The festive season is upon us! It’s time for mince pies, mulled wine, parties, indulgence and big Christmas dinners! Well despite being about All Things Healthy, we are not going to deceive ourselves here; Christmas is no dieting month for any of us and we certainly don’t intend to miss out on the fun! With that said, he are our favourite ways to be #notsohealthy this festive season.
1) Buy Better Chocolate: Don’t be lured in by the cheap tins that line the shelves of supermarkets. They only leave behind a guilt inducing pile of colourful wrappers. Spend a little more on the quality chocolate you really LOVE and take time out to really ENJOY it! Better yet, buy Dark Chocolate. It contains less sugar and tastes richer meaning you will need less to satisfy your taste buds. Don’t short change yourself here, savour the experience.
2) Take Milk Thistle: The party season has left left its fair share of sore heads in the aftermath of Christmas Dos’ and merry making. If you like to indulge in a few cheeky drinks try taking Milk Thistle before you go out, when you get home (If you remember!) and on waking the next morning. It will help your liver to process the alcohol and leave you feeling less groggy and hungover in the morning. There are loads on the market but if you want to know our favourite remedy for the morning after then you can click here
3) Make Your Own Treats Not only is it fun – especially with children – you can also control how many refined foods or artificial ingredients go into the mix, giving you total control. Experiment with Stevia or Xylitol as natural sugar alternatives and use wholemeal flour instead of white to make it more nutritious. Your treats can be as fresh and as healthy (or unhealthy) as you like!
4) Have More Parties Instead of getting caught up in the high street and the stress of buying gifts, why not buy a bit less this year. Instead use your budget to host parties, family gatherings or an evening out with friends and loved ones. It’s more fun that trawling around busy shops and the memories will no doubt mean a lot more to those you love than just another gift under the tree.
5) Invest in Your Immune System Nobody wants to be ill at this time of year so don’t wait until you are poorly to do anything about it. Echinacea or a specially designed formula like Immune Support will act as prevention rather than cure and help keep you healthy over the festive season. If you have become victim to a winter cold or want to know more about how to protect yourself from one you can contact us here for free advice and personalised recommendations.
6) Don’t Make a New Years Resolution Seriously don’t. Unless you are one of those elusive individuals that manage to stick to them (a rare breed indeed), resolutions generally only act as an excuse to overindulge in the offending habit “while you still can”. If you really want to stick to tradition and make one, make it a promise to do MORE of something healthy rather that to cut down or give up an unhealthy habit. These are just our favourites, but we’d love to hear more of yours. Please share your favourite tips on staying healthy (or otherwise) in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you.