The festive season is a time for family, friends and enjoying all of that amazing festive food. Although delicious, sometimes we can feel a little sluggish after over-indulging in foods and drinks we don’t usually consume – But don’t let it get you down!
The great thing about feeling a little less-then-average is that we can turn this into empowerment and motivation for change. Now is the time to make those lasting changes which will carry on well into the New Year…
Here are our top tips on how to bounce back from the festive season and feel better than ever!
Don’t Punish Yourself
This is our number 1# tip for a very good reason! Guilt and food are two things that don’t mix, yet often come together! In fact, a negative state of mind can actually increase the likeliness of weight-gain. It’s important to remember that setbacks do not define us or our long-term goals. What does define us, and our goals, is how we pick ourselves up and push on afterwards! In these instances, we need to be kind to ourselves, remember all the great memories we’ve made and let go of the guilt.
How to implement: Don’t panic about what you’ve eaten over the holidays or make dramatic changes out of fear or frustration. Try to stay positive and make any necessary changes to your lifestyle out of care for yourself.
Make A Plan!
Having a plan is so important! Remember the 5 P’s? (Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance). Having a plan and being prepared will help keep you on track and avoid those times of desperation where things go wrong!
How to implement: Make a food plan for the week including a shopping list. Meal prep every 3-or-so days so your meals are ready to go in the fridge. Cook up some ‘emergency’ meals and freeze these to be used as a back-up (think soups, casseroles, curries, cooked protein etc).
During this holiday period note how many functions/event you have for the week ahead and if you know you will be over doing it then keep it light the meals before or after an event. Then enjoy the event!
Planning can also include things like reducing the amount of not so helpful foods in the house…
Keep Up The Water
Water is essential in the normal function and detoxification of our body. Water also helps us maintain proper digestion, circulation and bowel function. Staying well hydrated may be the key to getting over your post-festive season slump!
How to implement: Drink around 1.5 to 2.5 Litres of water a day (around 32 mills for each kilo you weigh) and an extra 1L for every hour of exercise. Adding lemon to your water can make it easier to drink as well as setting goals (e.g.: I’m going to consume 1L before lunch time).
Sweat It Out
Exercise gets our blood pumping; our lymphatic system moving and makes us feel great through the release of endorphins (our brains feel good chemicals). Exercise greatly improves our state of mind and makes it EASIER to stick to our goals!
How to implement: Choose a form of exercise you enjoy. Lots of studios (yoga, pilates, functional training etc) offer free or reduced-price trial passes at this time of the year. These trials can be a great way to try some different types of movement! Exercise with friends as this helps nail the commitment and aim for consistency.
Even just a small 20-minute walk a few times a week can make a difference to our body and frame of mind.
Make Vegetables the Hero!
Vegetables are the hero we’ve been waiting for! Veggies can be a great tool in helping us stick to our goals as they contain lots of healthy fibre. This fibre helps our body detoxify and keeps us feel satisfied after eating. Vegetables also contain many wonderful nutrients which can help the weight-loss process and keep us healthy – they are so important! Try to include vegetables to every meal along with a good quality protein, fat and complex carbohydrate source.
How to implement: Aim for 2 different vegetables with each meal. Choose a new vegetable you don’t use often and try to find some great recipes on google! A lot of the time, vegetables can be made to taste better by adding olive oil, herbs/ spices, lemon and sea salt.
Do you need help getting back on track?
Call our reception on (08) 8332 2271 or click here to work with one of our fantastic practitioners!