064: A Moment for You: Simple Ways to Recharge This Holiday Season

In this fast-paced holiday season, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the endless to-dos and festive demands. In this episode, I invite you to pause and embrace the power of rest.. even in small, manageable moments.

Discover how slowing down, even briefly, can help you feel more grounded, energized, and focused. Learn how to use a simple breathing technique to activate your body's rest-and-digest mode, and uncover how honoring your need for rest can bring balance to a busy time of year.

Take a moment for yourself today... you deserve it.

What you'll learn:

• Why rest is essential for your mind and body.
• A quick breathing exercise to restore calm and focus.
• How slowing down can help you thrive, even during the holiday rush.

If you're looking to gain clarity on your next steps for your health and wellness in 2025, you've welcome to book a free Clarity Call with me where we can create an aligned plan to support your goals

Head to carlykillen.com to book your place

Thanks for listening to the Strong Bones Coach Podcast

If you'd like to get in touch to ask a question about today's episode or to find out how you can get support from my coaching, reach out on the following links:

hello@carlykillencoaching.com

https://www.instagram.com/thestrongbonescoach

Thanks for listening to The Strong Bones Coach Podcast!

If you’d like to get in touch with a question about today’s episode or find out how I can support you with coaching, here’s how to reach me:
📧 Email: hello@carlykillencoaching.com
📱 Instagram: @thestrongbonescoach

Do you crave unshakable confidence in your strength from midlife and beyond? Would you love to achieve your goals without sacrificing family time or self-care?

Ready to take your strength to the next level? Start building a stronger body and healthier bones with my Strong Bones Starter Kit—your step-by-step guide to safe and effective strength training at home.
👉 Click here to learn more and access today

🌟 Stay connected and inspired with daily wellness tips on Instagram @thestrongbonescoach.
🌟 For tailored advice or personal queries, email me at hello@carlykillencoaching.com.

Thank you for being here, and I look forward to supporting you on your journey to strength, health, and confidence! 💪🦴✨

Transcript

Carly: 0:37

Welcome back to the Strong Bones Coach podcast. I'm Carly, your host, and I'm so grateful you've tuned in today. Now, I know this time of year can feel a little Well, chaotic between those family gatherings, gift shopping, end of year work, deadlines and everything in between. It's easy to feel pulled in a million directions. So for the next few weeks, I'm keeping these episodes short, simple, and most importantly, helpful. I hope so anyway. This week I want to talk to you about something we often overlook during the holiday season. Thanks And that is respecting your own needs for rest, while still finding ways to meet your desires and enjoy this time of year in a way that feels right for you. Now, as someone in the northern hemisphere, I can't help but feel the pull of the season we're in at the moment, which is winter. We have nature slowing itself down, the days are shorter, although not for long, and the nights are longer. Um, there's an invitation here to move a little more slowly, to rest, to conserve energy. But of course, we have those collective messages around us, which are often the exact opposite. Busy, busy, busy. So today, I want to share three simple ways to recharge your energy during this busy season, honoring your body's needs without adding to your to do list. So let's get started. Now let's start with a reminder. You are not a machine. You don't have to be on all the time. Even if the world around you feels like it's moving at full speed. Rest is not laziness. It is a biological and emotional necessity. And I'm throwing in this reminder for myself as well. So many times I have forgotten this, which is why I'm bringing this to you today. So, amongst all the busyness that you might be noticing right now, perhaps you can take a moment to yourself and ask, How do I really feel right now? Am I pushing through exhaustion? What would it look like to give myself permission to pause? Now that doesn't mean dropping everything. It simply means respecting your limits, creating space to recharge, even in small ways. This allows you to listen to that wise part of yourself that does know what you need best. You might then realise what the next best step is for you. Or perhaps the little pause to check in is just enough for you to know nothing needs to change right now and you're exactly where you need to be. Second tip. A few quick energy boosting tips for you here. So here are three simple practices you could try this week or any time that serves you. First one, hydrate and nourish. So during these busy times, it can get super easy to forget the basics. And dehydration and inconsistent meals can drain your energy faster than you think. So maybe you want to consider keeping a water bottle nearby. And aim for small sips throughout the day, focusing on nutrient dense foods, soups, stews, warm drinks that feel comforting, but also provide you with the right fuel. With all of the festive foods around right now, it can get very easy to fill up on things that don't give us the nutrients that we want. Perhaps we're lacking a little color in our diet. So taking note of those fruits, those veggies, plenty of protein to support your body as we move through these end of year months. Secondly, perhaps we want to focus on movement for energy and not exhaustion. So movement and exercise doesn't have to be intense to be effective. And of course we have cycles as to when we're ready to go a little faster, go a little stronger. And there's times you might want to pull back without completely coming to a halt. So perhaps you want to focus on a short walk outside, even just 10 minutes. This can be a perfect reset for your mind and body. Perhaps gentle stretches or standing up every hour can help bring you back into balance. Or perhaps when you are focusing on your strength training, focus on the movement quality. Really feel into what it feels like to be lifting that weight, what effort level feels right for you today. These are all things that can help you stay attuned to your body whilst respecting your body's needs in the moment at any particular time. And thirdly, consider taking some mini rest moments. You can take just a few minutes to practice an extended exhale breath for example. This technique helps shift your body into its parasympathetic rest and digest mode, bringing calm and balance to your nervous system. So here's how you can do it. You can choose any count, but I'm going to choose the inhale of a count of six, and an exhale of a count of eight. So all you want to do, if you're able to breathe through your nose, is simply inhale gently through your nose to the count of six, and exhale slowly through your mouth for the count of eight. You can continue this for five to ten breaths, focusing on making your exhale. longer than you inhale, so don't worry too much about the counting. So when we allow even a small moment of rest, we can feel lighter and more grounded and as our energy is settled in a way that And here's the best part, you don't need a special setup or perfect conditions to do this. You can practice this extended exhale breathing anywhere, even while you're waiting for the kettle to boil. And whether you remember these things or not, this season I invite you to put aside the idea that you need to do it all. Perhaps embrace the slower pace that winter naturally encourages. It's not about opting out of joy or activities, but finding ways to enjoy it without running yourself into the ground. Perhaps it's saying no to something that doesn't align with your values, or asking for help when you need it. Perhaps it's giving yourself permission to do things differently this year. That permission to go a little slower. Thank you for spending these few minutes with me today. I hope this episode has reminded you to pause, recharge, and prioritise yourself during what can be a busy season. Next week I'll be guiding you through a calming breathwork session to help you find peace amidst the holiday rush, so stay tuned for that. And if you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure about how to navigate this time, don't forget you can book a free, 30 minute clarity call with me. It's an opportunity to untangle those messy thoughts, create a simple plan and feel empowered moving forward. You can find the link in the show notes or at carlykillen. com. until next time, stay strong, take care and remember rest is a gift to yourself and everyone else around you.