Healthy Christmas Fun

Tis the season to be jolly, but nobody wants to start the New Year too out of shape. Here are my eight tips to get you through the festive season somewhat healthily.

1. Sign-up for a new-year fitness event: Maintain your fitness throughout December by registering for a fitness event in January or February 2012. You may take on an open water swim, sweat it out in a 10km run or perform a mini-triathlon. Whichever you choose, the upcoming event will help you stay active during the party season.

2. Eat your favourite Christmas foods: Indulge in the mince tarts or Christmas pudding, tantalise your tastebuds with the trifle and crunch through the crackle. But leave the chocolates, lollies, candy canes and chips for someone else. These snack foods are not as special as the traditional Christmas foods, so they’re not worth the kilojoules.

3. P-A-R-T-Y wisely: The month of December is usually jam packed with catch-ups and celebrations, but you don’t always need to attend them all. Too many of us wear busyness like a badge of honour, when really it saps us of our energy. Attend only the most important events. That way, you won’t get run down and you’ll find the celebrations more enjoyable.

4. Wear tight clothing: Tight clothes like skinny jeans can work as an unpleasant reminder not to overeat. Feeling your stomach to the limits can make sitting and moving in tight clothes extremely uncomfortable. So, going easy on the portion sizes will seem like the better option at the time, as well as help you manage your weight in the longer term.

5. Succeed with salad: Before heading to your Christmas party, eat a low-kilojoule salad. According to Barbara Rolls in her volumetric plan, filling up on salads prior to your main meal eases hunger pangs and helps to fill you up. In fact, eating a low-kilojoule salad can help reduce your intake at your next meal by 20 per cent.

6. Reflect and re-evaluate: As you approach the end of another year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your achievements and re-evaluate your goals for 2012. Reflection and re-evaluation will give you a sense of achievement and self-fulfilment, which are both important for a happy and healthy mind.

7. Downsize your plates: Be like Goldilocks and eat off the smallest plate at the party. Research shows, the larger the plate, the more food dished up and the more food eaten. Serving utensils can also increase the amount of food you eat. A larger spoon can see you dish up 14.5 per cent more food than if you used a smaller spoon. So bear this in mind when you’re at a buffet-style function.

8. Schedule me time: Remain sane throughout December by taking time out to relax. Running yourself into the ground during this hectic time is going to see you start the New Year worse for ware. Enjoy some alone time each week and revitalise yourself.