SILLY SEASON SURVIVAL HACKS

This time of year, we’re heading out with friends, family, and colleagues to celebrate the festive season. This often leads to greater consumption of alcohol, processed foods, and sugary drinks. 

This blog isn’t about missing out on fun. It is about minimizing the aftermath and reducing your feelings of guilt. We will be focusing on 3 main areas… Drinking, Eating and Moving!! ????

It’s been a tough year for many and when you have a chance to celebrate you should take it and not feel guilty. Since the time when humans formed tribes, we have celebrated with food and drink. It’s a very natural thing to do. 

So, how do we have our Christmas cake and eat it too??

DRINKING:

If you are going out for some social drinks you should enjoy yourself but there are a few things you can do to minimize the impact it has on your head and waistline the next day…

BEER: Beers vary between 100cal (light) to 350cal (craft) depending on the size and alcohol content. A standard 12oz beer with 5% alcohol is around 150cal per glass. Seems reasonable until you down 6 and then you have added 900 cal to your day. 

NB: You would need to run 15km to burn that many calories. 

Moderate intake of beer has been associated with some health benefits because beer contain polyphenols. Darker beers tend to have more of these health promoting compounds. However, beer often contains gluten which may cause bloating, headaches, brain fog and more. 

WINE: Red wine generally contains more antioxidants than white wine, but these tannins may stimulate the excessive release serotonin (happy hormone) that in some people can cause headaches. Also, red wine contains more histamine (that’s why you may feel blocked up or nasally) that can also trigger headaches or migraines in some people. 

Sulphites may also be another problem causing you to feel rubbish the next day. You can get sulphite free wine. It’s generally organic. 

5oz of wine contains around 125cal per glass which again adds up after 6 or more. 

Take home on wine… Even though red has more resveratrol, antioxidants, and more health benefits it may be more likely to cause headaches in those who are prone to them. 

SPIRITS: From vodka to whisky and everything in between spirits have increased in consumption over the past 2 years. Generally, the calories of a 50ml shot are similar to a standard 12oz beer or 5oz wine. 

However, it’s not the spirit itself that’s the problem (although excessive consumption is likely to lead to the same hangover side effects) its what its mixed in. Keep in mind liqueurs can be up to 100% higher in calories than standard spirits. 

A 6.8oz Pina Colada has a whopping 526cal per drink, a white Russian is 586cal but a vodka and tonic or a mojito is closer to 125 or 185 respectively.

TOP 10 TIPS TO PREVENT A HANGOVER: 

1. Captain obvious… don’t drink too much!! Limit your alcohol to 2-3 standard drinks. 
2. Eat a healthy nourishing meal before heading out. This will not only help to provide the micronutrients necessary to support healthy detoxification and energy. It may help to reduce your need to eat highly processed food which can worsen hangover symptoms and are often calories dense. 
3. Alternate alcoholic beverages with a glass of water 1 to 1. 
4. Avoid alcohol that contains congeners (methanol, isopentanol and acetone). Bourbon, cognac, and tequila are the highest and vodka, rum and gin are the lowest. These congeners are converted to formaldehyde (a highly toxic substance).
5. Drink AMINO SWITCH™ before going to bed. This is almost certain to help reduce symptoms of a hangover. The aminos, electrolytes, b-vitamins and herbs in this formula may assist in the detoxification of congeners, ethanol and formaldehyde. 
6. Get to bed at a reasonable time or sleep in if necessary. Lack of sleep can present similar symptoms to a hangover and when combined with alcohol can make hangover symptoms much worse. 
7. Consume ESTRO SWITCH™ before bed. This supplement contains several herbs that help support phase I and phase II detoxification. It’s the detoxifying of the alcohol and lowering of inflammation that helps you feel better the next day. It also contains the antihistamine Quercetin that may reduce the impact of histamines found in alcoholic beverages. 
8. Have a Coffee or better still COFFEE SWITCH™ upon rising the day after. The caffeine, turmeric, medicinal mushrooms, and whole coffee fruit extract all help to reduce inflammation which is a major contributing factor to your headache or hangover symptoms. Not to mention it will boost your mood, energy and motivation which may be lacking after a big night out. 
9. Eat breakfast. Skipping breakfast because you’re feeling unwell will only make you feel worse later. 
10. Drink VITALITY SWITCH™. You should have one serve with your last meal before going out for drinks and one with your first meal the next day. VITALITY SWITCH™ also helps reduce inflammation and supports detoxification. Not to mention it is packed with loads of antioxidants and energising herbs. 

Bonus: If making cocktails you can incorporate VITALITY SWITCH™, AMINO SWITCH™ and COFFEE SWITCH™ into several different recipes. 

EATING:

What you eat over the silly season or on a night out celebrating can leave you feeling tired, bloated, with a headache, brain fog, and less than healthy. In fact, certain foods are not just calorie dense but contain trans fats, sugars and other chemicals that may decrease your immune response, increase inflammation, and leave you feeling tired and miserable.

None of us are perfect with our food. In fact, only 6.7% of Australian and New Zealand adults eat 4 serves of veges a day that is recommended to sustain adequate health. Add the festive season into the mix and that number plummets quickly. 

Never fear… VITALITY SWITCH™ is here. This gut health promoting super food blend is packed with 33 vege extracts and botanicals to provide the nourishment of 7-8 serves of veges* in one delicious drink. * Based on ORAC Value. 

Just one serve of VITALITY SWITCH™ with your first meal of the day is a great way to support your health, lower inflammation and make up for the lack of veges you may be consuming over the silly season. 

Here are 10 easy ways to support healthy eating…

1. If consuming crisps / chips do so with vege dips rather than creamy ones. 
2. Add chopped up sweet red capsicum, carrots and cucumber to the snack spread.
3. Cherries and berries are in season over summer. Be sure to wash them and wipe them clean, to avoid the pesticides. By organic if possible. 
4. Salads, poke bowls and burrito bowls are a relatively easy and fun way to consume a lot of veges. 
5. Juices and smoothies. Although not the best way to consume fruits and veges. They are tasty and you can blend them up with PROTEIN SWITCH™ and some good fats (MCT oil Powder) to keep it healthy, balanced and satiating. 
6. Try to minimize processed sugary foods. Use smaller plates and serve smaller portions.
7. Incorporate fruit salads as a dessert option 
8. Replace milk chocolate with darker chocolate options. Dark chocolate is less addictive and rich in polyphenols and health promoting antioxidants. Still exercise moderation. Lol 
9. Consider Intermittent Fasting (IF) the day after a big day of eating. Even try simply not eating 2 hours before bed and 2 hours after getting up as a strategy for burning more calories and maintaining healthy blood glucose management. 
10. COFFEE SWITCH™ and KETO SWITCH™ both control hunger and support satiation. Try using them between meals or 30 mins to 1 hour before a meal to reduce cravings. 

Bonus: Have a SNACK SWITCH™ bar handy for those days when cravings are getting the better of you and you need something healthy, balanced, and nutritious that tastes delicious. 

Another strategy is EAT MORE DO MORE or EAT LESS DO LESS. Sounds simple enough. If you are planning on eating or drinking a lot. Try to incorporate some extended period of exercise or train before you head out. 

This may be walking between venues or around the block or even home if possible. It may include participating in that game of backyard cricket or simply throwing the frisbee around. Nothing creates energy like energy. If you eat and drink and sit in one spot you will feel tired and lethargic quicker. Get up and move… you will feel better!!

MOVING:

Getting to the gym may be limited over the silly season. Even with the best intentions our workout plans can get derailed and its easy to say… “I will just start fresh in the new year!!”

Here are 9 top tips to stay on track this summer…

1. Make exercise fun. When something is more fun than a chore you will be more likely to do it. 
2. Change to group training over the silly season. Group training creates a sense of community and support. 
3. Get a training partner and have a pact never to tell each other you don’t feel like training. Unless of course you are unwell and need time off. 
4. Be realistic. Don’t try to get to the gym 5-6 days a week if 3 is more realistic. 
5. Change your training to incorporate more body parts so nothing gets missed if you don’t go as often. 
6. Exercise with shorter rest periods to boost your heart rate and metabolism. HIIT Training is one of the more effective ways to maintain fitness, muscle mass and boost cognitive function. 
7. Try TABATA training first thing in the morning. Exercise in the morning has been proven to be more effective for body composition than other times of the day. Plus, it’s easy for motivation to fade later in the day. 
8. Use a Pre-Workout that motivates your mood, energy, and focus. Try POWER SWITCH™ if you’re doing some heavy compound lifting and THERMAL SWITCH™ if the goal is to burn some fat or keep motivation at an all time high. 
9. Exercise doesn’t have to be at the gym. It can be at the park or the beach. Going for a swim, playing tennis, golf, backyard cricket or frisbee all count as exercise and movement. Even going for a casual bike or walk will help burn some calories and keep your metabolism healthy. 

Bonus: THERMAL SWITCH™ can be incorporated into a delicious energy boosting cocktail that is lower in calories, longer lasting and healthier than a red bull and vodka. 

There’s going to be a lot of things that challenge your will power this summer holidays. Just know that its ok to indulge a little and not feel guilty. Celebrating with friends and family over food and drinks is healthy and leads to better relationships, happiness, and lowered stress (most of the time). 

This fun time can improve body composition and mental health which will serve you well long term. If you can minimize the fall out and incorporate some smarter choices, you will come out the other side as fit and healthy as you went in. 

Simply adding 1 serve of VITALITY SWITCH™ a day is a step in the right direction and something healthy you can do for your mind and body. 

Make sure you move each day, preferably where you break a sweat. This may lead to better physical and mental health also. 

Finally, have fun this summer, stay safe and hug your loved ones often. This releases oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine which supports happiness, contentment, and sense of satisfaction.