YOUR HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE

Christmas time, which means mulled wine, mince pies, turkey leftovers, chocolate, and alcohol, plus time off work – it’s a bad combination for our waistlines and our motivation, AND it’s cold outside too!!  The festive holidays are a time when people often go way overboard with their eating habits, chocolate for breakfast lunch and dinner and these bad habits make us lethargic and can set us back months in our fitness and health goals. 

So how can we survive this festive holiday season without piling on the extra pounds that take weeks to get rid of? 

TOP 10 TIPS TO HELP YOU ENJOY A HEALTHY AND HAPPY FESTIVE HOLIDAY:

These are just a few handy tips that can help keep you on the straight and narrow so you don’t go completely off the rails and undo all the hard work you have done this year! 

DITCH THE SWEETS
Swap sugary sweets for fruit – cranberries are great at this time of year with only 25 calories in half a cup.  

ALCOHOL ALTERNATIVES
Fruit cocktails are a healthy and delicious alternative or of course you could offer to drive and stick to water saving yourself a hangover and your friends a fortune on taxi fare. 

FAMILY WALKS
Walking the dog or just going for a walk together is a great way for everyone to burn calories and enjoy the winter scenery.

SUPPLEMENTS
As the days are shorter and the flu season begins one of the best ways to stay healthy is through additional supplements even a basic multi-vitamin can help pep you up. 

HEALTHY CHRISTMAS DINNER
When it comes to the big even, pile your plate high with vegetables and opt for a nice lean turkey. Cauliflower is a great source of Vitamin C and it’s good for your heart. 

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY 
If you are out at a party hit the dance floor and burn off those excess calories. It’s so much fun too. Go make some ‘shapes’ on the dance floor! 

EXERCISE
Just because your normal routine’s gone out of the window it does not mean you can’t work out – 10 minutes of HIIT training first thing will set you up for the day, or go for a 30 minute run or dust off that rowing machine and give it a go.

HEALTHY START
Start the day with a nice cup of hot water with a lemon slice. This will help to alkalize the stomach and settle your PH levels – important when you are eating a lot of rich acidic food throughout the day.

AVOID SOME FOODS
While it is nice to indulge you will help yourself if you can steer clear of the bread and cheese, instead choose a smaller plate and pile your plate high with salad. Cut back on festive snacking throughout the day.  

HEALTHY SEASONAL SNACKS
There are some lovely healthy and tasty choices to be had at Christmas time. Make some time to plan and prepare.