15 Tips to staying on track in the Silly Season
/The party season is upon us!
It’s an exciting time of year. It’s the social season. There’s events every day of the week. There’s a festive feeling in the air that makes us feel like celebrating with drinks and dining. While it is great to enjoy the summer and the season, it’s also good to remember to stick true to your health and fitness goals and not to derail all of the hard work that you have done in the lead up to the end of the year.
Loosing control of your routine and gaining weight during Nov-Jan is a common downfall of the festive season. Various seasonal holidays and events may encourage consuming more alcohol, eating more rich foods and forgoing usual active routines.
So while it’s tempting to drink in the Monday afternoon sun and it’s an all too familiar sight to see that tray of delicious canapé’s coming your way - here are some tips that can help ensure you avoid holiday weight gain, whilst still having fun.
1.Stay active
Prioritise your normal workout routines and be mindful not to let late nights interfere with your morning workouts.
2. Limit the days of alcohol consumption
There are so many events on this time of year, so only drink alcohol at events and don’t slip into the habit of drinking all through the week.
3. Limit liquid calories
Make wise decisions with the choice of alcohol that you drink - choosing low calorie options over surgery calorie laden options will make a big difference.
4. Substitute some drinks
Take non-alcoholic sugar free options here and there when you can and/or drink a glass of water in between drinks.
5. Juice cleanse
It can get crazy with the amount of drinking or dining in the social calendar this time of year. You might like to consider doing a juice cleanse day once per week to reset after each weekend.
6. Avoid hangovers
Try to be mindful to not overdo it. Avoiding hangovers can avoid lots of bad choices with food the next day!
7. Snack wisely
Don’t be tempted to make bad food choices. As usual be prepared with healthy snacks.
8. Practise mindful eating
It’s easy to slip into ‘treat yourself’ mode of thinking at events or dinners - try to stay mindful with making healthy choices.
9. Get enough sleep
Don’t put yourself in a position where you are burning yourself out with late nights and lack of sleep. This will cause your whole routine to fall apart and leads to poor decision making.
10. Keep meals balanced with protein
Stay true to your usual diet goals and include protein in every meal.
11. Avoid holiday treats
Chocolates, puddings, cakes and all sorts of treats are so prevalent this time of year. Stay strong! So no!
12. Prepare heathy options
When you have the opportunity to be the barer of food - prepare healthy treat options and healthy share plates or meals.
13. Pass on dessert
Just say no to dessert.
14. Plan ahead
Look at your calendar of upcoming events and plan your cheat days accordingly.
15. Don’t be afraid to say No
It’s okay to say no, to pass on that roaming canapé, to take a day off or to turn down an invite. Enjoy yourself, but keep focused on your goals also.
All in all, it’s important not to prolong unhealthy habits. Enjoy yourself and be festive, but keep a mindful balance with fun and health. Set limits from the outset and stick to your goals. Most importantly; be aware that you might have a slip up or two - just don’t let that lead to completely abandoning of your goals. Reset and refocus and stay strong!