How to have a healthier and happier Christmas

Keep on your feet

Encourage the whole family to go out for a walk after dinner to aid digestion. The more activity you do the better, so take along any new outdoor gifts such as bikes, scooters or footballs.

Watch your drinking

Those alcohol units can mount up with a glass of mulled wine on Christmas Eve, brandy on Christmas Day and so on. So try to keep tabs on how much you’re drinking, and intersperse alcoholic drinks with soft ones.

Watch how much you eat

Recent research suggests that we consume a massive 3,000 calories in our Christmas dinner! This not only contributes to weight gain but also to indigestion and heartburn. So try to eat a normal-sized meal and then take a 20-minute break to see if you’re still hungry (it takes this long for the brain to register that the stomach is full).

Don’t forget your fruit

Most of us get through the entire Christmas period eating no more fruit than the satsuma in the Christmas stocking or cranberry sauce with our turkey. So make sure you have a fruit bowl on the table too.

Give a helping hand

Christmas doesn’t have to be about giving or receiving gifts. Try to do something for others whether it’s baking some extra mince pies for an elderly neighbour, inviting an acquaintance who doesn’t have family around them to your home, or helping out at your local charity.

Keep your mind active

Instead of being a couch potato why not play games such as Trivial Pursuit or Charades? It’s a great way to have fun. Or tackle the Christmas quiz in the newspaper?