1. Water, water, water! Start the day by slowly drinking 1-2 pints of warm water & slice of lemon or tsp of apple cider vinegar. This will not only wake up your system slowly, but will also boost your digestion function & help keep you hydrated ahead of the day. Keep bottles of water everywhere – at your place of work, in your bag, in the car, beside your bed. Most of us are dehydrated on a daily basis. Aim for 2L daily & especially drink water in between Christmas tipples.

2. There are plenty of opportunities to eat your five (or twenty!) a day during the festive season. Load up on veg! Turkey & ham are great sources of protein. Watch the amount of stuffing & heavy sauces that can play havoc on your digestion and try to watch portion size.

3. Chew, chew, chew. Focus on chewing 20 times before swallowing to give your digestion a big helping hand. Food should be almost liquidised before swallowing – that’s why we have lots of teeth! Swallowing lumps of food really burdens our digestion and wastes so much valuable energy. Place cutlery down in between bites. Savour each mouthful! If we are aware of the tastes and smells it not only helps our digestion, but we are relaxed which is proven to help our bodies absorb maximum nutrients and minerals. Plus, we give our brains time to tell our bodies we are full! So, you may not get to finish that plate after all.

4. Cut out the stress. Christmas is up there with house moves as one of the big stressors. There are lots of pressure in the media to have the perfect Christmas which is quite simply just not reality. Lower expectation levels & and try and focus on gratitude. For every negative there is a positive. Look after yourself during this busy time & try and build in times to relax.

5. Get out into nature. With the time of year & drinks & parties, the focus is on the indoors which is fair enough with the weather outside! BUT there is no such thing as bad weather; just inappropriate clothing! So, tog the family up & get out. You will feel so much better after a walk in the fresh air & appreciate that fire all the more after exercise.

6. Think before you eat. I know I need to avoid all pastry type nibbles & mince pies. So, I don’t even deliberate, I just avoid. Don’t eat things that will make you feel sick. Make that agreement with yourself beforehand. Be mindful of your choices.

7. Do something for yourself every day. If like me, as a mum, whether you’re hosting the big day or not, chances are by the time Christmas arrives you’re exhausted! Take some time each day to check in with yourself & breathe. As my very wise 86-year-old dad tells me often; ‘look after number 1, and the rest will follow’. So true.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a healthy 2020 x