How can you avoid a mental and physical blowout this Festive season?

There’s something about the festive season that gets many people caught up in an anxious, stressed out frenzy! The thought of Christmas functions, buying and wrapping presents, decorating the house, organising what time you’ll be at which house and need to leave to make sure you squeeze in an appearance for all family members before your 24 hour time limit expires can be far too overwhelming.

Christmas arrives at the end of a long, hard working year, where for a lot of us we are already feeling run down and counting down the days till our well deserved holiday or break. Throw on top of this the mad rush to organise everything and everyone, the over populated shopping centres and the small lingering thoughts in the back of our minds that a uncontrollable blow out to ruin our summer body campaign is inevitably coming our way!

So what’s the secret to staying focused, energised and on track to your health and fitness goals this December?

TIP 1: Balance your nervous system! Chances are your parasympathetic nervous system is dominating your body at the moment. To help you become more centred and less reactive, do some simple breathing work. Inhale for 5 seconds, fill up your belly and hold for 5 seconds, exhale over 5 seconds and repeat 3-5 times. You will be fine, the festive season is a time of celebration, a time to reflect on a year that has passed and enjoy time well spent with loved ones.

TIP 2: Be organised! A simple step that we all know yet all overlook.

• Write Christmas lists – know who you’re buying for, what they’re getting and tackle the shops in 2-3 attempts, or even better online shop!
• Create a “to-do” list – everything is less overwhelming when it’s written down and you can just cross it off as you go.
• Delegate – reach out for help, pay others to assist you so you can spend time doing the things only you can do.

TIP 3: Get the right perspective. Christmas, birthdays and holidays are times to be enjoyed. If you have been training for a healthy lifestyle, there’s no need to fear undoing all your good work during these types of occasions because what you do on a daily basis matters more than what you do for indulgence on special occasions like this. If you need help implementing a healthy lifestyle so that you can enjoy your life more, reach out to us now!

TIP 4: Create a small goal to see you through to the New Year. Beat the trap of over consumption of food and alcohol by keeping your emotional state in check. For example, if you were driving along and got a flat tyre, would you get out of the car and puncture the other three tyres because one went flat? Sounds like a crazy thing to do yet when it comes to overindulgence, it’s all to common to fall into the mindset of “oh I’ve already stuffed up, I’ll start fresh tomorrow”. Don’t wait until tomorrow, next Monday or the first day of the new year to be your next fresh start. As the saying goes ‘there is no time like the present’. Stay consistent with your health and fitness goals now:

• Set small, measurable goals to last the festive season. Example: keeping up your water, protein or vegetable intake, exercising a realistic number of times per week.
• Create accountability – whether its regular assessments and photos, meeting a reliable gym buddy, training with your trainer, whatever will keep you on track when temptation sets in.
• Remind yourself of how good you’ll feel on your holiday or once the new year starts, by staying consistent through this busy period.

TIP 5: Be social savvy! Sticking to your goals can be achieved while still attending Christmas functions and getting out and about:

• It is okay to attend functions and turn down free alcohol – this may come as foreign to some, but trust me, if your goals are really important to you and you have a deadline you’re working toward, you will feel so much better about yourself knowing you stayed loyal to your goals and the results will be worth it.
• If you don’t have a big goal you’re working toward, enjoy your social activities wisely! When you know you have a function on that day or night, do not rule out the entire day as ‘bad eating’, eat your normal healthy meals right up until you leave, then once your there make the best decisions you can. If you suffer with any food sensitivities, do not eat those foods. Make something special you know you can enjoy eating without having to suffer any of the side affects that come with consuming foods that are difficult for your body to digest.
• Eat guilt free! When you wake the next morning it is back to 100% nutrition.
• Workout on the day of your function – the mad rush of endorphins will get you in a good mindset to stay on track plus your body is ready to be refuelled!

Try these little tips and enjoy your life while still feeling great about yourself and your body! May all the joys of Christmas fill your heart throughout the New Year.