This silly season can take a toll on people’s health, but it doesn’t have too! Here are 4 things you can do to support your health over the holiday season.

1) Make drinking 2L of water daily a priority!

This should be non-negotiable! Without being properly hydrated, your body won’t be able to function at its best. Dehydration can cause fatigue, muscle cramps, constipation, headaches, increased hunger. Remember that over 70% of our body is water, water is essential for our health! Even more so during these summer months, when we start to sweat more and alcohol consumption often goes up. Get yourself a 1L glass bottle (one from the supermarket is fine), fill this up in the morning before you start your day, make sure you finish then by midday, then fill it up again and make sure you drink that second litre before 5pm and there you have it, 2L down easy!

2) Sleep – make getting 8 hours a priority!

Getting 8 hours of sleep should also be non-negotiable! Think of sleep as being your personal charger, just like your put you phone on charge at night so it’s full in the morning to last you throughout the day – sleep is your charge station. It’s going to allow you to restore yourself so you have the energy and mental space to do what you need to do throughout the day. It’s easy this time of year to skimp on sleep, but I strongly encourage you to make sleep one of your top priorities. I personally do, if that means leaving a Christmas party early or finishing up a dinner out with friends and family early so you can be in bed by 10pm to get 8 hours sleep, then do it! It’s an act of kindness to yourself as you’re putting yourself and your health first.

3) Utilise your mornings

If your days are getting more and more jam-packed, start your day with a restorative morning routine. Move your body for 20 minutes (you don’t have to do anything excessive), a light jog, yoga stretch in your living room, a walk outdoors. Do some deep belly breathing or listen to a guided meditation for 5-10 minutes. Just by giving yourself an extra 30 minutes in the morning to move your body and breath dramatically can make all the difference to your mindset as it allows your mind to feel more spaciousness. It could also make all the difference to your energy throughout this busy time of year.

4) Be kind to yourself and learn to say no if something isn’t serving you

It’s okay to put yourself and your health first, I strongly encourage you to do this! Learn to accept it’s okay to say “no, I’m not attending that Christmas event,” “no, I can’t catch up with you tomorrow night or next week.” Remove the pressure to do it all and remove the guilt around it – your health and sanity matter. You’re not winning a gold medal for attending every event, and seeing all your friends before Christmas, they are your friends, they aren’t going anywhere. Learn to set your boundaries and acknowledge that sometimes people need to wait a little while to see you or to get a response from you – be that a text, email, or a call. Finishing the year exhausted and run down isn’t the best way to end the year, so be kind to yourself and put yourself first, learn to say no and set your boundaries, and remind yourself daily – you don’t have to do it all.

 I hope this helps you to find a bit of space throughout this hectic time of year and remind you it’s okay to say no and to put yourself and your health first, because remember – you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Nat xx