NOURISH, DON'T PUNISH

Overindulging is all part of the package when it comes to Christmas, but with a new approach, you don't need to make yourself pay

- Katherine Davison

We've all been there. It's Boxing Day and we realise we've spent the past two days feasting on festive goodies and slurping back the sparkly wine. Now we feel more than a bit meh – sluggish, bloated and a little guilty, too.

It's easy to feel like you've failed when you've overindulged at Christmas time, but Veronika Larisova – nutritionist, exercise physiologist and co-founder of Chief Nutrition – wants you to start thinking differently.

“The festive period is meant to be a time when we rest from work and reconnect with our loved ones, which includes eating and celebrating together,” Larisova tells WHO. “Enjoy every minute of it, and you'll start the new year with a full heart and maybe a body ready for nutrient-dense foods, hydration and routine again. That's the rhythm of life and not a failure.”

REFRAME YOUR THINKING

Larisova says it's normal to “feel off” after all that festive fun, but the expert explains it's natural for humans to go through phases of “feast and famine”.