Do This After Xmas To Feel More Healthy

No holiday celebration is complete without stuffing ourselves silly with xmas festive like coma-inducing meat, fatty foods, mince pies and decadently rich desserts and drinks.

While a little indulgence here and there is actually good for you, the trouble is when that xmas festive food splurge turns into a full-blown gastronomic onslaught in the 2 week-span between Xmas and New Year.

When it comes to eating, the “free for all” approach where you mindlessly binge for long periods of time is just as bad as the “all or nothing” approach to eating that makes you feel deprived in the long-term.

This overindulgence, in the short-term, can lead to digestive distress, fatigue, increased cravings and feelings of guilt or shame, and it can promote inflammation and brain fog as it derails the metabolism.

The key here is to be mindful of your food choices and indulge in moderation.

Here are ten simple tips to help you get your diet back on track after xmas holidays.

Stay away from cleanses and detoxes

A lot of people feel like they need to go to an extreme to ‘fix’ what they ate over the holidays.

But crash diets aren’t sustainable and rarely healthy.

Going to any extremes will only worsen your relationship with food in the long-term.

There is a better approach which is to get back to your normal routine and build your health from there.

Skip resolutions

Instead of a resolution, set a fun 90-day health goal. For example, go for two to four classes per week and eat more home cooked meals.

This approach gives you a target that comes around quick enough that you might actually keep it.

Fill up on protein and fibre

Prioritise protein, fibre and healthy fats as you get back to building balanced meals.

Try to eat 25 to 30 grams of fibre per day by increasing your intake of foods such as lentils, beans, leafy greens and whole grains.

Don’t go cold turkey

Keep some of your favourite holiday treats in the freezer so you can enjoy them once the festivities are over.

The goal is to find balance every day to avoid overindulgence.

Up your water intake

Drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day.

Staying adequately hydrated will help your body properly metabolise carbs and flush out excess sodium consequently reducing belly bloat.

Don’t skip breakfast

Always eat within 30 minutes of workouts or training.

Eating within 30 minutes of training and having three meals and two snacks a day will help keep you from overindulging later.

Snack smart

If you are going to indulge in sugary treats, a surprising way to combat the fat storage is to add healthy fat.

Combine sugar with sources of healthy fat, like raw nuts, seeds and seed butters or a quarter of an avocado.

If you are having something like an ice cream, choose a full-fat option instead of a non-fat or low-fat one.

Fat slows the rate of sugar delivery so the blood sugar won’t spike and your body will be less likely to store that sugar as fat.

Load up on whole foods

Focus on whole foods in their natural form.

Limiting processed foods—which contain high amounts of sodium, sugar and unhealthy saturated fats.

Overall this can quickly help to clean up your diet and get you back on track.

Aim to eat at least one fruit and two different veggies every day.

Double-down on veggies

“I recommend radishes, celery, cucumber and bell peppers.

All of them contain a lot of fibre, which will help you burn through the junk that may have made its way in during the holidays.

They also have thermogenic phytonutrients—meaning, they not only help you burn through the junk but burn through historical fat (the fat you’ve been carrying around for a long time).