3 tips to stay on track this Christmas

We’re officially in December, which means, it’s Christmas! 🎅

A time traditionally used as a (great) excuse to overindulge. As we laugh and joke with our family and friends we tend to eat and drink to our heart’s content.

Over this next month you’ll probably find lots of PTs and gyms try to guilt-trip you in to not giving up on your dedicated gym and meal prep regime.

But we aren’t here to tell you off for hibernating. Believe it or not, we sometimes recommend that our members take it easier during the festive season; because we encourage a lifestyle that can be enjoyed all year round.

So, with that said, we’ve come up with a few tips that you can follow to tackle the festive season in a way that allows you to joyfully indulge whilst not falling off the health and fitness wagon completely! 💪🏋

Using these tips could mean that, come the new year, when everyone else is unwillingly dragging themselves to the gym 5 days a week in a desperate attempt to erase a month of mulled wine and mince pies, you’ll still be in a swift routine and also much less likely to pack it in around February when the gym typically starts to empty!

1. Stay Active 🏃

(Of course) but not as you might typically think…Although we try to encourage our clients to keep up some sort of exercise over the Christmas period, we encourage them to do it in a way that fits in with their December schedule, instead of trying to stick with the routine they were maintaining beforehand, like swapping a few gym sessions for a brisk walk during week.

If you find yourself with lots of weekend plans with groups of people, why not try and incorporate a less strenuous form of exercise that you can all do together; perhaps a long country walk? If you’re all planning to meet up for a pub meal somewhere, see if there’s a park nearby where you can all walk round together before / after food and drink.

By incorporating exercise this way, you’re eliminating the guilty feeling that would come with indulging during the weekends and missing a few of your usual gym sessions.

2. Remember – moderation is key 🔑

As we’ve already mentioned, there will be days in the next month, like Christmas Eve, Day, Boxing day etc, that you will of course want to relax your nutritional choices, and that’s absolutely fine to do. However, it’s important that you then take advantage of the other days where you can control what you eat.

Also falling under this category may be the odd meal during your ‘relaxed days’ that can be controlled, such as breakfast. That means not eating a Full English with all-the-trimmings on Christmas day before the main event, but instead having something just as wholesome but more nutritious like our …? If you stick with moderation, you can spread out your indulgent moments throughout the month.

3. Stay hydrated 💦
This is a key habit that we work on with our members all year round because it is central to maintaining good overall health, regardless of gym routine and other consumption his simple habit can control cravings, calorie intake and even maintain balanced mood and energy levels.

Making sure you’re drinking enough can sound like an easy thing to do, however, we find that extra food and alcohol trumps water. Be sure to include extra water on the days you’re drinking or eating more this month.

As a guideline, we all know that we should be consuming at least 2 litres of water a day. If you’re drinking caffeine and alcohol however, try and drink a little more water on those days.

So, there you have it, our top tips for staying in control this winter. Keep moving in whatever form you can, even if it’s incorporating more walks into your days and weekends. Also, if you know you’ll be stuffing yourself like a turkey on Christmas Day, try and be mindful of what you’re eating around that day; save the calories (and the guilt) so you can fully enjoy the treat-yo-self moments throughout December. And finally, drink water! This last one cannot be stressed enough.

If you’re looking to maintain a healthy balance this Christmas but still unsure about how you’ll succeed, get in touch here to arrange a visit to our gym or a phone call with one of our expert PTs.