deeper and more regular, thereby constituting real physical relaxation. As we concentrate on our breathing, we forget our worries and banish our stress, as singing exercises release endorphins that relax the body and the spirit. Better still, explains the vocal coach Corinne Rocca, “Singing is sport”. It softens the diaphragm and works approximately 300 muscles; those of the jaw and the zygomatics, but also the trapezius, gluteus, dorsal and even the abdominal muscles! It is, according to Rocca, “a soft alternative to the abdominal exercises, as effective as yoga or pilates”. Therefore, there is no reason to not sing our favourite songs loudly.
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Enjoy friendly meals
A long family dinner around a table is better than eating quickly in front of the TV; indeed, the latter increases the risk of becoming overweight. Festive meals enable us to get back into this good habit. With many guests, discussions, laughter and sharing, the conditions are set so that, finally, fuelled by happiness, we pick at food rather than gorging ourselves. A prolonged meal, with a pause between courses, is a model to follow for the rest of the year.
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Christmas is a sex party
Unlike Santa Claus, holiday babies are not a myth. A report noticed that the conception of babies is situated somewhere between Christmas and New Year's Eve. This period of euphoric laughter and Champagne bubble, the end of year and long nights all combine to instigate the libido. It is the perfect way of ending one year and starting the next, because sex works muscles, calms the spirit (thanks to endorphins, molecules of the pleasure), boosts self-respect and combats ageing. To be consumed without moderation.
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We play and relax
“Games should be proposed just like medication is prescribed” said Aristotle. And it is proven! Puzzles, dolls, dressing-up, board games or videos - it is impossible to not be enchanted by the contagious enjoyment of the youngest. By playing with them, we recapture our child’s soul - we live in the moment, we have fun, we invent and we let our imagination loose. In brief, we rekindle our younger spirit and strengthen the generational links! We can pick the teenager’s bike (or the scooter, the rollers), or play video games with them. According to several studies, video games improve the visual capacities, reduces stress and pain, and dopes the cognitive capacities and memory. And if we laugh heartily, our abdominal muscles get a workout, our viscera are massaged, and all the muscles of the face work and relax, thereby equating to a mini yoga session.
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Dancing eliminates calories, stress and tiredness
Dancing is a real sport (we risk aching the next day, a sign that our muscles worked seriously), and burns calories (at least 500 per hour). Besides, it is incredibly liberating. The dance enchants, is therapeutic for the body and spirit, cleanses from the inside and restores energy. A study published in The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition highlights that dancing increases energy levels in the body. It also helps fight depression and boosts self-confidence, as researchers proved it in a study published in the International Newspaper of Neurosciences. Moreover, the dance therapy is becoming more and more widespread.

Not in the Christmas spirit?

Planning Christmas gifts, meeting families and cooking dinners can be without a doubt extremely stressful. However, despite all the negatives, Christmas time is generally good for your mood and health.

Forget your New Years resolutions!

A study published in 2009 shows that 88% of people do not stick to their resolutions – simply because their goals were too ambitious! So this year, choose a single objective that makes sense. Not only will you be more likely to complete this goal but it is better for your health too.

Isabelle Delaleu

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