Tips for Party Survival

Parties are such fun but they can be quite hard on you if you overdo it!  So here is the Party Houses short guide to minimising the after effects and still looking fabulous the next day.

 

Be organized and reduce stress

 

Party organization can get stressful if you are the one arranging the event, or even if you just have a partner who is good at running late or not so good at directions!  You really don’t want to arrive after an argument.  So, however much or little you have to do, get as much organisation done in advance as possible to so you can be calm serene and gorgeous at the event itself – www.partyhousesstg.wpengine.com has great tips for planning a party.

 

Avoid consuming your entire daily calorie allowance in alcohol

My first advice is to alternate drinking an alcoholic drink with a soft drink (preferably water).  This reduces the volume of alcohol consumed as well as the calorie levels and has the extra benefit of reducing hangovers too!  If that sounds a bit dull, swap higher calories drinks for lower calorie ones.  Eg beer for wine and wine for some spirits.  Gin and tonic (preferably Slimeline) or Vodka and tonic or soda are lower calorie options. The great news is Champagne is actually quite low calorie compared to many alcoholic drinks.

 

And then don’t make up for it at the buffet table!

Buffets can be lethal.  It is so easy to just pick and before you know it, you’ve eaten a lot more than if you had been served a three course dinner.  Obviously avoid the heavy fried foods and head for the crudities instead.  However, if raw carrots are not available or just not your thing, make sure you find someone interesting to talk to on the opposite of the room as far away from the buffet table as possible!

 

Get dancing

If it’s the sort of party where a boogey is on offer – go for it!  As doctors are always telling us – 30 minutes exercise a day is good for us.  However, if you still want to feel and look great the next morning, go careful in those high heels you may not be used to wearing and keep clear of Uncle Vic doing his wild “Dad Dancing”.  You really don’t want to be spending half the night in your local Accident and Emergency Department. (Plus NHS budgets being what they are – its not sociably responsible to frequent those places without really good cause).

 

Have a good night’s sleep

 

It can be quite hard to get to sleep after a great party, especially if you are giddy from catching up with old mates, finding out (or witnessing) the gossip/scandal or the adrenaline is pumping from all that dancing.  Try to avoid alcohol for a couple of hours before you go to bed and fill up on something high in protein (but non fatty) before you go to bed.  As ever, don’t forget to drink that large glass of water if you fear a hangover may be coming your way…

 

The morning after….

I’m told that, contrary to popular belief, a Greasy Joe fry up is not the ideal hangover breakfast.  This is a huge disappointment personally.  But getting food inside you is a great idea – so maybe I’ll just moderate the classic full English by grilling rather than frying.  Again lots of soft drinks should help.  If you can face it, a lovely walk (not too brisk) blows away the cobwebs and makes you feel fresh as a daisy.  If you can’t face a moderate walk – going back to bed is probably the only realistic alternative. (If you have young children, kids cartoons on the TV are probably acceptable in these circumstances) .  Whatever you do, don’t drive the following morning if you think there is any chance that you may still be over the limit.  That’s just too big a risk to take.  No party is worth messing up your life that badly for!

 

Finally, if you feel rough you can always fake it.  Woman can reach for the slap – good foundation and a bit of lippy can work wonders.  Fellas, a hot shower and plenty of smiles masks that jaded look a treat.

 

So have a fabulous time. Life is for living and once in a while a little extravagance should do you good.  Enjoy!