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Love Your New Products? Leave A Product Review & Win a $100 Gift Voucher | You Will Be Contacted Via DM!
Date Posted:3 December 2019
Christmas is right around the corner, and many often take this as a green light to stray from their usual diets and overindulge. It's often that time of year when we eat like a pig and drink booze to excess, which incapacitates us for days. If the season challenges your self-control and you fear you'd gain tons of weight when the festivities end, then worry not. We'll help you plan your holiday break so you'll never feel guilty of writing the same new year's resolution year after year.
This post is for people who need a simple routine and a few reminders to avoid some holiday temptations while still enjoy the special occasion.
Here are 12 tips to help you stay fit over Christmas
1. Don't head out to parties with an empty stomach
Most of the time, we go with an empty stomach and eat our fill. You'll probably think that it's fine since it's not every day you get served up with your favourite dishes. Okay, so let me stop you there. It's not wrong to indulge, but Christmas party overindulgences are where you draw the line, or you'll end up regretting in the morning. The best thing to do is to eat a little bit of snack before going to a party or gathering where you know there'll be lots of food served.
2. Manage your choices of food/drinks/treats
It can be hard not to overindulge when presented with some festive Christmas treats. If there's no helping it, the next thing you can do is to manage your choices of food. Choose dishes that you only get to eat or enjoy during the holiday season. That way, you will never miss out and will feel the spirit of Christmas more. This means choose mince pies over pizza and Christmas sangria over beer.
3. Practice mindful eating
When we see the delicious and mouthwatering dishes before us, we can't help but put a bountiful on our plates, eat them fast and get more. One might think you're competing on who gets to eat more and are afraid of running out of food. It is not the way to enjoy food. Delicious food needs to be savoured, so you get to taste its flavour and texture. When you sit down, chew slowly and become mindful of what and how much you eat, you'll see that you enjoy the food more. The plus side is you don't overeat because you'll find yourself full in no time.
4. Never skip meals to make up for overindulging
Another mistake people often make is eating a lot and thinking they can make up for it by skipping a few meals the coming days. There's no such thing as making up for anything, especially if you have this kind of mindset all year long. You'll only dig a deeper hole for yourself and realise later that it's too late. Also, skipping meals is not the answer (unless you follow a schedule such as with the Intermittent fasting method), but discipline and self-control are if you want to stay fit.
5. Think before you drink
Available alcohol can be a surplus during the festive period, especially when you're ensconced at home. A couple of glasses of mulled wine on Christmas eve, hot buttered rum for breakfast, cocktails for lunch, and beer for afternoon snacks etc. The list seems endless, and so do the calories you'll gain. So, do try to keep tabs on the type of drinks and how much you're drinking. Also, learn to know your limits and say no.
6. Drink a lot of fluids
This does not include alcoholic drinks or booze of any kind. Simply stay hydrated with water or prepare an after Christmas cleansing with some detox drinks such as cucumber water, lemon ginger and lemon and mint. Drinking water does not only detoxify your body from all indulgences from the night before, but it also helps you keep off the pounds since it will satiate your appetite.
7. Find ways to stay active
There's no need to hit the gym if the nearest one is miles out of the way from where you are. Instead, get on with some activities that will help you sweat, burn some calories and stay fit during Christmas. For example, walk than drive, use the stairs more, go for a morning jog or turn your family garage into a temporary home gym. For sure, you can order a few gym equipments online or from sports store nearby.
8. Plan for a family outing
Celebrating the Christmas season does not mean staying all the time indoors. Find time to spend a few hours outdoors where the family can enjoy a walk around the park after the heavy meal or go snowshoeing or ice skating. There are many activities one can do to liven up the holidays more.
9. Don't forget your fitness goals
Enjoying the holiday period is no excuse to skip on your workouts and fitness routines. Try your best to fit your strength training routines in your schedule if you want to achieve your fitness and health goals. If you're currently under a bodybuilding or weight loss programme, it does not make sense to undo all the hard work and the times spend in making progress thus far. You can set a reminder for your daily exercises so you'll never forget.
10. Get regular sleep
Christmas is often the busiest of the month with social calendars filled with party invitations, dinner plans and other activities. It is tempting to attend them all if you don't want to miss out. However, this can take a toll in your sleep as these parties and gatherings often go up to late nights or early mornings. The next thing you know, you see bigger waistlines because of sleep deprivation. Scientific evidence shows that less sleep is associated with increased hunger and appetite, thus weight gain.
So there you go, these are our ten simple tips to help you stay fit and spend a healthier Christmas holiday. It is better to enjoy the fun festivities with your friends and families without guilt and regrets. You'll be happy to know you won't be including "losing weight" to one of your new year's resolutions.