How to stay on track with your fitness over the festive season
Christmas is approaching fast, and lots of people not only tend to ruin their usual diets, but they also gain a few extra pounds.
Excessive eating is claimed to be the main cause for the additional weight gain, but it is also due to lack of physical activity and exercise.
A lot of us tend to set aside our fitness routines during the festive season, since we believe that we do not have enough time to perform our workouts.
And because we feel guilty after the holiday season, most of the local gyms are packed with fresh members.
Always bear in mind that you can still enjoy the holidays and stay fit at the same time.
If you want to stay fit during the holiday season, especially during Christmas and the New Year’s Eve, here are some useful tips that might help you:
1. Drink A Lot Of Water
This can satiate your appetite as well as keep you hydrated at all times. And it will also prevent a possible hangover if you overdo it with alcohol.
2. Prioritise Your Workouts
Try to do them early in the morning while everyone else is still sleeping. This way you will also avoid remarks like “Oh, come on! It’s Christmas…”
3. Set Realistic Goals
You should set realistic exercise objectives. Aim for at least half an hour per day and you will be very happy when you will achieve that. If you plan one hour or more and not achieve it, you will only end up disappointed.
4. Don’t Skip Your Strength Workouts
Always remember to perform your strength training in order to maintain that muscle mass you worked hard to get.
You might be tempted to use lightweights and just do some cardio, but you can burn just as many calories by lifting weights. And with all of the extra meat you had over Christmas, you might even gain some extra muscle. And this is much better than gaining some extra fat.
5. Get Out Of The House
Make the holidays a family affair and plan outdoor activities where everyone is involved. Even a snowball fight in the backyard will burn a lot of calories and will keep the children entertained.
6. Drink With Moderation
It is best to regulate your drinking since alcohol, coke or other juices will only add more calories to the ones you already eaten!
7. Avoid Skipping Meals
Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast! Even though it can be tempting to skip on certain meals, believing that it will make up for the treats you consumed in the previous day, don’t do it because it will only lead to counterproductive results.
8. Select The Treats
Make sure to select the treats that you eat in a wise manner. You should choose something that you can only enjoy during the festive season, and not something that is readily available all the time.