How many times have you fallen off the health wagon when the festive season rolled around and all your hard work has seemed like it was for nothing?
With Christmas just around the corner most of us are faced with the yearly dilemma of getting through the festive season without putting on those unwanted kilos or letting our hard work from all the years training go down the drain. Not to mention setting another New Years Resolution around losing weight and improving our health again and feeling as though we are just repeating the process each year until next Christmas.
Staying active and eating good quality food should be a priority year round, but with the extra parties and family celebrations sometimes it’s hard to stay on track and start the New Year feeling fresh and ready for new challenges. Instead we overindulge, over consume alcohol, cease all forms of training and forget about most of the simple little practices we can do each day to remain happy, healthy and ready for anything.
Here are our top tips to avoiding too much Christmas Cheer:
Keep well hydrated (we mean water)
- Keep your water intake up especially when consuming alcohol, when outside always have access to water to avoid dehydration.Try and do some movement everyday (this doesn’t mean to the fridge and back)
Try and do some movement everyday (this doesn’t mean to the fridge and back)
- It doesn’t have to be planned but a quick circuit at home or the gym, a walk outside or some games with family and friends are great ways to keep active.
Stretch first thing in the morning
- If flexibility hasn’t been your strong point try having a 10-20min stretch first thing before breakfast, this will help you feel refreshed and ready to go out and attack the day.
Create your own dishes and cook your own food
- Try and create your own dishes using fresh, local produce. There is nothing more satisfying then taking a homemade dish around to gatherings knowing that it is healthy.
Avoid spending too much time on your phone (enjoy everyone’s company)
- Learn to spend more time absorbed in family conversation and have fun. This is a great time of the year to be able to relax and spend less time on your phones.
Include plenty of seafood, vegetables and fresh fruit into your meals
- Keeping your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables high should be a priority because of the nutrients they contain. Christmas is a great time of year to get into the seafood as well.
Get outside and enjoy the outdoors (don’t be a hermit)
- Enjoy your time off from work, get some sun and if you live near the ocean go for a swim. Being outside in nature is a great way to improve stress levels and feel great.
So keep it simple, enjoy being surrounded by friends & family, try to keep most of your food fresh and unprocessed and move every day. If you can aim to do these simple things you’re well on the way to feeling great come 2016 and ready to face new challenges.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
