I’m getting my game plan together to avoid the sugar hangovers, turkey sweats and the general fatigue from the holidays. I just LOVE my chocolate. I always have, even when I knew it triggered my childhood eczema. And food! When it comes to the holidays, I don’t just like seconds, I like thirds too. So, since I know I’m going to be eating more chocolate, eating more food and drinking more alcohol than usual, I better have a good plan to avoid headaches, fatigue and mood swings. So, here it is:

• Hydration: This keeps things diluted and moving in the body. If I’m dehydrated, it’s way harder for my body to process sugar, let alone alcohol. I’m opting for water, tea and coconut water to help keep my body hydrated. One of my favorite tea’s for hydration is raspberry leaf tea. It’s pretty rich in minerals and is delicious with a bit of lemon. It’s also a great tea to help with your immune system, which can easily crash with late nights visiting with family.
• Movement: Walk and walks and walks and maybe some yoga too! Moving the body, no matter how tiered it seems is so good at getting your blood to push “waste” back up to your heart. It’s also good at helping the lymphatic system and the kidneys to deal with any access toxicity from the candy, booze and food preservatives. Movement is also going to help keep your metabolism revving so that those extra helpings over the course of a few days don’t actually translate into fat storage. I’m a firm believer that holidays don’t lead to weight gain, it’s usually more all the small things in between that do.
• Laughter: Yep, playing some pictionary and telling funny stories always makes me feel better. Getting in your Vitamin G (giggles) is going to turn bloated, lazy days into motivation! Motivation to actually go for those planned walks, fill up my water bottles and maybe even check some extra things off my to do list.
• Don’t Forget About The Veggies: This is how to keep the body nourished in trace minerals and the liver supported.  I also find that if I make a point of snacking on veggies in between meals and having a salad for lunch before Easter dinner makes me feel way better both physically and mentally. Then when it comes to the heavy holiday meal, I’m not so worried that my plate is full of carbs, carbs, more carbs, and some meat.
• Don’t Sleep In: I know it sounds funny, and I don’t have any science for you to support this, but I know that if I sleep in I just end up feeling half asleep for the rest of the day. If I’m up, I also have way more hours of the day to take care of myself and find time for Vitamin G, Yoga, Raspberry Tea and Veggie Snacks.
• Choose Chocolate Wisely: It’s only high end chocolate these days for this girl! My favorite chocolate is NKD chocolate made locally with super clean ingredients. The raw cacao in this chocolate is also very high in magnesium, a mineral that most of us are deficient in. Looking at the sugar source in chocolate is also pretty key for me to not feel so “boggy” after a bar. If the sugar comes from honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar, there isn’t such a dramatic spike in blood sugar allowing me to eat WAY more without the crash after.

SO thats my plan… Eat tons of chocolate, eat lots of food and enjoy a few adult bevies with my fam for 3 whole days! But during those 3 days I’m also going to keep hydrated, move lots, laugh, snack on my veggies, wake up at a reasonable time and choose the best chocolate around!  I bet if you try to incorporate some of these tips into your easter, you’ll feel a lot better too!

Happy Easter

Jay