This time of year is all about overindulgence – at least for myself and many people I’m close with. Be it meeting up with friends over wine and a nice platter this festive season, or family lunches and dinners, staff parties or hosting people at home, most of us tend to eat more than we would normally. That is DEFINITELY the case for me. Therefore, I’m not here to tell you to have a ‘light’ Christmas or not to have a few extra drinks because I intend on doing just that and enjoying the people in my life a little extra this season over a little (or a lot) extra wine and food.

— This is actually a very nutritious health – ified Snickers inspired bar which is so yummy and looks (and tastes) so good and decadent. Recipe here: http://www.facebook.com/holisticnutritioninja/ —

I tend to have an ‘All or nothing’ mentality with EVERYTHING which I’m trying to work on. This is partly the reason for me eventually breaking every single diet I’ve ever been on. BUT I have to remind myself from time to time that this is a lifestyle, and I know it’s corny and everyone’s heard it before, but a lifestyle is more than a diet. Just with anything in life, if you try to be absolutely perfect, eventually, you’ll realize that it’s an impossible feat. So, if I overdo it one day, I’ll try to eat a bit healthier the day after and maybe find the time for a quick workout NOT to compensate (because the idea of punishing yourself for eating something extra or that you shouldn’t is TOXIC and leads to a horrible relationship with food  and yourself) but just to feel better and not as sluggish as I normally feel when I don’t exercise and eat too.

In all honesty, the festive dinners and gatherings started last week for me and I’ve enjoyed every little nosh and meeting people I don’t get to see often and I look forward to what’s to come this month.  However, if there’s one thing I HATE it’s having an upset stomach. This tends to happen, to me at least, when I eat too much and when I don’t get the nutritious foods I’m used to eating on a regular basis. Therefore, I’m trying my best to challenge myself to be really healthy at home when I don’t have anything planned and focus on getting as many veggies and whole foods as I can. When I do have dinners or drinks planned – that’s four out of seven evenings this week – I intend on eating what my heart / stomach desires, while trying  not to overdo it with both alcohol (namely because I can’t take it anymore AND because I wake up at 5am everyday) and foods that my mouth loves but my stomach hates (for me that’s things made with refined white flour).  If Maltese bread is at table however, all bets are off (YUM!!).

I’ll also be fasting on mornings when I wake up still feeling full and bloated from the night before and will make sure to have a few extra fresh veggie juices when I can because that boost of nutrients is really important for me to feel better and full of energy on days when I don’t want to get out of bed. The difference between getting an energy boost from say a green juice and a sugary drink or caffine, is that with the juice you get an extra load of nutrients (which is important for the functioning of literally every part of your body), but you also get a nice steady flow of energy without the crash and burn you would normally get from just coffee and sugar. Having said that, I will still be drinking coffee, because I really don’t want to have to fight anyone LOL but I’ll try to stick to 2-3 cups max.  

If there’s one thing I would recommend to literally everyone, including myself, is to drink enough water (I know it’s cold but we still need a lot of water) and to add as much fruit and veg to your meals as you can to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need to counter the not-so-great-for-you food and drinks this season!

All of us are busier this time of year and our routines get a bit out of whack for a while. One thing I definitely want to stick to is finding an hour to workout – at home or at the gym – three times a week. In all honestly I know there is a good change I’ll be lazy especially come Christmas week BUT I’m going to try. Not to avoid weight gain (which would be nice) but mainly to give my body and mind the flush of endorphins I need when I’m super busy and stressed so I’d very much like to stick to that (at least in theory). 

I’m curious, what does everyone else do this time of year, if anything at all, to beat the festive bloat? Let me know in the comment section below 🙂 would love to hear from you 

I’ll be posting a few health – ified treat recipes and some easy healthy dinner recipes very soon! So, click the ‘follow’ button below to be able to check those out ❤ 

Until my next post, be well xXx