It’s not long now until we all start enjoying some well-earned time off. We are all looking forward to our delicious Christmas dinners and mince pies. The average Brit will consume around 7000 calories throughout the big day, with more than 2000 of those calories hitting our systems before lunch is even served. All those calories turn into an average weight gain of 6 pounds between Christmas eve and New Year’s Day.
We all want to stay healthy, but Christmas is that one time of year when we can be forgiven for being a little naughty. Thankfully, we’ve come up with some handy and realistic tips to help you stay in shape (relatively) without ruining all the fun of the big day.
1. Keep track of how much you drink.
The simplest way to achieve this is by finishing your glass completely before refilling. This allows you to count exactly how many glasses you’ve had. Another great tip is to avoid overly large wine glasses.
2. Try to spread out your meals.
Rather than having a massive lunch and being full for hours, try portioning your plate and eating a second smaller meal 2-3 hours later.
Go for a walk with the whole family.. 🙂
3. Don’t forget to exercise!
Just a few times a week is enough and it doesn’t have to be much. Doing something as simple as jogging down to the street to pick up the cranberries will make the world of difference with managing your weight over the holiday season.
4. Protein is the most important part of every meal.
Be sure to eat a decent serving of this first thing in the morning and avoid having too many carbohydrates, you’ll be having plenty of them later on after all. Eggs and salmon are a great choice!
5. Fill up on healthy snacks.
Snacking before going to Xmas parties is a great way to minimise how much you consume. Eat a handful of almonds or a piece of wholegrain toast with peanut butter before heading out and you’ll be less tempted to fill up on the naughty stuff!
All of these tips are easy to do and won’t ruin the fun of the big day either! And that’s what most important in the end.