5 Tips to Stay Fit During Holidays

During the Christmas holidays, people feast in exaggeration, and consequently, many gather a few extra kilos in only a couple of days. The food they should really eat instead becomes more of a side dish, and the main problem starts from here! While I think feasting is an excellent way for people to spend quality time at the table, I want to give you a few suggestions so you can prevent the consequences of eating poorly or too much.

Believe me that it requires a lot more effort to burn out the extra kilograms than it is to gain them. So here is how you can improve!

Eat Accordingly, First!

Being extremely hungry makes you more vulnerable to eating delicacies that are usually extremely calorie-dense -they will always be the quickest and bad option. Treats like patisseries, sweets, and appetizers (antipasti) shouldn’t compound your main dish (meal). It’s normal to spoil yourself a little, and you can’t refuse the host’s foods all the time. But there is one thing you should do before, and that is to eat a freshly cooked and nutritionally-balanced meal like in the picture below:

You can have a meal like above, rich in essential nutrients, at home before leaving. If not, anywhere you are going, ask for one. Cease the hunger and your craving with potatoes or rice, along with fish and vegetables. Always include a side dish made of green leaves and even fruits.

The main problem during this time is that the buffet menu is generally made of goodies rich in calories but poor in any other nutrients. You need warm and cooked meals based on legumes (starches) and vegetables, they have a high content of complex carbs and fiber too. Eat whole foods and clean meat.

An adequate meal like I said is not calorie-dense, meaning that it occupies more volume in the stomach, and your saturation receptors will tell you’ve had enough. From this point further, you can start and eat the things you craved so much about. However, control your appetite and eat in moderation (here you can read a few articles about nutrition).

Drink More Water!

When I said feasting, I was thinking of alcohol consumption too. If you drink it in large quantities, then you could say that alcohol is a macronutrient. You should know that it provides plenty of calories, exactly as macronutrients do. Plus, you already know all the other side-effects of excessive alcohol on your body and state of mind.

The only two options available unless you don’t drink at all are to drink water and not to mix beverages. Be smart as well and pretend you drink rather than actually doing it all the time. It will reduce the amount considerably.

I am disciplined over the year and drink on occasion only. When I do it, I make sure I drink plenty of water along with it. I rather urinate the whole night than experience other consequences.

But you should do it also for digestion purposes. Overeating can induce a food coma. You can avoid that fatigue by drinking the optimal amount of water and, of course, by eating in moderation too.

Eating such a variety of foods will make it harder for your digestive system. You can quickly get an abdominal bloating. It is another crucial reason why you should drink water.

Also, eliminate from the menu all the sweetened beverages because sugar isn’t available only in food (read why table sugar does so much harm). Two-three glasses of coke provide enough calories, so pay attention to this detail too.

For digestion, a bowl of hot soup can do a lot. Though, eat it without bread if you can. If not, then 1-2 slices of whole-grain bread are perfect. Also, don’t eat soup that has an abundance of oil and sour cream.

Be More Selective!

Take a look over the buffet menu and analyze in silence the ingredients and content values of every goody on the table. Then be more selective and pick the lesser evil. By that, I mean that you should avoid mayonnaise, oils, and essentially everything that is extremely rich in fat or sugar content.

Sleep Those 8-hours

Because your routine has stopped once with Christmas, the sleeping hours might also be compromised. Or maybe you go out partying and drinking on consecutive nights.

What I suggest is to fulfill your basic needs and sleep more in the morning. Regardless of when you go to bed, make sure you sleep those 8-10 hours.

Your metabolism and vitality are influenced a lot by how much sleep you get.

Train 30 Minutes

You don’t have to track calories, and even so, it is almost impossible to get an accurate number. If you exceeded a little, then everything can be adjusted with a 20-30 minutes workout.

You won’t need to train at full capacity because that’s something you should do as a routine from January to December. In-between, you may want to slow down and train just to increase the amount of calories required or burn the excess eaten the previous days.

Therefore, train to maintain! You have plenty of time to go beast mode starting with the new year.

Pick several exercises and do a full-body workout. Rest shortly, train in a circuit and you’ll get a nice routine done in less than 30 minutes. Or do a strength workout targeting one or two muscle groups only (here you can read about how to train if you are a beginner).

A great alternative is also to skip the rope or jog for 30 minutes. Either way, you should burn at least 300-500 calories in half an hour. Choose a day for a full-body workout and another for a little cardio. I don’t think it’s hard if you eliminate procrastination from the equation.

Can you implement these tips? Besides the slight training, it doesn’t require an effort except for awareness.

I hope that you find my recommendations helpful, and if so, share the article with your family members or friends. Let them know that they shouldn’t abuse their bodies only because tradition says so.

I wish you Mary Christmas and don’t forget to subscribe below to my newsletter because the new year comes with a lot of new useful content!!!