The festive season is a time for enjoying ourselves but can often also be a time when we overindulge, especially when it comes to alcohol. Many people drink more than alcohol than recommended particularly on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

Apart from the negative effects alcohol can have on our overall health, it also contains calories (7 kcals per gram) and can contribute to the extra weight gain many of us experience during the festive season.

Here are some handy tips for the festive season:

If you do think you might be likely to over-indulge, try the following tips to limit your intake and help support your health during the holidays.

Don’t drink on an empty stomach – the presence of food in the stomach will help delay the absorption of alcohol into your blood stream.
Drinking at home – you might drink more than you think on an average night in, home measures are often much bigger than those in bars and restaurants.
Opt for small amounts of wine or small 125ml glasses. If you fill glasses to the rim, you may drink more than you realise.
Measure your spirits instead of free pouring them.
Don’t fill up your glass before you have finished a drink so you can keep an eye on exactly how much you are drinking. It’s hard to keep track if your half-filled glass is being topped up.
When you are drinking out, alternate alcoholic drinks with water to limit alcohol intake and to help prevent dehydration.
Watch out for cocktails, they can contain more alcohol than you might think.
Go for smaller measures, swap pints for half pints or bottled beers, and choose smaller glasses of wine.
Have at least two nights together a week completely alcohol free, to help take the stress off your liver.
After drinking alcohol drink plenty of water before you go to bed and keep more by your bedside, to rehydrate and help reduce the effects of a hangover.
Support your liver by taking Milk Thistle.

Do you have the New Year blues?

The third Monday of the New Year is claimed to be the most depressing day of the year.

Are you still feeling flat after the Christmas celebrations?

Or are you looking forward to this year and setting intentions and goals?

Here are some of our ideas to help you make the most of this year.

Get rid of the idea of ‘bad food’ and ‘good food’

By designating food into different categories we allow our foods choices to become loaded with an emotion. Of course there are times when food choices are triggered by a memory or in association with an emotion, but most of the time try to listen to your body, onlyeat when you are hungry and makes choices that will make you feel good, both physically and mentally.

Work on self-respect

Instead of falling into the habit of eating when you are bored or when you feel sad and lonely, look at why those feelings come about in the first place. What else could you be doing to make yourself feel better and more positive? A good place to start is getting outside for a walk, find something that you enjoy doing that stimulates your body and mind and stick to it.

Have goals and plan

Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail. This is an age-old saying that can be applied to your health. We are creatures of habit and tend to like routine. So write up a plan for yourself and starting following a nutrition or fitness routine (or both!). Having the plan to hand makes it tangible and you can feel more accountable for the outcome.

Be kind to yourself

We are all human and capable of making mistakes and taking a couple of steps back before striding forward again. So give yourself a break if you do slip up along the way, be kind to yourself and move on. Don’t dwell on any negative thoughts, turn them into a positive affirmation of target and direct your focus on to that.

Repeating a positive affirmation that is relevant to you can help establish a tone of voice in which you speak to yourself which can lead to a shift in attitude.

Arrange to have a detox in the New Year – whether you are able to book a retreat or do one at home, this a great time to set new regimes and break old habits.

Do something different and healthy this Christmas!

Join us at Amchara for Christmas and New Year and stay healthy all through the festive period!

Spaces at our festive retreats fill up fast, we’ve been fully booked for the last 2 years.

If you’re interested, get in touch soon.