Christmas party season has begun, and we have 30 days to go before our new years resolutions start. It also takes 30 days to make or break a habit… No wonder January is so bloody hard! We have spent a month treating our bodies like shit and now we’re in the thick of it…
Everyone loves a good glass of sherry by the fire – scrap that- everyone loves getting really pissed with all their work colleagues to blow off steam at the end of the year. And who blames you! (what even was 2016??)…
League Collective is here to help support you through the party season, with some added tips to keep you on top of those hangovers, and less stressed about, well, Christmas all together.
Its Wednesday evening and we’re bringing you the first step so you can start your Thursday right!
Thing 1: Hydrate.
Here comes the broken record!
Its sounds simple and we all know it, but the truth is we forget it all to often.
It is a well known fact that fruit juice dehydrates you… same as tea and coffee, and as the winter nights draw in, it seems only fit that we’re drinking twice as much tea, coffee and juicy drinks to keep our eyes open and our hands warm…
Drinking things like orange, apple and other fruit juices are also incredibly sugary, and with little fibre to help digest them, the body has trouble processing them, meaning they tend to become almost like sugary treats. You’ll have a sugar rush high before hitting a wall, where no doubt our bodies begin to crave more sugary treats because our brains are tired, still dehydrated and not functioning properly. Head for teas an coffees! Why? “Well, what would be better to have a coffee and a biscuit?”
Broken record fact number 2!:
Our Bodies are 50-65% water. When you put it like that it seams silly not to be thinking about hydration. And no, wine does not count.
Secondly; around 60% of the time we feel hungry, is actually due to us lacking water.
Water cleanses the body, meaning skin, digestive system, life and brain is in correct working order. It also reduces inflammation, including puffiness of eyes, face, hangover blues, and gets rid of bloating etc.
Its all very well us preaching this knowledge, but the fact is, water gets boring from time to time and its never going to be the first thing we jump for when we’re feeling tired, hungry or run down. So what are the alternatives other than boring old water?
Coconut water:
It’s bursting with magnesium and is full of electrolytes which keep your brain working at the top of its game as well as revitalising your body with all the minerals it loses when you sweat.
The other great thing about this coconut juice, plus the fact that this health craze has hit London like a tidal wave of hungry vegans let loose in
WholeFoods, is that you can now buy it pretty much anywhere: any local supermarket, yoga studio, off license, you name it. Do check the sugar content though! Sometimes they add a little extra un needed crap.
ElectroYou:
We just made up this name, like literally now. But we’re basically telling you to make your own juice!-
“But I don’t have ti-”
YES you do. You can make it as fast as we just came up with a name for it. As rubbish as it might be, it does the trick, and same goes for your home-made, freestyle, hydrating, vitalising, water booster.
Step 1: fill something up with water (aim for 1 litre)
Step 2: Squeeze in some lemon juice, maybe a tad of orange if you’re getting really creative!
Step 3: add a pinch of SEA SALT (not table salt) Equally Pink Himalayan salt if your feeling extravagant
Step 4: Have a sweet tooth? Add some Honey or Agave syrup!
Step 5: Shamelessly shake up your mixture until you’r feeling super sassy
Step 6: Drink it!
And there you have it. You have made and consumed your very own electrolyte drink; bursting with goodness as great as a coconut and lacking all the chemicals, refined sugars and extra nasties that your Lucozade, Gatorade, and whatever other sports drink you can think of has… And to be honest Gatorade has nothing on the name ‘ElectroYou’.
Basic Lemon water:
The simplest of them all.
A squeeze of lemon in some warm/cold water first thing in the morning.
Lemon water immediately speeds up you metabolism and gets it going first thing, meaning that your breakfast will go down a treat, and you won’t feel as hungry, guess why? Because you’re already hydrated!
Herbal Teas:
Feeling a bit nippy and craving a hot chocolate? Enter herbal teas! Aim for the de-caffeinated ones: Peppermint, nettle, fennel, thyme, sage, chamomile, ginger and many others. Google any of these herbal teas and you’ll be amazed by the array of unique and incredible health/body cleansing benefits the hold.
You can also try things involving turmeric and lots of other juicy spices.
If you still find any of these herbal teas incredibly unsatisfying and not what you’re looking for, try adding honey, agave, coconut syrup or something similar. Give it ten minutes to settle in to your stomach, and trust us, it should hit the spot! We’re speaking from frosty early morning experience here.
Secret skin cleansing and throat soothing drink!:
Fast version:
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1 twist of black pepper
1 teaspoon full of honey
1 big squeeze of lemon
1 few drops of Cayenne pepper
Less fast version:
Put all ingredients (except honey) in a pan over a low heat and add a couple of cloves. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Juice a stick of ginger/ cut some up and let it simmer with the cloves
Add honey after and stir in.
Turmeric has been used for centuries as a natural anti inflammatory as well as a brilliant way for cleaning out your whole lymphatic system and ultimately your skin. Great for all the alcohol spots…
Cloves are a natural way of numbing pain – so great for an itchy/sore throat. They also taste delicious! (Also great for chewing on if you have serious toothache…do not swallow)
Ginger is also a great anti inflammatory and stomach settler
Once you get used to the powdery taste of this drink, the thing tastes amazing and begins to work miracles!
Thank you for reading! We hope this inspires you to stay hydrated and keep on top of those hangovers, by gliding gracefully through this season with brain power, beautiful jaw line and glowing skin.
Until tomorrows tip!
Our time is Now.
