Sustaining Your Well-Being During the Holidays with Megan Walker at the YMCA

"Stress tends to occur when there's an imbalance from a demand being placed on you, and it seems like you might be incapable of meeting that demand." - Megan Walker Many people experience higher stress levels during the holidays, mainly due to having a lot more on our plate. However, creating a stress response toolkit can better help your body and mind manage that stress. In today's episode, Dr. Michelle Robin welcomes Megan Walker, who is the Healthy Living Director at the YMCA in the Greater Kansas City area to talk about what that toolkit can include for you. She dives into the importance of understanding what stress is in the body and why it happens, then provides some steps you can start making today before the holiday parties and family events begin. Some key tips that are mentioned include reframing our mindset, physical activity to release stress, blood sugar, hydrating with water, the role fiber has in your body, and where we need to allow more self-compassion on ourselves during the holidays. About Today's Guests: Megan Walker is the Healthy Living Director for the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, at the Platte County Community Center North location. She has a passion for helping others lead a healthier lifestyle and approaches overall wellness from a holistic perspective. She joined the YMCA in 2021 as a Healthy Living Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, and Personal Trainer, and now gets the pleasure of serving the community in her role as director. Although she is relatively new to the YMCA, she has been in the exercise and sport science field for eight years having worked within higher education as a collegiate softball coach, Mental performance Consultant providing services to individual student-athletes and teams, and as a faculty member teaching Sport and Exercise Psychology. Mentioned in the Episode: YMCA.org - Locate all locations nationwide YMCA of Greater Kansas City Big Shifts Foundation