How To Stay On Track Over Christmas
“Cold, darker mornings, falling into shorter-lit days. A season to hibernate and self-soothe, right?”
~ Soph White
This time of year doesn’t need to be written off and used as a time to only be merry and eat until we are stuffed to the brim. I’m here to tell you that you can still be a social elf and still stay on track in and out of the gym.
Here are 5 tips to stay happy and healthy over the December Christmas period:
Hydration.
Mulled wine, coffee, and hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows… yum. However, they are not sources of pure hydration. It’s a general rule that we must drink at least 2 litres of water for an average adult and this will be more if we exercise purposefully. I like to set small targets for my water as it keeps me on track! Give my method a try: 2 x 500ml of water before 12pm noon, and 2 x 500ml of water before 5 pm. Anything over is a bonus!!
Fun fact: On average, about 70% of the human body is water. So, water is important for keeping us healthy.
Batch cook meals with plenty of veg in them.
Whack out the slow cooker or get out the roasting tins. Its not a secret that we often turn to comfort and fast food at this time of year. Time is short and motivation can be low; so why not try prepping yourself a meal with all the goodness in it. Make enough to last a few days, as they can often be whizzed in the freezer too!
My personal favourite is a slow-cooked beef stew. The recipe can be found on BBC Good Food.
Commit to exercise minimums.
As a health and fitness coach, if I received a pound for every time someone told me they didn’t have time to exercise because of their busy schedule… I’d be retired at 27. I completely get that we can be overwhelmed by deadlines and schedules, but we should not be pressing pause on our health. We must do better. Look at your week in advance; plan in 3 sessions to exercise. That exercise can look different for everyone.
A few examples of what you can do to raise your HR:
Walking/Hiking/Running/Swimming
HIIT Training
Martial Arts
Ball Sports (rugby, football, tennis etc)
Strength/Hypertrophy Training
Socialize responsibly.
1 drink, 2 drinks, 3 drinks, 4! It's the season to be merry and festive, and it's only Christmas once. We’re all adults here, and I'm not going to tell you all to behave, but let me give you some facts about the subject:
binge drinking is five or more drinks for men, or upwards of four for women, within two hours
Studies show that people routinely, sometimes drastically, underestimate their alcohol consumption.
heavy drinking comes with a much higher risk of major health problems such as high blood pressure, kidney and heart diesease, stroke, depression, alcoholism, infection and illness, hormone disruption & thyroid diesease, fatty liver, weight gain or stalled weight loss.
Keep track of all the alcohol you drink for a week or two (here's a worksheet to help you).
Rest up
The busy period calls for necessary R&R, mainly in the form of sleep & self care. But what are the signs to look for to know you need rest, you ask… check out the table below for some subjective and objective cues.
How do you recover?
The symptoms you’re experiencing will give you clues on what recovery strategies to use. The only way to know for sure what’s best for you is through experimentation, experience, and paying attention.
Below is a list to give you some ideas. For longer-term recovery, implement these regularly over a week or multiple weeks (rather than one time or only infrequently).
Common Recovery Strategies:
Decreased overall exercise output and intensity
Adding gentle movement and mobility (walking, cycling, swimming, gentle yoga such as yin)
Breathwork and meditation
Massage or foam rolling
Sauna or bath
Midday nap
Lengthened sleep ritual
Increased carbohydrate intake
Increased protein intake
Increased hydration and electrolyte intake
If possible, take a day off from work (or from meetings) or talk to your coworkers about your workload
Don’t burn out this Christmas, and if you would like anymore advice on how to be the best version of yourself, please get in touch via email.