If it’s important to you to feel good over Christmas, I’ve come up with 5 tips that will help you feel good as much as you can throughout this period.
Christmas is a time when we get out of our routines and relax the structure we normally have, and while that can be great, it can leave you feeling sluggish and tense.
So while it’s good to let your hair down the way you want to, if you still want to feel grounded and as good as you can, and not crawl into January, I hope you find my top tips helpful:
Nutrition:
If you’re normally routined and structured with your food most of the year, this can be a challenging time, in particular if you eat healthily to feel good. A small change in your nutritional habits can leave you feeling sluggish and uncomfortable. For some of you, the effects of alcohol and sugar don’t suit you, and they might leave you not feeling great, but of course, around this time of year, we tend to reach more for that kind of stuff regardless of how it makes us feel.
So if this is you, make sure to drink loads of water, at least two litres per day, and still keep a really good structure on your meals and snacks. Three meals and 2 snacks and then anything else you do, is up to you. If go out for the night, or have people around, the next day, wake up and have breakfast as normal. If someone calls around with cake and tea, don’t skip dinner later on, carry on as normal. This will keep your blood sugars stable, help you to keep your good routine you work so hard at, and it’ll help you continue to feel good. Try to avid skipping meals as much as you can, and keep to the same times of eating as much as you can.
Also, it must be said, to relax as much as you can and enjoy this time.
Exercise:
Get lots of fresh air. If you workout lots throughout the year, I recommend you do something different for these two weeks like walking, cycling or running. The change up will allow your muscles to rest while staying active, and you’ll perform better when you’re back at it.
Mental Health:
A calm room with a book, a night off the alcohol and lots of water is key. Walking is great for relaxing and will leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed. Try to not take anything anyone says too seriously and let it wash off you. There are heightened feelings around this time of year, and if anyone upsets you, intentionally or not, feel it wash over you and remind yourself that it is not your problem. Keep calm, deep breaths and as Michelle Obama says ‘ When they go low, you go high’.
Planning:
When your foot’s off the medal, and you’re in time out mode, (whether you like it or not), what I absolutely love to do is to plan my 2021. I first off plan my time out, and build my life around my time off. It’s a tip my mentor taught me and I have used it ever since. Get a fresh calendar, mark out your holidays, and build work and everything else around it. Set goals and action steps for the year. I love to break down the year into quarters and work from there. Use your time off to plan and enjoy every second of it! You’ll be back full throttle before you know it.
Family:
Life is short and one of the things I love most about Christmas is the cherished time with family. Show them you love them, laugh lots, be playful, and let anything go that annoys you. Life is too short to be upset with anyone. Avoid any confrontation or drama, by taking deep breathes and reminding yourself that it is all about feeling good, giving love and letting go. Stick to your own principles and try to see Christmas as a time to give and to love those around you.
Have a lovely Christmas, all my love,
Jessica Cooke X
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