Even as a personal trainer in Brighton and Hove, on Christmas Day it can be hard to stay healthy. The average Christmas dinner contains over 1,400 calories; 70% of the total calorie intake for an adult woman and over half the amount for an adult man. But do not worry because with a bit of thought and guidance you can stay healthy and still have a good time!
The festive season is traditionally a calorific extravaganza. With party food all around and alcohol flowing freely it can be a real challenge to keep up with good nutrition and exercise habits. But, there is no need to throw in the towel. These tips will help you to enjoy yourself over the Christmas period whilst still remaining fit and healthy throughout.
Christmas Exercise
Christmas is a family togetherness, but that doesn’t mean you can only get together over an artery-clogging meal. Invite your family to join you during other healthy festive activities too, such as ice skating and dancing. Indeed, dancing uses up between 270 and 540 calories an hour depending on the speed. Or even try walking around the streets to view the local Christmas lights.
Whilst it may be harder to keep to your gym routine as regularly as you might the rest of the year, giving up working out completely will make it even harder to get back in the swing of things in the New Year. As a personal trainer in Brighton and Hove, I know that even if 15 minutes is all you can manage, a small amount of exercise each day will help keep up your fitness levels and burn a few excess holiday calories. This will ensure that you are closer to your goals by January rather than further away.
Christmas Nutrition
The last thing you want to do is feel like you are depriving yourself on Christmas Day. So don’t. Instead of telling yourself certain foods are off limits, be smart about your serving sizes. Avoid huge piles of food and instead give yourself a small taste of everything. Or, if there is one festive favourite you can’t get enough of, limit yourself to just one full portion and really enjoy it. As a personal trainer in Brighton, I personally like to try a little bit of everything at Christmas!
If you’re invited to a friend or family member’s house for a Christmas party, ask if you can bring one of your own healthy dishes to assist. This could include oven roasted broccoli with garlic or braised red cabbage. Filling up on delicious fresh vegetables will provide you with a rainbow of nutrients whilst ensuring that you are less likely to go overboard on everything else.
Wishing you a healthy and happy Christmas,
Anthony