Weightplan.com: Free Calorie Counter, Diet & Exercise Tracker
  • Gym Training App
  • Advice
  • Diets
    • Weight Loss Diets
    • Vegetarian Diets
    • Low Calorie Diets
    • Low Carb Diets
    • Low Fat Diets
    • Low Gi Diets
    • Low Sugar Diets
    • Low Sodium Diets
    • Gluten Free Diets
    • Healthy Heart Diets
    • Organic Diets
    • High Protein Diets
    • High Calorie Diets
  • Weight Management
    • Weight Loss
    • Weight Gain - Lean Muscle
    • Good Nutrition
    • Fat Loss & Fat Burning
  • Sports & Gym
    • Benefits of cardio workouts
    • Resistance Training
    • Running for Weight Loss & Fitness
    • Swimming for Weight Loss and Fitness
    • Cycling for Weight Loss & Fitness
    • Personal Trainers and Fitness Instructors
    • Keep a Training Diary
  • Fitness
    • The shape of your life in 90 Days
    • How to Build Lean Muscle
    • The Mesomorph
    • The Ectomorph
    • The Endomorph
    • How workout plans help you achieve your goals
    • Ways to burn more calories
    • How important is stretching?
    • Achieve your best body at 40+
    • Common Exercise Myths
    • Training for Race Running
    • High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
    • How far will you go to achieve your goals?
    • Double your weight loss with a food diary
    • Walk yourself to fitness
    • Can Music Increase Your Motivation?
  • Health
    • Eating a Balanced Diet
    • Healthy Heart Tips
    • Healthy Food & Drink Substitutes – Part 1
    • Healthy Food and Drinks Substitutes – Part 2
    • Keeping a Positive Mental Attitude
    • Eat this, and not that
    • Energy Boosting Foods
    • Alcohol consumption and fitness facts
    • Are you eating enough fibre?
    • How your mood affects healthy eating habits
    • Vitamins & supplements
    • Fish oil facts
    • Staying healthy during the Festive Season
    • Should we exercise through coughs and colds?
    • What are antioxidants?
    • Managing Cholesterol
    • Tips to help you stop smoking
    • How to boost your metabolism
    • Chase your winter blues away
  • Nutrition
    • Eating for muscle gain
    • What foods provide muscle fuel?
    • Muscle Building Supplements
    • Can you transform your body without good nutrition?
    • Recovery Nutrition
    • Can sports drinks improve your performance?
    • What are super foods?
    • The worst drinks when dieting
    • Best and Worst Foods
    • Healthy Snack Foods
    • Healthy eating in your lunch hour
    • Get a Boost with Breakfast
    • Locally Produced Foods
    • Dining Out Healthily
    • The Importance of Water
    • Eating Organic
    • UK Food Labels
    • UK Seasonal Foods
    • UK Portion sizes
    • UK Men vs. Women Nutritional Needs
    • USA Food labels
    • USA Portion sizes
    • USA Men vs. Women Nutritional Needs
  • Support
    • FAQ - ALL
    • FAQ - GymTraining App
    • FAQ - Membership
    • FAQ - Food Diary
    • FAQ - Activity Diary
    • FAQ - Mealplans
    • FAQ - Weigh-ins & Body Stats
    • FAQ - Reports & Printouts
    • FAQ - Technical Help
  • Contact Us

​Staying healthy during the Festive Season

Picture
Partying, drinking, over-eating and indulging in some of your favourite foods is inevitable during the festive Christmas season, but you don’t have to let your health suffer. Here are some top tips to help you look and feel great without worrying you’re missing out on all the fun.

Exercise

It’s easy to let those winter blues grab a hold of us during the darker winter days. By keeping up with a small amount of exercise each day you will ensure serotonin levels in your body are kept topped up. Also, try taking your exercise outdoors for at least 20 minutes in the natural daylight, this will improve your mood and also allow your body to replenish its vitamin D. Remember you don’t have to do a 10k run, a simple brisk walk through the park will do.

Relaxation

Remember that you need to allow a little time to pamper yourself during this busy period. With Christmas presents to wrap, cards to write, over-excited children under your feet, you can easily begin to feel drained. It’s important to share the load with others and not to take on all the stress yourself. Simple things can help to relieve those pressures like reading a book for half an hour, taking part in your favourite yoga class or organising a treat every now and then. Remember, at least 7 hours’ sleep each night will prepare your body for the following day.

Diet

Mmmm yummy Christmas treats, how can you resist? Simple – you don’t have to resist, but just take care not to get too carried away. The calories you consume can easily add up and ruin all the good work you have done during the earlier part of the year. The chances are you’re going to consume a higher number of calories during this period, so set yourself a realistic revised daily target taking into account the days when you are going to go out for your Christmas dinners and parties. Incorporate healthy snacks into your day and reduce the number of treats you allow yourself so you limit the impact of the times when you’re indulging. Combine this with a revised but realistic exercise plan and you will face a less daunting January aftermath!

Temptation is sure to be the test, seeing all those rich, highly calorific foods may prove to be your weakness, but by replacing these with healthier Christmas snacks you won’t miss out.
  • Why not take some homemade open-top mince pies into the office – they will contain less pastry therefore less calories. You could even use filo pastry or add some fruit into the mincemeat making them lighter with a few less calories.
  • Crisps and dips are popular too, so instead of cutting them out completely why not swap those highly calorific cheese based dips to tomato or yogurt based ones or better still make your own by mixing some herbs or spinach with natural yogurt and use oatcakes to dip.
  • Use raw veg such as carrot or celery sticks to dip in your dips.
  • Substitute that Christmas pudding with an equally tasty low fat one or make your own without suet.

Christmas Drinks

Amongst all the Christmas festivities there’s sure to be several occasions where you will be offered a drink or two. Here are a few things to keep in mind without dampening your spirits:​
  • Remember to eat something before you start drinking as alcohol makes you hungrier and hence more likely to indulge.
  • Too reduce your overall intake alternate each alcoholic drink with a glass of water or non-alcoholic drink.
  • Alcohol is high in calories and hence not good for the waistline! Try and go for lower calorie drinks such as gin & slimline tonic.
  • Avoid binge-drinking, stick to the recommended daily alcohol allowance (men 3-4 units, women 2-3)
  • After a night on the town you’ll inevitably yearn for fatty foods to counterbalance the blood sugar slump. By filling your cupboards with only healthy foods you’re less likely to eat junk when drunk. The morning-after cravings can also be satisfied with healthier, vitamin enriched foods which will be much better for you than the usual fry-up.

Stay safe

Alcohol can make you feel overly-confident and you could ultimately take more risks – know your limits. Always nominate a driver if you’re going to be indulging, and make sure you leave sufficient time before you next get in a car to drive.

Tags: Diet, drinking, fitness programme, healthier, metabolism, mood, nutrition, stress, 
DOWNLOAD THE APP
T's & C's
Privacy Policy
Contact Us
By using this site you consent to the use of cookies. See our privacy policy. Cookies can be managed in your browser or device settings..
Copyright © 2019
  • Gym Training App
  • Advice
  • Diets
    • Weight Loss Diets
    • Vegetarian Diets
    • Low Calorie Diets
    • Low Carb Diets
    • Low Fat Diets
    • Low Gi Diets
    • Low Sugar Diets
    • Low Sodium Diets
    • Gluten Free Diets
    • Healthy Heart Diets
    • Organic Diets
    • High Protein Diets
    • High Calorie Diets
  • Weight Management
    • Weight Loss
    • Weight Gain - Lean Muscle
    • Good Nutrition
    • Fat Loss & Fat Burning
  • Sports & Gym
    • Benefits of cardio workouts
    • Resistance Training
    • Running for Weight Loss & Fitness
    • Swimming for Weight Loss and Fitness
    • Cycling for Weight Loss & Fitness
    • Personal Trainers and Fitness Instructors
    • Keep a Training Diary
  • Fitness
    • The shape of your life in 90 Days
    • How to Build Lean Muscle
    • The Mesomorph
    • The Ectomorph
    • The Endomorph
    • How workout plans help you achieve your goals
    • Ways to burn more calories
    • How important is stretching?
    • Achieve your best body at 40+
    • Common Exercise Myths
    • Training for Race Running
    • High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
    • How far will you go to achieve your goals?
    • Double your weight loss with a food diary
    • Walk yourself to fitness
    • Can Music Increase Your Motivation?
  • Health
    • Eating a Balanced Diet
    • Healthy Heart Tips
    • Healthy Food & Drink Substitutes – Part 1
    • Healthy Food and Drinks Substitutes – Part 2
    • Keeping a Positive Mental Attitude
    • Eat this, and not that
    • Energy Boosting Foods
    • Alcohol consumption and fitness facts
    • Are you eating enough fibre?
    • How your mood affects healthy eating habits
    • Vitamins & supplements
    • Fish oil facts
    • Staying healthy during the Festive Season
    • Should we exercise through coughs and colds?
    • What are antioxidants?
    • Managing Cholesterol
    • Tips to help you stop smoking
    • How to boost your metabolism
    • Chase your winter blues away
  • Nutrition
    • Eating for muscle gain
    • What foods provide muscle fuel?
    • Muscle Building Supplements
    • Can you transform your body without good nutrition?
    • Recovery Nutrition
    • Can sports drinks improve your performance?
    • What are super foods?
    • The worst drinks when dieting
    • Best and Worst Foods
    • Healthy Snack Foods
    • Healthy eating in your lunch hour
    • Get a Boost with Breakfast
    • Locally Produced Foods
    • Dining Out Healthily
    • The Importance of Water
    • Eating Organic
    • UK Food Labels
    • UK Seasonal Foods
    • UK Portion sizes
    • UK Men vs. Women Nutritional Needs
    • USA Food labels
    • USA Portion sizes
    • USA Men vs. Women Nutritional Needs
  • Support
    • FAQ - ALL
    • FAQ - GymTraining App
    • FAQ - Membership
    • FAQ - Food Diary
    • FAQ - Activity Diary
    • FAQ - Mealplans
    • FAQ - Weigh-ins & Body Stats
    • FAQ - Reports & Printouts
    • FAQ - Technical Help
  • Contact Us