The Ghost of Selection Boxes Past
Dealing with the Post-Xmas Bloat
We’ve done it again, haven’t we? We’ve spent the last month trying to see how many pigs-in-blankets, Ferrero Rocher, and glasses of bucks fizz it’s physically possible to fit into a human body. And for the 1st couple of weeks, you thought you were getting away with it right?!
You’re currently sitting there feeling like Violet Beauregarde (google it.) Brain fog and bloatation are now just an accepted part of your daily life. And why do you keep sweating?
Here’s the cold, hard truth: Your body is paying you back for treating it like shit over the last few weeks. It’s frantically trying to manage the sugary mess in your gut and the inflammation in your joints; and it hasn’t even considered burning off those excess calories yet. Fat loss isn’t on the radar until your inflammation levels drop.
Here is the low-down on how to start feeling like a normal person again…
1. Sleep.
If you aren’t sleeping properly, you’re never going to feel better. It’s that simple. Sleep is when your body’s tiny internal clean up teams come out with their mops and buckets to clean up the metabolic waste you’ve left lying around during the day. If you don’t clean this up it builds up over time, which makes you lethargic.
If you’re surviving on five hours of broken sleep because you’ve been staying up to plough through the latest season of Stranger Things (or scrolling through Instagram posts about how to stay healthy and sleep better) then that inflammation isn’t going anywhere.
Prioritise sleep - always.
I know you might not think of yourself as an “afternoon nap” kind of person—maybe you think naps are for lazy people — but trust me: if you haven’t slept well overnight, an afternoon nap is a masterstroke to combat low energy and inflammation. It’s not laziness; it’s maintenance. Close the curtains, put the phone in another room, and treat yourself to a nice granny nap.
2. The Antioxidant Shield.
Berries: Get them in you. Once a day, minimum. Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, anyotherberries. Throw them in with some Greek yogurt or a smoothie. (Blueberry cheesecake doesn’t count sadly.)
Don’t be a salad dodger: You need vegetables. As wide a variety as possible – root veg and non starchy. Never mind 5 a day aim for 10 a day. Soups, stews, salads, you can even add them to smoothies. It doesn’t matter how you do it - just do it.
The Green Drink: I absolutely swear by a daily green drink supplement to improve digestive health. Look for something like Amazing Grass SuperGreens or Sevenhills SuperGreen Blend—they’re packed with vitamins, minerals and anti oxidants. It tastes like a freshly mowed lawn but your digestion will thank you for it.
3. Probiotics.
Not those little yogurt drinks in the supermarket. You know the “one-a-day” shots that claim to fix your gut health while being made mostly of sugar and tasting like chemical strawberries. That’s not a probiotic; that’s a milkshake for little people.
If you want to fix the inflammation, you need a real probiotic. Something like Symprove. It’s water-based, so the bacteria actually survive the acid trip through your stomach to reach your gut, where the real magic happens. It’s the difference between sending a professional plumber to fix a leak versus wrapping a paper towel around the pipe.
4. Shorten the window. (The “Stop Eating All of the Time” Strategy)
This is what people call intermittent fasting.
If you are eating from the moment you wake up at 7 AM until the moment you get into bed at 11 PM, your digestive system is constantly working and it won’t have time to clear inflammation and regain some kind of balance.
Shortening your eating window is one of the most effective ways to clear inflammation. Your goal is an 8-hour window, but let’s be realistic—start with 10 hours. The hour you start and the hour you finish is your choice. The length of the window is what’s important.
The “Happy and Healthy Gut” Morning Routine:
Get up. (Crucial first step. Don’t skip this or the rest of the day gets very confusing.)
Symprove. Take it on an empty stomach.
Wait 30-60 mins. Let it settle.
Green Drink. Get those nutrients in before the caffeine hits.
Wait 30-60 mins.
Black coffee or tea. No milk, no sugar. We’re still in the “cleaning” phase.
First Meal: Aim for 10:00 AM or 11:00 AM.
Last Meal: 8:00 PM or 9:00 PM.
The timings can shift but try to keep that 10-hour window consistent.
Sadly the Christmas period is over. The trees gone the distance and that lovely festive feeling has been replaced by a general sense of puffiness. You don’t need a 7-day juice cleanse or a coffee enema (unless that’s something you do for fun) you just need to stop poking the bear and add some gut friendly foods and supplements into your daily routine.
Give your body the sleep, the nutrients, and the time it needs to calm down. Once the fire is out, then—and only then—can we start talking about those 2026 health and fitness goals.
Be good to yourself!
Struggling to overcome that post Christmas bloatation? I’ve put together a free eBook with 5 simple habits that will give you that head start you are looking for → Download it here
