Mince pies at the office in the afternoon, after work drinks on Friday, Thursday and…well everyday of the week. The run up to Christmas at work is a joyful time. It’s also a minefield for our health. How do you navigate the endless opportunities to indulge, all the while trying to avoid the many winter colds flying around the office?

Don’t plan to eat less ‘proper’ food because you know you’ll be indulging in more sweet treats and drinks.

Firstly, let me say that I am a believer in balance above all else. When it comes to the many delicious Christmas treats we love to eat our fill of, it is never helpful to try to completely restrict ourselves. We are hard-wired to rebel against restriction (which is also why diets don’t work), so please don’t try to abstain from the festivities entirely.

However, there are some tools you can use to thoroughly enjoy your mini yule log or mulled wine without descending into mindless non-stop grazing of whatever treats are lying around (and these tools of course apply to home as well as the office):

  1. Don’t plan to eat less ‘proper’ food because you know you’ll be indulging in more sweet treats and drinks. If anything, do the opposite. Have a big breakfast with protein and fat (eggs and salmon/avocado is perfect) and a proper lunch with little to no refined carbohydrates. Eating properly to balance your blood sugar and satisfy your hunger will drastically reduce how much you want to eat treats.

  2. If you’re going to have it, really enjoy it. Whatever you’re eating or drinking, do it mindfully. Enjoy it with all your senses. Chew/sip slowly and savour the taste. Put your phone away so you don’t miss it!

  3. If you feel like you’ve overdone it and your blood sugar levels are sky-rocketing (you’ll notice a quickened heart rate, maybe some light headedness, feeling very hyper), go for a brisk 10 minute walk to use some of that excess glucose, or if you can’t go outside do 20 squats.

  4. If you’re drinking more alcohol than usual, make sure to hydrate well while you drink. You can support your liver function in the mornings with warm water lemon juice and by increasing your intake of leafy green vegetables throughout the day.

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Asides from merriment and joy, this indulgence-fest (with all the extra sugar and alcohol, along with less and lower quality sleep) can bring with it decreased immunity, leaving you more vulnerable to catching colds. Here are a few tips to boost immunity during this time:

  1. Compensate for lost sleep. Try to avoid drinking on consecutive days so your body has a chance to catch up on rest.

  2. Take vitamin c and zinc supplements to help support immunity.

  3. Turmeric in your lemon tea can help reduce the inflammation caused by excess sugar consumption.

  4. Take a probiotic (do this anyway!) and eat lots of fibre (fruit, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, pulses). This will help keep your gut flora balanced, which is essential for our immune system.

As you can see, our winter wellness tips don’t involve anything extreme. Simply adopting a few of these compensatory tools will help you maintain balance through to the new year.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year from the Well & Truly family!