20 Dec Stay on track over Christmas
It’s that time of year again with Christmas fast upon us. The trees and lights go up and so too do the temptations. Parties, booze and chocolates are all on the agenda for many when the calendar year comes to an end.
In this blog post, I will outline a few ways you can keep on track with your fitness goals over the festive period.
First up, exercise.
After this year, we’re probably all experts at constructing effective home work outs but here are a few tips anyway.
Exercises like squats, lunges and push ups will work a lot of muscle and as such will burn a lot of calories. On top of this they can be done with little to no equipment and require very little space.
Work outs can be done in a circuit (one after the other with little to no rest in between) or in an interval style with a work interval coupled with a rest interval.
Sessions can be made harder by the order of the exercises selected, so putting squats before or after lunges for example would be harder than following squats with an upper body exercise like push ups.
If body weight is too easy, get creative! Have a look around the house for items like bottles, buckets and backpacks that can be filled up with water, sand, soil, books etc to increase the resistance and thus the difficulty.
Another way to increase the intensity is to include exercises like jumping jacks, burpees, sprints etc that will get the heart rate right up. If you can’t go outside or don’t have the space to sprint, do it inside on the spot. Lifting your knees to hip height while you run is a great way to get the heart rate up indoors without moving anywhere.
Christmas can be a great time to get out for a nice walk. You can stretch your legs, clear your head and get some refreshing fresh air while burning calories and getting some exercise. Depending on where you live, you might also get to take in some nice views and scenery.
Right, that’s a few tips on exercise now let’s look at nutrition.
The good news is that a lot of the food traditionally associated with Christmas are actually quite healthy. Think Turkey and vegetables! Portion sizes is the bigger issue here. One tip here is to eat slowly and aim to stop eating at 80% full. This way you’ll be much less likely to over eat. As for leftovers, try spreading them out over the rest of the week.
Flavouring and creamy sauces are high in calories and could be limited.
Your goal will determine how strict you need to be. If you are looking to be as lean as possible in the New Year then you will have to forego alcohol and chocolates and all their empty calories. If your goal allows a bit more wriggle room there’s nothing wrong with taking it if you want to and enjoying your Christmas. You can indulge yourself in moderation without going completely crazy.
It really boils down to what YOUR goal is and how rigidly you want/need to stick to it. If your goal allows it, perhaps you can relax a little and enjoy some treats in moderation without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Finally, I just want to touch on the mental side of keeping fit over Christmas.
People tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves to be perfect and Christmas is no different. The problem is perfection can never be attained anyway. In my experience, a lot of people seem to think if you are not strictly depriving yourself of everything you like and not adopting a “hardcore” approach then you are not doing it right and it won’t work. While results may be a little slower with a more moderate approach, they will also be easier to maintain. If you are serious about your health and fitness, then you need to ask yourself can you maintain this diet FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? If the answer is no, then it’s not the right diet for you.
Bottom line here is to view the big picture. If you’ve been eating well, exercising and moving towards your goals throughout the year then relaxing a little over the last 2 weeks of the year and enjoying your Christmas is not a problem and nothing to feel guilty about.
And that’s going to do it for today!
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Have a good one, enjoy it and stay safe.
Lift on, lift strong.
Conor.
No Comments