With Saint Patrick’s Day coming up this Saturday, there are bound to be many people out there feeling less that bright-eyed and bushy-tailed come Sunday morning. While many may run to the closest diner or fast food restaurant to load up on the greasiest item they can find, there are actually some much healthier alternatives that will make you feel better, faster. Not to mention, they will eliminate Monday’s food hangover.
1) Drink a lot of water - From the moment you wake up until sundown, always have a glass of water within arms reach, and keep on drinking it. Your body is dehydrated and need to replenish all of the lost moisture, so the more, the better.
2) Make a smoothie or juice - Drinking alcohol makes you liver and other organs function overtime, therefore depleting them of vital nutrients making you feel less than fabulous. The best way to quickly replenish those vitamins is by making a quick juice or smoothie. My favorite easy recipe for a smoothie can be found here. Adding ginger to any smoothie is great too because it helps to ease your stomach and also has anti-inflamatory properties. Which brings me to my next point:
3) Drink ginger tea - Ginger is known for its soothing effects on the stomach. So, if you are feeling a little queasy, reach for a nice warm ginger tea to nurse you back to feeling good!
4) Take a shower – Maybe it is in my head, but scrubbing my skin and washing my hair makes me feel like I’m getting rid of some of the toxins that are being released from my pores!
5) Go outside – Getting fresh air can do you a world of good. If it is ocean air, all the better. Something about inhaling the fresh clean air can make you feel almost back to normal.
6) Nap - If you are tired, give in to it. Your body needs to rest, and chances are you will feel like a brand new person when you wake up. So grab your significant other, or your pet, or both, and snuggle up for some R & R.
7) Do a (gentle) yoga practice - If I’ve had a few too many cocktails the night before, a simple downward facing dog can make my brain feel like it is swimming around in my head. Not fun. Enter restorative or yin yoga… gentle practices to stretch you out, release tension and energize your mind/body. It has happened to me on more than one occasion where I went into it thinking I could only handle a gentle practice, but things progressed and it turned into a full-fledged practice – sun salutes, arm balances and all. As always with yoga, just do what feels right, and you will definitely feel almost back to 100% after!
