Almost everyone overindulges or reduces the amount of exercise they do during the peak festive season. What you can do and focus on to stop those guilty feelings of missing a workout or eating too much.
First don’t fret and obsess over it. It’s very common thinking that you need to hit the gym for a sweat session to “work off or sweat out” a big meal or excess alcohol, especially around this time of year. We are so used to hearing about it or thinking it, we don’t even realise how unhealthy this kind of negative mindset can be.
If you work out every day and you have planned to train during this period, you should do a workout that makes you feel good. Consistency with training over this period versus extreme behaviours is recommended.
Vice Versa if you don’t train daily, or want to give yourself a couple of days off, there’s no reason to force yourself out the door to “catch up” for a couple of days of extra calories —food is not earned by exercise.
It is just as vital to get appropriate sleep as it is to work out. One of the most important aspects to hanging onto a routine is that it makes you feel your best and works with your time restrains and commitments during this period.
When it comes time to fill your plate, it’s okay to eat all foods. Festive season meals are just a few meals out of many you might eat over this period. Meaning, a couple of big meals isn’t going to have much of an impact. Also, don’t view your food options as filling your plate with “good” food or “bad” food. All food is fuel. There’s no reason to punish yourself or feel guilty about what you eat.
Be wary that exercising after a big meal will take blood flow away from digestion to support working muscles. Instead a light walk or some other low-intensity activity instead of engaging in a hard workout.
If you are the kind of person who focuses heavily on your weight as a metric, remember that daily fluctuations in weight occur, no matter what type of meal you’ve eaten. Many foods can be high in carbs or sodium, which causes your body to retain water. Expect an increase on the scale from additional water and undigested food mass.
Most importantly, there are many areas to focus on instead of just weight. Try focusing on sleep quality, mood, energy or even how much movement you had in your day. Especially if you are on leave this gives you more time to achieve good results in these areas.
Lastly, the festive season isn’t really about what we eat—that’s just gravy. It is a great time to focus on family, winding down and seeing how nice it is to engage with people or just relax. Don’t beat yourself up about a lost workout or two. If you can fit them in then do!
– Chris Pearce BlueFit Fitness Manager
