With Christmas just around the corner we wanted to share our tips on how to navigate this time of year when it comes to enjoying all of the fun festivities while maintaining the healthy habits you formed during the year.

This time of year is about giving your body a rest and enjoying time off with loved ones, it is not the time of year to stress about your food choices. It's important to know you take good care of your yourself all year round so a serving of Christmas cake or a couple of glasses of wine is not going to do any damage. This however does not mean we are suggesting you completely lose the plot just because your on holiday as this is going to revert a lot of the healthy habits your formed during the year and thus will make it a lot harder to find the reins again when the holiday is over.

To ensure you don’t lose the reins completely its important to focus on the healthy habits you can still incorporate into your day at this time of year.

Check out our ideas below

Start your day with a warm lemon and water

This can be a great way to start the day especially over the silly season, it will help keep you hydrated, the lemon juice helps to wake up the digestive system for the day and promote detoxification. If your feeling adventurous you could even try a tbsp of apple cider vinegar.

Enjoy a well balanced breakfast

Use breakfast time as an opportunity to get a lot of your nutrients in for the day before the big Christmas feasts begin. Aim to eat a good balance of protein (eggs, protein powder, leftover meat from last nights dinner), fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, pesto, yoghurt) and carbohydrates (fruit, oats, bread) this will promote satiety and stable energy levels throughout the day.

Stay hydrated

Optimal hydration is key for everything! Without enough water we will not feel nor will we perform our best mentally and physically. This becomes even more important with the increase in alcohol and the warmer weather at this time of year. With the body turning over 100ml of water an hour aim to drink at least 2L of water/day. Start and end your day with a big glass of water, when any one offers you a glass of water accept, have a glass of water for every alcoholic drink you have and think about buying yourself a good quality drink bottle for Christmas.

Eat your veggies

Your vegetables are like a nutrient powerhouse rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemical and fibre, nutrients that do wonders for the body and that you cannot get enough of. Although at this time of year there are a lot of indulgent dishes on offer (like Christmas mince pies), you are also often spoilt for choice when it comes to beautiful fresh salads and vegetable dishes. So I challenge you to fill half of your plate up with vegetables before putting anything else on your plate.

Don’t overeat

With the endless flow of food on offer it can be easy to find yourself over eating. We are so used to saying yes to food and drink to be polite but know it's okay to politely say no if you are not feeling hungry. Only choose the foods you know are going to make you feel good or bring you joy, Its always a good idea to do a scan of all of your options first before you start piling different foods onto your plate.

Look after your gut

We tend to eat and drink a lot more sugar, alcohol, salt and fats at this time of year which can wreck havoc on our guts microbiota affecting our mood, immune system, fat storage and so much more. It could be a good time to invest in a good quality probiotic supplement and load up on fermented foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso.

Stay active

Often peoples regular exercise routines can be thrown out the window at this time of year due to being out of routine but this does not mean you cannot stay active. Simply just aim to move more. Now that your not stuck behind an office desk you have no excuse. You could organise some outdoor games with the family, head to the beach, or get out for a bush walk. If you don’t want to completely fall out of your regular gym or exercise routine get up slightly earlier to squeeze in a workout before the festivities begin.

The Feel Fresh Team would like to wish all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

This blog was especially created for our friends at southern cross while we help them out on there health journey.