So you've eaten, you've drunk, and you've made merry - now it's time to whip your sorry self back into shape. But don't pussyfoot around: if you're looking for a maximum-strength workout for the body and mind, Bikram yoga is the thing.
There are classes throughout the week at the Bikram studio in Belfast's Queen Street. It's very hot and steamy - the room is heated to 40 degrees, with 40 per cent humidity, mimicking the swampy heat of India - so that the body's muscles and tendons can stretch more easily. For 90 minutes, you will sweat like never before, as you attempt to contort your body into a variety of improbable positions. Knees trembling, cheeks burning, perspiration dripping off the end of your nose, you quickly realise that this is not a class for the faint-hearted.
But the feeling of well-being that washes over you when you make it through the full 90 minutes is unparalleled. Glowing skin, de-stressed shoulders and, in the longer term, the loss of flab, makes Bikram the perfect antidote to excess. See www.bikramyogabelfast.com and, in Harold's Cross, Dublin 6W, www.bikramyoga.ie