A Guide to Staying Fit and Healthy During the Festive Period

Christmas is the one time of year when the last thing you want to do is worry about overindulging a little while tucking into all the delicious food you'll inevitably be surrounded by. However, if you find that you beat yourself up every January, this can turn into a vicious cycle. Everything can be enjoyed in moderation, and it's certainly the case during the festive season. So, how do we stop ourselves from suffering setbacks with our health and fitness goals while also savoring the hearty Christmas fare and slower pace of life?

Throughout this guide, we'll show you that it's possible to strike a balance between the two without making too many sacrifices along the way.

Maintain Your Exercise Routine

If you have a solid workout schedule and have found activities you genuinely like, you likely won't have too much difficulty keeping up with your exercise routine. Keeping this aspect of your daily life consistent will motivate you to stick to your nutritional goals. That's not to say that you need to start your Christmas morning with a run, but it will give you some structure to make staying on track that much easier. Those of you who are gym bunnies might find this slightly more challenging, depending on how long your local spot closes for over the holidays. However, there are plenty of home workouts that will tide you over, and some exercise is always better than none.

Stick To Healthy, Everyday Meals Where Possible

Christmas dinners, get-togethers with old friends, office parties, and all of the other social events associated with the festive period often center around food. Instead of feeling guilty while dining out, focus on ensuring your other meals are healthy and nutrient-dense. That way, you can enjoy the best of both worlds rather than having an all-or-nothing approach. If you're worried that all these food-centered gatherings will throw you off course, it may be worth putting some preventative measures in place for yourself. This might include meal-prepping healthy dinners or driving to and from events to avoid overdoing it on alcoholic drinks.

Plan Ahead of Time

Sometimes, the best way to ensure you keep up with your good habits is to plan ahead. When you know you have an event coming up that will involve food and drinks, map out the rest of your week around this outing by making sure it doesn't interrupt your workouts or other meals. It's also worth noting that you need to be realistic with yourself when working around these happenings. For example, it may not be wise to schedule a gym session the morning after a late night that ill likely involve alcohol!

Avoid Skipping Meals

While cutting out or skipping meals here and there might be tempting to do some damage control before or after dining out, this can be counter-productive. That's not to mention how it can lead to the development of an unhealthy mindset towards food. Whenever you feel you've gone off course, rather than punish yourself, simply continue as normal and keep up your other healthy habits. Additionally, skipping lunch will only leave you feeling hungrier than usual and more likely to overdo it while you're out.

Fill Up on Nutrient-Dense Snacks

If you're worried about going overboard at any of the festive gatherings you have lined up, stocking up on nutritious, filling snacks will make staying on top of your goals much more manageable.  Keeping snacks that you enjoy on hand is always a good idea. This is especially true if you find it tough to turn down the chocolate, cakes, and candies that are generally found in every other home and workplace during the festivities. Fruits, nuts, chopped veggies, chickpeas, and popcorn are all excellent options.

Make an Effort to Up Your Water Intake

Our bodies sometimes confuse hunger with thirst, so ensuring you drink enough water will help you make more balanced choices when it comes to food. Consuming plenty of water helps boost your metabolism and suppress your appetite, reducing your risk of loading up on unhealthy meals and snacks. Some people struggle to drink sufficient water, and if this is something you relate to, increase your intake by adding some flavorings to your water bottle or trying some low-calorie teas. Drinking plenty of water before meals will help you make better choices when dinnertime rolls around.

Add Short Walks to Your Daily Routine

Building movement breaks into your everyday routine is among the most manageable ways to keep a handle on your fitness in the lead-up to Christmas. Even if you have a well-rounded exercise regime, upping your steps each day is a great way to balance things out if you're concerned about those extra desserts and beers that come with the festivities!

Adding a couple of 10 or 15-minute walks into your schedule will allow you to enhance your step count to boost your physical and mental health.

Cut Yourself Some Slack

One of the most important things to do around Christmas time is to be kind to yourself. Eating more and moving less than usual at this time of year is perfectly normal. As such, try to give yourself some grace if you don't always reach your step count or eat one too many servings of buttery mashed potato! Making positive lifestyle choices for the majority of the year is far more impactful than relaxing your habits for short periods here and there. Just as exercising for a week won't suddenly make you fit, feasting on junk food for a few days won't undo all of your hard work.

Stay In Shape This Christmas by Following These Simple Steps

A little mindfulness and planning can go a long way when you're trying to maintain your healthy habits over the holidays. Creating balance can be tricky at first, but once you find your feet, you'll see that you don't need to feel that you've fallen off the wagon by feasting on your favorite foods!