To a Happy and Healthy Gut at Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful and magical time of the year that brings friends and family together. We reunite and create memories that will be reminisced and laughed about over the coming years.

 

However, before you can relax on Christmas Day to unwind and just be in the moment there is always the planning for both the social gatherings leading up to Christmas and Christmas Day itself. I am not only referring to the last minute presents (see my Christmas Wish List), but more importantly to prepare your gut and overall health for the silly season so that you don’t end up looking like the stuffed turkey!

 

Remember last year when you might have gotten slightly too carried away with drinking too much mulled wine, eating WAY too much of the glorious ham, turkey and prawns…and just to tip yourself over the edge, devouring a whole box of chocolate truffles and christmas pudding! Talk about FOOD COMA resulting in slumping on the couch watching ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’.

When the holiday season comes spiraling around the corner at me I still approach this the same philosophy that I do every other day of my life. I utilize my tips on longevity (see blog post here). I find that instilling these practices into my holiday preparation, that this leaves me feeling stress free, with a healthy gut and optimally energized to maintain my workout regime. This is all done without having to compromise the Christmas festivities or my health (all about finding the balance in your life).

 

So follow my tips and tricks on longevity to avoid those nasty headaches, bloating, indigestion, weight gain, sugar crashes, diarrhea, and gas constipation so that you are able to get up nice and early each morning with that spring in your step.  

1. Always place yourself first and bring that Om’ back into your life through mindfulness and meditation. If you are stressed, sick, or unwell, how can you be there for your loved ones if you can’t  even take care of yourself.

• During the season when there are so many social gatherings to go to with merry making to be had we often do not get enough sleep. When our bodies do not have that time to recuperate and recharge through sleep we lack concentration and our ability to function and to digest is severely compromised. So in order to still enjoy your time but also make sure that you get enough sleep make the choice to leave a little earlier from a party, politely say no to work Christmas happy hour drinks for the third day in a row, skip that last store on the shopping list for another day, or get up earlier the next morning to continue writing your Christmas cards.
• This is a very important lesson that you can draw on when preparing for Christmas and also in life. Through pre-planning your Christmas feast for your friends and family instead of running around like a headless chook on the day trying to make a zillion things at once, why not prepare Christmas dinner the night before? Whilst, you may not be able to cook and make all dishes the night before you can still prepare the ingredients such as vegetables the night before or even to make the items beforehand ready to be cooked up. This way your stress levels will not peak and your gut will not be aggravated. Don’t forget to also have fun while preparing the meals with some christmas music playing in the background as setting a positive intention from the very start with love and appreciation will be shown and tasted with every mouthful.

2. Drink Lots of water! Our body is made up of approximately 60-75% water depending upon your age, gender and body composition. Mental performance and physical coordination is affected by dehydration. So get that H2O into your bodies no matter what!

• Each morning I start my day off with a glass of lukewarm water and half a lemon squeezed into this. Once lemon enters the body it becomes  alkaline which means that the warm lemon water doesn’t only help to warm up your gut gently from the first mouthful, but helps with reducing inflammation and aids with the digestive process throughout the day.Through adopting this process now it will become part of your routine and assist you throughout the day of the holiday season and assist with detoxing afterwards.
• Christmas after work drinks, christmas markets, Christmas parties, and Christmas feasts for most people involve an alcoholic beverage…or ten. These may be hard to say not to because you are in such great spirits that it is easy to go overboard and indulge just a bit too much. All of these beverages are not only loaded with calories, but also can irritate the gut causing indigestion. To combat this so that you can also enjoy the party for longer without needing to rush to the bathroom or be placed in a taxi at 9pm, one of the key points is STAY HYDRATED!
• Drink a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage consumed, choose lower-alcoholic drinks such as a dry wine, ensure that you do not drink on an empty stomach as food assists in delaying the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. If you are feeling bloated or sluggish afterwards you can choose a dairy based smoothie as this will help settle your stomach and neutralise the acid reflux.

3.Eat a balanced diet that is right for you. I never say be an angel 100% of the time because that’s totally unrealistic, balance is key.

• Pre-planning is the key when you are deciding on what to bring or make for the Christmas lunch/dinner. Through taking a bit more time into healthy alternatives this will please not only yourself but also all that are around you. Instead of bringing a box full of assorted chocolates why not bring a fresh fruit platter for dessert?
• Stop snacking throughout day and wait for the actual Christmas lunch/dinner. Simple rule but also hard to follow when you are surrounded by the delicious food that you are cooking during the day. Instead make yourself a nice tea or get a glass of water which will help you feel fuller for longer.
• Traditional Christmas meals can be healthy if you make the conscious decision to do so. Turkey meat itself is one of the leanest sources of poultry and is also relatively low in fat, whilst being high in protein and vitamin B. However, if you choose to also eat the turkey skin which is full of fat then your gut and waistline will suffer for this. So ask yourself if you really need that turkey meat, that extra gravy, or that extra helping of Christmas pudding. These are all high in calories and fat (and do not try to pass this off as the good healthy fats either as your gut knows the difference). How about a few Vegetarian Christmas dishes? I love the suggestions on the Oh She Glows blog for a Vegetarian inspired Christmas! 
• Follow the 50-75% rule with your plate. This means fill at least half of your plates with vegetables as this will keep your gut, body, and your mind happier and more alert, Vegetables are yummy, easy to digest and a great source of carbohydrates, protein, iron and calcium which will keep you feeling fuller for longer. Gravitate towards the alkaline vegetables and fruits such as broccoli, kale, sweet potato, apples and berries which will help to balance out your bodies pH levels and combat the sugary foods, grains and processed meats that are also consumed.
• Do not over consume just because it is the Christmas period. Treat each Christmas meal like any other and know your limits. Do not eat to just eat. Eat to enjoy each mouthful, marvel in the the different tastes, and appreciate each bite for the love and effort that was put into creating this dish.
• Dessert is one of my weaknesses I have to admit and if I am not careful I can get carried away resulting in a sugar coma. Go straight to the fruit platter and avoid the overly processed cakes and pastries. Your gut will thank you for not putting it through the wringer having to work overtime.
• On a final note to reduce the chances of bloating during each meal adopt mindful eating practices. Eat the food slowly to savor the taste, chew your food well, and don’t over consume as this is only momentary enjoyment, but afterwards you will feel the effect in the form of bloating and indigestion. If you do feel this drink a cup of peppermint tea which will help soothe your stomach.
  

4. Take a timeout at least once a day – walk away from what you are doing and just take a few deep breaths, it doesn’t have to be more than just that to feel refreshed.

• If you are feeling slightly overwhelmed put some coping strategies in place so that you restore the calmness to your mind and body. All it takes is closing your eyes and taking a deep inhale through the nose, filling up your lungs and belly with air. Hold for five seconds, then exhale slowly out through the mouth. Repeat this as little as 3 or up to 20 times as this will automatically bring your stress and pulse rate down leaving you feeling fresh with a new mindset to take on your task ahead.
• During the time that you are preparing the Christmas Meal take a 5 minute break and go for a walk around the block, do some yoga or some stretches. Allow this time to collect yourself and come back feeling refreshed as majority of the time this is enough to hit our reset button.

5. Exercise – whatever it is, just get out and move. You will be surprised how many daily activities you can add some exercise into.

• Accidental exercise can also be very beneficial leading up to Christmas time. Christmas shopping is always a busy time of the year needing to visit numerous different shops. Through consciously briskly walking around the shops you will effectively burn more calories. Also a plus of buying larger presents (I am sure that your friends and family will also love you for it as well) is that these will help tone your arm muscles. Another tip is to park further away from the entrance of the shops so that this means you have to walk even further. Another accidental exercise is cleaning the household if you are hosting your Christmas gathering. There is nothing like vacuuming, mopping and getting up and down to scrub to build up a sweat.
• After a Christmas meal make it a habit to take a nice long walk instead of just lounging in front of the TV. This will help you with your digestion and also alleviate those stress levels. Why not pull out some board games as well to keep everyone moving such as twister, which is always a great laugh and a way to get in some exercise as well!
• Your daily routine of exercise and keeping moving can easily be forgotten during the holiday season. However, this is one of the most crucial practices to keep you going and motivated so that you don’t fall into the trap of eating too many christmas puddings and well turning into one as well. If you are the type of person that manly goes to the gym then you might have a slight panic attack as all gyms close on the public holidays. However, if this no excuse to just give up as you can always adopt other fitness regimes, and who know you may even be pleasantly surprised that you enjoy these new activities that you avoided before. Pull out a yoga mat, go for a long walk/run, take advantage of nature and hike the outdoors, take up surfing lessons, grab your friends and go to the park for some strength and interval training, go swimming in the enticing blue ocean, or even play some beach volleyball! Just have fun while you are doing it because it will keep you coming back for more.

I have started incorporating the below workouts into my own fitness regime to mix it up between my yoga sessions, walks and swims. High intensity interval training is a great way to increase aerobic capacity, burn calories, increase your metabolism, reduce fat, increase your mental strength and endurance, and muscle mass. Check out the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ workout below I found on Coconuts & Kettlebells: