How quickly silly season comes around again!! It’s that wonderful time of year where we are both run off our feet and also able to spend more quality time with our loved ones. Before we are able to stop and reflect on the year just passed and make new plans and dreams for the coming year we first have to survive December!!
It is only natural that our regular diet and exercise routines can take a back seat at this time of year but don’t despair!!!
Here are a few tips and tricks to help get you through, so that your energy, digestion and waistline don’t suffer too much!
Six Top Tips for Silly Season Survival!!
1. Eat a hearty breakfast!!!
This is all round one of the top tips for health in general. Eating a hearty breakfast with good levels of protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates (yes! That means veggies!) will do wonders in setting you up for the day.
Your energy will remain stable and you will reduce your need for that sugar or caffeine fix later in the day. For the time poor, this tip will require a little planning in advance, why not make a frittata or grain free savoury muffin? Pop some warm bone broth in your travel mug and you’ll be ready to go!
2. Hydration
This may seem a little obvious but it needs to be said! Are you conscious of drinking enough water? Your energy, mood and digestion will be affected if you become dehydrated. At this time of year there may be additional factors that can contribute to of levels of hydration.
An extra glass of wine or two, those Christmas catch up treats and sweets and also the warmer weather. To make sure you’re drinking enough I advise purchasing a very large drink bottle around 2litres and make it your daily goal to get through the whole thing.
3. Sleep
Another important pillar to health! Sleep is when our body will repair and regenerate and do other important tasks, like liver detoxification.
If you become sleep deprived it’s not just your energy that will suffer. You will also crave much sugar and carbohydrates and feel the need for bigger portion sizes.
This is due to our hunger hormones coming out of balance when we don’t sleep well. This isn’t a good time of year to become sleep deprived with the abundance of Christmas treats on offer!
Try to make sure that are getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night most nights.
4. Stay Active
With all the rushing of December we may find that our exercise routine can suffer. The secret to making sure we don’t drop the exercise ball completely is to have a Plan B!
If you can’t physically get to the gym or regular class make sure you have another option. Make use of the extra daylight hours and go for a walk after dinner.
You could invite a friend and use this time for a pre-Christmas catch up while you exercise. There are also plenty of online basic exercise routines that can be done at home if you can’t make it to your regular activities (please ensure you always run these by your health care practitioner first!)
5. Support good digestion!
Most of my patients know that one of my greatest loves is the gut! This is an area of health that can suffer at this time of year.
The richness of the foods, extra alcohol and rushing around can see your digestion either slow down, speed up or just feel generally uncomfortable.
We can support our digestion by trying to maintain our whole food diet as much as possible and ensuring that we increase our use of fermented and probiotic foods at this time.
If you’re not already consuming these foods consider the following: 1 dessertspoon of sauerkraut per day, ½ cup of kefir or good quality kombucha. These foods add lots of happy and beneficial bacteria to our digestive system and also can aid in the digestion of certain foods that we may be eating more of this time of year.
Your Naturopath can also advise on the use of a good quality probiotic to help maintain healthy gut bacteria.
6. Heavy Tummy Remedy!
Have you ever gotten home from a lovely dinner out at a restaurant or friends place and felt too uncomfortable to sleep? You lay there and all you can focus on is the bloating, pain or heaviness in your stomach?
This digestive tea can help to relieve that feeling ensuring that you don’t miss out on that precious sleep. Give it a try!!
1 cup warm boiled water
1 teaspoon organic turmeric powder
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 pinch cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon raw organic honey
These 6 steps will help your health get through the busy season. But if you need a little extra support, give us a call on 1300 21 44 25 and we can help get you through December!
Emma Tippett, Director, Naturopath and Gut Guru has been helping 100’s of people around Melbourne. To help avoid the festive season craziness or to get back on track in the new year, give Emma a call on 1300 21 44 25.
