Dont undo your hard work

FESTIVE GOODIES: A Christmas spread with roasted pork on the plate.

SURVIVING Christmas, both physically and emotionally, is a challenge for everyone.

When you are sitting down to the year's biggest smorgasbord it is easy to forget the health goals you have been working on so hard during the year.

Something in your head just snaps and you eat like it's your last meal and there won't be any leftovers!

Your poor old digestive system struggles to comprehend why, if you wouldn't serve seafood and trifle on the same plate, you would be happy to store it all in confined space we call our stomach! The stomach doesn't know which enzymes to send in first to help digest the food, so it goes into overload and tries to send in its whole digestive army at once.

The rest of your body shuts down and goes into go-slow mode while your stomach and its team of digestive enzymes work their little butts off trying to remove the pile of rubbish in its pit.

Christmas doesn't need to be hard for your body. To avoid the physical and emotional damage this year, follow these simple tips:

• Stay off the snacks: if you know you are going to have a big meal how about trying to ease off the snacks a little? Just back away from the table and sit somewhere where it becomes an effort to reach for the food. The extra bits and pieces like chocolate and nuts add extra calories and fat that you probably don't need.
• Pile the vegies sky high: While it is important to eat protein with every meal, you don't need to recreate the Eiffel Tower on your plate with it. Cover your plate with vegies then lay your protein over the top. It actually aids your digestion by eating leafy greens first, before filling up your stomach with heaps of protein. The salad promotes digestive juices so when the meat arrives your stomach isn't wasting time waiting for the digestive enzymes to come in and start work.
• Choose and time your drinks carefully: Alcohol will kill any diet and, depending on how much you have, can kill off your brain cells too! Whether your poison is a fresh fruity passionfruit caprioska, a glass of wine or just a simple stubby of beer, keep an eye on the amount that you drink. I know how tempting it can be to crack the top off one as soon as your feet hit the ground on Christmas morning - but seriously see if you can hold out just a bit longer - at least until you are dressed or your guests arrive. Your liver finds it extremely challenging to metabolise alcohol, especially when there is excess sugar in the bloodstream. The liver will always process sugar before alcohol so be careful - alcohol may stay in your body longer than you think! Drink responsibly and don't drive if you have been drinking.
• Be sensitive to others: Not everyone enjoys Christmas. It's not that they are party poopers, it could be that they have had a tough year. Days like Christmas can be sad reminders that those who have left this earth before us are no longer with us. Others may find it just really stressful like new mums or those who have illnesses which require attention. Christmas Day brings out the worst and best in families.

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have a wonderful and safe Christmas and that you surround yourself with those you want to be around!

Thanks for your support during the year. See you in 2012.