Christmas is often a time when you may find reasons to overindulge, forgetting all the hard work you have put into feeling healthy, fit and well the whole year. I'm not saying that you should completely ignore all the delicious food that comes together with this magical holiday, but I am saying that with the help of the following tips you can enjoy good food without feeling scared to get on the scale afterward. How? Well, read on to find out!
1. Make Breakfast a Priority
Begin your Christmas days, yes for many enjoying this festive season isn’t just one day but many days leading up to Christmas day and beyond. So it is important as always not to forget to have a healthy, substantial breakfast. Choose protein foods such as eggs, avocado and mushrooms. This will help you to avoid snacking before engaging in a Special Christmas meal. If you know you'll have a rich dinner, you can eat lightly that day and save all your appetite for dinner when you can enjoy more.
2. Drink Water
To avoid overindulging in either soft drinks, juices or alcohol drink water. You can spice this up with either lemon or orange slices, and also include the occasional sparkling mineral water. We all know just how important water is for us, so the more water you drink, the better. One piece of advice is to make sure you don't eat too many salty foods and then drink a lot of water. That will lead to water retention and you don't want that.
3. Healthy, Smart Snacks
Many people over this festive time especially come Christmas Day will consume an extra 6000 calories just on Christmas Day alone! This is mainly because there will be extras like chips, biscuits, cakes, bread rolls, dips, cheese platters and possibly the worst culprit not only for calories but your health is that of processed meats.
So what can you do? Well, the first thing is that you want to truly enjoy that Christmas lunch or dinner. So if you are going to indulge in snacks aim for raw vegetables such as carrot, capsicum, cucumber, celery. Include cheeses that will support your digestion such as cottage or ricotta cheese. Consider dips like hummus, beetroot, sweet potato and pumpkin. Goats cheese is a great alternative to dairy and better for you. Dry roasted nuts make a great snack choice as they are low in calories and especially almonds will aid your digestion.
4. Make Your Main Meal Count
One of the best ways of filling up without causing any real problems is to eat your veggies first. Ensure that your plate is 3/4 filled with vegetables and a small quantity of meat and fat. Don't forget to chew slowly, that will help you feel full faster, help you to digest your food better and to enjoy all the lovely flavors.
5. Stay Active
As important as it is to relax at Christmas time, taking time to spend with your loved ones. It is also important to remain active by going for regular walks each day, going to the park with family and friends to throw the football, play tennis, cricket and so on. Canned oxygen is very helpful and is important to renew your energy and vitality, so make sure you use it every time you hit up the gym or when you need that extra vitality to help you through your gym session.
These are just a few tips that I hope you will find useful and that will help you enjoy your Christmas holiday to the maximum. If you have other tips for me, don't forget to share them in the comment box below.
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