DAMAGE LIMITATION HACKS FOR AN INDULGENT & MERRY CHRISTMAS WITH NO HANGOVERS
Christmas is just around the corner, a time when many people tend to eat off piste , drink far more alcohol than usual, gain an extra few pounds and generally feel a bit blurghhhh! This is the part where we tell you alcohol is bad for you, to abstain and drink tonic water instead. I’m not here to tell you alcohol is good for you either, we all still do it and enjoyed in a social merry setting, the good outweighs the bad.
Here at Wellgevity we are totally aligned with a little bit of merriment and believe this is in fact good for the soul when done correctly.
So we’ve put pen to paper to share our favourite surefire ways to steer clear of the post Christmas blurgh feelings and subsequent guilt that result from a few weeks of intense excess.
We’ve not gone for the obvious but employed a little more strategy and physiological know how. We could tell you to hydrate, drink water between alcoholic beverages and line your stomach but we’re pretty sure you already know this and we know this is NOT enough. But please do hydrate as this is a crucial part of mitigating the effects of alcohol excess!.
So instead implement our smart nutrition, lifestyle and supplement hacks for a hefty dose of damage limitation.
What if we told you you can have a few drinks and not suffer the consequences the next day? From a little self experimentation and some wrong turns, we’ve learnt that you can still indulge in a little merriment without experiencing the dreaded next day hangover. In fact, with the correct know how, even over indulge and offset a significant proportion of the damage! Our bodies are designed to deal with the odd toxic burden and excess and with a little knowledge and implementation you too can offset and hack your way through a very Merry Christmas.
So here’s our sure fire way to dodge a hangover (or two!) during the Christmas ‘Silly’ Season:
WHAT TO DO BEFORE DRINKING ALCOHOL TO AVOID A HANGOVER:
First line of defence is to line your stomach with a protein, healthy fat and antioxidant packed meal to support blood sugar stability, something that often takes a hit when consuming alcohol.
Nutraceuticals for a Happy Liver!
Then get familiar with some key detox support supplements, take these with your meal to give your liver a fighting chance by providing it with an additional boost to upregulate detoxification pathways. We especially like N-Acetyl L-Cysteine, milk thistle seed, schizandra berry, turmeric root, and dandelion root to specifically support that all important phase II liver detoxification.Aim for a synergistic food blend product such as these nifty Detox Support Sachets which combine a plethora of powerful botanicals, vitamins and minerals to make sure your liver suffers the least damage possible.
Send an email to the Wellgevity team for more details info@wellgevity.co.uk
Choose your Poison wisely
We all know that some drinks make us feel worse than others, largely due to the cogners. These are the chemical impurities in alcohol that come about as a result of fermentation which the body struggles to process. Choose your poison wisely, so focus on the drinks with the least congeners. Think of this as an early Christmas present from us, here goes from best to worst:
Vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey, other distilled spirits, dry cider, dry champagne, dry white wine, white wines, red wines, dessert wines, beer. You’re welcome.
Why not try our favourite tipple? A shot of quality vodka, tonnes of ice, a wedge of lime and Ginger Kombucha. No congeners, digestive support from the lime and some microbiome support from the kombucha. Cheers!
SOME POST DRINKING TIPS FOR AVOIDING A HANGOVER:
A Charcoal Chaser
Chow down 5 Capsules of Charcoal (or 2 tablets which each drink) pre bed to absorb the resultant toxic burden from your night of fun. Take our word for it. This remedy has been used by Chinese, Ayurvedic and even Western Medicine for 10,000 years to soak up poisons and improve intestinal health.
Antioxidants
You’re likely to be dehydrated so knock back some Electrolytes in coconut water alongside Vitamin C before hitting the sack. This will help to reduce the conversion of alcohol into aldehyde aka as the most hangover-causing (aging and wrinkles too) metabolite. Add some Glutathione, our body’s master antioxidant crucial for liver detox and immunity and lots more. Liposomal ensures the best bioavailability.
Finally, 100 mg 5HTP for neurotransmitter support. Alcohol reduces our level of serotonin (happy hormone) so reduce any negative effects on mood and boost those neurotransmitters post drinking session with a quality source.
FINALLY, WAYS TO AVOID A HANGOVER THE NEXT DAY:
Take the Stress out of Drinking.
Wake up early-ish (OK so have a lie in but try not to stay in bed all day) and keep a morning routine.
Take some more Vitamin C alongside 1g L-Tyrosine to support those tired adrenals. L Tyrosine is a powerful aromatic amino acid that is a building block for dopamine and helps with performance during times of stress. Let’s face is, drinking is stressful.
Squeeze in some lemon Juice and warm water to stimulate the liver and support the detoxification process!
Get Sweaty & then Get Cold
If possible get your sweat on with a morning workout, however small and ideally outside for a dose of daylight.
Post workout get some cold shower therapy! Utilise COLD showers especially during the festive period- think 1 minute fully immersed in freezing cold and then warm for minute- do this for 5 rounds. I know it sounds crazy but this is a surefire way toboost immune function, decrease inflammation and pain, and increase blood flow. All of this means reduced effects of a hangover.
After Party Fuel
Refuel your body wisely = we thoroughly recommend Rhonda Patrick Smoothie or Eggs, Avocado + Greens for something more warming. Sprinkle on some cayenne, cumin and turmeric for some extra kick! Whatever your meal of choice make sure it contains some quality fats and salt.
‘B’ Happy
Wash this down with some quality coffee and a methylated B complex as drinking especially depletes B vitamins. A clinical grade B complex is a must if you’ve had more than a few drinks. Boost brain and liver health (bile flow support) in one swoop with Phosphatidylcholine, our favourite all rounder for detoxification, neurotransmitter and cognitive support.
AND AS IT’S CHRISTMAS, HERE’S SOME BONUS HACKS:
Like excessive drinking, eating is claimed to be the main cause for the additional weight gain but it is also partly due to lack of physical activity and exercise and the cascade effect of the subsequent festive routine. Many people forget about their usual gym routines, daily walk and general micro self care habits but we can still enjoy the festive season, eat, drink and be merry and feel well with these pointers:
Eat Smart.
You can still eat well and enjoy yourself when socialising. We recommend to focus on nutrient density and If it doesn’t score 8/10 on the delicious scale to question whether it’s worth it? In our experience a lot of excess calories are consumed via the 4-7/10 ‘so so’ taste scale. Not worth it!
How about squeezing in all that festive feasting during an 8 hour period?
16-8 Fasting a couple of days a week aka eating within an 8 hour window is a powerful surefire way to get you feeling energised and lessening the chances of feeling the bloat. Gotta be strict here - not even coffee during the 16 hour fast. Pretty easy when you think you’ll be relaxing post last evening meal, sleeping (hopefully) and going about your morning routine for a chunk of this!
Enjoy that indulgent Christmas lunch but shoot to eat for nutrient density (aim for half your plate vegetables) alongside quality satiating proteins to reduce cravings.
Infrared Sauna
Yep - Sweating and overheating forces your body’s detoxification pathways into overdrive. The added bonus being it gets our heart pumping faster, so this therapeutic detoxifying activity can also be helpful for weight control.
Get out the house and schedule in fun activity with friends to clear those cobwebs. Prioritise strength workouts if you still plan to exercise.
Above all, enjoy the extra downtime with loved ones, go easy on yourself, don’t sweat the small stuff (unless in a sauna), support yourself nutritionally, supplement wisely and when overindulging be sure to have fun and create some epic memories!
