So Christmas is here. Christmas is coming and everyone can easily fall off the wagon. This article will compile the 10 top tips to help you survive the festive period.
Tip 1: Eat before drinking and celebrating.
Skipping breakfast or lunch in order to “save your appetite” probably isn’t the best weight-maintenance tactic. While the jury’s still out on how important breakfast truly is, not eating until the afternoon may lead to bingeing later on. Stick to a reasonably sized breakfast with plenty of protein, which will keep you fuller longer and temper the urge to stuff your face later.
TIP 2: Use smaller plates.
Plate sizes have expanded significantly over the years. Whenever possible, choose the smaller salad plate (8-10 inches) instead of a Dinner Plate (12 inches or more). Using smaller plates can actually make us feel fuller with less food. The brain associates a big white space on the plate with less food (and smaller plates generally require smaller portions).
TIP 3: 80/20 Rule
It can be difficult to lose weight if you follow a diet that heavily restricts all sweets and treats. The 80/20 diet rule allows you to indulge once in a while still focusing on losing weight. Christmas does not need to be an all out binge. This rule teaches you more than just how to manage your weight; it helps you to better understand moderation and balance. Eat well 80% of the time and Christmas does not need to be a guilty occasion!
TIP 4: Get Childish
Most Christmas dinners have a significant break before you are summoned to the table again, so take proper advantage of this time by engaging with children if they are present. Children are extremely active.
Therefore, propose a game that gets you moving such as the Wii or a board game such as twister that will have you burning calories in no time. If no children are present, try to stay active any way you can, if it’s from helping clean up after dinner or playing a vigorous board game with the family.
TIP 5: Hydrate
This is especially important at all times of the year but particularly around Christmas when we tend to drink more alcohol and soft drinks. Both these are diuretics and dehydrate you further, so for someone who is de-hydrated pre Xmas (which is a lot of people) you will be extremely dehydrated post xmas. Which will explain the terrible headaches and bad mood you are in, in january.
TIP 6: Tabata
This highly effective routine is 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 Rounds). Tabata is a highly effective workout which helps you get a high intensity workout in a very short time.
This is especially critical in the Christmas period when many people are pushed for time and have many family commitments. You can pick 1 or a number of exercises done in blocks! Pick basic body exercises such as squat, sit up or burpees to start off with!
All you need is a timer:
www.tabatatimer.com
Or Even Better The Catchy Music:
www.tabatasongs.com
TIP 7:
Keep Dancing
There’s plenty of boogieing to be done over the festive season, so get on the dance floor early and show everyone what you’re made of. Not only will you be keeping you’re body moving, but more dancing means less nibbling on sweets and drinking wine.
TIP 8: Alcohol
Try to limit alcohol consumption, especially early in the day. Only fill your glass when it’s empty, so you can keep track of how many you’ve had. It’s okay to indulge but just not too much and it is important to know your limit. Where you can, drink alcohol with food. Switching to water can help prevent dehydration.
TIP 9: Wait before grabbing seconds.
The quicker we eat a meal, the less time we give our bodies to register fullness. Since it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to get the message that dinner’s been served, it’s best to go for a walk or chat with friends before dishing up seconds.
TIP 10: Set Yourself A Mini Challenge Each Day
These mini challenges are excellent for boosting your energy levels and don’t require much time:
Do 5 minutes of planks in the morning. Holding for as long as you can with as short a rest as possible until the 5 minutes are up.
Do 30 squats in a day. Simple break them up and spread them over the day. You could do 10 squats three times over the day or 5 squats six times over the day.
Have a push up contest with friends and family! Sounds nuts, but you’d be surprised how much fun it can be, and how competitive people can be.
Some Great Challenges on my page here to give you some ideas!
(MOST OF ALL, Enjoy the christmas break. It is a joyous occasion which is spent with the people closest to you.)
BONUS TIP: If all else fails….
If you didn’t follow any of the tips or just struggle with motivation, then please get in touch. All my details are here.
Coach David Lacey 