In this article, Dr Simoné gives you 5 really practical tips of how to beat your post-holiday blues, get into a great routine & boost your ‘happy brain chemicals’ to give you the kick you need so you can finish the year well and catapult you into the New Year!
1. Fast/Detox out the holiday toxins to beat the holiday blues
Foods high in sugar rapidly raise your levels of insulin and then quickly lower them leaving you with a crash-and-burn effect. Not to mention that once your body is accustomed to regularly consuming sugar, it craves it more. The same goes for alcohol, which is also a depressant and will leave you feeling flat. To hit the reset button, opt-out of high-sugar/fatty foods, processed foods, sugary snacks, and alcohol for the month of October and see how you feel. You can even try ‘Sober October’ as a great pre-Christmas detox.
Chances are your mood will level off and things that bothered you won’t seem so bad. Intermittent fasting is also a great way to fast track your post-holiday detox. Simply swap out your breakfast for a green smoothie (fresh veggie juice with 2 teaspoons of The Super Elixir and if you are really keen to empty your toxic cup swap out your lunch for a vegan protein shake (400ml almond or plant milk + 1 scoop of Rejuv Rice Burn protein powder or Welleco nourishing protein powder. For more information on fasting and cleansing see our blog post “Seasonal Cleanse; Your Well-Being Depends on it!“.
2. Check for parasites & candida
Did you come back from holidays with any uninvited guests in your gut? Highly likely you did due to fruits, salads & veg not being washed well or in water you are not used to. Parasites and candida are fed by a high carb and sugar diets and most of us on holidays will eat more carbs such as eating ice cream, drink wine etc and have a diet and lifestyle far removed from our usual lifestyle.
That is what holidays are all about after all. So if your digestive system feels a little off, you have more bloating or heartburn and or you have a white coat on your tongue chances are you have a parasite or candida overgrowth.
Parasites and candida also produce mycotoxins and can make you feel depressed, anxious, flat, irritable, angry and overall fed up! So maybe your post-holiday blues can be fixed easily by looking at your gut.
You can easily come into our clinic Rejuv. We test for only £15 when you book in for a consultation with Natalie or myself. We can then suggest a product from my Rejuv Nutrition supplement line, if needed, such as Para Cleanse and or Candida Gone to clear out all of your nasties but also boost your good bacteria too, instead of killing off your good and bad bacteria which is what the drugs will do. We have individual supplements or bundles such as this Detox pack to fast track you back into vibrant health.
3. De-Clutter and give to charity
It’s amazing how great your mind feels when we de-clutter. Put on some relaxing music or soothing nature sounds, take one room at a time, set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes, and focus on one area. Have three bags with you, one for trash, one for recycling, and one for charity. What a great way to beat the post holiday blues by thinking about others!
Don’t forget to clear out your wardrobe and if you haven’t worn something for a few years chances are you won’t again, so donate it to someone who really needs it. If you have some favourite items of clothing linked to a health goal you want to achieve then choose one and leave it hanging outside your wardrobe for extra motivation.
De-cluttering is a great lifestyle choice and will serve you well to help keep your mind and body at peace so aim to put a de-clutter reminder in your diary every three months so you stay on top of things. When you’ve finished, you can clear your space by opening up all the windows, changing the air & using essential oils such as sage & frankincense.
Express gratitude for all you have and feel the joy of blessing others with what you no longer need.
4. Get back into a good routine ASAP
Add in a schedule for your meals & water intake. Even something as simple as being dehydrated can really affect your mood so set alarms on your phone so you remember to drink 500ml-1 litre first thing, mid-morning & mid-afternoon.
A really neat trick to fast track your hydration is to hold water in your mouth for about 30 seconds before you drink it to get a sublingual effect. Also, make sure you finish your evening meal about three hours before bedtime to allow your digestive system to detox and stay away from caffeine after 4 p.m.
If you really want to boost your mood, add in 15-minute walks after each meal and do positive declarations as you walk. Your subconscious controls your life and it believes what you tell it so set your intentions with positive statements to help boost your mood and self-confidence. This will help to recover from post holiday blues!
Don’t forget Christmas is just around the corner so put a fun family get-together in the dairy or book a fab holiday to escape all the family madness. Whatever brings you joy, choose wisely for the Christmas break enriches your soul and helps catapult you into the new year feeling great. Nothing worse than having stress over the holidays, engaging in comfort eating to cope and dragging yourself into January. Love yourself enough to set some healthy boundaries that nourish your bind, body and spirit.
5. Move your body
Shake off the holiday blues and choose a form of exercise you enjoy or at least hate the least! My dear friend and business partner Elle Macpherson encouraged me to move my body every day and this really changed my life. So I either ride my bike, go for a run, do a gym session, do water sports or jump on the trampoline with my kids.
Whatever I have time for and I ask myself how I would like to move each day and something fun always pops into my mind! Also, strength training is important and if you want to have long, lean muscles high reps of your body weight will work. If you want to put on size, lower reps with a higher weight.
