Preserving Your Hot Cross Buns- 5 tips to beat those holiday hangovers

I woke up yesterday with a full stomach, slight headache, and the furthest thing from any kind of pep in my step.  After a groan and a sigh, I clomped to the shower and turned it on with as much gusto as a slug on a summer sidewalk.  The next endeavor of putting on makeup, pulling a brush through my hair, and finding something other than drawstrings to put on my body was almost too much for my Monday self to handle.

Yesterday morning I was giving no kind of thanks to Thanksgiving.  

While the treats were delicious, the company incredible, and the laughs plentiful; my body was camped out in Struggle City.  I am used to treating my body like a machine- with timers, schedules, and well planned sustenance.  This blonde machine got unplugged the past few days and it’s taking its grand ol’ time to get back up to speed.

That puffy, fatigued feeling?  The one that makes you feel like a polar bear in slow motion?  We know it all too well during these festive months.  Instead of turning the entire season into a sleepy, sugared slumber, here are some tips I've learned to push through those ham hangovers and hot toddy haze.

1. Get over it.

You know what makes a headache worse? Thinking about it.  Put your britches on and get your little sugarplum in gear.  We all experience this food induced fuzziness- man-up and realize how gosh darn lucky you are to power through it.  Ya done?

2. H2-hOhoho.

That diet coke with crushed ice is quite possibly the best tasting beverage following a night of vino and midnight nachos but it’s not going to quench that thirst or de-puff those cheeks (north and south).  Grab the water the second your little chimichanga wakes up and don’t stop.

3. Move that nutcracker.

One of the hardest things to do when you’re feeling full is to well, get up.  Slap on the sneaks, get the Pandora playlist going, and just MOVE.  It doesn’t have to be an Olympic lift, a 5k PR, or even longer than 20 minutes.  Just get your body back in the rhythm of doing something more than lying horizontally.

4. Eat.

Huh? But I just did.  A lot.  And for a while. 

I have found it hugely beneficial to start with a very clean, healthy meal the morning after festive indulgence.  Remind your palate that there’s more to life than pie crust and beer (right?)  Don’t starve it and don’t continue to stuff it.  Find that eating equilibrium once again.

5. Early to Bed, Early to Rise…makes a woman healthy, wealthy, and forget about pies.

Sleep is the best makeup known to mankind.  Forget Covergirl or Neutrogena, good ol’ REM is where it’s at.  Hit the hay early and wake up rested.  Your skin, stomach, and head will thank you.

So...that’s what I've seen work in my experiences with merriment. 

There is no time like the holidays for food, fun, and indulgence.  But before you feel like a stale piece of fruitcake, take the steps to maintain the bodily balance you deserve.  There’s already one guy rockin’ a belly like a bowl full of jelly, no need for two;)