Well Christmas is almost here! The 9 days from Christmas eve to New Years Day can be the most damaging time to our health and waistline! Not to mention all those Christmas parties the few weeks before Christmas! This is the time to party and chill out after a hard years work, so you let yourself indulge in anything and everything; turkey with all the trimmings, sticky puddings, smelly cheeses, wine, champagne, beer, whisky, port etc etc!
But then it’s the 1st January before you know it. The parties are over, you’re tired, run down, looking haggard and gained quite a few (!) pounds! It will take you till May to get yourself back to where you were in November!!
Here are a few pointers to avoid such a big downer to start the New Year.
1. Start the day off clean- Start each day with a big glass of warm water with lemon squeezed in. This cleanses the liver and decreases water retention. It is also highly alkalizing and a source of vitamin C and electrolytes. After your warm water, follow with a clean healthy breakfast. Breakfast really does set us up for the day, if we have the wrong type of breakfast, or no breakfast, this can set us up to over eat and crave during the day. During busy times we need to fuel our bodies with the right nutrients more than ever. Great breakfasts would always include some form of protein (eggs, meat, fish, flaxseeds, nuts etc), some essential fats (coconut oil, nuts, avocado, flaxseeds etc) and lots of phytonutrients (predominantly form vegetables, but can also come from fruit).
2. Swap the sugar- Use natural sweeteners like fruit, honey, stevia and coconut sugar. Processed white sugar destroys your body. It depletes you of calcium, it’s damaging to your organs, causes blood sugar imbalances, weight gain and lowers the immune system, plus many more! Try making some healthy desserts instead of the usual desserts this Christmas. They taste just as good and you will be free of guilt!
3. Be prepared- Christmas is such a busy time of year that if you are not prepared, you will walk into a shop and buy convenience! Make sure you always have some essentials with you like water and snacks. Snacks that are good to keep in your car or handbag for emergencies are nuts, seeds and healthy bars such as Bounce Balls, Pulsin Bars and Nakd bars.
4. Stay hydrated- Drink lots of water, herbal teas, fresh made vegetable juices and coconut water. Hydration is so important for keeping alert through this busy time. It can also help us from eating more of the wrong foods, as a lot of us mistake thirst for hunger.
5. Take some ‘me’ time- It is so important to relax, but many of us put this right at the bottom of our to do list. Be selfish and take a bit of time each day to spend on you, even if it is only 10 min. Read a book, go to the gym, do some yoga, meditate, take a bath with Epsom salts and essential oils.
6. Keep up the exercise- You may want a complete rest, which is totally understandable, and needed if you have gone for it all year! However, try not to turn into a couch potato. Try to keep active by going for a walk, playing on game consoles such as Xbox kinect, playing badminton etc. Fun activities that keep you moving!
7. Include some mini detox’s every day- To help keep your immune system healthy and to aid detoxification you must keep your lymph flowing. Great ways to do this is to exercise by walking and jumping on a mini trampoline, dry skin brushing, Epsom salt baths, cleansing essential oils etc. This can help with cellulite and aid fat loss too.
8. Watch the portions- There is always too much food available around Christmas so try and watch your portions. Allow yourself some treats, such as a dessert or some chocolates, but don’t go overboard. Just because you have had one dessert, it doesn’t mean you should just give up and have another three! Have enough to enjoy the taste and leave it there, that way you haven’t missed out.
9. Choose your drink wisely- Alcohol is another culprit for excess weight gain at Christmas. Again, try and be clever with your choices. Stick to good quality (organic if possible) red wine and white spirits (such as gin) and soda water with fresh lemon/lime. Try to stay away from fizzy drinks, even the ‘diet’ ones as these contain sugar and/or artificial sweeteners. Remember not to overdo it as alcohol contains a lot of sugar and contains 7kcal per gram!
10. Keep the veggies up- Try to keep vegetable intake to 8-10 a day. This will help fill you up so you won’t overeat the wrong stuff, help keep you regular, aid detoxification, keep your immune system revved up, support stress levels, increase energy, plus many more!!
11. SLEEP!- Sleep is so important as this is the time our body heals and repairs itself. Between 10am-1pm is when the body repairs and between 1am-6am is when the mind repairs. Both are important, so don’t miss out!
12. Don’t be too hard on yourself- Realize that you will eat something unhealthy this Christmas and DON’T feel guilty about it! If you are going to have it, make sure you enjoy it! What’s the point in having it, if you are just going to curse yourself for the rest of the day?
If you follow these pointers you will have a much healthier Christmas. When everyone else if feeling awful on 1st January, you will be feeling full of energy, ready for the year ahead 🙂
