How to Bounce Back From The Turkey Coma

Christmas dinner, my favourite meal of the year. The one that starts 1st December and doesn’t finish until on and around New Year's day. Understandably, it is incredibly easy to overindulge throughout the festive season. Whether it’s losing yourself in a mountain of cheese or devouring a crate of pigs in blankets washed down with more liquid calories than any of us care to admit, it’s fair to say, December can get a little bit out of hand.

So how do we recover from our calorific bender?

First things first, tell yourself it is what it is. Time and time again clients come to me in January, and they feel downtrodden after ‘letting themselves go’ over the Christmas period. While we always encourage a healthy diet and lifestyle, there is no reason you can’t enjoy yourself freely from time to time. As with anything else, moderation is key. Ideally, throughout December you would have kept yourself active anyway to even out the cheat meals, but if not, you can start to set a habit now in time for next year.

Keep on drinking. Of course, we don’t mean the mulled wine or the whiskey; it’s time to put that down now. We mean water. There are endless reasons why keeping yourself hydrated is absolutely vital. First and foremost, by drinking lots of water, you can start to flush out all those pesky toxins you’ve built up over the last few weeks. After a few weeks off and getting used to post-turkey siestas, it’s likely the 3pm wall will become even harder for the first few weeks in January. Water increases energy and helps you relieve fatigue: a much healthier alternative to drowning yourself in coffee and energy drinks. From a fitness perspective, when your muscle cells don't have adequate fluids, they don't work as well as possible, dramatically affecting your performance, so to give your workouts the best start, make sure you’re drinking a minimum of two or three litres of water throughout the day. One remedy that I recommend to most my clients is 750mls of water 250mls of concentrated fruit juice (I prefer orange) and a pinch of sea salt or Himalayan salt. Not only does this help your cells regenerate but also helps you retain the water.

Start your day with lots of fiber. Often we see a client’s reaction to overeating is to start eating less. They start this terrible habit by skipping breakfast. No! This is one of the worst things you can do as it completely throws your metabolism off balance. Instead, opt for a fibrous and filling breakfast. You could choose protein-rich Greek yoghurt with fibre-rich nuts, cereal, or fruits. My favourite is mixing berries and granola topped with a small handful of almonds for a delicious morning treat. If you need something quick and easy, you can choose high-fibre cereals like shredded wheat or bran flakes topped with an alternative milk product. A fibre-packed will give not only give you healthy digestion but will also keep your stomach satisfied throughout the morning.

While you do not have to go overboard this January and start putting your new Nutribullet to the test by embarking on a crazy liquid diet detox, eating clean and getting some additional movement in your daily routine will begin to transform your general fitness. For help and advice with nutrition plans get in touch on 01618334777 to arrange a consultation, and we can help you plan a tasty, balanced program that suits your lifestyle and help you bounce back from your Christmas food bender.