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7 Tips to manage the festive season

Enjoy the festive season without any guilt. In this Vision PT article, we share our seven tips to manage the festive season successfully.
Weight Loss Articles
Weight Loss Articles

By Kaillum Key at Wollongong

YOUR ALL IN ONE FESTIVE SEASON GUIDE

So, it's here again, that time of year where the great Australian festive season brings to the forefront our love for BBQs, seafood, a multicultural array of salads and vegie's and then of course the copious amounts of sweets and desserts, carb-based foods like potato bakes and salads and the "odd" glass of beer or wine.

Now this is a time of year to enjoy with friends and family, unwind, relax and appreciate all that we have and hold dear and the last thing I would want anyone to do is become obsessive about food during this time and feel like they missed out on a special time of year and kick themselves for it. So, with that in mind here are my top tips for Christmas and how to manage your health and fitness.

  • MOVE! Just because it's the end of year and you're on holidays doesn't meant that you should not be training still, in fact you should have time to do more. If you like walking, running, weight training, boxing, calisthenics or playing a specific sport then DO IT. There is high chance that you are going to be taking in more calories than normal, so you will need to put them to use and burn them off.
  • Prioritise foods: If you're at an event or just snacking at home pick a protein dense food first ESPECIALLY if you are hungry. The protein will help you feel which can subsequently reduce the amount of extra/poor foods you may eat.
  • Drive where possible: When going to an event be the Designated Driver. There's nothing like the chance of losing your license for something as silly as drink driving to keep you clear of excessive alcohol intake.
  • Pick your indulgence: If there is a food at Christmas that you absolutely love and would hate to miss then have some! Don't go full robot and restrict everything, that can lead to binging later which can do double the damage. Pick the food that you are going to enjoy the most, keep the portion within control, take your time and enjoy it!
  • Prepare in advance: Still take the time to plan some of your meals, the more you can control the more flexibility you can allow.
  • Low alcohol when drinking: When we consume Alcohol, it gets priority in the body before carbs and fat, and so if you choose a low alcohol option you give yourself a better chance of tapping into the extra calories from food sooner.
  • Don't stress about the scales: The best thing to do is focus on performance in your training. The scales will fluctuate during this period and not putting this into perspective can cause us to mentally check out and have a "free for all" two weeks. So, put your energy into maintaining as much of your routine as possible and putting maximum effort into your training so that your motivation levels stay once your back into normality in the new year.

Those are my top 7 tips to navigate the festive season and coming out the other end having enjoyed it and keeping yourself on track.

*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.

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