Christmas time, it’s meant to be filled with joy and happiness, surrounded with those that you love. The reality however, is filled with overeating, drinking too much, spending too much and stressing about it all. Here are some tips that you can incorporate into your Christmas festivities, so that you can start the new year not one step backwards.
Be present
The month of December feels like it passes quicker than any month of the year. Take your time to enjoy each day, each event, each person you get a chance to meet. Thinking too much about what lays ahead will prevent you from enjoying what you have right now.
Try this
- Plan your month out, get all those thoughts of what is coming next out of your head and onto paper, then your mind can be clear to focus on the present.
- Start off the morning with at least 5 min of mediation or just some deep breathing
- Keep a journal, reflect on each day and what you are grateful for.
Don’t forget your veggies
Just because it’s Christmas time doesn’t mean that your veggies should be forgotten. They are probably more important now than the rest of the year. Vegetables are full of all the nutrients we need to get us through the festive period.
Try this
- If you are having a BBQ, add some vegetables to the grill, sliced capsicum, eggplant, pumpkin, zucchini or corn are great.
- When serving up Christmas lunch, fill at least half of your plate up with salad and vegetables first before adding the protein and other carbohydrates.
- Pre-cut up carrots, celery, capsicum or cucumber to snack on while in-between all the pre-Christmas tasks.
Exercise
There will always be excuses not to exercise, don’t let the Christmas period stop you from moving your body
Try this
- Organise outdoor activities to do with your family on Christmas day. Kick the football, throw the Frisbee, go to the beach. Enjoy the great outdoors!
- Get your blood moving, dance around the house, get cleaning, walk around the block, any type of movement is good movement.
Protect your liver
Our liver is an amazing organ, it helps filter the blood and detoxifies chemicals and metabolises drugs. The typical Christmas celebrations makes the liver work harder with increased substances needing to be filtered and detoxified. To give our liver a little helping hand, there are a few things we can do.
Try this
- WATER, don’t forget to consume at least 2L of water daily
- Consume antioxidants from fruits and vegetables, reducing oxidative stress on the liver
- Reduce consumption of refined carbohydrates, processed or takeaway food (high in fat, salt and sugar)
Most importantly
Enjoy!
Enjoy this time with friends and family! Celebrate the year gone by!