SUMMER SOCIALISING & OPTIMAL RECOVERY
Feel your best this summer
Summer is (finally) here in the UK, and so is an increased demand on our social lives - weddings, holidays, festivals, BBQs, boozy lunches, picnics and sporting events - a far cry from winter hibernation. Whilst enjoying more indulgent food & drink at these events can be fun, it also leaves us feeling sluggish and unproductive, which is not ideal (especially as a business owner!).
Alcohol, in particular, impacts us in various different ways; it’s extremely dehydrating, an overburden on the liver, and it has an impressive ability to send blood sugar and hormones into total disarray (most people will have experienced those severe cravings for refined carbohydrates on a hangover, only to feel worse again after eating these - welcome to the blood sugar rollercoaster!).
Whilst I’m not here to tell whether or not you should drink, I am here to provide a few tips that can support your body in recovering from these sociable days a bit quicker.
Top Tips
Enjoy a nutrient-dense smoothie. This will help to provide your body with as many antioxidants and liver-supporting foods as possible (especially important on the day of an event). Get creative with different plant food ingredients like spinach, kale, rocket, frozen cauliflower, celery, apple, cucumber, avocado, kiwi, pineapple, ginger, citrus, and a superfood powder like spirulina, chlorella or wheatgrass. Try out my favourite spirulina smoothie bowl.
Focus on electrolytes. Electrolyte levels in the body are hugely depleted with alcohol consumption, so replenishing those stores as soon as possible is helpful for recovery and reducing fatigue and hungover brain fog. This is especially important on warmer days when you may also be sweating more on holiday, dancing or exercising.
Top food sources to focus on include:
Sodium: salt, pickles, olives, anchovies, seaweed, samphire
Potassium: spinach, avocado. lentils, bananas, beans, beets, potato
Magnesium: nuts, seeds, dark choc, green leafy veg, wholegrains, beans
Calcium: yoghurt, cheese, kefir, tahini, canned sardines, leafy greens, almonds, tofu
Another quick and easy way to do this is to invest in some good quality electrolytes (liquid or powder form) that you can add to your glass of water. Do this before you start drinking, again before you go to bed, and again the next day as soon as you wake up! Watch out for products with added sweeteners and flavourings, and go for something much simpler eg Bodybio E-Lyte.Hydrate before you caffeinate (no exceptions!). However tempting it is to roll out of bed and reach straight for a coffee, this is probably the worst thing you can do after a few drinks. Instead opt for a warm water with ginger and lemon. Not only will this hydrate the body, but the citrus and ginger will wake up the liver, boost its cleansing ability and also get things moving in the gut. Wait at least 90 minutes for that first sip of coffee if you can!
Balance that blood sugar (I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again). Whilst a pain au chocolate or french pancakes might be something you crave after an evening of socialising, such breakfasts are very high in refined carbohydrates and lack the healthy fats, fibre and protein needed to balance our blood sugar for the day ahead. This further exacerbates any glucose imbalances from sugary drinks the night before (alcoholic or not!). I always recommend planning your breakfast the day before so you have something delicious and nutritious to reach for. Here are two of my favourite quick, easy and healthy comfort breakfasts:
Loaded Sourdough with Nut Butter, Yoghurt, Cinnamon & Sliced Banana
Get your sleep back on track. Dancing into the early hours can be a lot of fun but it is very disruptive to our circadian rhythm. Even our gut bacteria have their own circadian rhythm, so midnight munchies of cheese and crackers at a wedding will confuse your body more than you realise! Here are some ways to get this back on track as soon as possible:
Go to bed and wake up at your usual time in the days following
Get back to your usual meal times and movement times
Expose yourself to natural unfiltered light first thing in the morning. This helps our body clocks naturally synchronise with sunrise and sunset, which has been shown to improve sleep, mood and general well-being.