Christmas. Boxing Day. New Year.
There's a few things that'll really derail your diet and undo your hard-earned progress...right!?
Well no, not if you're intelligent about it!
Remember: your body does not give a shit that its Christmas!
It's going to do what it always does; maintain homeostasis and store excess energy as body fat. If you let it!
Here are a few ways to ensure you can have a great festive period without it ruining the last month or two's progress:
1. Keep exercising!
Yes it's too cold to go to the gym, yes you have time off work, yes you want to spend time with friends and family.
Good! They are all good reasons not to spend hours in the gym 7 days a week. But ask yourself; can you really not spend an hour maintaining your physique which you (may or may not 😬) have worked so hard to achieve!?
Is it worth it for that extra day of gorging on pigs in blankets and chocolate when, let's face it: you're already sick of them after the big day!
You should also make an effort to get your steps in and go for a walk with friends and family, this will get you out of the house away from any annoying relatives and burn some calories!
2. Reduce calories on days you have control of!
Obviously I'm not going to suggest tracking your calorie intake on Christmas Day! However...
What about all of the other days in December when you're not counting your calories? There are probably several days such as Christmas parties which you want to enjoy and not have to worry about it.
That's fine!!! 🤩
All that means is you should take more care on the days you don't have anything on and you are able to track or be more mindful!
Going a few hundred calories lower to make up for the other days is a great way to help balance out the month of December!
3. Don't eat for the sake of eating!
We've all been there, eating the extra roast potato which you didn't actually want, you just ate it because it was there!
Avoid overeating unnecessarily at all costs! Eat the amount you would like to eat, drink some water (not alcohol) during your meal and enjoy the feeling afterwards of knowing you haven't ruined your physique!
4. Share (or regift) your chocolate which relatives and friends have given you!
Enjoy some of the festive treats which will inevitably be lying around your house but try to moderate this.
Get it out of your house by the end of Boxing Day!
Regifting treats to a homeless person or a charity will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling without expanding your waistline! They need it more than you and you don't want to feel like crap! It's a win-win!
5. Christmas Eve-2nd of January...
DO NOT go off track for 10+ Days!
So many people make the mistake of having a 'screw it, it's Christmas' mindset between Christmas and New Year.
That is TEN days! That's a long time to spend not exercising and eating crap. Remember that one weekend you wend off the rails and gained a couple of lbs?
That was only two days...imagine the damage which you could do if you just YOLO it!
Instead simply be as mindful as possible on as many days as possible and follow the above advice!
Above all- enjoy yourself! It's not all about eating and drinking! Spend some quality time with the people you care about most and unwind!
Merry Christmas!!
Andy