My top tips for Your Healthy(ish) Christmas
There are many moments of the year, heck even the week, when you should not give into temptation, however, Christmas is not one of those times.
This is not an article on the best workouts to do to help you burn fat, it’s better, because it will give you the tools so you won’t need those kind of intense workouts in the first place.
1. Control your environment – I know and you know that you’re going to crack into that tin of Roses and suddenly you’re ten wrappers deep, 500 calories in and need to be forcefully removed from the tin before it gets worse. My solution for any of these highly rewarding, highly calorific foods is to take what you need and then put them out of sight. It’s always easier to control your environment than control your willpower so put the tin away!
2. Have that drink but be clever – the entire goal of training is so you don’t have to overly focus on your nutrition. So, have that drink or 2 but drink lots of water and if possible choose a drink with the lowest impact in terms of calories. I have noticed a trend lately especially on social media how some express how strict they are with their nutrition. This might be necessary for certain goals but if you can’t go a little off-piste during the festive season and get away with it then you really need to address what it is you’re actually doing in your training or maybe you didn’t actually go off-piste, you went to a whole other mountain with total reckless abandon?
3. Balance it out – it can be easy to fall out of habits especially when hangovers are involved so the best approach is to do a lighter form of workout. We are all human and feel the associated guilt of overeating and drinking. The automatic response can be to want to do a training session at a really high intensity, yet this is the exact opposite of what should be done. You need to do a session to get you back on track and then the day AFTER that you can push it a bit more. The reality is that you might have drunk and eaten too much but one intense session that leads you to not be able to move for a few days from muscle soreness, is not going to make a dent in the calories you consumed so think ‘Work it off over a few lighter days’ NOT one hour of puke inducing training that could lead to injury.
4. Drink more water – Yes, the most obvious piece of advice out there but one that goes completely out the window at this time of the year. Fill a large reusable bottle with water and carry it with you everywhere, drink two of these daily. Will it negate the effects of the four mince pies you ate? No chance, but it will mean you might not go completely off the rails and become one of the people that gains on average 9lbs over Christmas simply because by drinking more water you’ll be less likely to drink soft drinks and often times it’s not more food you need, just more water.
5. Blend it to mend it - I give the final word to my wife who suggests if you are hungover, rather than a dirty big fry, make yourself a smoothie with spinach and kale which can help with detoxification (in the alcoholic sense), fresh ginger to help settle your tummy, coconut water which is high in electrolytes and great for rehydration, throw in a handful of oats which give B Vits for energy, some Turmeric which is an anti-inflammatory, an apple for a bit of sweetness and loads of ice.
Have a great Christmas everyone and remember the goal is to maintain the improvements you’ve made leading up to this point. If you gain a pound or two then don’t sweat it because let’s face it no good party ever started with salad and herbal tea.