The Christmas season is upon us and you want to make the most of it.   You also don’t want to give in to too much Christmas excess- or you’ll regret it in January!  I’m not trying to put a dampener on your spirits – and God knows we need some Christmas cheer after all the doom and gloom about the economy, student tuition fee riots and the snow that grinds the country to a halt- but just keep a track on your excess so that you’re not left picking up the pieces in the New year.

The first area of danger to be aware of are those Xmas parties and events that come up every year. What are you going to wear? If you’re a guy then it’s easier than if you’re female. Females have to be a little more careful in their dressing – as men are apt to misinterpret the latest party dress in the shops for something more. Consider, when buying, is there too much on display? If so, does that give the kind of signal you want to give?  Just thinking about how a garment could be interpreted will make you more aware of how you may come across.

Drinking, of course, is the other big issue.  The trouble with alcohol is that it reduces our inhibitions and often throws our resolutions out the window. I remember a friend of mine who highlighted how instant the alcohol effect can be. He was doing a business coaching session for his own company and the meeting was done by phone, from his home, every week at 6pm. Before the meeting, he said, he was always fired up with ideas about what needed doing and had made a list of ‘to do’s’ that he planned to start on immediately following the meeting call. During the call he often treated himself to one beer, (he was working from home after all!) as the meeting progressed he would make more notes and add more to his ‘to do’ list. The trouble was, after just one beer, his urge to do any thing had completely deserted him! After just one hour and one beer he would look at his to ‘to do’ list and think: “F*** it, it can all wait ‘til morning!” and that was it he would do no more for the rest of the evening.  Now, I’m not suggesting he should have worked all night but what my friend highlighted was that alcohol, while it relaxes us, it also completely wipes out any resolutions we might have made earlier.  This applies to your diet aspirations too. Many people, at any time of year, are watching their weight. You might have lost a few pounds recently or are trying hard not to gain any more.  You start off with great intentions about keeping away from the canapés at the next Christmas do but the problem is, if you have too many drinks your will power will go out the window!  The same could be said for your willpower to not get involved with the temp from the copy room – think beyond this evening to the next day- will you regret it??

So keep your alcohol intake to a minimum, if at all possible, try having a large mug of milky coffee before you go out for the evening. This will line your stomach and prevent the alcohol from being absorbed quite so quickly. Also pace your self, when you drink, by having water after every two (preferably) one drink. This way you remain in control- and that is the important thing. That way you can remain faithful to the promises you made yourself (and no one else!) at the end of the evening!

Happy holidays!             Chrissie@lapf.co.uk