The holiday season is a great time to let your hair down and celebrate with friends and family – but most of us get to January not quite feeling our best and feel the need to ‘detox’ to recover from the Christmas indulgences. Personally I don’t think we need to resort to drastic measures in January such as restrictive diets, cleanses, and juice fasts. These practises are often not sustainable and may cause more stress to the body. You know me, my approach is one of nourishment versus deprivation, and that also goes for the festive season!
Here are a few tips to incorporate for the rest of the month to ensure we start 2026 feeling invigorated and ready to take on the new year!
1. Keep up your healthy habits. Just because it’s holiday season doesn’t mean we need to let our healthy habits slide ALL month. I have already seen this pattern: my gym is barren from the beginning of December onwards (and then jam packed in January, only to be left with the usual suspects again by February!). I get it, we have parties, carol singing, dinners etc planned in December. But we shouldn’t write off the whole month. It will be SO much harder to jump back on the wagon if we let our habits slide for so long.
Aim to be as consistent as possible with your diet and exercise during the holidays, even with the planned indulgences. Something as simple as aiming to eat a healthy breakfast every day or getting a good amount of sleep most nights will make it easier to get to January without feeling like you need to completely overhaul your diet and lifestyle. Ensure you nourish yourself well even on days of parties, Christmas lunches and dinners – you don’t need to ‘save up your calories’ by skipping meals on those days. Quite the opposite: by eating a nourishing breakfast, lunch and snacks, you are less likely to get to your Christmas party ravenous and go nuts on the buffet table. Let’s try to let go of that ‘all or nothing’ mentality: just because you have a series of Christmas events planned does not mean you need to throw the rest of your meals to the wind for the whole month.
2. Keep an eye on alcohol consumption. The holiday season is filled with parties, dinners and celebrations where cocktails, prosecco and other alcoholic drinks flow freely. Now, I’m not one to tell you to avoid all alcohol during the festivities as I know that may not be realistic for many, but if you are struggling with hormonal issues or have specific health goals, you may want to choose your drinking occasions wisely. Pick your key events where you will have alcohol. Make sure you keep yourself hydrated throughout the day with mineral rich fluids and herbal teas but also when drinking alcohol, try to have a glass of water in between alcoholic drinks. This will help slow down your alcohol consumption on the night and hopefully avoid a nasty hangover the next day. Drinking mineral rich fluids such as freshly squeezed orange juice, coconut water or herbal infusions will also help with keeping your energy levels up throughout the holiday season. Thr fructose in fruit and fruit juices has been shown to help remove alcohol from the body more quickly and prevent its oxidative damage, so a fruity cocktail may be your best bet! (Ray Peat)
3. Avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. Drinking on an empty stomach will not only make you feel drunk quicker, but will also affect your blood sugar balance, hormonal health and hinder your decision making process when deciding what to eat. Eating is definitely not cheating 🙂
4. Aim to move every day. With family engagements and festivities, it may prove harder to stick to a regular workout routine. However, aim to incorporate some movement every day, either by doing some simple stretches at home or by inviting the whole family to have a leisurely walk before or after the Christmas meal. Get outside daily to get some daylight and fresh air. And don’t write off your gym workouts all month – even going once a week is better than none.
5. Manage holiday stress. The Christmas period is a joyous time but can also be quite stressful with endless engagements, family gatherings and to-do lists. Incorporate some relaxation techniques into your daily life, especially when things may start to feel overwhelming. Taking some time out for a simple self-care act like having a quiet bath or simply taking some long, deep breaths can reduce your negative feelings in a matter or minutes. Also make sure you carve out some time in your busy calendar for rest! The darker winter months are a time of low light, rest and re-grouping, in order to get to spring with energy and vigour ready for the new season.
I’m hoping that by incorporating some of these small shifts, you will be able to start the New Year feeling revitalised! If you would like some support to start the new year with a bang, why not book a free discovery call to see some bespoke diet and lifestyle changes can help you flourish!
If you’re a midlife woman struggling with symptoms that make you feel lost and out of control, I got you! Check out my online, self-led programme The Midlife Reset, created for women who want to navigate this season of life with clarity and confidence, and without jumping on another restrictive diet or harsh protocol that leaves you depleted.
Further Reading:
Ray Peat ‘Sugar Issues’ https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/sugar-issues.shtml
