SHA Recover from the Seasonal Festivities

The excesses at Christmas associated with overeating and drinking, the lack of exercise or sleep unbalance our body and negatively affect our state of mind and mental clarity. According to the European Institute of Obesity, last year on average the Spanish put on between 3 and 5 kilos during the seasonal festivities.

To start off the new year full of energy and recover our true state of health as soon as possible, a few healthy habits related to eating, exercise and sleeping have to be established, because overindulging not only results in a few more kilos, but also a dull and lifeless complexion. One of the best remedies for this is to sleep longer and stick to a certain timetable to enhance skin cell regeneration that is slightly better at night.

Doctor Vicente Mera, the head of Internal Medicine and Anti-aging at SHA, recommends keeping the bedroom at the right temperature when sleeping; from between 17 and 20 degrees centigrade. Sleep quality can be altered if it is either too hot or too cold in the room, which is why heating should be avoided insofar as possible. “Lowering the temperature is essential to favour the physiological process of sleep. Heat doesn’t let the body rest properly, so it is better to sleep with warm pyjamas on”, states Mera.

Eating is the key to recovery here. Teresa Mizón, an expert in nutrition and natural therapy at SHA, stresses the importance of following a healthy and varied diet. She highlights the benefits of having a diet that is based on the healing principles of macrobiotics. She suggests cutting down on the amount of dairy products, refined flour and animal proteins consumed and increasing the intake of vegetables, whole grain cereals and herbal teas.