The Guilt- Free Celebration!

I love holidays! In fact, this is my favourite time of the year.. a little nip in the air, a hot cuppa coffee and a warm blanket.. & then comes the Christmas & the New Year Eve. Those colour coordinated themed parties, the drunken escapades, the night long laughter sessions, and those high doses of carbs and booze.. followed by days and days of guilt & resolutions.. ooof! That escalated quite quickly, right? Here are a few tried and tested tips for you, to enjoy your Christmas & new year eves, without feeling the pinch the next day.

 You know the nights you’re going to be binging & boozing.. So start preparing well in advance.. Avoid high sugar & carbs for a week before you go into party mode. Keep yourself well hydrated. And work out well so that you have a good circulation going.

 Apart from keeping yourself well hydrated throughout the day, make sure you eat something before you leave home. Fill yourself up with a healthy salad before you leave home. Once you reach the party, choose healthier alternatives. Go for those steamed dimsums over a slice of pizza, a neat vodka or gin is much healthier than a glass of beer. Keep sugary mixers to a minimum. Go slow with your drinking. Don’t binge drink, enjoy your glass before you go in for the next one. And eat! Never drink on an empty stomach.

Let’s face it, the day after the debauchery is the worst. It’s all fun till you’re drinking and are having fun with friends, but what after that? Those headaches, & nausea, & laziness, how do you go about your daily chores? Here’s the answer.

Accept that you binged and that it is fine to go overboard once in a while. Do not go into troughs of depression. Accept it, & deal with it.

You may not remember this when you’re drunk, but if you do, keep some extra pillows under your head, & do not sleep on your side. Who doesn’t want to avoid those swollen eyes the day after!

Keep a water bottle or two on your bedside, and drink water like a maniac. The more water you drink, the more toxins are flushed out of your system.

 Squeeze a lemon or orange juice in your water, it will help ease out your nausea. Have a green tea or peppermint tea.

After you’ve had a heavy night, you may be guilty enough to skip food altogether, especially breakfast. But that is the worst you can do. Have a banana shake in the morning, to replenish your fluid and mineral reserves. Eat light throughout the day.

Exercise- You may hate me for this, but a low intensity cardio workout gets your blood back to your brain. So whether it’s a light dance or a jog, go for it. You’ll actually feel better.

Having fresh fruits and veggies the next day will help your body take out toxins, apart from taking care of the guilt.

 You may be really tempted to go in for a strong coffee, but do yourself a favour, and skip it. Caffeine is a diuretic and leads to further water loss. Instead gorge on coconut water, lemon water and various herbal teas.

You have to accept that you went overboard and take some rest. The more you rest, the better you’ll feel.

Lastly, if you do not like how you feel the next day, avoid eating or drinking to the levels that make you feel sick. Enjoy your time, make memories. What is the fun if you do not remember the next day how you brought in the new year.

So have a wonderful, guilt-free party this year. May the coming year bring in health and happiness in your lives. Wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year.