Many are sitting here on the “wrong” side of holiday binging, feeling lousy and wondering how to put things back on track. Here are just a few pointers:

• Increase your protein intake and reduce your carbohydrates.
• Eat a significant amount of uncooked fruits and vegetables.
• “Early to bed and early to rise”.
• Get outside, get active, get some sun.
• Get adequate amounts of Vitamins C, E, D and B-Complex.
• Nix or at least dramatically reduce alcohol intake.
• Stay well hydrated with clean, non-sparkling water.

The so-called “Silly Season” tends to be one of excesses. Cakes and sweets abound, we tend to overeat and drinking to excess is depressingly common. After New Year’s Day arrives, many are left holding their hungover head and looking at puffy eyes staring back at them in the mirror.

After a time of excess, it’s vitally important for us to help our body to undo the damage. For many, getting our sleeping patterns back in order is of paramount importance. Without a proper day-night cycle, the body’s production and release of serotonin is compromised. Serotonin is one of the most important hormones in the body, helping to regulate sleep, mood and the body’s nocturnal “deep healing” cycles.

The flip side of getting enough sleep at the appropriate time is to get adequate exposure to sunlight. Sunlight is vitally important for us with regard to regulating hormone production, Vitamin D production and mood regulation. Exercise helps this by producing HGH (Human Grown Hormone), which further promotes stress relief, healing and anti-ageing properties within the body. The combination of exercise and exposure to sunlight is an important component that is in alignment with our natural evolution of activity.

Another natural aspect is to ensure that we eat an abundance of raw fruits and vegetables. I’m absolutely a proponent of a mostly raw diet and feel at my best that way. As the Silly Season ends, many of us may have found ourselves being at the end of weeks worth of eating out, eating richly and eating excessively. Getting back to adequate amounts of protein, low carbs and lots of raw fruits and veggies can be a huge help in getting our bodies back in balance.

Alcohol tends to play a significant role during the holiday season, so it’s no surprise that many of us will have overdone it, sometimes for entire weeks on end. Cutting back on alcohol intake is important because of the role alcohol plays in damage to the liver as well as promoting fat storage and insulin resistance.

Finally, many people walk around perpetually dehydrated. Drinking water is largely ignored in favour of soft drinks, coffee and other beverages. Water is the very basis of our physiology and there is no replacement for it. Clean water is our primary means of flushing toxins from the body, both in the form of sweat and as urine. Without adequate water, the body’s lymphatic system, liver and kidneys get loaded with toxins with no way to release them. Over time, the build-up is detrimental to health. So drink up, and drink often.

Happy Holidays!