Don’t throw away the year!

So many years I have got to Christmas Day feeling exhausted, unwell, bloated, already fed up of food and drink, only to not really enjoy the few special days as a result. Desperate for a salad and sparkling water by the 27th!

A few years ago I realised this was the result of me going off too early! Beginning the month thinking “ah well it’s Christmas” and having all the extra food, Quality streets, drinks and late nights for the month and throwing away my December into a haze of bloat and feeling overindulged ending in beating myself up.

Now my tactic is to try and boost my month with as many days of good meals, nutritious soups, salads, plenty of protein, water, nice early nights and lots of fresh air. And it worked! I got to the week of Christmas not only ready to enjoy it feeling good, but also less keen to chuck it all away and really over indulge.

I no longer had that whole year exhaustion feeling and instead was keen to relax and enjoy myself but looking forward already to a new year and all it could continue to bring, rather than laying hopes on the January “give it all up” and “Join the gym” crowd.

If this is something that you would like to try …here are my top tips:

1. Every morning have a nutritious breakfast, with high protein content, and lots of water – rehydrate after sleep
2. Exercise early every day – whether its yoga, a walk, a run, make sure you move and get the endorphins kicking in
3. No matter the weather – Get outside daily – December is a cold month and we can really tend to stay inside in central heated offices and houses far too much. Go outside, take deep breaths and you will reap the benefits
4. Try to stay on top of the endless and sometimes overwhelming lists – a little each day ticked off the list will help with feeling in control and stop the horrible dread of it all on top of you
5. Make your evening meal the lightest meal of the day and wind down from electric early. Giving your system time to slow and switch off fully before the end of the day
6. Enjoy early nights – we all feel and function much better with a good sleep. I aim for no later than 10pm in December but often delight myself by jumping into bed way before this. No electrics or screens in bed, treat yourself to a pre Christmas book or re read a favourite you know makes you feel great

Let me know how you get on….. when you reach the 24th feeling 100%! xx