The typical Christmas party season features too much booze, lots of naughty food and not enough exercise. Fiona Bugler looks at how we can limit the damage and picked up a few tips from Twitter.

Add your top tips in the comments at the bottom of the page. Jump to comments.

BATTLING WITH THE BOOZE

Alcohol dehydrates you, and as a runner you may already be dehydrated from training. So, damage limitation is a good approach and drinking water throughout the night will help lessen the effects and make a dry mouth and sore head less likely. If possible alternate alcohol with a glass of water. And, before you go to bed, make sure you have a big glass of water to flush out your kidneys. If you're feeling particularly bad the next day you may wish to turn to the trusty paracetomol or a ready-made product like Resolve.

Don't exercise if there is any chance that you are still drunk. It takes an hour to process a unit of alcohol, so four pints of lager could take 10 hours to be completely gone from your system. A bottle of wine the same. But do try to stick to your schedule, even if you're feeling rough. If you've slightly over indulged, a run will do you good.

TWITTER TIPS!

@anth_hub in the words of @JamesCracknell a hangover isn't an illness, sky+ whatever's on telly and get out there-you'll feel better 4 it.
@Wise_Running Typical party consumption level = 5 to 8 miles. If you keep this in mind, either curb your appetite or increase your miles!
@LaraineWynJones Read the calorie content on a bottle of Mint Baileys - it's enough to scare me out of the door!!
@bmlueb I have cut back on alcohol so getting up or out to run isn't an issue. Working on a run streak helps motivate.


EAT RIGHT

Hangovers can mean you're tempted to pig out on junk food but, instead, replace lost salts with an electrolyte drink and aim to put back the good to counteract the not so good, so get plenty of vitamin-packed fruit and vegetables after a boozy night. Try a smoothie packed with vitamin C rich fruits like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and orange juice. Eat dark greens like broccoli, plenty of salad and choose lean meat or fish for lunch and dinner, and if hangovers make you hungry, chop up some carrots, celery etc and a dip them in a tub of houmus, or grab a small handful of nuts to graze on.

For more healthy eating tips for runners, check out our Five Superfoods for runners and Five foods to boost your winter running.

TWITTER TIP!

@JaneWake 1 mince pie = 1 x 30 min hard run. If you don't run, lay off the mince pies but if you do...oh you can have so much more fun!


STICKING TO YOUR RUNNING SCHEDULE
For tips on keeping at it during the winter months and party season check out our feature on keeping going at Marathon Training In December. Even on dark winter days exercising in the morning has extra benefits as it wakes you up and boosts the body releasing the happy hormones which lift your mood and make you feel good.

Therefore try morning workouts to keep the momentum of your training, lift your mood and make you feel good. According to ASICS research, 66 per cent of morning exercisers feel less stressed at work and 59 per cent feel refreshed for the day ahead. 

Don't have a running schedule? Find one for any level here: Find a Running Schedule or Plan.

TWITTER TIPS
@trumpdabeast Run every day... then you keep going through every season :)
@jonmackintosh Heard of #marcothon? Run min 3m every day in Dec. Great challenge @ time when running often lapses & good to stop weight gain. There is more info on Facebook - Over 700 followers currently :o)
@becky_rtw Military style planning and doubles on free days work for me.
@nollie2 Plan ahead but be realistic. Tell running friends ahead of time when you'll run.

What Next? For great food, running and health tips throughout the year, follow @therunningbug on Twitter. If you want to know more about what a runners needs for nutrition, check out our Nutrition Guide for Runners.