Dear Joyous Readers,
The holiday season is in full swing which means festivus is flowing and Santa is coming! :)
I celebrate Christmas and it's my favourite time of the year not just because my name is Joy and it's somewhat mandatory to love this time, but because I get to see my family and friends more than other times of the year. I really love getting fancified (dressed up) and having a joyous time. I also love to create new recipes and attend pot lucks! However, I know all the holiday parties and demands of driving here there and everywhere can leave you feeling stressed and pooped out. Many of you tell me that next day you feel bloated, tired and crappy after a holiday party. I want you to feel and look as joyous as possible all holiday season long, and so I'm sharing a few tips with you!
Tips To Feel Joyous all Holiday Season Long
1. Avoid party foods that will make you bloated
Choose indulgences wisely. If having a touch of eggnog is one of your favourite festive treats, then enjoy a touch and make healthy choices the rest of the time. Better yet, try coconut milk eggnog! Here are a few other things you might want to avoid to prevent bloating:
- High salt foods – canned soups, chips, crackers, cheese
- Dairy – eggnog, cheese
- Refined carbs (aka sugar) – white bread and pasta
2. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation (more on that in the video).
Avoid the sugary mixed drinks and stick to one kind of drink for the whole evening. Here are some hangover prevention tips and cures from my recent segment on Steven & Chris. Need reasons to skip the drinks altogether? Remember that alcohol is a depressant and lowers your metabolic rate.
3. Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night.
It's tough to look like a holiday princess or prince when you feel sluggish, sleepy and have bags under your eyes from lack of sleep. Of course there may be times in life when getting those 8 hours is near impossible. For the times you know you can, then make sleep a priority it's the single most beautifying health habit!
4. Eat foods that help reduce bloat.
You might have to wear a party dress and of course it happens that you are bloated on the day you've gotta squeeze yourself into that dress! Don't despair, I've got some tips for you. First off, assuming you've avoided the "bloaty" foods you may just be retaining water because you are dehydrated. Here are some tips:
- Eat cucumbers, they are incredibly hydrating. Great for puffy eyes too!
- Eat celery, it's a a digestive aid and will decrease fluid retention.
- Eat watermelon, it has potassium helping the sodium potassium balance.
- Drink coconut water.
Adding spices like rosemary,turmeric and ginger to your foods can help reduce bloating. Rosemary is used to treat intestinal gas and turmeric is also a great spice to reduce bloating and inflammation. My favourite anti-bloat tea is lemon, raw ginger, hot water and a dollop of honey -- bye-bye belly bloat!
6. Plan ahead! Have a healthy snack before going to any party.
This way you will not arrive ravenous and completely at the mercy of your food host. Have half a smoothie, some fruit and nuts, coconut milk and granola. You will be way more in control when the finger foods of piggies in a blanket are making their third round and there isnt a vegetable in sight!
7. Remember to start each day with your water with lemon!
It is detoxifying, hydrating, alkalinizing. As lemons are a natural diuretic and help move matter through the digestive system, they will help you flush out the extra salt limiting puffiness.
8. Drink extra herbal teas 2-3 cups per day.
Chamomile tea helps reduce wintertime redness of the face due to its anti-inflammatory actions. Its very calming which will help your skin look its best by inhibiting inflammatory acne and rosacea. BONUS: It will also help you be calm cool and collected during family stress events and help you sleep! Green Tea is also packed with antioxidants that help reduce inflammation. But make sure not to sabotage your herbal tea drinking by sweetening it up with white sugaror toxic sweeteners. Try to drink it straight up, or sweeten it with a bit of raw honey
It's a minefield of toxic chemicalsin the conventional cosmetic industry. Rather than relying on lotions and potions to get your glow on that may be full of hormone-disrupting ingredients, get beauty from the inside out. For example, eat plenty of raw fresh vegetables, eat lean protein and choose good fats on a daily basis for beautiful skin and shiny hair. Your digestion is at the root of your beauty. Check out my natural beauty series of videos and get over 10 D-I-Y recipes.
10. Wear clothes that fit you now.
Ugh, I remember years ago squeezing myself into control top nylons to fit into some dress or skirt. I would end up getting indigestion from tension on my gut and this was VERY unjoyous! Instead of squeezing and sucking everything in, wear something that fits you now and something that you feel fabulous in!
Have a joyous holiday season!
Joy
