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What better way to reduce stress than a simple walk on the beach?

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

 

By Paula Detwiller

    'Tis the season to be jolly.

    But in modern America, the “jolly” often comes with a helping of stress. There’s the shopping, the traffic, the out-of-town guests. Over-indulging at parties. Scrambling to get everything done: sign the cards, wrap the gifts, catch the plane!

    If the holidays are sucking the health and harmony out of you, here are seven great ways to de-stress and regain perspective.

    1. Take a walk on the beach. Walking anywhere is good for the heart and musculoskeletal system, but walking on the beach is like free therapy. Slip off your shoes and head north or south. Drink in the ocean breeze. Watch the waves crash and let your mind drift. Just think: Our friends in the frozen North can only dream of this right now.

    2. Head to a yoga class. If you’ve never tried yoga before, you may be surprised at the decompression that results from stretching muscles, holding poses and emptying the mind of all thoughts. 

    Look for classes at your local yoga studio, gym (Lantana Fitness offers three varieties: www.lantanafitness.com), or community class. 

    The city of Boca Raton sponsors free yoga at 9 a.m.  every Saturday beneath the pavilion at Sanborn Square (72 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton). Bring your own mat.

    3. Float your stress away. If ever there was an antidote to the overcrowded shopping mall, it’s the sensory-deprivation flotation tank: a dark, enclosed chamber containing a tub of 98-degree water spiked with 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts. Step in, close the door, slide into in the tub, and escape from everything: the weight of gravity, the in-laws and the store clerk yelling, “Next in line, please!” Try it at DU20 Holistic Oasis in Delray Beach. www.du20.com/the_floating_experience

    4. Breathe. When we’re tense, our breathing is shallow, depriving our muscles and brains of oxygen, worsening the tension. 

    Try unwinding with deep, controlled breathing techniques you can find on the Internet. For an even more therapeutic experience, try the Biodynamic Breathwork class at the Salt Suite in Delray Beach, where the dry, sea salt-infused air can clear sinuses and improve lung function. (www.thesaltsuite.com)

    5. Replace and renourish. Too many cocktails, canapés and cookies? We’ve all been there. 

Nutritionists recommend foods high in B-complex vitamins to bounce back from hangovers and bolster your immune system against stress. Excellent sources of B vitamins include legumes, oatmeal, eggs, flax seeds, brown rice, nuts, asparagus, leafy vegetables, cauliflower, potatoes, broccoli and oranges.

    6.  Sweat it out. If you don’t have access to a sauna or steam room, a 40-minute session at the InfraSweat sauna studio in downtown Delray Beach can help soothe those frayed nerves. Inside a private wooden stall, you are radiated with infrared heat that warms you from the inside. Meditation music helps push those annoying Santa Claus jingles out of your brain while muscle tension melts away. (www.infrasweat.com)

    7. Get a massage. This one’s a no-brainer, but we never seem to make time for it. Don’t wait until you’re white-knuckling the shopping cart and glaring at the Salvation Army bell-ringer. Massage therapists are ubiquitous here in South Florida, and many — such as the professionals at Oriental Massage of Boca — come to you for in-home services. 

    Here’s wishing you a happy, relaxing New Year.

Paula Detwiller is a freelance writer and lifelong fitness junkie. Visit her at www.pdwrites.com.

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