Top Six For A Festive Fix – End 2017 on a HIGH!

It’s the 1st December, the countdown has most definitely begun and Christmas is everywhere! Over the next few week’s the drinks will be overflowing, the food will be plentiful and the social gatherings will be copious – sounds like great fun, right? However, simultaneously to the aforementioned ‘fun’ the to-do list magically gets longer than Santa’s, the shops and roads get busier, we get less sleep than the Elves and instead of winding down, we start winding up! Sound familiar? This is the same old recipe that often leads to us feeling frazzled when Christmas day hits and we end up starting each year feeling a bit under the weather. With Christmas just a few weeks away, I want to give you a different recipe that will ensure you have a fabulous Christmas and kick off 2018 with a bang!!!

Here’s my top six, for a festive fix:

1.Offline is the new luxury! Oh and it’s free. Christmas is not about presents, it is about being PRESENT. Being in the moment with your families, friends and loved ones. Don’t spend your Christmas with a ‘tech neck’ scouring other people’s posts on Facebook (apparently it makes us depressed anyhow), binge watching series on Netflix, or surfing the sales buying stuff you don’t need – use this time to really connect with people and make your own precious memories. Can you turn off the technology for a week, a day, even an hour? I dare you.

2.Create your own inner silence! Your nearest and dearest will thank you for it. Ever over-reacted to a petty annoyance due to a build up of other things? Spending just 10 minutes a day to pamper yourself or just be on your own doing nothing is also very important. It will reduce those familiar festive frictions and ensure you are reducing those residual stress levels built up over the year. Give ratio breathing a try, it a great tool to use anytime of the year – breath in for 5 seconds (through the nose), hold for 5 seconds and then breath out for 7 (through the mouth). It’s amazing and from experience, very useful during Christmas lunch preparation – just 10 breaths.

3.Give your digestion time off! I know that doesn’t sound too likely, but we are unaware about the cost of digestion on our bodies and energy levels. We can only regenerate and repair damage when we are in a fasted state, i.e not eating or sat with a full stomach. This is even more necessary at Christmas as processed foods, alcohol and sugary snacks surround us, these guys are the worst offenders for cell damage. Can you fast over Christmas? Ok, I have not lost my mind – just 12 hours try 7pm to 7am or for me more likely 10pm -10am. Your body will thank you for it by giving you a massive boost in energy levels

4.The MOST of the time rule. I personally love Christmas and all the food traditions it involves. On Christmas day I enjoy every mouthful, have zero guilt and savour all the flavours. However, what tends to happen is that we use this 1 DAY as an excuse for the next few weeks and then have a bit of a boom/bust cycle going on by the time January comes around. Instead, can you upgrade your recipes as you go along? At the same time you will be upgrading your energy, skin health and overall wellbeing. What does this upgrade involve? Well, it’s simple – eat real food MOST of the time, around 80% of the time (or as close as you can get to it) – food from plants, not made in plants!

5.Get moving. Our lymphatic systems are like little bin men and put it this way if they didn’t collect all the Christmas rubbish it wouldn’t be a pretty sight in our streets. This has a compelling parallel to how we may look and feel after Christmas. In order to activate these internal bin men, we have to move and not just to and from the fridge. It doesn’t have to be a high impact gym class (although that is great if you make it), just get out in nature, go for a long walk, turn the music up and dance – anything you enjoy!

6.Random acts of kindness. You have to try this, it is infectious, I love it. This isn’t buying more, instead this is giving up your time, a smile, a hug, a hand and maybe just a conversation. The key to happiness is deep appreciation of what we have and the world around us. Think of that feeling when someone touches our heart! Can you think of a specific event? How did you feel? It’s magic isn’t it! If we could only bottle that up and give it out on prescription to everyone, most ills would be cured overnight. Guess what we have that gift to give every day – get going!

These tips are the recipe for success anytime of the year not just Christmas time – try a few tweaks this year. I guarantee, 100% your investment will pay back!

Wishing you and your families a fantastic Christmas, full of nourishment, energy, and love.

Colette xx