The holidays are filled with temptations. It’s easy to lose track and lose control as you get invited to back to back parties and reunions. Everyone always takes it up a notch during the holidays by serving the most delectable dishes and offering an overflow of drinks.
You’ve worked so hard this year and kept to your exercise routine and diet. It would be a shame to throw it all away by overindulging this holiday. Here are few tips to keep you on track and stay healthy this holiday season:
1. Say hello to good fats
Certain fats and proteins are actually quite healthy for you as long as it’s the good kind. Dishes with avocado, almonds, olive oil, and salmon are all examples of food rich in good fats and protein.
2. Fill up before joining the festivities
Whenever you’re heading out to a party, have a little bite before you go so that you aren’t starving when you get to the party and end up losing control. If you arrive at the party hungry and craving, you’ll end up eating more than you had planned.
3. The “flowing wine” trick
A neat trick to last longer when it comes to drinking wine is mixing it with a spritzer. You can last up to twice as much wine as you would normally drink and even last you several hours. It will appear as though you always have a glass of wine as you mingle through the night. Drink a tall glass of water for every glass of wine spritzer you have.
4. Mix it up and get creative with your cocktails
A lot of mixed drinks contains high levels of sugar which can damage your liver or cause a metabolic dysfunction. Unfortunately, turning down the offer of a drink by your host can come off as rude. You can still have a drink but still be healthy about it.
A hot toddy is a great and comparatively healthy festive drink made with apple cider, cinnamon, and brandy. Alternatively, you can bring your own drinks. Remember, cocktails don’t necessarily have to be alcoholic!
5. Set yourself up to recover as you sleep
You’ll be tempted to come home from a fun but tiring night of festivities and just crash into bed. But before you do, take a moment to replenish your electrolytes. Take some vitamin B complex to help break down the alcohol you’ve consumed. Have a cup of warm tea to aid your digestion. Encourage your body to recover as you sleep.
6. Rebalance the morning after
People deal with the effects of alcohol differently. But whether you have a high tolerance or not, the slightest amount of alcohol will have an effect on your body. Recover and rebalance the morning after with these tips:
- Flush your system with B vitamin complex and a warm drink of lemon water.
- Replenish your electrolytes with coconut water.
- Blend a savory smoothie made of juice, spinach, cucumber, cilantro, parsley, lemon, green apple, and carrot to detoxify.
- Help emulsify the fats from last night’s indulgent meal with a shot of apple cider vinegar
Follow these tips and have healthy and happy holidays!
What to do next?
Step 1. Revise your expectations and expect resistance
If you’re familiar with The Optimised Health Formula, then you know that Step 1 of successfully pulling out a strategy to optimise your health is to shift your mindset. We’ve looked at a few things you can do to improve your health. The ball is in your court. Yes, we all know that it takes more than just knowing what to do to actually do it.
That’s why I want to invite you to revise your expectations. Know that there will be resistance along the way. You might say to yourself “I’ll have a look tomorrow again”, “that’s not so urgent”, “I’m not sure that’s for me”, “I don’t think this will work for me”, or many other things. Often when we’re stepping out of our comfort zone (a.k.a. what we’ve been doing until now) we’re finding excuses to keep on doing what we’ve always done. The first step in success is acknowledging that. So… acknowledge where you’re at. Then…
Revise your expectations bearing in mind your goals AND your life. Not everything that I’ve shared in this blog post will resonate with you. Not everything will be applicable to you either. And that’s alright! But you’ve got to start somewhere.
So, as long as you’re clear on your goals and on your vision (Step 2 of The Optimised Health Formula), take a conscious decision of what you want to apply starting from today.
Step 2. Carve out time, and make a plan
That’s where carving out time, and making a plan comes in. You know yourself at that stage better than I do. Use that knowledge to implement a plan of action that will help you start making positive changes into your life, that will soon bring positive changes in your health.
If you're stuck wondering what to do next, I invite you to join the FREE Optimised Health Membership.
Step 3. Just start
There’s no tomorrow in success. Any successful path starts today, with a small change that you keep on building onto. Commit to starting today with ONE small thing, and share with me in the comments what it is. This commitment will help you start – and keep – taking action!
Step 4. Get support
We tend to want to do things on our own. I’m not stranger to that either. But I’ve learnt over time, and I’ve seen both with my personal coaching clients and professional mentoring clients, as well as with myself, that getting support helps to really create the change we’re after. So, if you’re stuck wondering what’s next, and you know you need help, I invite you to check out the many online resources I have created to help you reach your best of health: free articles, memberships, The Optimised Health Academy. If you’d like private personal coaching guidance, you can also book a call with me to discuss the personal coaching options that are available for your special needs.