Tis the season for overindulgence
We all overdo it at Christmas and the non-stop eating, drinking and partying can leave us feeling tired, sluggish and quite often, a few pounds heavier.
If you have a generally healthy diet and lifestyle and only overindulge once a year, then go back to eating sensibly after the holiday season, festive excesses aren’t likely to have a long-term, damaging effect on your health or your weight.
However, the short term strain that too much rich food and alcohol puts on your body can still leave you feeling bloated and out of sorts.
Christmas calories
Christmas dinner
The average person can consume as much as 7,000 calories on Christmas Day, three and a half times the recommended daily intake for a woman.
The average Christmas dinner with all the trimmings contains over 950 calories and some particularly lavish spreads can even be loaded with up to 3000 calories (1000 more calories than a woman’s recommended daily intake in just one meal).
Raising a glass or several
As well as dehydrating us and putting a strain on our liver, excessive consumption of alcohol contributes to the vast amount of extra calories we consume during the festive season.
A 125ml glass of Champagne or medium white wine contains 95 calories and with all the parties and family celebrations to toast, it all adds up.
Undoing all of your bad work
You don’t have to fast for a fortnight or hit the gym with a vengeance on New Years Day to atone for all your festive indulgences.
When the party’s finally over, there are a few sensible, gimmick-free steps that you can take to put the spring back in your step and help you to burn off all those mince pies and turkey sandwiches.
Get Moving
Thirty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a day, such as walking or cycling will help you to get rid of those excess Christmas pounds, as well as having a vast range of other health benefits.
Exercise is good for your heart, lungs, muscles and bones, as well as improving your mood and giving you a sense of well being. So instead of watching reruns of Wallace and Gromit, get your family off the sofa and go out for a stroll together.
Be kind to your body
After indulging in rich, fatty, sugary foods and copious amounts of alcohol, your overfed and overworked body needs time to recuperate.
You should try to avoid red meats, dairy products and processed foods and opt for lots of fruit and vegetables and wholegrain foods instead.
The best thing you can do to detox after Christmas is to put the champagne glasses back in the cupboard and drink lots of water instead. Drinking eight glasses of water a day will re-hydrate your body, as well as cleansing toxins from your liver and kidneys.
New Year, Old You
Just by using your common sense, getting some exercise, avoiding fatty foods, laying off the booze and drinking lots of water after your festive excesses, you will soon be feeling back to your old self. Until next year that is…