Christmas is a time to let our hair down. A time to forget about everything and indulge a little. For most, this results in being a little bigger post Christmas. Here we’re going to discuss a few ways to prevent that from happening.
Before you get excited, this article isn’t going to be justifying any overindulging, and come January, you aren’t going to be able to say ‘I did it because PT-Health said it was ok’.
We all know you’d be much better off avoiding mince pies, Christmas puddings, chocolate, getting drunk every day and generally eating twice as much as we usually do.
If you DO manage to avoid all of the festive temptations, well done! But for those who do want to indulge, let’s talk damage limitation, so that come January you’re still looking somewhat human shaped, and not like a Christmas pudding.
Here’s five very simple tips that’ll help with that;
Eat Slowly
Sounds easy enough to do, right?
This is so simple and yet will have a huge effect.
If you eat slowly, you won’t eat as much whilst still being just as satisfied.
You’ll break down and digest your food better and you’ll be much less likely to suffer from indigestion or heartburn.
Go For An Afternoon Walk
It gets you moving.
It will help with your digestion.
It’s nice to wrap up and head out on a crisp December day with the family.
Double Up On Turkey
As a meal, it doesn’t get much better than Christmas dinner.
Plenty of meat and plenty of vegetables. The King of roast dinners!
If you insist on filling yourself to a point where you can’t move afterwards, do it with the turkey.
You’ll be fuller for longer and you’ll be less inclined to reach for the not-so-good pies, chocolate and alcohol afterwards.
It’s Only One Day
Christmas is literally one day long.
If you really want to count Christmas eve and Boxing day, it’s three days.
It isn’t a week long.
It isn’t a month long.
One guilt-free day of eating and drinking as much as you please isn’t going to take you the whole of January to recover from.
A week or a month of indulging certainly will.
Set yourself a limit.
Enjoy It!
The last one is to simply enjoy Christmas.
Enjoy spending time with your friends and family. Enjoy giving out presents. Enjoy the food.
The more fun you have and the more relaxed you are, the happier and healthier you will be.
Merry Christmas!