Will Christmas send you off the rails?

Its 30 days until Christmas!

One month today.

Ahhhh

How did that happen?

I’m guessing that the last thing you want to hear right now is do more exercise and eat less.

Am I right?

OK, so the festive season is about to take over our lives and we will likely eat more and exercise less.

How does that make you feel?

Great because you have worked hard all year and a couple of weeks off isn’t going to make any difference?

Guilty already and worried about pilling on the pounds?

My favourite way to think about it is this:

The time between New Year and Christmas is far more important than the time between Christmas and New Year.

If you exercise and eat well most of the year this next few weeks won’t make any difference to your overall results because the body will re-adjust when you get back to your usual habits.

If you feel guilty for not doing as much this year as you would have liked and not achieving anything near what you had hoped, again the next few weeks won’t actually make any difference.

What you need to do is set your expectations for the festive period and be realistic about what exercise you can fit in.

Because routine just when out the window.

Last Christmas I gave you my 3 step plan, this year I’m adding an extra one....here is my new 4 step plan, if you follow these steps you will be beaming by New Year and ready to start 2017 on a solid footing….

Step 1

Decide what you can do and what you can’t.

Commit to doing some exercise regularly even if that is a short workout at home rather than your usual class. A long walk with the family is a good way of combining seeing the people you love and still being active.

A walk, a dance, a few squats, anything that gets you moving will help you feel better, even more so if it’s in the fresh air and it can just be five minutes if that is all you have.

Step 2

Sign up for something in the New Year, if that is a new exercise class, working with a Personal Trainer or an online exercise programme that takes your fancy. Maybe ask family to pitch in for a Christmas present.

Just knowing that you have it planned will help you feel better about having some time off.

Step 3

Let go of the nutrition worries.

If you feel guilty about every mince pie and count every calorie you will just feel bad and most likely you will end up eating more because you feel bad!

Tell yourself that you can enjoy just one mince pie or a couple of chocolates or one glass of wine and then limit having any more.

That way you feel good for being in control and not guilty for having had it in the first place.

Who wants a Christmas without the treats anyway?

Step 4

Consistency is what gets results so focus on what you can do each day and forget about what you can't.

One meal you can control that is perfect.

One little workout that will fit into your day.

Remember that when we are busy we are likely more stressed than usual so our bodies need a bit of extra TLC, good food helps so eat plenty of vegetables to keep your immune system strong.

Gentle movement will help you burn off those stress chemicals and may be more beneficial than a heavy workout.

REST is such an overlooked element of a healthy body, make sure you get some time to just breath and relax.

Remember that you only have to commit to one of these things to be onto a winner.

Here’s to a healthy, happy Christmas (sorry is it a bit too early to say that!?).

Kirsty xx

p.s. Have you got your Christmas tree up yet? I'm desperate to do mine but I'm waiting until December ;)