With Christmas day just around the corner I thought today I would share with you some advice that you can use on the big day. In some of my previous articles I have emphasised the importance of a healthy diet during the festive period. Today I am going to expand on this topic and give you eight tips to help lighten your Christmas dinner. 1) DON'T PUT BREAD ON THE TABLE:- Most people tend to use bread as a pre-dinner appetiser. The problem with this is that people often fill up on bread before the meal adding numerous calories without even realising it. Instead why not try serving your … [Read more...]
The Importance Of Getting Enough Vitamin D This Christmas
Vitamins are important nutrients that help your body function properly. They all have different roles to play and a deficiency of any one vitamin can lead to a number of nasty side effects. Whilst they are all equally important, vitamin D is perhaps even more important over Christmas. In this article I will be discussing why vitamin D is particularly important over the festive period and how you can make sure that you get enough. As I discussed in my previous article on vitamin D it is one of the fat soluble vitamins. The main role of vitamin D is to help the body absorb calcium and … [Read more...]
4 Top Tips For Improving Your Mood This Christmas
In my last few articles I have been discussing how our mood often suffers at Christmas. Not only do we have the stress of organising gatherings with family and friends, buying presents and the cold weather to deal with but we also have an increased chance of catching the common cold or the flu. On top of this research has shown that the lack of sunlight in the winter months can lead to a type of winter depression called Season Affective Disorder (SAD). However, it's not all doom and gloom. There are a number of things you can do to ensure your mood stays positive over the festive period. … [Read more...]
5 Outdoor Exercises You Can Do This Christmas
In my previous article I discussed 6 Christmas exercises that you can use to stay fit over the festive period. In that article I suggested that you join a gym, get some exercise DVDs or get a Wii fit so that you can exercise in an indoor environment that is warm and light. However, if you can brave the winter weather and the cold outdoors there is plenty of scope for exercising outside this Christmas. In this article I will be discussing five outdoor exercises that you can try over the holiday period (if you are brave enough). 1) GO SLEDDING:- As long as it snows then sledding is a great … [Read more...]
6 Christmas Exercise Ideas
As I have been discussing in some of my previous articles Christmas is a difficult time when it comes to fitness. Tempting foods are all around, the weather is generally poor and common colds and the flu are increasingly common. This makes it very difficult to maintain an exercise routine over Christmas. However, if you make proper plans then you should be able to maintain a proper exercise routine. In this article I will be providing you with 6 top tips for maintaining an exercise routine over Christmas. 1) EXERCISE IN THE GYM:- I personally exercise in the gym so this one is not a … [Read more...]
The Importance Of Getting Enough Sleep This Christmas
In the winter getting out of bed in the morning becomes decidedly trickier. Instead of waking up to clear blue skies and bright sunlight we often wake up to dark, cold, wet weather. However, it's not just the weather that makes us want to stay in bed. Research suggests that our circadian rhythms change over the winter months. In this article I will be discussing why you may feel like staying in bed all day over the Christmas period, what you can do to get yourself up bright and early and why quality sleep is so important at this time of year. As I mentioned above the urge to stay in bed … [Read more...]
4 Foods That Could Improve Your Mood This Christmas
Christmas is meant to be a time of joy and happiness where we spend quality time with our family and friends. However, with an increased chance of catching the common cold or the flu, the poor weather conditions and the very real possibility of suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) the festive period is not always as enjoyable as it should be. Even if you are not suffering from SAD you can still find yourself feeling glum during the holidays for various reasons. In these instances you may want to consider the impact of your diet. What you eat can have a significant impact upon … [Read more...]
Don’t let SAD Ruin Your Christmas
The holidays are meant to be a time of joy and happiness where people come together and enjoy the presence of family and friends. However, this is not the case for everyone. For some people the reduced daylight hours and the lack of sunlight actually cause them to develop a form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In this article I will be discussing SAD in greater detail and hopefully help you avoid the condition this Christmas. According to SADA, SAD affects approximately 7% of the UK population each year between the months of September and April. It is particularly … [Read more...]
6 Foods to Boost Your Immune System This Christmas
In one of my recent articles I discussed how Christmas unfortunately brings with it an increased chance of getting the common cold or the flu. Since there are so many different types of cold and flu virus the body can never be completely immune to them. However, by making sure your immune system is working at full strength you can ensure that your body is in the best position possible to fight the common cold or the flu if you contract them. That's why today I will be sharing with you six foods that can keep your immune system strong over Christmas. 1) ORANGES:- Oranges seem to be a lot … [Read more...]
Can Vitamin C Help You Avoid Christmas Colds?
As I discussed in my last article we are more susceptible to both the common cold and flu around Christmas time when the weather goes cold. Whilst there is no cure for the common cold or the flu there are a number of popular suggestions for preventing it. One such suggestions is to take high doses of vitamin C. Today, I will be discussing if vitamin C really can help prevent the common cold and any of the other potential benefits it can offer you over this Christmas period. In my previous post on vitamin C I mentioned that one of the benefits is that it can reduce the symptoms of the … [Read more...]