It’s that time of year for mince pies and mulled wine. There’s so much potential for everything to go horribly wrong, but how do you say yes to social events and enjoy the never-ending Christmas parties without ruining the hard-earned progress you’ve made this year?
Well, here are my top 5 tips on how to make smart choices through the festivities to help you stay on track!
1. Do some menu investigating for the office lunch
Find out where your Christmas party is being held and have a look through the menu beforehand. You can not only pre-assess what is being served, but normally there is a description of how the food is prepared. Play it safe by looking for words that signal lighter dishes such as baked, grilled or steamed and steer clear of anything that's described as fried or stuffed. Buttery, creamy and anything covered in sauce is also probably going to more calorific.
2. Don’t stop moving
Whether its dancing, training, walking or Christmas shopping. Don’t use the Christmas break as an excuse to become lazy and stop moving. Being a little more active will help counteract all the extra food and alcohol consumed but it’ll also make you feel healthier and happier.
3. Be booze smart
Choose low calorie alcohol options where possible. Clear spirits and low kcal mixers like soda water and slim line tonic are the best choices. Try and alternate each alcoholic drink with a glass of water or dilute it to avoid dehydration. Hangovers will not only make you feel horrendous the next day, but you’ll be lazier and make bad food choices. Try to stay away from cocktails and beer!
4. Don’t give into the office treats!
Try and prepare food and snacks where possible to avoid giving into the array of chocolatey temptations left around the office. Find sweet alternatives to help satisfy the cravings. Some of my personal favourites are strawberries, dark chocolate and peanut butter on rice cakes (steady on the peanut butter!).
5. Lastly, relax!
Enjoy this festive and joyful time of year! If you miss a workout or have one too many mince pies, don’t beat yourself up and throw in the towel. Just make better conscious decisions where you can and don’t feel guilty for the ones you can’t control. Look at your calorie consumption over a whole week, rather than day to day. If you have an excessive amount of food and alcohol on one day, then you know to hold back a few days after.
These tips are just here to give you advice, you’re free to enjoy the Christmas period as you please. If you do end up indulging too much then you know where to come in the new year!
Nichol, x
