Let me start this entry by clarifying that it is not meant as a guilt trip, and is no diatribe against your choices over the Christmas period…

“you must forego all pleasures and only eat sprouts for your Christmas dinner!” -

I’m no hypocrite, Christmas is an important time for celebration and reflection where we should get together with family and friends, take stock of the year gone and look onwards to the New Year and its new challenges. However we should note that during this time our health usually takes quite a hit and as always, prevention is better than cure. Some planning around this time should prevent the worst effects.

Start at full power

If our health is going to take a hit, it’s better to start at full strength so right now take extra vigilance in your lifestyle choices. Fend away potential illness by the most effective way we know, a healthy immune system.

• Boost your immune system with a good balanced diet, ensuring plenty of fresh ingredients, at this time of year we have a wide array of fantastic, earthy vegetables full of vitamins and minerals such as squash, parsnips, and the wide variety of greens which are in season now.
• Supplementing your diet can also help this but not as a replacement for good nutrition. There are several powerful immune boosters such as echinacea, propolis and the most effective, vitamin C.
• If you do feel you are ‘coming down’ with an illness, my personal cure is always fresh chilli and garlic (and plenty of it), although probably not before the Christmas party or you might clear a wide space on the dance floor…

During party season

If I suggest you drink less at the Christmas party, are you going to listen? If not, then at least minimise the damage you cause (both to your body and your reputation at the office).

• You need to maintain good hydration, so if you know you’re going out that evening drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and most definitely at the end of the night before bed.
• Make sure you eat a full meal before you start drinking and try to stick to one type of drink.
• The following day, get back to extra good habits, good food, plenty of fluids and some light exercise.

Into the New Year

By now we’ve drunk too much, eaten our body weight in mince pies and the body feels like it’s running on crude oil, not high-octane performance fuel. Most people have started a new year with a pang of regret about the previous couple of weeks, but that can’t be changed by then, so how do we get the body back up to full steam, and fast?

The body needs to flush out all the toxins you’ve been kindly storing and the lymphatic system will be working overtime.

• Some light exercise such as walking will provide the muscular pumping needed to clear the waste, preferably in the good fresh air, rather than up and down the Uxbridge high street, and this can also be effectively boosted by treatment aimed at stimulating your lymphatics and clearing the waste – see our January special health offer!

Back to diet, whatever you goals are for your dietary intake now is a good time to critically evaluate and improve your nutritional habits. “You are what you eat” so in order to maintain a healthy weight, a strong immune system and an active lifestyle, you must give the body the nutrients it needs and deserves. Improve your habits now!

As I said before, this is no lecture, I will be enjoying a healthy dollop of brandy butter on my Christmas pud! To be frank, this period of rest and indulgence is incredibly important and does bring with it some valuable benefits to health, but be aware of your body’s needs throughout and you will be able to start the New Year at full speed.