When it comes to ringing in the new year, I have one humdinger of a tradition. I do a whole lot of nothing. I trade in sparkly duds for flannel pjs, champagne for Crystal Lite, noisemakers for my television remote and clubbing is replaced with a rousing marathon of HGTV.
Yes. I am a hoot.
For whatever reason, whooping it up on New Year's Eve has never appealed to me. Don't get me wrong, I love me a new year. I carefully craft my list o' resolutions, which will all be broken sometime in the month of January, without fail -- except one: begin the new year hangover free. Being boring has its benefits.
However, if you're ringing in the new year in style, and not in your pajamas here are some tips I gathered to avoid starting off 2011 under the covers, head pounding.
2011 Hangover Helpers
1) BLOODY MARY - My personal favorite, not to mention it's mighty tasty. Hair of the dog and all that. Gather up some vodka and bloody mary mix prior to your night on the town so you're all set to fight the hangover beast. Just don't drink too many or you'll have a repeat episode on January 2nd.
2) BANANA MILKSHAKE - Blend up a banana with milk and honey. Slurp it down. The milk will calm your tummy and assist in rehydration, the honey will help build up your blood sugar levels and the bananas are full of electrolytes, potassium and magnesium which are all things heavy drinking eats up and spits out.
3) EXERCISE - I don't know about you, but when I'm hung over running about and bouncing around is the LAST thing I want to do. However, seeing it's the new year and all, it may help you hop back on the resolution train. Turns out it will also get your blood flowing and apparently bodies like that sort of thing. Just remember to drink oodles of water while you work it out.
4) ORANGE JUICE - Drink it up with or without leftover champagne, either way the vitamin C will stimulate your aching liver to help eliminate alcohol. Just don't drink it in excess or you'll be spending the first day of the new year getting intimate with Mr. Porcelain Bowl.
5) WATER - Good ol' H2O is your BFF when it comes to swinging a few (or 10) back. Drink buckets and buckets of it the morning after, but also drink one glass of water per alcoholic drink you consume to allow your body time to process the spirits you've slugged down. Your body can only process about 3/4 an ounce of alcohol per hour, so slow and steady wins that race.
6) EGGS - Devouring a few eggs the morning after one too many "cheers" is eggxactly what your body needs. Eggs contain large amounts of cysteine, which actually goes to work breaking down hangover causing toxins, not to mention they're yummy & will give you some eggcellent energy. (New Year's Resolution #48: Lay off the puns.)
7) CHOCOLATE MILK - Other than a Bloody Mary, this is my go-to hangover remedy. I'm sure regular ol' white milk will also do the job just fine, but there's something soothing and indulgent about sipping down the chocolate variety. The milk will sooth your stomach, just sip slowly.
8) BACK TO THE FUTURE "WAKE-UP JUICE" - In Back To The Future: Part 3, Doc Brown gets snookered on whiskey and a bartender concocts a hangover cure called "wake-up juice". Trusty Wikipedia says this includes this includes tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, chili peppers, onion, and mustard seed. I'm not sure if that's steeped, blended or souped, but if it's good enough for Doc, it's good enough for me.
9) PICKLE JUICE - A Polish hangover standby is pickle juice. I know, ewwww. However a little research dug up the factoid that the vinegar in pickle juice is full of healing salts, minerals, and naturally occurring antioxidants. Bottoms up!
10) PRAIRIE OYSTER - The thought of slurping down a raw egg accompanied by Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper & brandy may make your stomach somersault. However, this remedy is not only one of the oldest on the books, but it is known to be James Bond's cure of choice. To assure it's effectiveness, do not shake nor stir.
11) COCONUT WATER - One of the most popular "sport's drinks" these days is coconut water. In terms of good for you, it blows Gatorade out of the water. It excels at re-hydration, boosts your immune system, hydrates your skin, cleanses the endocrine systems, aids in digestion and regulates body temperature. All things your hungover self needs to get up and at 'em.
To say Sara is a woman of many hats would be like saying sour gummy worms are delicious: an epic understatement. Besides blogging, vlogging, tweeting and designing, she is a gal about town. Hopping, skipping and jumping all over this fair city to seek out the latest and greatest.
Since moving to Milwaukee right after high school, Sara's ADD has led her to reside in nearly every ZIP code Milwaukee has to offer. She recently moved from the Third Ward to Shorewood, and though the quieter scene isn't sucking, she vows to prove the burbs' swagger is right up there with the city's.
The Milwaukee area is one of many hats. And Sara's determined to try on each and every one of 'em.
