Most of us will be looking forward to the holiday season. A chance to see family and friends have a few drinks, some great food… and maybe even presents. However, at the end of the festive season along with taking home bags of gifts, we don’t want to be taking home any extra weight. After a year of hard work, seasonal weight gain will be at the bottom of your Christmas list. With a little planning, and minimal effort, here are some ways to stay slim during the holiday season despite the endless temptations.
1. Portion Size Control
Those Christmas portion sizes are always a little excessive. Aside from eating more indulgent food, we are tempted to eat double portions. Decide your strategy; you have two options. Reduce your portion size drastically: when you go back for seconds, you will still be keeping within your normal portion size. It is a trick to the eyes and stomach! Your second option is to fill your plate but not go back for seconds. Snacks are abundant around in the festive season but stay true to yourself and stick to your three meals a day.
2. Adjust Your Routine
It is easy to completely forget your fitness routines for the festive season after being busy with family plans and perhaps having some days off from work. Sure, you want to stay slim during the holiday season, but cut yourself some slack and perhaps reduce your schedule slightly.
However, be realistic about your fitness goals and make sure you keep active. Engage in some active recovery workouts to keep your body moving and help it recover from the previous 11 months of intense beating. Adjusting your plan can help you keep accountability with yourself but also allow forgiveness for having some time off. This year you won’t have to drag yourself back to the gym after weeks of demotivation and gorging.
3. Sneak Exercise Into Your Festivities
The festive season doesn’t have to revolve around laziness, watching TV, and eating treats. There are plenty of excuses to get active. How about a Boxing Day or New Year’s walk with the family? Make it LONG! If you have time off, remember keeping active is part of your self-care and you could set a goal to walk every morning with your family. Why not teach a family member an exercise routine or some yoga? I’m sure that will be a fun, bonding experience too!
4. Make Your Bad Choices Healthier
Be realistic that you might slack on some of the portion control rules mentioned above. Swap for the diet versions of milk or cream for your hot chocolate and desserts. If you add cinnamon, vanilla extract, or nutmeg they will taste extra seasonal and you won’t miss the fat either. Don’t forget your liquid calories- treat yourself to a drink or two but be mindful of those empty calories. All these little savings will add up as you attempt to stay slim during the holidays.
5. Fill Up On The Good Stuff
Christmas Lunch isn’t all bad. There are some super healthy parts of your meal like the veggies. Maybe you will even have more vegetables on your plate than usual. Festive greens like sprouts are high in Vitamin K and fiber, which will help keep you slim and trim. When filling your plate, aim for 2/3 veggies so the calorie count plummets, and the vitamin content will rocket! You will feel full, but full on all the right things.
6. Add an Exercise Challenge
Why not take on a little challenge for the season to combat the extra luxurious food you are already dreaming of eating? Maybe a simple squat OR a jump rope challenge. Choose something small and set a time.
For example, complete your chosen challenge before every meal or every time you visit the bathroom. When it is quick and frequent you won’t hate the activity but will rack up extra minutes of workouts which will help counteract your extra seasonal snacks.
Final Thoughts
After a year of hard work, I’m sure you won’t want to let all your hard work go to waste so make a plan before you go into the festive season. Follow the tips above to keep the damage to a minimum.
About the Author
Ellie Richards is an online Marketing Manager for Original PhD, specializing in Ph.D. research paper assistance. She specializes in research, content, and article writing on various topics, including Education, Marketing, and Technology.
Tags: christmas, holiday, holidays, stay slim, thanksgiving, xmas
