Post-Holiday Detox: Five Tips for Body Recovery and Rejuvenation After the Holidays

The holidays are a time of calorie-laden food, rich and fattening desserts, and simply too much alcohol. By the end of the holidays, you're tired, you're munching on leftovers, and your exhausted body is hanging on to every calorie you consume. This year, say no to post-holiday exhaustion, stress, and weight gain. Instead, say yes to post-holiday detox. Here's how:

Hydrate: With all that champagne, eggnog, and coffee you've consumed over the holidays, you're probably pretty dehydrated. After the holidays, buy a re-usable plastic or aluminum water bottle, and drink several bottles a day, depending on your weight and exercise levels. You can also get your water through water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, but stay away from dehydrating beverages such as those that contain caffeine and alcohol.

Say No to Leftovers: So you've eaten a huge Christmas Dinner and you think you're done with all that fattening food. But wait-you forgot the leftovers! People actually end up consuming more calories from holiday leftovers than from Christmas dinner. Frozen leftovers make easy meals, but they're very unhealthy, so try to stay away from them. Instead, send care packages of leftovers home with each of your guests, and eat your normal, healthier food instead after the holidays.

Clean Your House: After the holidays, chances are a) you've gained weight, and b) your house is a complete mess from wrapping presents, traveling, disorganized relatives, and so on. Believe it or not, you can lose hundreds of calories by doing a through cleaning of your home after the holidays. Clean all spaces, dust, vacuum, take out the trash, sweep, mop, etc. While its much too cold to exercise outside, you'll be burning those pesky holiday calories and making your house beautiful all at once.

Say Yes to Fruits and Veggies: Above I mentioned that fruits and veggies provide hydration, but they also provide so much more. After the stressful holidays, your body is depleted of vitamins, you've gotten no sleep, and you feel a cold coming on. Fruits and veggies are full of nutrients and work as immunity boosters, energizers, and feel-good foods al at once. After all, nobody ever felt guilty for eating an apple.

Say No to Alcohol: After the holidays, there's probably a lot of leftover alcohol lying around. Maybe you want that holiday buzz back, maybe you want to distract yourself from your annual post-holiday slump, but whatever you do, stay away from leftover alcohol. Not only will alcohol make you incoherent, it will also dehydrate you and ruin your after-holiday diet (alcohol has a surprisingly high number of calories). Just toss the leftover alcohol, or if its unopened, give it to friends and family as host gifts the next time you visit.

Follow these five post-holiday detox practices, and you'll soon feel rejuvenated and ready for a new year, and maybe even a new you. Good luck!