It has been a difficult year for the majority of us to say the least. It is now December, approaching Christmas, and with all of what Christmas is really all about – a time of hope, faith, the wish that all will resolve, and with belief that the New Year will bring change for the better good.
The festive month is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves and think we deserve to eat everything in sight. It is a time to remember we have been given life, and to appreciate it, to look after ourselves and our health as best as we can. “Eat to live, don’t live to eat”, should be the motto. Make it your new affirmation of positive thinking. It should just remind you that you can still eat and drink some of the luxuries that you enjoy, but please, just do it in moderation.
Eating becomes gluttonous when a person consumes far more than is necessary for their body, on a regular basis. It is defined as the over indulgence and consumption of food, drink or items to the point of extravagance or waste. That is to say, having a little bit of what you fancy is fine, but be sensible and don’t overdo it.
The rule is simple to follow, eat only what you need to curb your appetite. I always reiterate: ‘eat when you are hungry and STOP when you are full.’ It is a simple rule that can work effectively if we are in relatively good health. There are some illnesses or medications that can open the appetite and you should be aware of this, as that will not give you your true natural body reading of fullness of food consumption, just as salty foods or sugary foods make us more thirsty. So if you are on medication, take note, as you may have to try and follow healthy eating manually rather than let the natural body on auto set – eating when hungry and stopping when full.
For those that are not on medication and of reasonable health, and even for those who are, the best thing one can do is to try and at least speed up the metabolism to work faster and more efficiently. So make sure exercise is top of the list,; even if you can’t get out for a jog or go to the gym, some brisk walking outside or even around the shops, can really help. Your body can burn off the food much faster after some high intensity exercise, it results in extra calories burned post workout. Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, also known as the afterburn effect, is the number of calories burned after a workout, when the body extends energy to return to resting level. When the body is working out, the body is breaking down and using energy fuel, the muscles are breaking down before the strengthening repair. Before the body returns to homeostasis, it has to use what calories are left for energy, therefore the best time to eat is straight after any form of exercise, especially in the first fifteen minutes after vigorous exercise. Take advantage of it, eat then, as it burns it all off so much faster at that time.
The answer to keeping a stable weight over the festivities is to exercise well before eating or any slight over indulgence eating, should you do so. Get that music on, get dancing, jumping, walking, frolicking with some good hearty laughter, before tucking into those big dinners and pies.
Eat, live and love the life you live with good health!

Love and Sparkles
Samsara x