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Water Water Water
NOT water from the tap with all it’s nasty additives.
Invest in a filter or buy enough purified water to keep a jug full and keep hydrating. This time of year with the heat at its peak, has been known to kill many of our elderly because they dehydrate and they simply don’t remember to drink. And how many of us are likely to have Aunty May or Grandpa Jack at the Christmas table this year? Keep an eye on them! That goes for small children and adults who drink champagne like it’s water – it isn’t.
With a jug of filtered water, add some lemon, grapefruit, cucumber and mint. Not only will you have a refreshing cleansing hydrating source of fluid but it will stimulate your digestive juices and assist with cleansing and detoxing. We all love a bit of cleansing and detoxing around this time of year.
Overindulging in alcohol? It’s deceptively dehydrating when consumed along with sweating out the heat – keep up the water.
NOT just for you guys only. Keep Fido’s or Kitty’s water bowl full ALL the time. They dehydrate as well. Make it a big bowl with ice to keep them cool.
2. Walk!!
Not a gym bunny? A weekly crossfit workout not doing it for you? Too hot to jog?
Then do SOMETHING – go walking. Why? It will work on your digestive juices, get the bowel stimulated, keep your blood pressure at a healthy level and of course prepare you for the next course at the next house. We know Christmas time is all about too much food – so get walking and help your system deal with the overload. Go for a brisk walk that builds up a light sweat and makes it tough to talk while you’re moving. Stay at it for 40 minutes and you’ll feel fantastic. Here’s a thought – find a quiet day in between the holidays and give your digestive system a break. Have a liquid day. And I don’t mean alcoholic liquid. Have a day of water, brothy soups or vege juices. Your gut will thank you.
3. Breath!!
I have two words for you – Christmas Stress!!!!
Most of us need to deal with family, siblings, kids, fueds, stress, food overload, alcohol, travel and of course the heat. Rather than get tanked up on sangria and let Uncle Jac have it over all the things that have bothered you for the last 10 years – go find a quiet place and take 20 deep belly breaths. Stay quiet, listen to nature and just breath. I guarantee you’ll feel better when you walk back in. Your blood pressure, liver, gut, brain and heart will also be much happier.
4. Take a Pre and Pro biotic.
This is pretty important. For many we go from house to house, menu to menu, spice to spice, dessert to dessert, champagne, to red, to port and back again. No wonder our gut and our liver cops a beating. A quality probiotic will help deal with the flora of your gut and boost the good bacteria. A quality prebiotic (the combination I recommend is superb) is something no belly should be without. It helps with the sweeping and mopping of the gut and moves everything through beautifully. Constipation is the last thing anyone needs at Christmas time. A prebiotic boosts the beneficial action of a probiotic. This brand is my favourite and many of my clients can’t live without it.
Why?
Because the probiotic is in a sachet and doesn’t need refrigeration. It’s one of the few whose bacteria stay alive and active right into the gut environment.
And the fiber?
It’s a combination of Inulin AND Psyllium – that’s a unique combo. It deals with the mopping and the sweeping action of the bowel. Take a dose of this just before a huge Xmas blowout and your system will work brilliantly.
Just message me or send an email to annen@tpg.com.au if you’d like me to get a special Xmas pack of our brilliant pre and probiotic to you. We still have time!!!
5. Vitamins!!
Incorporate as much colourful vege and salad ranges throughout your Christmas fare. That’s the best thing about an Australian Christmas – we can base it on salads. I love that. But allow me to share a secret with you that has truly saved my life. My recommendation is to take a quality pharmaceutical grade balanced and formulated vitamin ALL the time. But more so at this time. Our bodies, no matter how much we love this season, how well we think we eat or how healthy we think we are, do get stressed. We’re cooking, overeating, entertaining, shopping, stressing over gifts, decorations, invitation lists, fueding family members, food allergies and intolerances and our immune system really feels it. Are you wrecked at the end of each day? Then vitamins are crucial. Our diet simply isn’t enough.
Our cells love a perfect balance of vitamins and antioxidants, B group vitamins, calcium magnesium, coenzyme Q10 and one of the most important of all – fish oils. This group will help with your blood pressure (after family issues), achey joints (from putting up all the decorations), tired muscles (from shopping and cooking all day), lack of sleep (from being woken up at all hours with excited kids) and poor nutrient intake (from too much festive fare). Not just any cheap stuff from the local store – once again email me and I’ll hook you up with the only ones I feel are worthy of consuming. Believe me – not all vitamins are the same, take a brand that really delivers a life changing benefit.
Enough for now? Incorporate some or all of this into your Christmas menu and you’ll feel better than you’d expect.
Email me about your Christmas ‘de-stress’ pack on annen@tpg.com.au Happy to share.
