Some people look forward to Christmas and all its excesses – but if you’re trying to stay healthy, you’d be forgiven for dreading this season a little.
It can be incredibly hard to keep on track at Christmas and stick to your regular diet and training goals. Hard, yes – but not impossible.
With Bod Pod’s help and our handy hints, you’ll be able to easily stay healthy at Christmas, and you won’t have to miss out on any of the fun!
Make a Plan to Keep on Track at Christmas Time
Get planning early
We are most likely to fall off our normal diet and exercise regimes when we aren’t prepared. Christmas is a very spontaneous time, with routines and regular plans going out the window and random parties and drink sessions popping up out of nowhere.
You can help yourself by making a calendar over the Christmas and New Year period so you can lay out in front of you where you will be, how many social events you have, if you are travelling and any other changes in routine.
Then you can plan for when you need to schedule your exercise in and how to move it around as you need. You can also work out what situations you will be in that might affect your diet as well, and plan for these too.
Schedule in exercise
If your normal routine is all over the place you should schedule in some exercise sessions to make certain that they happen. Put these into the plan you started writing above. If you are travelling, investigate options for exercising such as a gym at the hotel or a park or beach nearby where you can go for a run.
If you are staying with family or friends make sure that you add some exercise to every day – you could go for a long walk after lunch or organise everyone to play cricket or frisbee. You could also put together an awesome Christmas dance mix and get your groove on.
Be creative with recipes and options
There is no reason to miss out on anything at Christmas. Whatever treat you are partial to, you are guaranteed to be able to recreate it using non-traditional recipes to fit in with your diet. If you are eating low-calorie, or are following a diet such as intermittent fasting, keto or paleo, you can still enjoy treats.
Look for recipes that fit in with your diet and then offer to make one or two of these and bring them along to any parties. The other guests are likely to be super happy that you did because you are certain to not be the only one trying to stay on track at Christmas.
There are some great links to healthy Christmas recipes below:
https://themerrymakersisters.com/easy-paleo-christmas-recipes/
If you are driving or flying for long periods, have healthy snacks ready to take with you, because you may not be able to get these while travelling.
Fill up before any parties
If you are going to parties and bars, make a plan beforehand about what you will eat and drink so that you aren’t tempted and you don’t go hungry either.
Most parties will have some reasonably healthy food options as people become more and more aware of looking after our bodies. You might find that hosts put on options for particular dietary needs such as gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free.
Just to be on the safe side, fill up before you go to any party with a big salad so that if there really isn’t much there to choose from, you don’t fill up on junk.
Watch your alcohol calories
If you like to enjoy a Christmas drink, be aware that this will stack on some empty calories. Keep an eye on how much you drink, and alternate every alcoholic drink with water.
Watch out for pre-mixes which are high in sugar and any fruity or cream-based cocktails. Most beers are high in carbohydrates, but you can find some low-carb ones. Wine is fairly high in calories, so if you’d like a drink you might be best with a clear spirit like gin or vodka, and a sugar-free mixer like tonic or soda water.
When we drink alcohol we also tend to eat more and make poorer dietary choices, both while we are drinking and especially when we are hungover. Be aware of this.
Drink even more water than usual
This is a great time of year to increase your hydration levels – between the summer heat, increased activity and stress and any alcohol you might be enjoying, your body will love getting some extra water every day.
Carry your water bottle everywhere you go and make sure that you empty and fill it again at least 3 times throughout the day.
Make a promise to a friend
We are so much more likely to stick to a diet and exercise regime if we rope in a friend with us. Convince a friend to help you stick to your plan, and then check in with each other constantly throughout the Christmas period. Invite each other to exercise together and look after each at parties.
Allow yourself to cheat a little
Every healthy lifestyle includes some cheat meals and some treats in moderation. Studies show that we are far more likely to stick to a dietary regime long-term if we allow ourselves to take a little break from it every now and then.
If you enjoy a little treat, knowing that tomorrow you are back on your full plan without slipping then you will feel better, happier and more relaxed through Christmas.
Refer back the plan you started at the beginning and map out which events or days are going to be your cheat and treat times – this will help you keep on track throughout the rest. You can look forward to these treat times knowing that you will still look and feel amazing.
