At many of us may be struggling with fatigue and exhaustion. Then December comes around and the excitement of last minute catch ups and drinks may have people burning the candle at both ends.

The last thing you need is to crash and burn as soon as the holidays start!

With that in mind, our experts have put together our top 5 natural energisers which may help keep you going throughout the silly season.

HYDRATION (Belinda Reynolds- Dietitian/ Nutritionist)

“Staying well hydrated is essential to good health in general, and this includes the maintenance of energy levels. Rehydrating is also of particular importance if you choose to consume alcohol.

To limit the damaging effects of alcohol it is recommended that you avoid drinking more than 3 standard drinks during an occasion. However if you do plan to party the night away, drinking water between your alcoholic beverages is important to minimise the side effects. Alcohol has a significant dehydrating effect on the body, plus it depletes you of many nutrients, thus eating nutritious food is also very important.

An average individual should be drinking at least 2 litres of water throughout the day, even more when in hot temperatures, so make sure that hydration is at the top of your mind as it may just be your saviour the next day.

Coconut water can be a nice addition to your daily fluid intake as it is a good source of natural electrolytes and other nutrients. Coconut water provides the essential electrolytes potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium, other minerals such as iron and phosphorous, vitamins including vitamin C, folate and B6, carbohydrates and protein.”

EXERCISE (Stephen Eddey- Principal of Health Schools Australia)

It is well known that exercise creates endorphins which are known to make your feel good, however during the festive season; exercise can become less of a priority in exchange for a good time or a sleep in.

Try to go for a brisk walk in the morning to get your body moving, get some fresh air and to stay energised. It is also a good idea to go for a walk instead of slump down on the couch after your Christmas lunch if you intend on doing activities later in the evening too.

SUPER GREENS (Belinda Reynolds- Dietitian/ Nutritionist)

“The silly season is a time where a few extra drinks and treats are likely to be consumed.

If you are someone who generally follows a healthy diet throughout most of the year, eating foods that you are not used to, combined with more alcohol than usual can result in you feeling fatigued or foggy.

In an effort to boost your energy levels, try adding lots of greens into your side salad or into your morning juice each day.

Green vegetables (e.g. broccoli, broccoli sprout, spinach and kale) have great health properties such as high levels of nutrients and enzymes which can strengthen the immune system and provide the body with the nutrients needed to detox.

They also contain powerful antioxidants which may help fight free radicals as well as minerals that are easily absorbed into the body.

Young broccoli sprouts are particularly useful as they are believed to contain up to 50 times more antioxidant sulforaphane than mature broccoli, according to research presented at the Diet Epigenetic Events and Cancer Prevention Symposium in 2007 (1.reference??) This means the broccoli sprouts are very helpful in helping the liver and other body cells to protect themselves from the damaging effects of many toxins that threaten our health on a daily basis. They also have anti-inflammatory properties.”

THE POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT (Stephen Eddey- Principal of Health Schools Australia)

Although many people are aware of Coenzyme Q10 (Miranda Kerr claims to take it according to interviews in 2014), many people are not aware that Ubiquinol is the active and reduced form of CoQ10 and therefore is more easily absorbed in your body.

Science has shown us that as we age or if put our bodies under a significant amount of stress, our Ubiquinol levels decline often leaving us feeling fatigued, foggy, lacking in energy.

This is because Ubiquinol is responsible for your energy levels, it powers your cells- particularly your major organs such as your heart, liver and lungs.

If you are feeling fatigued, your Ubiquinol levels may be low and supplementation may be beneficial for maintaining your cellular energy.

THE KING OF SPICES (Aime Skilton- Naturopath, Herbalist)

It is well known that alcohol can cause inflammation in your body, so consuming foods or supplements that act as an anti-inflammatory may be beneficial, particularly at this time of the year.

Curcumin- the yellow active plant pigment found in turmeric has been used as a health remedy for centuries and it is now being heralded as ‘the next Omega 3’.

Previous studies have indicated that curcumin exhibits poor absorbency in the body as it is fat soluble, however scientists have recently discovered a method to increase the bioavailability 27 times the normal rate with Theracurmin, an ingredient recently made available in the Australian market.

There are over 4000 scientific articles illustrating the benefits for inflammation conditions such as arthritis making Theracurmin a key ingredient to watch in 2015.

About the experts:

Belinda Reynolds BScNut&Diet(Hon)
Belinda Reynolds graduated with an Honours Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2003. She has been involved in the complementary medicine industry for nearly 15 years – 10 of these working for BioCeuticals as a Practitioner Sales Consultant, Team Leader, Presenter, Educator and Writer, with an involvement in Marketing and Product Development. Outside of this Belinda has spent time working in hospitals and lectured at the Australasian College of Natural Therapies.
Belinda’s greatest passion is assisting practitioners in developing their knowledge by presenting new research in the area of integrative medicine. Now a mother of two, pre- and postnatal, infant and child health have evolved as subjects particularly close to her heart.

Amie Skilton
Amie Skilton graduated in 2001 with a Diploma in Botanical Medicine, an Advanced Diploma in Naturopathy and a BHSc in Complementary Medicine. She has been in clinical practice for more than 13 years, and worked concurrently for BioCeuticals for almost 10 years in the Technical Team as a Presenter, Educator and Writer. Amie is also involved in Corporate Health, lecturing at numerous companies as part of their OH&S programs and specialises in several areas including women's health and weight loss.

About Stephen Eddey
Stephen Eddey is a qualified Nutritionist and Naturopath and is the Principal of Australia’s longest established natural medicine college, Health Schools Australia. He has completed a Bachelor of Complementary Medicine as well as a Masters in Health Science.