It’s finally here! Year on year retailers begin to push it on us through their clever, sometimes annoying marketing. As we’re about a week away now, there are probably few places you can go without being surrounded by cheer. With that said, it’s the most wonderful time of the year – bonus points for guessing which Christmas song this!
For most the Christmas period usually means holidays from work, time with loved ones, much needed rest and a merry tipple of Bucks Fizz. It only comes around once so we wouldn’t dare discourage participation but it’s easy to see how we can lose sight of our health goals and quickly reverse months of fine progress.
If you’re able to see an issue before it comes around it’s pretty easy to make a solid plan of action. Once you have a solid POA, it’s just a case of being disciplined and sticking to it. Here are some of the obstacles that you may face this Christmas along with our recommendations to stay on track.
Gym Closures
This is the first in the list because it’s the most obvious. Unless you to a very dedicated gym, its more than likely that on Christmas and Boxing day your gym will be closed, so what’s our solution?
Typically you’re going to have a few days where you exercise followed by a day or two off from the gym, at least this is the general practice that most people follow. The first thing you’re going to want to do is call your gym and get confirmation of their Christmas opening hours. Then plan to spend the days leading up to Christmas hitting the workouts that you would otherwise miss. It can be hard and quite tiring but rest and relaxation is just around the corner.
Food and Indulging
Unless you’re planning on sitting in your room all holiday you’re going to be overexposed to a very large amount of food, most of which won’t coincide with your fitness goals. There’s lots of information out there that suggest things like eating shortly before going to a gathering or filling up on water to offset your intake. If this isn’t your style you can try this approach to make sure you fit in to your New Year’s party dress or chinos.
Try and increase your metabolism by training with resistance and performing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio in the days leading up to Christmas. This will give your body something to do with the excess calories you’re likely to take on. Continue this once the gyms reopen and you should see little fat gained over the holiday period.
Visiting Relatives
So what if you have to spend Christmas away from your usual home comforts? You might be at the parents place, or with your spouse’s family so what are your options here?
Leaving the house to go and work out is not the most ideal or polite thing to be doing when you’re not at your own home. If however you find out the information about the local gym and go early before people wake, then you should be able to get a workout in without anyone missing you. The best part is that breakfast should be served when you get back!
Alcohol
This is quite a tricky one. Alcohol is a hindrance whichever what you look at it. Just how much it hinders your following day is down to your level of discipline. If you choose to have a drink, know whether you’re going to be active the following day. If you are, that extra whiskey with the father-in-law may not be the best idea. Use the two days away from the gym to relax, but be sure to drink responsibly.
About The Author:
This post was written by Akin Fagbohun on behalf of ASOS Fashion.