It’s no secret that Christmas time can be a tough time for people to stay on track with health and fitness goals. With extra food, drink and holiday closure of gyms and sporting groups it can be easy to slip backwards on the progress you have made through the year. At the same time, it’s important to spend time with family and enjoy a little indulgence, so how do we strike a good balance? The easiest way to keep on top of things is to keep in perspective, after all, our bodies reflect what we choose to do between New Year and Christmas, not what we choose to do between Christmas and New Year!
Keeping that in mind, here are my best tips to have fun and also stay on track over the holidays:
Keep your steps up. 6000-10,000 steps a day is a good target for most people. Walking daily helps us maintain many health benefits including reducing stress and tension, improving cognition, immunity, memory and sleep and also increases energy levels. Keeping your steps up will provide a base level of activity to help you stay in good habits over the break without overexerting yourself.
Be wise about what you put in your mouth. Eat a healthy vegetable based meal before you head out to any function. Having a belly full of good, nutritious food will help you feel fuller when you get there – meaning you can enjoy the goodies on offer in moderation and guilt free. It will also make sure you stay in good habits for the days after the holidays, keeping regular meal times of high quality nutritious food will nourish you so you don’t end up with that overfull/undernourished post Christmas slump.
Get outside early. It gets hot over the holidays, sometimes it can be too hot for exercise at 8am, so getting up and about in the early hours of the day will help you keep your activity levels up. If you miss the window, a swim is always a good option for a cooler exercise option.
Stay hydrated. We tend to drink a little more alcohol over the holidays, counterbalance your alcoholic drinks with water. This one is especially useful for work dinners! Doing this will not only reduce the severity of the following days dehydration but will also help you dial down the amount of alcohol you consume.
Get involved in the fun stuff. If there is a game of backyard cricket on, jump in! If there is a slippery dip, jump on! If there is a day at the beach, go for a swim! Don’t spend life sitting on the side-lines, get in and have a go! It will keep you active and healthy, and who knows you might jus find your next passion.
Give yourself permission to take a break. Each year it’s ok to have a little indulgence and the summer holidays are a good opportunity to do just that. I give all my clients time off to let their hair down, forget about health and fitness and just have a good time. This way we can hit the next year of training fresh and re-energised. Whatever damage you do over the 2 weeks of Christmas we can sort out over in the other 50 weeks of the year.
Most importantly enjoy the season. I’m currently taking expressions of interest for clients for 2024. If you are interested please contact me at ange@foreverfitter.com.au