Urban Remedy's 'Healthy Holiday Guide'

10 tips to keep you healthy over the festive season...

1. Start your day with a glass of warm water and lemon

2. Get some exercise first thing, before the festivities begin

3. Stock your pantry and fridge with yummy, healthy snacks – think brown rice cakes, kale and veggie chips, olives, raw nuts, veggie sticks, healthy dips, avocado...

4. Find healthy versions of your favourite treats. For example, dark chocolate sweetened with stevia instead of sugary milk chocolate...

5. Stay hydrated, particularly when you are drinking alcohol!

6. Avoid sugary alcoholic mixers – skip the soft drinks and opt for soda or mineral water with fresh lemon or lime instead

7. Give your body a rest between big meals. For once, skipping a meal is actually OK. Don't be tempted to pile food on top of food on top of food.

8. Make time for yourself in the busy Christmas schedule. Take 10 minutes to go for a walk, listen to some music, read your book...

9. Practice giving the best gift of all – love. Take the time and energy to be there for your loved ones!

10. Write a list of 3 goals for 2013. Not 30, just 3.

For those of you wanting to book in a January cleanse, we sell out up to 10 days ahead of schedule in peak season so get in fast!

Our January 2013 dates are live on the ordering page here.

Happy holidays!

Four easy ways to make this your best year yet!

They say how you start the New Year is a good reflection of how the rest of it is going to be. A little bit like how your breakfast (the meal of kings) determines your eating patterns and metabolism for the rest of the day. So we thought we’d help you get off on the right foot for 2012.

You’re not alone if December saw you feeling sillier than usual – dinners replaced with canapés and champagne, weeks blurring into weekends, celebrations never ending – or if the Christmas festivities quickly turned into New Year’s Eve ones, with no respite in between. That’s OK, we’re not about to tell you off. They call it ‘living’ for a reason right? It’s all about balance, finding your way back to your centre and knowing how to take care of your body when it’s worn out and needing some TLC.

Here are our 4 tips for making this January the best yet:

1. Start SMALL. Don’t put yourself off your resolutions by jumping in the deep end (we’re not saying this doesn’t work but 5am jogs are not for everyone). Go for a brisk 10min walk in the evening after dinner or do some stretches and toning exercises at home in the morning before breakkie. Every. Little. Bit. Counts.

2. Love yourself up. Wake up in the morning and tell yourself how wonderful you are. If you wake up doing the opposite, what’s the point in striving for better? PMA (no, not PMS) = Positive Mental Attitude. It’s corny but it works. Eating well, exercising and generally being healthy is largely governed by how driven you are to make the changes. If you’re kind to yourself, you’re more likely to feel motivated – a little like being your own best friend.

3. Embrace the change of season. When the weather changes, so does your body’s requirements. Don’t get stuck in an autumn/spring (can we even call it spring?) lunch rut all the way through summer. If your body is craving salads bursting with colours and nutrients, go for it. Tune in to what your body wants (within reason of course). A little trick of the trade – if you’re pining after junk, drink a big glass of water first and then think about what you really feel like eating again.

4. Out with the old, in with the new. The New Year is a time for renewal. Clean out your wardrobe, your pantry, your fridge, your filing cabinet, your phone, your mind… and last but definitely not least… your body. There’s no doubt about it, December isn’t the saintliest of months. Our bodies are full to the brim with all-you-can-eat buffet, champagne, appetisers, chocolate, Christmas pudding, roast chicken, roast potatoes, roast… well, everything. The mind-body connection is undeniable when it comes to cleansing and clearing out your insides gives you a new lease on life – a fresh perspective.

We’re attacking a 5-day cleanse this month at the UR HQ… wish us luck!

10 easy tips to stay healthy over the holidays!

1. Get off on the right foot each day. Just 10 minutes of exercise will get you eating and feeling good for the rest of the day. We recommend yoga, stretching, walking (on the beach if you're lucky enough, and it's not raining!), swimming, or even a run for the braver among you.

2. Stock your pantry with healthy snack foods: raw nuts, healthy dips, carrot and celery sticks, brown rice cakes, avocado, olives and fresh fruit.

3. Put a healthy spin on your festive eating: root veggie chips instead of ordinary ones, gluten-free Christmas cake, coconut oil instead of butter, homemade dips instead of store bought ones (often laden with unnecessary extras), dark chocolate (sweetened with stevia if possible) instead of milk chocolate.

4. Choose your drinks carefully. Opt for clean mixers such as soda water and fresh lime. Go organic (or biodynamic) for your wine if you can.

5. Skip meals. Yep, for once this actually is OK! If you have overindulged at Christmas lunch, you don't HAVE to eat dinner. Have a light snack instead.

6. Have a 'clean day' between eating sessions: lots of fresh fruit, veg, salads, steamed fish, green juice!

7. Take time out from family. Go for a walk. Have some YOU time.

8. Get out of the 'cram as much naughtiness into the end of the year before the next one begins' mentality. Start your resolutions before 1st Jan.

9. Jot down just 3 resolutions for 2012, not 20. You're more likely to stick to them.

10. Set a mantra for 2012. It will give your resolutions meaning.