Staying on track during the silly season
The silly season is almost upon us, and this can be a really tough time for many when it comes to sticking to our health and fitness goals. All the catching up and busy schedules as we try to see everyone and tick off our to do list before Christmas means some of us might skip an exercise session or five while also eating and drinking way too much. But you can stay on track and it’s not as hard as you may think.
Research out of the US suggests the average person will put on 1-1.5kg over the Christmas holidays. When you’ve worked hard all year, even in lockdown, to stay fit and to reduce body fat, it’s frustrating to think it is so easy to go backwards in such a short period. I guess you could say no to all the catch ups over dinner and drinks, no to the parties, no to the celebratory drinks and special dinners and only say yes to extra gym sessions. But life is short, and the end of lockdown means it is even more important that we capitalise on social events that allow us to reconnect with family, friends and colleagues.
Planning and knowing what choices you need to make is really the key to keeping yourself on target over the Christmas period. Yep, it’s that simple. So, let’s take a quick look at my list of ways to be good to yourself and still have fun in the festive season:
Use your diary to organise your time. If you have a party that clashes with your usual workout time, slot the work out time in somewhere else such as before work. Don’t cancel it! If worse comes to worst, slot in a walk at lunchtime if you can’t do a morning session. Park the car away from the function and get a quick walk in before and after. Incidental exercise will be your friend during the chaos of Christmas.
An oldie but a goodie is to make sure you alternate drinks if you are imbibing some of the alcoholic stuff. One calorie laden beverage, one water (or soda water). You’ll stay hydrated, you are less likely to feel awful the next day and you will consume far less in terms of empty calories. #winning.
Don’t go to a party hungry. It’s like heading to the supermarket on an empty stomach – you will make poor choices. Let’s face it, finger food at parties is highly tempting but it is usually fried or full of stuff you don’t need to eat. Make yourself up a tasty vegie soup or have a light but nutritious dinner before you go so the siren call of the fried dim sum doesn’t tempt you to the dark side.
You can’t “out exercise” a whole lot of dodgy food choices so be selective if you are going to sample some of the party morsels that come your way. A little moderation will see you enjoying the culinary delights at a party without overindulging and feeling blue when your pants are too tight when December tips into January.
Get some sleep! Not enough sleep will have you cancelling your exercise because you are too tired, and your resolve is weakened by exhaustion. You’ll also make poor food choices for the same reasons. So, turn off the Netflix and get to bed at a reasonable hour and rest your weary head on those nights you can so you can cope with the nights you do have to be out late.
It’s OK to say no. You don’t have to attend every party. You don’t have to try every beverage or food item that walks past you on a silver tray. You can say yes to looking after yourself and heading to the gym and then home to a healthy dinner and a rocking good night’s sleep. You don’t need to be at everything! You do need to be good to yourself!
This year, I have some fun planned to keep you on track with the December Daily Dare. Think you don’t have enough time to keep your fitness up AND enjoy all that the silly season has to offer?
Think again!
The December Daily Dare is a challenge exercise that will be posed in our VIP Facebook group each day will only take you 4 to 10 minutes to complete. Everyone can find 240 to 600 seconds in the day to whip a kick exercise so if you want in, get in contact, and keep your eyes on your health and fitness goals all the way through to the New Year.