As the holiday season is all about giving, I’m sharing my five favorite strategies on how to survive the next few weeks without much damage to your body and mind.
If this time of year brings more stress than joy, and you feel pressured to join all the festivities with work, friends and family then you’ll love these easy steps to a saner silly season.
1. Get a first class ticket on NO train.
Holidays get extra stressful because we feel we have to say yes to everyone and everything, out of politeness, misplaced loyalty or straight up FOMO (fear of missing out). As a result, you run around like a maniac in December, ticking boxes on an endless to-do list and enjoying nothing.
Just yesterday I spoke to a friend who told me she did not have a single evening free until January. In the same breath, she told me she’d already booked a vacation in January to recover from the crazy December.
If you want to sail into the New Year fit and fresh, start saying no to events and people that drain your energy. If you’re not looking forward to it, drop it.
The same applies to food and drinks. You don’t HAVE to eat every single dish in sight or have another glass of wine every time someone offers. Give yourself permission to say NO (after all, it’s a complete sentence – no explanation needed). Create your boundaries and stick to what feels right.
2. Take time out (aka ME time).
Like a car can’t run on an empty tank, you can’t function without sufficient energy. So when holiday craziness sets in, make sure to take time out for yourself. Have a hot bath (with this life-changing bath soak recipe), go to yoga/gym or spend time in nature breathing deep.
Not only will it keep you sane and make you a nicer person to be around but it will prevent you craving all kinds of junk food. You’ll become more efficient in what you do because you can think clearly.
3. Drink enough water
Festivities go hand-in-hand with huge amounts of alcohol, which dehydrates you and waves goodbye to your energy. Every morning, start with 500 ml of warm water with lemon, then drink a glass of water before every meal or snack.
For every glass of alcohol, you’re going to need another glass of water. To help avoid a foggy head the next day, drink a glass of water with liquid chlorophyll before going to bed.
4. Eat leafy greens and have a healthy breakfast
Leafy greens help detoxify the rich festive food and will charge you with energy, nutrients, minerals and micro-elements that are seriously lacking in most Christmas fare.
How you start your day significantly impacts how you feel for the rest of day. Get on the right track with a healthy, nutrient-rich meal like a green smoothie or a chia pudding to prevent energy dips and afternoon sugar cravings. For healthy breakfast inspo, check out my free eBook Supercharged Breakfasts.
5. Eat a small healthy meal before going to a party
This is one of my favourite strategies and it works like a charm. It usually takes a while for food to be served at a party, so by the time the food arrives you’ll eat too much, too fast. It’s difficult to think clearly on an empty stomach, but if you eat before you’ll be able to listen to your body and make better choices.
Now it is action time, beautiful soul!
Pick a strategy that resonates with you the most and start practicing TODAY.
What strategy will it be?
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