Womens_Health_Australia_December_2016

How to...

How to...

DRINK

SMARTER

LEAVE A

LASTING

IMPRESSION

How to...

AVOID FOOD &

BOOZE BLOWOUTS

If Feb’s about fasting, December’s about

drinking. Here’s how to say ‘cheers’

throughout the month without going OTT...

Schmoozing tactics from

Susan RoAne, author

of How to Work a Room

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FIRST SIP As you start drinking, alcohol

molecules locate your bloodstream and

brain, and you start to feel mellow.

DRINK SMARTER Avoid diet mixers. They

hit your bloodstream 15 minutes earlier than

regular mixers and cause 50 per cent higher

blood sugar alcohol levels.

SIGNAL FAILURE You’re two G&Ts in and

already alcohol molecules have passed from

your brain’s capillaries into the surrounding

cells. Translation: you start to get a little fuzzy.

DRINK SMARTER Try downing 1 tsp olive oil

before, or just after, you’ve had a glass. It can

slow the absorption of alcohol.

THE HAPPY HAZE Isn’t everyone great?

Really great? Friends, colleagues, the random

in the loos – you want to hug them all. That’s

because your inhibiting frontal lobe activity

is being suppressed.

DRINK SMARTER Your liver metabolises one

unit of booze an hour, so a standard glass of

champers should take you two hours. Add ice

• it melts slowly, diluting the alcohol. Though
  prepare to be judged by wine snobs.

SLURRED LINES Uh-oh, the alcohol is messing

with your occipital lobe, the part of the brain

that helps you interpret what you see. That

means you and everyone else is that bit more

attractive. Aka: beer goggles.

DRINK SMARTER Order a juice. Vitamin C helps

your body to metabolise alcohol.

BOOZY FLOOZY Dopamine is making you

seek out sex – yep. That, mixed with those

beer goggles, what a combo!

DRINK SMARTER Too late. It’s 9am. Find eggs

• their cysteine can help strip alcohol toxins.
  Sadly, it can’t erase what you did last night.

> Stay on the

opposite side

of the room

to the food

table.

> Serve your food on an

entree plate rather than

a dinner plate – people

eat a lot more from

larger dishes.

a

b

c

Know the news. “Have things

t o t a l k a b o u t , ” s a y s R o A n e. C u r r e n t

events are automatic chitchat

fodder. But do try to stay away from

talking politics. Peace out.

cc

52 womenshealth.com.au DECEMBER 2016