Festive Season Survival Guide

Christmas seems to be arriving earlier and earlier these days, in fact we at Chiro.London had our end of year party last weekend!We started at the fantastic Flight Club for lunch, drinks and darts where after a few Belgian beers and Espresso Martinis we eventually started to get our eye in!At around 4pm the reality of winter really hit home when we drifted out into the darkness of Moorgate . It was dark, cold and wet and not even December. This is only the beginning of winter, the ideal time to gather ourselves and prepare for all the fun the festive season is sure to bring!Our next and final stop was Brewdog, Shephards Bush, where we enjoyed craft beers, more great food and pinball machines, which either Craig or Drew won, depending on who you ask…Which leads me to some tips to for end of year as we all start bracing ourselves for the lead up to Christmas, when our priorities often start to shift a little.A lot of us spend most of the year building good “habits” only to see them fall away in the amped up atmosphere of the festive season and feel the need to resort to New Year’s resolutions in January. So, to combat that, I’ve outlined some basic (& at times obvious) strategies that may help you navigate the perilous fun of December and see you start 2017 with the health and momentum that you deserve!1. Start the day with something green. A green smoothie will cover your basic nutritional needs (or at least get you well on the way) and help squeeze out less than ideal breakfast foods. Investing in a Bullet Blender (or similar) is a convenient way to eat on the go and even prepare the night before2. High intensity exercise during the day before heading out for a heavy meal and drinking will shift your metabolism up a gear and may help your body process the rich food and booze more effectively. You don’t need to exercise for long (10 mins) but enough to empty your muscles of glycogen and get your body in a state to refuel them. This could include sprints, exercise bike, air-squats etc. Here are some examples. 3. Get organised! Feeling overwhelmed is very common as everyone gets “busy” so staying on top of things is even more important this time of year. Investing 30mins to sit down and plan your week/month can make a huge difference in how we enjoy our time celebrating with friends and family.

• Make sure you have your exercise sessions scheduled through to January.
• Pre-order your food deliveries
• Christmas shopping done online with a service like Amazon Prime makes it easier to avoid the chaos in the high street
• Book tickets for any travel you have
• Confirm your Chiropractic care schedule
• Plan which nights you’ll stay in and have an early night (and don’t stay up late watching Game of Thrones till midnight!!)

4. Stay hydrated. This is probably the cheapest, easiest and most often overlooked aspect of supporting your health. Basically, drink water, often.5. Congratulate yourself on a (great) year. Reflect on the things you’re proud of and the things you’d like to improve. We’re often quick to be hard on ourselves and don’t easily acknowledge our achievements.I could probably summarise all this as “be kind to yourself and others”, which is sound advice all year round anyway…Don’t hesitate to let me know if I can be of any help or if you have any questions about successfully navigating yourself and your family through this beautiful time of the year.In health,Luke Bradyluke@chiro.londonPs. To help sleep, add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of honey to your caffeine free (obviously) tea before bed.