The holiday season is fast approaching. While we look forward to them, there looms the threat of all the hard work we've put into our health and fitness being thrown away. Too often I've heard clients confess how they use the holidays as an excuse to eat whatever they please and skip exercise, claiming it's just 'too hard' to be healthy during the holidays. However, there is a balance between enjoying the holidays and keeping your health on track. With the assistance of the following several tips, keeping on track will be both achievable and enjoyable.
Spend time with your family and friends.
Use your time off wisely; spend it with those you love. Take this opportunity to make memories with them, whether it be having a family dinner or chasing the kids around the park.
While your physical health is important, so is your mental health. Too often the importance of our mental health is dismissed. Spending time with your loved ones is crucial to your happiness and triggering endorphins.
Include more exercise.
It's understandable that celebrations/events, such as Christmas, will include foods that you would normally avoid.
To help you stay on track during this period we highly recommended increasing the amount of daily exercise/activity you're doing. After dinner, go for a walk to enjoy the weather. Play hide and seek with your nephews and nieces. Both activities are time efficient, can occur at various locations and events and can be completed with those around you. With practical forms of exercise such as these, in majority of cases, there is no real excuse not to exercise.
Enjoy your meal.
Enjoy your meal and the company you share it with. Eat slowly, converse with those around you. Give yourself time to understand whether you're still hungry or full. Drink a glass of water ten minutes before your meal. Don't be afraid of consuming a few festive sweets or alcohol with family and friends, just be conscious of how much you're consuming of alcohol and those tasty sweets.
Starving yourself during celebrations is not the way to go, often leading to over consumption. Instead fill your plates with lots of leafy greens and protein.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
