Just after Christmas and with New Year in sight, it might seem like the perfect break from your fitness goals to lie around eating leftovers, turkey sandwiches, sweets and endless alcohol, but two weeks of excess might leave you a mountain to climb in the New Year. You may already be thinking about the weight you’re going to lose, the muscle you’re going to gain and the general improvements you’ll see in your fitness. So, with that in mind, it could be a good idea to use some of these tips and tricks to help moderate the next week or so to help you start the New Year on the front foot.
1. HYDRATE
So simple and yet so many people don’t drink enough. You know that you’re meant to drink around 2-3 litres a day which really isn’t hard. Start your day with cup of hot water and a slice of lemon to detox the body as soon as you wake up and drink a few glasses of water with each meal – this will aid digestion and can also make you feel fuller than you are and hence you’ll eat less.
2. CHOOSE BETTER SNACKS
Whenever you find your feet miraculously walking your body across the room to yet another box of Christmas chocolates, for the next few days, stop and go for a bag of unsalted, unshelled pistachios or even oranges instead. Simple as it sounds, food that require a little more effort to eat forces you to slow down and make you more aware of your calories.
3. START BEING MORE ACTIVE AGAIN
Apparently, the average person now sits down for around 8 – 10 hours a day. This kind of sedentary lifestyle unsurprisingly leads to bad health and weight gain. Whether you are at work or still on holiday for the next few days then be sure to make a few simple changes, from getting off the train or bus a few stops earlier or taking some extra breaks and just walking around a bit more.
4. EAT EARLIER
Holidays mean that a lot of people like to sleep in, leading to erratic meal timings. However, when looking to shed the winter weight it is recommended to make an extra effort to eat earlier. It is important that you eat as early as possible in the day and stay away from high-calorie or high-carb goods in the night. Try and have all main meals before 7pm to stimulate digestion and reduce gained weight.
5. DRINK DIFFERENTLY
We obviously can’t tell you to completely stop drinking before New Year if that’s not an option just yet, although come January we might just do that, but we are going to suggest that you make a couple of small swaps to drastically reduce the calories. Try changing a glass of wine for a gin & slimline tonic. If you prefer beer, then try and opt for a lighter calorie option.
