How to be ‘Gym Smart’ over the holiday break!
With Christmas fast approaching, it’s very easy to get caught up in all the festivities. End of year office parties are aplenty, a celebratory morning-tea seem to be on every Friday and the weekends usually involve catching up with family and friends before Xmas over a few drinks.
If you’re trying to behave (to a certain degree of course!), then have a read of our tips below on how to survive this festive season and hea
d into 2018 with your health still intact!
1: Meal frequency: Xmas day is here and you’re prepping a massive lunch for the family consisting of every bbq’d animal under the sun plus all the trimmings – and a cheeky dessert to top it off. If a massive Xmas lunch is on the cards, there’s no need to have your standard breakfast and juice plus morning tea and snacks and nibblies while you’re cooking. Try to reduce your calories leading up to that large meal so when it comes you’re hitting (or slightly over-hitting!) your total recommended calories for the day in that one large meal. It’ll probably put you to sleep directly afterwards anyway so do what you can to avoid larger calorie dense meals before the main course!
2: Alcohol Intake: Let’s be honest, everyone loves a drink or 2 or 10 over the holiday period. But it’s what you drink and how often you’re drinking that’ll make all the difference. Beers and ciders go perfectly with an Xmas BBQ, but they’re often high in carbs and empty calories and will q
uickly blow out your waistline if drunk repeatedly. Keep an eye on what Grandma’s drinking – maybe join her for a gin and tonic or vodka lime soda. The tonic or soda water helps keep you hydrated and clear spirits will leave you with less of a hangover in the long run.
3: Holiday Training: As soon as the holidays hit, your training routine flies out the window. No one is expecting you to maintain a strict workout regimen all the way through Xmas and New Years – after all, this is the time you should be unwinding and relaxing from the day to day routine. A strategic training session the night/morning before a big event is always a good idea. HIIT training is always fantastic as it’s quick (15-30 mins), doesn’t break down too much muscle tissue (if you’re drinking alcohol, repair of muscle tissue slows dramatically) and keeps your metabolism revving throughout the day so you’ll be more adapt at utilising those extra calories.
And finally, possibly the best tip of all… ‘Don’t Stress!!’ Holidays are just that – a time to unwind, to relax and enjoy precious moments with your family and friends. For most of us, the holiday breaks are a couple weeks then we’re back into our daily routine. Just be smart with what you’re eating and drinking, how often and when, and you’ll be right. Enjoy the time you have with your loved ones and focus on the smaller things when the festive season comes to a close.
From the Ascend Strength & Fitness Team, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy festive season and hope to see you all in the gym in 2018.