Christmas survival tips to ensure that you make it through the last weeks of 2020 in the best shape possible. Christmas (in my opinion) is the single greatest time of the year. It is a time to celebrate accomplishments. There is the catching up with family and friends and an opportunity to be thankful for all the great things we are lucky enough to have.
It is also a time of year when staying on top of your health and fitness can be incredibly challenging. With a year of hard work under your belt, the last thing you want is for that to be undone over a few weeks of indulgence. It is entirely possible to have the best of both worlds over the next few months. Staying fit and healthy whilst indulging. All it takes is a bit of hard work, commitment to your goals and willingness to push yourself a bit harder than normal.
Below are some Christmas survival tips and hints designed to make the festive period a bit more manageable.
Nutrition
Reducing the amount of calories in alcohol
The Christmas period is usually a time of year that involves increased alcohol consumption. End of year parties, catching up with friends, the warmer weather or visiting family can cause alcohol to flow more freely than it otherwise would throughout the year. I am the first to admit that Christmas isn’t Christmas unless there are some drinks involved.
A great idea around alcohol is to try and reduce the amount of calories that you will be having. This is because not all drinks are created equal. Smartly substituting high calorie alcohols with low calorie alcohols (swap the rum and coke for a vodka soda), means that you are already making the best out of an otherwise tricky situation.
Lighten the Christmas meals
The festive period is always a time where food intake tends to increase as well. Catching up with friends and family, out for lunches and dinners means that there are quite a few 3-4-course meals that you need to get through. Similar to alcohol, Christmas wouldn’t be the same if we tried to cut all of this out. Instead, we need to find the best way to manage it.
Here are some handy Christmas survival tips that will allow you to make the most of those bigger eating events;
- Start the day positive. Eat a well balanced, healthy and nutritious breakfast to get the metabolism kick-started.
- Never skip breakfast. Your body will go into ‘storage mode’ and hold on to it when the next meal is consumed.
- If you are cooking, make protein the focus of the meal. Prawns, leg ham and turkey are all fantastic Christmas options. Yes they wouldn’t be the same without the accompanying sides, but if you focus on the protein, you are less likely to have the increased carbohydrate intake.
Increase the amounts of Vitamins and Minerals
The increased calorie content is not the only problem Christmas creates for the fitness routine.
Alcohol, processed foods and sugary desserts are all lacking in quality nutritional content. A whole month of these activities means that your body can really miss out on the value that good nutritional intake provides. You need to make sure you are getting enough nutrients all year round. They ensure that your body is running properly, keep you safe from disease and infection, promote optimal health and much more.
The increased intake of alcohol and low quality foods also has a negative impact on your immune system. Getting adequate nutrients can help strengthen your immune system and reduce your chances of contracting the common cold or the flu.
Exercise
Be prepared to mix it up
Exercising from the middle of December to the middle of January is probably more difficult than any other time of the year. A few of our key Christmas survival tips aims to help solve this issue.
There are more social commitments (so less time to exercise) and it can get easy to lose sight of your goals. Additionally, the increased consumption of alcohol probably leaves you with very little motivation to exercise.
Understand that some of the structure of a regular exercise routine might go out the window & embrace it!
Sure you might not be able to get to the gym every day, but if you find that you have a spare 20 minutes, put on your shoes and go outside for a run.
Not sure of what to do?
Ask your trainer for some advice and they can set you up with a 20-minute at-home workout that will get the heart pumping. Something is always better than nothing!
The more flexible you are, the more opportunities you will have to do some exercise.
Use your time wisely
As already mentioned, time is always limited over the festive season. Use the time that you do have wisely. If you realise that you only have 30 minutes instead of your normal 60 to do a workout, make sure that you use those 30 minutes as best as possible. No messing around! Get the heart rate up, and do not stop moving until time is up!
There is no such thing as a bad workout if you go 100%, the only bad workout is the one you waste, or even worse, do not do.
Embrace the weather
Christmas time in Australia is always going to be hot. It is fantastic, but can also make exercise a bit more challenging.
Dehydration, fatigue and general lethargy are all common symptoms of extreme heat, and with this will come the lack of exercise. Use the conditions to your advantage! If it is hot, head out for a swim, it will be a lovely change from the normal.
Lifestyle
Get some sleep
The extra social commitments you have over Christmas make it very difficult to get a proper amount of sleep each night.
Unfortunately, failing to get enough sleep can have a negative effect on your body. That is why over the festive period it is extra important to catch up on your sleep whenever you can. If you have a free evening, try to get to bed extra early.
If you have a late night party coming up, try and fit in a nap beforehand. Maximising the amount of sleep you get over Christmas can help you on top of your health over a challenging time.
Manage the stress
Christmas is a stressful time of year.
That is all there is to it.
Parties, presents, work commitments, food, alcohol, cooking, holidays, shopping…the list goes on and it can get very overwhelming. Ensuring that you manage the stress that is involved with all of this is really important for your health. Take time to process everything, plan in advance and write lists. Getting it all out of your head and on to paper is the first step to managing what can be a very challenging time.
Find balance!
Following on from managing the stress is making sure that you always find balance with everything that is going on.
Balance will mean that you do not burn out and can keep going. Always make sure that you find 15-20 minutes each day where you can focus on yourself. Sit in the sun, read a book, go for a swim/walk, play a game. Do something that takes the focus off all the other noise around you. Your body will be refreshed and thankful for the opportunity to reset.
The festive season is what you make it. It can be a time where all health goals go out the window, but forgetting to eat well and exercise will only cause you to finish the year feeling worn out, overweight and like you need to start all over again in the New Year.
Use this time as an opportunity to challenge yourself to see if you really are capable of managing the most challenging of situations. Take advantage of these Christmas survival tips. It is guaranteed you that you will finish the year feeling accomplished, motivated and successful, giving yourself the momentum needed to turn 2021 into an even better year than 2020.
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