Surviving holiday parties
By Kristina Maxwell, Physiotherapist at Align.
Tis' the season to have tons of plans. If you're like most people, you have numerous holiday parties to attend. Typically, holiday parties involve too much booze, overeating, and staying out later than usual. If the previous list sounds a bit like your impending partiy plans, you now have all the ingredients for some holiday sickness. While the holidays are a great time to spend with loved ones and treat yourself a bit, it's important to still be good to your body so that you don't spend the New Year stuck in bed.
Here are some easy ways to stay on track at your holiday parties:
• Pace yourself.
Think of your holiday party as a marathon, not a sprint. You're likely to feel full before you're painfully full if you nibble as you socialize versus sitting over a large plate. The same goes for alcohol. Sipping a drink will allow you to feel your limit coming much easier than throwing one back.
• Never drink on an empty stomach.
Most of us know this and have a tendency to snack as we drink, however, prepping for a night of drinking should start earlier than at the event. Start with a hearty breakfast. Alcohol is primarily absorbed in the small intestine so make sure to eat lots of complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat pancakes and/or oatmeal. Also don't skip the protein. Protein and fats take longer to digest so their anti-drunk magic will stay with you longer.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Alcohol is a diuretic so it causes you to urinate more, which can lead to dehydration. The reason that hangovers usually come with a headache are due to dehydration being associated with decreased brain function. Try to have a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you consume. And by water, I mean water, not soda, not eggnog, water.
• Get some sleep.
Getting a good night's sleep or taking a nap before a holiday party will help you two fold. Firstly, you'll be able to enjoy yourself and stay out later if you're not exhausted and secondly, you'll get less "drunk" as well. In addition to being a diuertic, alcohol is also a depressant. Consuming alcohol when tired only serves to manifest the traditional effects of alcohol.
• Supplement.
However, don't go overboard. Exhaustion and increasing drinking usually results in a depletion of B vitamins. Since it's always best to get vitamins from natural means, you can increase your B vitamin intake by eating lots of leafy greens, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. You could also pop an Emergen-C prior to a party. Each pack is full of B vitamins, potassium, and is also (as the name suggests) chock full of Vitamin C to boost the immune system.
To find out more about how to achieve your rehabilitation/wellness goals, contact a health care professional at Align Wellness Studio.