Merry Christmas!

Christmas is one of the strangest times of year. Everyone spends weeks 'getting ready' for the event, stressing over present buying, cooking and family politics. Then before you know it, Christmas morning has passed, the presents have been opened and piled away, enormous quantities of food and drink have been consumed and you're sitting on the sofa feeling sick!

If the guilt of Christmas calories is getting too much, here are some handy hints to get you feeling positive again!

1) Give away anything you know you shouldn't eat. I've managed to almost single handedly demolish a tube of smarties... this was the final straw - the rest are being removed from the house so there is no temptation to continue the Christmas binge.

2) Exercise. This one seems fairly obvious but with many gyms closed over Christmas it isn't as easy as it should be. Go for a run, walk the dog, do a workout at home or even just do some stretching or yoga to get yourself off the sofa.

3) Do a food shop. If your kitchen is anything like mine, there are leftovers spilling out of every cupboard. While we all know that "waste not, want not", it isn't going to help you feel better living off leftovers for the next week. Write a list and go to the supermarket! Although cold turkey can be a great addition to salads for a bit of protein.

4) Rehydrate! Drink lots and lots of water. Not only will this help restore your alcohol induced dehydration but it will also help you to feel full if you have stretched your stomach a little over the past few days!

5) Don't be too hard on yourself. Christmas happens once a year and as long as you don't drag it out for weeks on end, you really wont set yourself back too much. Indulge but don't loose all self-control and work hard to keep yourself on track!