10 ways to pamper yourself during the holidays

Lying in bed late one November night, you gaze out your bedroom window and see snow falling. Gleefully, your thoughts turn to the holiday season but delight suddenly turns to terror and you dive under the covers to escape the upcoming chaos. "Holiday horror" can be brought on by thoughts of crowded shopping malls, burnt Christmas cookies and gaudy snowmen sweaters.

The key to a quick recovery is to take care of yourself so you can actually enjoy the festive season. Here are 10 tips to help you do just that.

1. Play
Outfit yourself in head-to-toe winter gear, grab your kids or a friend and head to the nearest snow hill for the ultimate in winter fun: tobogganing. Too many of us get wrapped up in holiday planning and forget to enjoy the winter weather -- and each other. No minced meat pie is worth making when you can enjoy fun times with loved ones instead.

2. Meditate
You don't have to be a certified yoga expert to realize the benefits of a little solitude. For 30 years, integrative medicine guru and founder of the program in integrative medicine (PIM) at the University of Arizona, Andrew Weil, M.D., has endorsed the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of meditation. Take a yoga break by learning to focus your awareness and direct it onto objects like an image, a word repeated silently or an inspirational passage. In a quiet space, sit up straight or lie down, close your eyes, and begin to relax your body as you focus on your desired object for a minimum of five minutes. According to Dr. Weil's website (www.drweil.com, even walking or sitting in a natural environment "is an antidote to being too focused on thoughts and emotions."

3. Take a bath
One of the most cost-effective and simplistic ways of pampering yourself is to shut everyone out of the bathroom and run a bath. Water temperatures should remain between 34-36 degrees for optimum relaxation according to Kailee Kline, president of Toronto's Healthwinds Health and Wellness Spa. Many beauty/health companies offer consumers a plethora of bath products to soothe or invigorate the body. Try Kiehl's sumptuous Lavender Foaming-Relaxing Bath with Sea Salts and Aloe Vera (available online at www.kiehls.com) or for muscle relaxation, try Kneipp's Juniper Herbal Bath. Tip: For added sensory pleasure, brew a cup of your favourite herbal tea before bathtime.

4. The expert touch
If your over-worked body can't muster the strength to turn the taps on, surrender yourself to a spa treatment. Kline says the combination of holiday stress and cold weather causes lethargy, and muscles to tense up. "Stress levels are high [at this time of the year] and people are in their worst moods when they should be in their best." Healthwinds offers an exclusive Hydrotherapy Bath Treatment that boasts 120 water air jets and a high-pressure underwater massage wand that left this writer literally speechless. For those on limited budgets, cost-friendlier treatments like body scrubs and toxin-releasing massages that help the body fight off colds are your best bets.

5. Join a Run/Walk Club
If joining a group whose main objective is to run on ice and snow isn't your idea of pampering yourself, you may be missing out on several benefits. By setting aside time for yourself during the week, you not only get to burn those extra calories, you also remove yourself from the demands of work and home. Best of all, it's a great excuse to socialize. The Running/Walking Room, with locations across Canada, offers clinics for all levels ranging from "Learn to Run" to "Marathon." Dawn Heighton, an assistant manager at a Toronto Running Room store says there is nothing more motivating than a run. "[Running] keeps energy up to get you through the winter months. [You can] hang out later with group members and have a giggle." Check out www.runningroom.com for a store near you.