Let’s face it; many consider Super Bowl Sunday the equivalent of a national holiday. With this comes the camaraderie of friends, gathering of family and hours of eating everything fattening, salty, sugary and alcoholic. So what can you do when you wake up Monday morning and realize what you’ve done? Or worse, how you feel? Try these five tips to get you back into the swing of health.
1) Hydrate like crazy! Drink lots of water over the next few days to flush out the bad. If you normally drink only a few cups of water, this is your time to ramp it up because all that fat and salt is floating through your bloodstream and not making friends with your cells or your waistline.
2) Don’t eat the leftovers. With many football events come the leftovers – chips, cold pizza, baked goods and fried food. Stick to low carb, high healthy protein and high vegetable choices. Have an omelet with vegetables for breakfast, a salad with chicken and light dressing for lunch and baked chicken or fish with vegetables and brown rice for dinner. Eat this (or something similar) for a few days and you’ll feel improved.
3) Get moving. Exercise is the best defense against a growing waistline post-Super Bowl. Make sure you hit your target heart rate and mix cardio with weights to burn those excess calories.
4) Help your liver. Try drinking detox teas (commonly found in the tea/coffee section of your grocery store) and eat liver-friendly foods such as onions, garlic, kale, artichoke, tumeric/curcumin, ginger, lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar (mix in a little warm water and drink every morning), beets, broccoli and cauliflower.
5) Protect your cells from free radical damage and aging because of your Super Bowl diet choices with anti-oxidants. Typical supplements include vitamin C, beta carotene, Co Q10, selenium, resveratrol, green tea, and vitamin E. Go for brightly colored vegetables (like carrots and peppers) and fruits (such as berries).
Remember, February is American Heart Month and I’m sure what you ate on Sunday doesn’t count as a heart-healthy diet. Use these five tips to get back into good habits this week.