Christmas time is most difficult of the year to stay dedicated to health and fitness. With Christmas day, Work Christmas parties, school holidays, family holidays and New Years Eve you will be tempted with alcohol, junk food and no time for exercise.

But don’t use Christmas as an excuse to have a one month blowout! Christmas is one day of the year, so for that day yes enjoy yourself but all the other days of December stay true to your fitness goals. Here are a few tips to get you through the Christmas period:
• First, keep your normal workout schedule as much as possible. There’s no substitute for doing your workouts.
• Stick to your normal nutrition plan as much as possible during the 2 week Christmas-New Year’s stretch.
• Take advantage of every opportunity to walk instead of drive. This one tip should be used all the time. It makes a huge difference in your fitness.
• Incorporate sports and games into your family activities. If you have a large outdoor area nearby, try to get the kids together for a game of touch football, soccer etc.
• Get up early. On holidays it’s easy to get caught up in family activities, and before you know it the entire day is gone. Wake up an hour before everyone else usually does go to the gym, go for a quick run, or just take the dogs for a walk through the park. If everyone else is having a sedentary Christmas, this might be your only chance to get out and get some exercise.
• You have heard this before: alcohol has calories too – 7 calories per gram to be exact. If you drink too much you will get fat!
• Be disciplined. Create a schedule and set a goal! It might be how many gym sessions you’ll do per week or how many kilometres you want to run between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Keep track of your progress, and if you start slipping behind then go out for an extra run in the evening.
• Don’t spend all of your time eating! Walk around the shopping centre for a couple of hours, walk the pets every day, play sport, do the gardening etc.
• Drink lots of water and unsweetened tea. No sugary drinks! Sample desserts instead of eating first and second helpings.
• Avoid starchy carbohydrates. The rolls, lasagna, potatoes, bread, and other starchy foods are often empty calories and you can easily skip them for an extra serving of veggies and meat.
• You will be able to handle a big day of eating if your metabolism is increased through exercise. Do a big workout the day before Christmas to give your metabolism a boost and I recommend running the day after Christmas to continue fat burning.