12 ways to stay healthy this Christmas

This story was originally titled "12 Ways to Stay Healthy this Christmas," in the December 2007 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

"Silent niiiiight! Ho-oly niiiight! Aaaaall is caaaalm!"

Not in Lauren Jeffs' house, it isn't. Lauren, 37, a mother of two and a public servant in Ottawa, is racing around her kitchen, defrosting shrimp under the tap, stirring something in a pot and uncorking a bottle of wine. Upstairs, a mountain of gifts awaits wrapping. Half of her 30 dinner guests have already arrived and she's still not dressed. She pauses to actually listen to the soothing Christmas carol. It's so incongruous, she bursts out laughing. All is calm? Yeah, right.

She's not alone. For many Canadian families, Christmas is a frantic round of parties, overspending, overindulging and too much stress. But it doesn't have to be. The 12 days before Christmas can also be your healthiest, calmest and best ever. Just follow our pre-Christmas calendar of health-enhancing tips and you'll be fighting fit for the festive season.

1. Drink meadowsweet tea
Long before over-the-counter antacids, indigestion sufferers sipped meadowsweet tea, made from a perennial sagelike herb that grows in low wet areas across Canada. It not only settles an upset stomach and is used to treat peptic ulcers, but it's also an anti-inflammatory that contains salicylic acid, the natural precursor to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).

"Meadowsweet is great for digestion and it has some calming aspects," says
Dr. Garrett Swetlikoff, a doctor of naturopathic medicine in Kelowna, B.C., who suggests blending it with soothing chamomile or peppermint teas. Although it's considered safe, avoid meadowsweet if you're sensitive to ASA. It's available as a tea in most health food stores.

2. Get a flu shot
Although it's best to get the shot well before shopping malls start piping in carols, it's not too late come December. Health Canada recommends that you get the flu shot sometime between October and early December. The flu usually runs rampant from November to April, but remember, the inoculation takes two weeks to kick in to give you full protection. Although nearly one-third of Canadians get the vaccine – which covers different strains every year – up to 25 per cent of Canadians come down with the flu annually.

3. Detox your system
Christmas is coming, and the goose isn't the only thing getting fat. According to a study by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, many people gain between 0.8 and five pounds over the holidays.

But it doesn't have to be that way, says Madeleine Marentette, owner of a health and wellness centre in Bancroft, Ont., and author of Grail Springs Holistic Detox for Body, Mind and Spirit (McArthur, 2007, $29.95). "To get your body into peak form, stay off red meat, white sugar, refined flour and table salt," she says. "Your body's acid levels will drop, and your liver will release toxins from stored fat cells." By the time Christmas rolls around, "you'll be energized, you'll sleep well and you won't have such strong cravings."

4. Clear your lymphatic system
Feeling sluggish, tired and bloated? Before bathing, brush your skin for five to 10 minutes with a natural bristle brush or sea sponge. The gentle action, starting from your feet and hands and moving inward in a circular motion, not only exfoliates dead skin and smooths cellulite, but it also releases toxins from your lymphatic system, the body's oxygen and nutrient highway.

When lymph glands become clogged with cell debris, the result is water retention. Dry brushing "stimulates, unblocks and allows the lymphatic fluids to move more freely," says Marentette. Scented salt rub, applied with the same circular motion during a bath, gets the same results.

Page 1 of 3