Kent Sport fitness instructor Sarah Black explains how to make sure over indulgence doesn’t get in the way of health and fitness this Christmas.
Choices are plenty, wallets are empty. It’s the time of year that we all look forward to, Christmas! For some people it’s the ideal excuse to indulge in all the luscious foods and give yourself piece of mind that you’ll spend the following year working off your plates. However for some fitness enthusiasts, it could play havoc on all the hard work you have dedicated over the past 11 months on committed training programmes, progressive overloads and strict regimes you had set. So what’s the answer to avoiding the Christ-Mass?
The bottom line is – the mental build up seems to be where we slide and make the faulty choices. Our spiral of thoughts begin and we accumulate a negative snowball determining the decision making and these tend to have destructive verdicts, leading to regret and disappointment. Do these thoughts sound familiar? “It’s Christmas, go on, one more roastie. Handful of cashews… I’ll follow this with some twiglet’s – hey I don’t do this every day! Second helping of Christmas pudd … I’ll work it off in the New Year?”
If you are going to regret the choices you make over the period and then punish yourself for them – either avoid them completely or learn to manage them better. It’s highly unlikely we will lose any weight or get fitter over Xmas (speaking for the majority) so here are a few tips that you can use to assist your decision making over the holidays.
Plan – decide on your cheat day and stick to it- this could ideally be Christmas day itself. This ensures that you won’t spend the entire week consuming countless calories and unhealthy meals and snacks.
Pre – meal – many of us skip the meal before the mains, such as breakfast, with the idea we can eat more at the party or save on some calories. All this creates is ravenous hunger and a revolt to binge at the meal. Have a light yogurt or a small bowl of cereal, something that will balance your blood sugar and satisfy your hunger beforehand.
Plates – the platter the turkey is served on, is not the standard dinner plate! So get your size in proportion, this way you won’t have the chance to pile on extra helpings that you ordinarily wouldn’t contemplate consuming.
Pickings – the variety will be plentiful. Choices such as the turkey breast, without the skin, holds less calories, high in protein, low in saturated fat, great sources of Vitamin b12 and zinc. So if you are willing to refuse the drumstick, it could work in your favour on this particular occasion. Brussels, get them cooked right and they can be scrumptious. Providing high fibre, anti-inflammatory properties aiding in cardiovascular support and full of Vitamin C. Cut down on the salt, no need to add more on to your food when it is cooked and made with sodium containing ingredients. The trimmings…go on, have them but don’t binge. Everything in moderation.
Potatoes hold a lot of potassium. Carbohydrates are often avoided and tagged as the “baddie”. It’s all about the quantity and how you cook them. Sweet and red Potatoes are lower in calories and more nutritious.
Focus on cooking the entire meal as fresh as possible with very little oils added; boiling and steaming are healthy alternatives to anything fried.
Dinner isn’t just the main meal, there will be snacks handed around and the temptation will be hard to avoid. An idea…if the snack comes in the wrapper/cover, hold onto the wrapper, that way you can tell how many you have already eaten and the conscious awareness will be a reminder not to keep dipping into the candy can.
Alcohol and soft drinks topple the calorie and fat scales, so consume water in between drinks and servings to provide a full factor.
Post-dinner walk – It may be the opportunity to get some needed movement and exercises squeezed during the day. Perhaps suggest taking the dog for its daily walk, or just a leisurely stroll with your family. Any little activity has its benefits.
Let the tips above guide you and at the end of the day, we just need to remember that Christmas is about giving and sharing, having memories to last and spending the festivities with your cherished ones. Even if you need to borrow Phoebe’s Turkey Maternity pants for the occasion, don’t eat what you’ll regret, enjoy every morsel, and if you appreciate it, then the New Year starts off with positivity. New Year, New You.
For more information about Kent Sport email sportsenquiries@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 823632.