We all like to have a bit of Christmas cheer and we don’t want to be a party pooper on the day. Life is for living after all!

But there are a few easy things that we can do that can help us feel better and minimise the impact of our indulgences during the holidays, so we don’t get to January and wonder what went horribly wrong.

So, here are a few of my top tips for the festive season. I’ll be posting a few of them on Instagram and Facebook, but here is the full cheat sheet if you want to read it in one sitting.

Choose your snacks wisely

When you’re eyeing up that snack platter, consider what will provide your body with nutrients rather than depleting your body. Often the good choices are as delicious as the bad ones, but you forget to think about it.

You can often find a wide variety of veggies on offer, from the humble carrot stick to olives and stuffed peppers. Or seek out the ham, cheese and raw nuts if you can find them rather than the carby cheese biscuits, popcorn, bowls of lollies or chocolate.

If you choose the snacks that are higher in protein and good fats you’ll still feel like you’ve had a feast, but you won’t be fighting the high blood sugar surges that come from a high carb snack.

You might want to have a few of my macro balanced snacks on hand when the sweet tooth does hit - you can find my bliss ball and nutty ‘chocolate’ recipes here: Happy Green Sprout Recipes

Take the time to enjoy your food

You’ll almost certainly be eating things you shouldn’t, but even if you do, you can make a huge difference by mindfully eating it. Consciously eating more slowly, chewing your food, and savouring the flavours and textures improves your digestion and helps you absorb more of the nutrients in your food.

By thinking about it, you’ll enjoy it more, and probably also eat less. Don’t feel like you need to finish the whole plate if you’re full already!

Make sure each meal is as relaxed and stress free as possible. No need to rush to do anything else. Apart from…

Go for a walk after each meal

It’s easy to not go anywhere between Christmas and New Year and it’s really important to make sure we get in some exercise every day. An easy way to do this, even if you’re not an exercise nut, is to make sure you go for a short walk after each meal, either solo or socially as a family.

Studies show that a 15 minute walk is enough to significantly curb a post-meal blood sugar spike which is a key risk factor in the progression from impaired glucose tolerance to Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. You’ll also feel much better when you get back home having burnt off some energy.

Give your digestion a break every night

Don’t eat too late into the evening, you need to give your body a break and allow it to rest.

You should try to stop eating or drinking 2 hours before you go to sleep to allow your body to focus on healing your body overnight, rather than still having to digest if you are late night snacking. I recommend taking a 12 hour break from food and drinks between 8pm to 8am every day.

If you find yourself eating or drinking late a night, it might be possible to have a lie in and skip breakfast instead.

And speaking of sleep…

Prioritise your sleep

Sleep is so important for us. Sleeping is when the body heals, it’s critical for good physical and mental health and can improve our hormone regulation, mood and energy. If you want to read more about the importance of sleep I’d highly recommend Matt Walker’s book: Why We Sleep

Consider some supplementation

Alcohol, sugar and processed foods put a huge strain on the liver and deplete the body of a variety of vitamins and minerals, particularly B vitamins and magnesium. Consider adding in a quality multivitamin and / or magnesium.

Find some time for exercise

The run up to Christmas can be a pretty busy time for most of us, but in that time between Christmas Day and New Years Eve we can find we actually have a bit more time on our hands than we normally do. Especially if you’re in lockdown and can’t really go anywhere right now.

It could be the time to start a new exercise habit, perhaps 15 minutes of home-based yoga every day, 10 minutes of weights each day or trying to beat your own personal plank record whilst watching telly. Anything you do will be a benefit, you’ll most likely find it fun, and it could form a healthy habit that continues into 2021.

It’s also worth thinking of some family fun that gets your pulse racing - maybe Boxing Day cricket, a family game of pool volleyball or just a dance around the lounge room to get the blood pumping. So if the kids ask you to join in with their basketball game this Christmas, think twice before you say no.

And finally…

Most of all have fun over your break, and if possible make the most of spending time with people you love. If you can make just a little time to think of your own health and fit in some of my tips, it’ll definitely help you in the long run.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a Fantastically Healthy New Year!