7 Energy Boosting Tips and In The Sack with Mystery Case

I love Christmas.

No let’s rephrase that. I love certain aspects of Christmas.

I love the eats and treats. I love getting together with friends and family, and I love collapsing on a sun-lounger by the pool or on a lilo in the pool, in an undignified heap when I can no longer eat or drink another thing on Christmas day.

I do not love the preparation. Just the thought of it exhausts me.

In the Sack

So who’d have thought I’d be asked to write about Christmas?

Today, I’m “In the Sack” with Agent Mystery Case … “Ta-de-da-de-da!” – as one of the 12 official bloggers bringing you tips on how to survive the silly season. And what some lovely bloggers they are … read on to the end and you’ll find out who they are. Also pop over to Agent Mystery Case for some great seasonal giveaways – there’s lots of mystery going on 😉

Just writing about Christmas though and thinking of the heat that’s ramping up in Western Australia, immediately made me nostalgic for a cold and wintery UK Christmas, when we used to eat, drink, be very merry and then veg-out in front of the TV. But then I ask myself, “Really? Really Jo? Remember how you used to overdo it?”

Actually, if I’m honest I think Christmas in Australia is healthier because there’s more focus on getting outside and being active after lunch, not just lying by a pool, but rather swimming in it, or going for a walk on a beach which fits in nicely with the Lifestyle Fifty philosophy of keeping active as we get older.

So, I ask you …

White Christmas or no White Christmas, with just under a month to go until The Day there are little lists and stick-it notes all over the place in our house. Woe-betide if my hubby has a clean up and throws one of them out because  I’m likely to go into meltdown and need gin.

Just the thought of the What Needs To Be Done wears me out. I can feel the blood draining from my head and the pathetic inner me begs for a little lie down as I check out how to make delightful seasonal table settings on Pinterest or attempt to find my glazed ham recipe which is by now lost in a pile of this year’s torn-out-of-magazines-recipe-ideas.

I didn’t used to be like this. I’d attack Christmas with the force of a full blown hurricane, crafting creative home-made gifts, scurrying around shops with armfuls of bags, ticking things off lists as I pushed a pram and dragged a screaming toddler in my wake.

But now I’m over 50, and I actually have less to do, there seems to be so much more that phases me when it doesn’t need to. Or is it that Christmas has become so commercialised and due to media pressure we’re expected to achieve so much more and be super perfect?

Just take a look at Pinterest, or the glossy magazines, or Facebook. The illusion is that (gulp) Everyone else seems to be doing Christmas better, more creatively, prettier and more organised than me – or so it seems.

I’m just a plane Jane in amongst the Jennifer Hawkins trying to find out where my get up and Christmas go has got up and gone.

Damn Martha Stewart and all the crafty Mummas out there. I’ll probably revert to form and use the same old things that I’ve used for 20 years, even though they are a little battle worn and frayed around the edges.

But something tells me I must not be a Scrooge of spirit or invention, that I must get out and create a beautiful tableau this season, and that I must arrive at parties looking perked and not peaky.

You might also like: How to Keep Fit and Healthy over 50

So in order to arrive at Christmas day not skidding in looking and feeling like an exhausted, envious Harridan here’s my cunning little health plan.

I hope it helps you too.

7 Energy Boosting Tips for The Silly Season

1. I’m pretty sure that a high-energy lifestyle gives me more energy, so it’s important not to skip regular exercise because there are too many household jobs to do associated with Christmas which stop me from finding half an hour to do something really energetic – you know like in exercise gear – vacuuming counts, but it’s not as good for me as a fast power walk in the fresh air.
2. I’ll be trying to keep my glycaemic load light in the lead-up to Christmas (and during the holidays if possible) and remember to eat things like beans, brown rice, nuts and wholemeal bread and cut down on food like white rice, spaghetti, cornflakes and sugary drinks which cause blood sugar to spike when I end up with that horrid light headed feeling or the ‘shakes’.
3. Not eating all day in an effort to save on calories, and then scoffing down numerous sausage rolls, pastries and delicious party food at Christmas get togethers is not recommended as a way to conserve energy or be healthy.
4. I’ll also try to focus on eating regular balanced meals in this unregulated season; three a day with two healthy snacks (such as fruit, almonds, yoghurt) in between, because I know this stops me feeling hungry and having a “Sod It” attitude as I reach for a bar of chocolate at the Supermarket check-out because I’m so hungry.
5. Water is important and sometimes I forget to drink enough. When I feel really tired I quickly glug down a big glass of cold water because they say that fatigue is one of the first signs of dehydration. The cold water also serves as a bit of a wake-up too.
6. Relaxation time. We do need it. Whether we have a quick cup of coffee and a good old laugh with a friend, or we take the time to do some stretching exercises listening to some soothing music, or we just sit still in a chair for 10 minutes and thank our lucky stars for all the good things in our life. We should make time for them. Short rituals like this serve as energy boosters during the exhausting silly season for me.
7. Wine. Oh dear, more than ever ’tis the season to be merry. I love a glass of wine, but I’ll be aiming for some wine free days this silly season and replacing the alcoholic grape with Lime, Soda and Bitters or similar.

And with that I hope to survive this silly season without the need for a holiday in Bali to recover.

Although, come to think of it, THAT would be very nice too 😉

Have you got any tips for keeping your get up and go when your energy looks like it’s getting up to flee?