SHAPING UP: Eight tips on how best to avoid the old familiar festive hangover

Use coloured drinks such as cranberry juice in cocktails as they can help avoid a hangover.

Hangovers are the worst – caused by excessive drinking, there’s no cure for a hangover but there are things you can do to avoid one.

So, with many people heading out to Christmas parties with friends and work colleagues over the next couple of weeks here’s eight simple tips to help you avoid that dreadful hangover feeling:

1. Don’t Drink On An Empty Stomach

Try to eat normally throughout the day and then have a small meal or a healthy snack before you go to the party. It will slow down the rate at which the alcohol is metabolised.

Also, make sure to avoid bar snacks like crisps and peanuts as they’ll just make you thirstier.

2. Don’t Mix Your Drinks

Switching from spirits to wine and then to beer is a recipe for disaster – and a banging headache the next day. Choose your drink of choice and stick with it as much as possible.

3. Drink Clear-Coloured Drinks

Clear-coloured drinks will minimise the effects of a hangover – try vodka and a mixer like lemonade or cranberry juice or even a gin and tonic. Red wine is one of the worst offenders when it comes to the morning after – along with dark spirits like whisky, brandy and rum. Clear coloured drinks are also more likely to be lower in calories than wine or beer, so they’ll benefit your waistline and well as keeping the hangover at bay.

4. Stick To Singles

Watch the size of the drinks you’re ordering. It’s easy to underestimate how much you’re knocking back. While it might be tempting to go for a double measure – especially if the deals on offer in the bars seem too good to miss – choosing a smaller measure will stand you in good stead the next day.

A ‘small’ glass of wine in a bar or pub these days is often 175ml – and a large is 250ml, which is actually the equivalent of a third of a bottle of wine!

5. Have A Few Soft Drinks

Order a non-alcoholic drink between each alcoholic one. This works particularly well if you are drinking spirits, as you can simply order the mixer without the spirit, and no one will ever know!

6. Check Your Medications

Before hitting the town check the label of any medication you’re taking to ensure it doesn’t react adversely with alcohol. Many medications are fine to take whilst drinking – however, this doesn’t mean that they won’t contribute to a bigger hangover the next day. If you are on any medication that doesn’t mix well with drinking, consider whether the alcohol is worth the bad head the next day.

7. Don’t Sleep It Off

If you have overindulged, when you get home stay up for a while and find something to do. Your metabolism slows down when you're asleep, so your body takes longer to dispose of all that alcohol – this is how hangovers happen.

8. Snack Before Bed

Have something to eat before you go to sleep. A slice of wholemeal toast and honey is ideal. Honey contains potassium which helps to counteract the effects of the alcohol.

At East Coast Fitness we encourage our members to enjoy themselves over the Christmas period. It’s ok to have a few drinks and enjoy the festivities. However, we also encourage to keep up their healthy habits so that you have a good balance.

If you’d like more information on any of our packages; gym, fitness classes or personal training just head to our website www.eastcoast-fitness.com or email [email protected].

3-EXERCISE HIIT WORKOUT

This workout only consists of three body weight exercises but targets most of the main muscles in your legs, arms, shoulders and core. It only takes 10 minutes so if you’re pushed for time over the festive period it’s a great way to blast out a workout.

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds then rest for 10 seconds. Complete five rounds of the three exercises (10 minutes in total). Before you start the workout go to the East Coast Fitness Facebook page to watch the short demo video.

30 seconds SQUAT JUMPS

10 seconds rest

30 seconds PRESS UPS

10 seconds rest

30 seconds KICK THROUGHS

10 seconds rest

X 5

Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken with Chickpeas & Sweet Potatoes

Serves: 6

Calories Per Portion: 378

Ingredients:

1½ lbs. (680g) chicken breasts

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 lemon, juice & zest + 1 lemon, sliced

2 tbsp. harissa paste

1 tbsp. honey

salt & pepper

2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks

1 red onion, sliced

1x 14 oz. (400g) can

chickpeas, drained

½ cup (80g) crumbled feta

⅓ cup (60g) green olives

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).

Place the chicken breasts onto a baking tray and add 2

tablespoons of the olive oil, along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, harissa paste, and honey. Season with salt and pepper and toss together until the chicken is well coated.

Add the sweet potatoes, onion and chickpeas to the tray, and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange everything in an even layer, lay the lemon slices over the chicken and place the tray into the hot oven.

Roast for 40-45 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are golden.

Serve warm, topped with the feta cheese and olives.