5 ways to stay healthy over Christmas

Stay healthy over Christmas

Many people see Christmas as a time where indulgence is allowed, if not encouraged, but this can be a nightmare for people who are trying to lose weight or just stay healthy. Having a few treats here and there over the festive period won’t ruin your dacadoo health score or see you put on tons of weight, but it can set you back significantly in your health goals if you are not careful.

However, no one wants to be the boring guest at a party that brings their own celery sticks or passes on every dessert or sweet treat, so how do you balance having a good time with maintaining your health?

Little and often

Completely denying yourself the treats that are around at Christmas will make it more likely that you will either end the festive period feeling not in the slightest bit merry, or that you will binge eat everything in sight and then feel miserable. However, eating far too much isn’t going to have you feeling great come New Year either. So how do you achieve the right balance?

Having a little treat every now and then will help keep your cravings at bay, but enjoying just a small slice will make sure that you don’t pile on the pounds over the festive period either. So when you are at parties or events over Christmas, don’t deny yourself but instead eat a small portion. This will allow you to enjoy the same treats as everyone else, without sacrificing your health and fitness goals.

Fit your workout in

Over the festive period, many people want to spend any time they have away from their office with their families and friends – not at the gym. This can mean that finding time to keep your fitness up can be extremely challenging between now and New Year. Although many fitness fanatics would like to get up at the crack of dawn to get their workout in before the rest of the family is even awake, this isn’t doable for everyone.

The best way to keep your fitness levels is to get your workout wherever you can and be creative. Instead of driving to the shops, walk or jog, and go for a quick 15 minute run instead of your usual route. This will give the right balance between achieving your fitness goals and spending valuable time with your loved ones.

Raise a glass

As with any other time of the year, hydration is key over the festive period. Not only are you drinking more than normal – making water key – but having the recommended amount of water over Christmas will help prevent bloating and make sure your little treats don’t ruin your weight loss goals.

Eat regularly

With the rush of the festive period, it can be all too easy to completely forget your normal routine and not eat until the evening. However, this is bad for your health as you will not only eat more but you are also likely to inhibit your metabolism, which can see you gain weight and bloat over Christmas.

Keeping to your regular three meals a day, even when you are out in the evenings, will help control the amount you eat and ensure you stay healthy across the festive period.

Have ‘off’ days

Over Christmas there will be days where you do no exercise and eat way more than you really should, however, it’s important that you let yourself have these days off but get right back on track afterwards. Many people have family round on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, but there are plenty of days in between where you can stick to your normal routine and eat well. This is key for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and having a positive balance between indulgence and wellbeing.