Now that the holiday season has officially kicked off, many of us either indulge in too much wine, cheese and chocolate, or burn the candle at both ends, saying yes to every social opportunity going, feeling an urge of fomo ( fear of missing out) if we decline; which only leaves us feeling cranky, tired, and run down.

Here are my top 5 tips on how to survive the party season without catching the festive flu or putting on a dress size by the time Christmas arrives.

1) Sip on a Dandy Detox: Start your day with a fabifying veggie juice full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and super-foods. This will give you a mega dose of fruit and veg in one big gulp, not to mention it will energise, alkalise, detoxify, cleanse, fight flu’s, clear up skin, and help flush fat and toxins. One of my favourite blend’s I make if I know it will be one of those more active weeks is, sipping on my Dandy Detox Drink which I make in my vitamix: 1 Cup of pure aloe vera juice, 1 handful kale, one handful of spinach, 1/2 cup of beetroot, little bunch of parsley, one juice of lemon, one apple, one scoop of spirulina. A fantastic combo of liver loving, health, and skin boosting ingredients.

2) Hydrate:  Make sure to stay hydrated: whether you get it from mineral water, herbal teas, or water rich foods like apples, pears, watermelon, cucumber and salads; It is one of the key elements to help hangovers, and rid your body of toxins. A great tip is adding 750ml of natural mineral water to a big mason jar, with sliced lemons and limes for a tasty, cleansing healthy infusion. Also for every alcoholic drink you have, sip on a glass of water in between, .

3) Liver Loving Milk Thistle: During this time of year, there are many more temptations around us… cocktails, cookies, cakes, and creamy tarts, you name it, sugar is everywhere, and when your liver is sluggish, you will not only feel sluggish but your skin is the first sign to show if your liver is under-stress..think saggy, and spotty skin. I am not saying eliminating all the festive fun foods and treats completely, however minimise your intake; instead of the piece of pie, have a small slice, or opt for a glass of red wine instead of that cosmopolitan. To give your liver some extra love during this time of year, take milk thistle daily to help protect, cleanse and detoxify your liver. Milk thistle is a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent oxidative stress, and free radical damage caused by a poor diet, drinking too much, stress, pollution, toxins, sun and smoke; it binds to toxins to help remove them.

4) Move your body: Exercise is the quickest and easiest way to boost energy and sweat out toxins. Even if you initially feel tired to go to the gym or attend that spin class, you will feel so much better afterwards. You will burn fat, get rid of toxins, and increase endorphins aka your happy hormones.By moving your body daily, it will make you feel less guilty about over indulging, and get you glowing from the inside out.

5) Sleeping Beauty; Try to aim for least 8 hours of sleep a day, if it’s shorter night, find
20 minutes to just have some quiet time and switch off or down load Deepak Chopra/ Oprah’s meditation library, a quick and refreshing way to revitalise you . When you feel fresh you look fresh, when you feel worn out, you look worn out. Whether your out dancing until dawn or you have over done it on the mince pies, make sure to make sleep your main priority.

As christmas is only once a year, festive season is all about food, fun, family and friend’s, so you should enjoy it, without deprivation, or being to rigid in regards to treats here and there. Life is for living, so tuck into that turkey, sip on mulled wine, and eat that cake, all in moderation. Forget scoffing and gulping, “think” grazing and sipping to live by this season.

Ashley xoxo