Longford's Laura Thompson on staying healthy this Christmas

Christmas is a time of overindulgence. For many people, drinking and eating often dominate the festive period.

Did you know that the average person consumes nearly 6,000 calories on Christmas day alone? That is three times the average daily amount for women.

You might be mistaken in thinking that most of that is consumed with the turkey dinner, but often it is snacking on crisps, chocolates and alcohol that increases the calorie count.

Those little nibbles that you keep picking at all add up.

So what can you do to make sure that you have a great Christmas without piling on the pounds?

Read also: Kids: They are what you feed them, says Longford's Laura Thompson

Here are my top tips to stay healthy this Christmas:

1. Try to think about what you’re eating; mindless eating is often when we overindulge.

2. Have a healthy breakfast; skip the fry and have a nice bowl of porridge, adding some festive fresh cranberries and cinnamon.

3. Drink plenty of water in between alcohol; add some soda water to the wine or orange juice to your champagne.

4. Take a long walk with the family; there is nothing as refreshing as a brisk walk in the winter air. We all feel sleepy after the Turkey dinner, mainly because we overeat. The exercise will keep your heart healthy and improve your stress levels.

5. Limit the overindulgence; Christmas seems to start so early these days. Keep it to a couple of days only.

6. Pile your plate with lots of veggies and eat plenty of fruit.

7. Don’t stress; this is meant to be the season to be jolly, but the overspending, overeating and spending a lot of time with family in cooped up conditions can be stressful. Try to keep a sense of humour and don’t worry if the potatoes are a little overdone or the house isn’t as clean as you would like it to be!

Finally, remember Christmas is just one day out of 365 and is not worth stressing over.

Read also: Longford's Laura Thompson on eating well to age well