This month we asked sports medicine expert Dr George Janko, McKinnon Sports Medicine for his team’s top lifestyle and fitness tips for surviving this silly season.

• Increase that training – whatever it may be. Let’s up the ante! Push harder, faster, stronger, and longer! Do something each day even if only a brisk walk. Remember getting a bit of a sweat up is the thing.
• Get enough sleep. Australians are sleep deprived and during the silly season, more so then ever. So sleep your way to the top and make it a pact to get an extra hour sleep a night whenever you can fit it in.
• Watch what you eat and try to get back to your normal weight before all the grog and food to come. Remember less fat, fewer takeaways (except for salads without mayo), and when you eat out ask for sauces on the side (usually that will mean fewer kilojoules).
• A bottle of white, a bottle of red, maybe a bottle of rose instead. For those who don’t remember this Billy Joel song remember that while alcohol has some anti-oxidant qualities, too much is not too good. Try to have at least three alcohol free days and keep the other days for up to four standard drinks per day only for men and two standard drinks for women.
• Get a massage to take time out for yourself. We all get a bit tired before the Christmas break arrives and a massage is a great way to revive your energy.
• Look after you biomechanics. A new pair of runners might be a great X-mas present. Now is the time to drop some hints. Remember the most important thing about runners is the “last”. This is the way the sole is attached to the upper. The shoe should not twist or bend in the mid foot. It should only bend in the toe region.
• Remember that life is a team sport. Make time for all those important people in your life. It is they who give your life meaning.
• Lastly, remember those New Year resolutions could start now! Give yourself a head start — why wait to the 1st of January?

Your say: How do you keep healthy over the festive season?

Video: Christmas detox