The holiday season is a wonderful time. We love celebrating with our family and friends, and these celebrations help us all come together!
During this time you probably indulged. You partied hard. You ate, drank, and made merry – which is completely okay!
But now that the holidays are over, you may feel a bit side-tracked and struggling to get back to your regular routine.
Recovering and getting back on track after the holidays isn’t always easy, but we are here to make it easier!
Apply these simple practices to re-calibrate and get yourself moving in the right direction again:
Re-Activate Your Exercise Habits
Sometimes, over-eating and over-drinking can make us feel sluggish, it can be hard to stick to a workout when you’re feeling this way!
Start moving again. Stretch. Move carefully at first, to avoid injury. Give yourself some time and set goals to get back to pre-holiday levels of activity.
Try this stress relief workout from our Instagram or if you are up for something more, check out many other workout videos we post each week.
Reap Some Healthy Food Benefits
Eating clean after the holiday season is a great way to kickstart healthy eating habits for the New Year! It also helps your body recover from all the goodies, drinks, and delicious meals you’ve had.
Plan your meals out ahead of time so you’re less likely to give into cravings.
Sweer Potatoes, Bananas, and Avocados
Sweet potatoes, bananas, and avocados are great foods to eat when you’re feeling tired and need some extra nutrition and energy. They are all full of potassium, which is a mineral and electrolyte that your body often loses after a night of eating and drinking.
If you are nauseous or you have a headache (typical hangover symptoms), potassium can help you feel better.
Brown Rice
Brown rice, unlike white rice, has lots of vitamins, fibre, and minerals. It also includes 88% of your recommended daily intake of manganese, which helps you break down carbs and have more energy overall.
Brown rice also helps you regulate your blood sugar levels so that they don’t spike and drop throughout the day.
Broccoli, Spinach, Kale
These greens are great to be eating all throughout the year! But they’re especially great when your body is weak.
The veggies all contain a plant chemical called glucosinolates. This chemical is really good for your liver. It helps your body detox, and it gives your immune system extra protection.
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Chia Seeds
Alcohol and unusual eating habits (like suddenly eating lots of roasts, pies, and other holiday meals that you don’t normally indulge in) can upset your digestive system. Chia seeds are full of healthy fat and soluble fiber, and they help your system adjust to the shock its been through.
Chia seeds also have lots of omega-3 fatty acids. When your body doesn’t have enough of these fatty acids, it is often tired and inflamed. Chia seeds are a tasty, helpful way to fix that!
Turmeric
Turmeric helps your body get rid of all the toxins you might consume during the holidays. It helps your immune system get stronger, and it lowers your chances of being tired or even of getting sick.
Turmeric can also help your liver and gallbladder produce bile, so you can digest your food even better!
Lean Protein
Alcohol and holiday foods are often full of simple carbohydrates. By the time you’re ready to detox, your body will probably be craving protein.
Protein helps your body recover faster, and it also boosts your metabolism.
Some great protein sources include:
- Lean meats such as chicken and turkey
- Fish such as tuna and salmon
- Eggs
- Nuts
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Re-Set Your Sleep Schedule
Staying up too late and sleeping in the next day can throw everything out of order. Parties, time with friends and family, and even a glass of wine (or more..) can affect your sleep schedule!
Try to get back on track as soon as you can, and make sure you’re giving yourself enough time to rest. Proper sleep heals, provides energy, promotes balance, curbs cravings, and produces critical hormones.
Circadian rhythm is a strong ally in restoring balance. Start your bedtime relaxation routine earlier than usual to reset your internal clock. And get up at the same time every day—even on weekends.
If winter darkness throws off your sleeping habits, try a light therapy lamp or melatonin for an extra boost.
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Re-Hydrate
Water. Water. Water. The alcohol, egg nog, and other holiday drinks are highly caloric and dehydrating. Drinking water with your meals or alongside alcohol helps your body tremendously. Water helps keep you from overeating and drinking.
A lot of the symptoms of a hangover come from being dehydrated. Alcohol naturally causes dehydration, but it can also cause some side effects (like vomiting) that make dehydration worse.
When you’re detoxing after the holiday season, getting enough water helps your body recover faster from the dehydration that you experienced. After a night of partying, try drinking a glass (or more) of water before going to bed. Of course, drinking a lot the next day will help too! :)
Get your body back to optimal water content by filling up that water bottle and keeping it with you all day long. Aim for drinking 8 glasses or so a day.
Re-Organize Your Routine
Consider what was working and what wasn’t before the holidays. If getting out of bed 30 minutes early to do yoga was effective, that’s great!
Start doing it again. But if it always made you late to work, consider moving your alarm up by 15 minutes. Now is the time to evaluate your fitness goals for the year and how to reach them.
Try not to let this time of reflection stress you out. Instead, think of things that you are thankful for, of ways that you’re proud of yourself, and of the next steps you can take in the new year.
This is a stress-free way to detox our mind after a busy season!
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Reward Yourself
After a few unhealthy meals, holiday baked goods, and more alcohol than normal, a lot of girls feel guilty about their bodies.
Different people react to their food guilt differently. Some women give up their healthy lifestyle, but others go on super restrictive diets instead. Neither option is the best for you!
Just because you fell off track a bit during the holidays doesn’t make you a failure! Set yourself up to succeed by rewarding yourself when you meet goals.
We suggest getting back to your normal healthy eating habits, rather than doing anything extreme. Learn from your past, and keep your healthy lifestyle going. Soon enough, it will become a habit that you won’t ever want to give up!
Reward yourself with happy thoughts and positive encouragement every day.
As with starting new things, getting back on track can be hard and take time. Be intentional. Grab an accountability partner to help you along. Be patient with yourself. And get moving again! Hope this helps with your post-holiday detox
Love from Rachael and the Femme Nativa Team Xx
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