Julia Edgely
The excitement for the holidays is now building. We can all feel the magic in the air. This time of year, over indulgence is the key word. We have parties, feast, families to see. While
The excitement for the holidays is now building. We can all feel the magic in the air. This time of year, over indulgence is the key word. We have parties, feast, families to see. While it can be last the course of a few sort weeks, that is enough to have a profound effect on our health in the following months. Who here feels they always seem to fall ill, or catch a cold in the New year? Well, this is just a knock on effect from the fun we had over the holidays. Do not worry, I’m not going to ask you to live like a saint! Here are a few very simple tip that mean you can have your delicious cake and eat it too….
Rosemary tea
Rosemary tea has a powerful effect on the liver and help our natural detoxification pathway. Over the holidays, food and drinks are rich, we can be burning the candle and both ends with parties and guest. Our liver will have its work cut out for it. Give is a gentle hand by including multiple cups of rosemary tea each day. Even better if you have rosemary in the garden. This is super fresh and organic. Simply cut a few short branches and infuse in water over the stove for 5-10mins. Make enough to last you the day.
After meal walk
Ever holiday meal is a cheat meal. For good reason, this time of year is about celebrating. But all this sugar, alcohol, meat and chocolate is going to cause your blood sugar levels to yo-yo. Even if you normally can maintain a healthy blood sugar level, over celebrating will have its effect. A simple method of helping your body balance its own glycemic levels is by talking a short, 10-20 min walk after a big meal. Research shows this to help our body digest the meal we have just enjoyed. It does not have to be a vigorous hike, just a gentle walk after eating.
Bitter foods
It’s not just the the elves and our livers working over time this time of year, but also our gallbladder. There is a lot of rich food to process and our gallbladder is responsible for this job. Bitter foods stimulate the gallbladder secretions, releasing enzymes to break down our food. Try to incorporate a few of the following, lettuce with tougher leaves, rocket, endive, chicory into your meals as a starter or palate cleanser. This leaves have a middle bitter taste. A small salad of these leaves with olive oil and apple cider vinegar will go a long way you help your gallbladder do its job. Apple cider vinegar here offers a decent level of malic acid which will also encourage healthy bile formation.
Binarual Beats
I love holiday parties. I love the get togethers, the catching up, the fun and laughter. Over a two week stretch however, with pre-holdiay and New Years, there can be a lot to process, news, family, all the excitement. We can find ourselves emotionally all over the place. They do say the holidays are an emotional time of year.
Often, we don’t get a lot to time to carry out our regular mediations and yoga practice. Binaural beats are a great tool and you need as little a 10mins a day.
Binaural beats work by using frequency and music, with each ear hearing a slightly different beat, to help calm our mind. After listening for 10mins, it can have a similar brain wave effect to yoga and mediation.
You will need earphones for this. Simply select from your music streaming service binaural beats, choose your aim for example relaxation, sleep, calming, releasing and find a quiet spot for 10mins a day. This sounds almost too easy but give it a few days and you will be amazed with the power of this simple technique.
The most important tip, enjoy this time. Be present with your friend and family, conscious of what you are celebrating and have a fantastic holiday time.
