With the silly season in full swing, our wellbeing and work can all too often slide down our list of priorities – as celebrations, manic present buying and plans take precedence. Here’s our top tips for keeping well and on top of work – whilst still having fun throughout December.
Give yourself the gift of sleep
Try to spread out your party plans, having a night or two off in between celebrations, rather than a succession of late nights. A revelation we share in our Sleep School workshop is that – according to the neuroscientist Dr Christopher Winter, you can catch up on short-term sleep debt within a couple of days, but skimming on sleep all week with the intention to catch up at the weekend simply doesn’t work. So, if you slept poorly last night, get yourself an early night tonight to catch up.
Hydrate before Happy Hour
We have a 40% increase in alcohol consumptionover the festive period, so aim for a low sugar drink such as vodka with natural mixers such as soda and fresh lime – or red wine. It’s also likely you’ll arrive thirsty, so make your first drink a glass of water, before reaching for something stronger (if you so wish).
Handling that hangover
Make hydration a priority and add a slice of ginger to help combat nausea and dizziness. It may be the last thing you want to do, but a burst of exercise will help to shed some of the toxins and speed up your recovery. And you can reward yourself with a treat afterwards – Dark chocolate and bananas are both rich in magnesium, which helps the body break down and eliminate alcohol.
No excuses not to exercise
Keeping up some form of an exercise routine is a great way to keep festive stress at bay. If your usual classes or fitness commitments aren’t on over the holidays, try yoga or HIIT workouts on Youtube, or walk to as many of your festive parties as you can.
For more wellbeing and nutrition advice, check out our corporate nutrition workshops, interactive cooking demos and 1:1 staff health checks.
And the Workplace Wellbeing Winner is….