Christmas is a time for celebration, gathering with those you love, and, yes, perhaps even over-indulging in festive treats, tremendous feasts and the occasional glass of sherry. It’s a time of year when it’s easy to overeat, overdrink and sink into your favourite spot on the sofa, bathed in the warm, snooze-inducing glow of the television.
So it comes as no surprise that the festive season can present a challenge to those seeking to balance their fitness and wellbeing against traditional excess. However, it’s important to remember that staying fit and healthy doesn’t mean giving up on festive treats; what’s more important is taking conscious steps to ensure fitness remains a priority alongside all the things that make Christmas fun.
With that in mind, here are a few tips to help make sure your fitness goals don’t fall by the wayside amid the whirlwind of festivities.
Plan an advent calendar of fitness
December always runs the risk of filling your calendar with dinners, work parties and pub drinks that can edge you towards social burnout, while leaving little time for recovery and your fitness routine.
One way of mitigating this can be to mark your calendar with all the events that you (currently) have planned for the festive period, and use this to try and ensure that your social events are spaced as evenly as possible. Then, you can start to arrange a realistic exercise schedule that incorporates rest and recovery around the events in your calendar. Quality is more important than quantity; a good 20-minute workout once a week is better than multiple forced workouts when your body is telling you to stop.
Have a think about if there is one day you can keep free for fitness each week, or a particular activity you can do every week to stay in routine. For example, parkrun provides an excellent opportunity to get out for a 5km run every Saturday morning in a wide variety of locations – and is an excellent source of motivation to help you stick to a schedule.
Be realistic about what’s achievable
It’s Christmas – you need to make peace with the fact that you are probably going to be doing a bit less fitness-wise than you would be at other times of the year, when it’s both warmer and you don’t have quite so much going on. So don’t worry if you end up taking things a bit easier over the festive season.
Instead, think of the Christmas holidays as a time to maintain fitness levels as best you can, rather than trying to push yourself or hit ambitious new targets. Perhaps focus on strength, mobility and flexibility exercises that keep your body active without overdoing anything. Once Christmas is out of the way and New Year rolls around, you’ll have all of January to dedicate to setting and achieving new fitness goals.
Don’t fixate on fitness - just stay active
If you can’t find time to devote to a dedicated workout, don’t panic. Keeping active is a great way to maintain fitness levels without all the hassle and time required by a major workout, and it can be as simple as going for a big walk after a big meal, dancing your socks off in the kitchen, or getting involved putting up the decorations. Fun can be good for you too!
There are also plenty of great activities you can take part in during the festive season, so why not make a group hike, ice skating or a Christmas-themed parkrun the focal point of some quality time spent with your family and friends?
Eat, drink and be balanced
Some of the best things about Christmas revolve around the many opportunities to eat rich, sugary foods and share a boozy beverage or three with friends and family – so it can be difficult if not impossible to stick to lofty ideals of healthy eating. So don’t deny yourself indulgent treats, and don’t skip meals to ‘save up’ for later – just do your best to bear in mind that everything is best in moderation.
When you’re not in ‘celebration mode’, try to eat balanced meals that contain protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates to keep your energy levels steady and stave off excessive hunger; this means you’ll be less likely to overeat at the big family dinners and office parties.
When drinking – whether it’s mulled wine, hot toddies or any other festive tipple – make an effort to have a glass of water along with or between each alcoholic drink. It’s always important to stay hydrated, and especially so during times of indulgence; hydration helps maintain your energy levels, aids digestion, makes you feel more full and minimises the likelihood of hangovers.
Treat yourself to a few silent nights
In between the carousing and carolling, it’s very important that you don’t overlook the importance of rest and getting a good night’s sleep. Going through one social situation after another can be draining, and your fitness will be impacted if you don’t make time to rest and recover between celebrations and any workouts you manage to squeeze in.
Try and aim for a consistent bedtime whenever possible to maximise the amount of sleep you’re getting, so you can be sure of maintaining energy levels and not putting yourself in situations where you’re liable to feel tired and stressed the next day. Making the time to relax is absolutely crucial in helping you recharge and be ready for both your fitness regime and the social demands of the season.
Give yourself the gift of flexibility
As the saying goes, Christmas comes but once a year – so don’t dampen your spirits by striving for perfection, but instead be flexible enough to accept that there will be days that you overindulge and days that you skip a workout – and that’s okay!
Above all, the holidays are a time for enjoyment and relaxation – so just do your best to be balanced in your approach to the festive season, and focus the rest of your energy on appreciating the things that make the holidays special for you.
