How To Make It Past Midnight And Make The Most Of New Years Eve

We all want to ring in the New Year with style. Pop bottles. Watch the ball drop. Kiss a stranger. These are not recommendations, just possibilities. There’s only one way to keep these option available–control the glucose. So, how do we do set ourselves up to enjoy the biggest celebration of the year?

It all starts with knowing where we’re at to start the night. Always, my goal is to keep my blood sugar in a place where I can be present and mindful of my choices. If you go into the evening in your range, this gives us the opportunity to actively make choices:

– Should I take this jello shot?
– Is IHOP a good idea at 4AM?
– Should I make this my personal bottle of champagne?

On the biggest of celebratory days, I like to do a bit of exercise early in the day. Exercise levels out the numbers and gives me a better chance to start the night off right. It helps limit the amount of insulin I have in my system when I take my first sip. The less insulin I have in my system, the better the odds are that I won’t crash hard after midnight.

Before you embark on the New Years Eve journey, eat a nutrient-rich, protein and carb balanced meal. This needs to stick with you for awhile. Nothing is worse than going low and hungry right as the night gets going.

Test your blood sugar when you go to the bathroom. If you’re like me, this is about once an hour.

Drink water. Helps you bounce back a tad quicker while you binge-watch football on January 1st.

Pack snacks. Be that person in the corner eating a fruit-roll up. It’s a conversation starter. If it’s late in the evening and you see or feel your sugar trending down, catch the low blood sugar before it traps you with anxiety. I find it hard to come back from a low at a party. Prevention is the key. My old friend, the Clif Bar, has salvaged many a night for me.

This is the last and probably most important bit of advice. Make sure to communicate with your friends. If you’re uncomfortable taking shots, tell them to not offer you them. Remind them of your low blood sugar symptoms. Tell them not to take offense if they see you chugging OJ straight.

Wishing you all a festive start to 2016! Happy New Years!