How To Stay Healthy This Festive Period

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! So if this usually means piling on the pounds and clothes feeling uncomfortably tight come January, read on to see how you can implement some damage control.

Simple tips to use daily which will stand you in good stead once December is over too...

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Plan Your Food Out

Just like every other day of the year- If something works, keep doing it! This is especially useful over Christmas when everyone eats at strange times (Christmas lunch at 3pm? Why not...) and you're dining out frequently.

Take five minutes each evening to plan out food for the next day, working it around your schedule and balancing your intake. 

If you know you're eating out in the evening, have a healthy lunch. If you know dinner will be late, plan in a mid-afternoon snack so you're not driven to devour everything in the fridge from hunger. 

Meal Planning: Why and How

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Schedule Your Exercise In

As above, it's a tip that works so keep using it (or start!) this month.

Look at your schedule, decide what time of the day suits you best, get kit ready, set aside the time and go for it.

Then carry it on and just keep checking the workouts off. Not every day will be 'the best session ever' but staying on track with food is made much easier if exercise is nailed. Plan to do at least 30 min activity on most days of the week. 

Christmas is a great time to exercise with the family- Long walks on the beaches, playing in the snow (if we're lucky enough to get some), group bike rides... It all adds up and will boost energy levels for everyone which is useful for avoiding that sluggish festive feeling.

 6 Ways To Make Working Out Easier (including more info on scheduling workouts in). 

Also useful: 4 Quick And Easy Mind-Hacks For Exercise

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Find Healthier Substitues- Food and Alcohol

With the internet at our fingers there are tons of healthy recipes. I've found a few on a coupe of my favourite sites:

- Healthy Christmas Lunch Recipes 
​- Holiday Menus from CookingLight
- 16 Holiday Recipes That Healthy People Actually Eat
- 15 Healthier Holiday Desserts 
- 12 Insanely Easy DIY Christmas Treats That'll Spread Some Holiday Cheer
- Best Moderately Healthy Alcoholic Drinks For Holiday Season
- (Slightly) Healthier Holiday Cookie Recipes

If you're planning your food and staying active, there is absolutely no reason why you can't join in on delicious festive food and feel good afterwards. Everything in balance.

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Rest Up

Burn out is no good for the mind or for making healthy food choices, so once the exercise is done, the food has been planned and the parties have been attended make sure you get a decent nights rest so you can wake up and do it all again tomorrow!

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Plan For The New Year

What better way to stay on track than to have an event to train for? Anyone can find an event to work towards, no matter how unfit they are to start.

Starting from scratch? Look into a 5k race or a long-distance walking event. Pretty fit already? Challenge yourself to a half marathon or obstacle course. 

Find what interests you (and perhaps scares you a bit), enter, start training and stay consistent!

Read Why You Should Bite The Bullet And Enter That Challenge.

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If you work towards getting all these tips ticked off then you stand a pretty good chance of making it through Christmas feeling energised and healthy, ready to start the New Year with oomph!

And if you're ready to make some changes next year but want some support, structure and a ton of encouragement, check out why all Hell Yeah Healthy Programs work and then find your perfect match. ​❤

Read Next:
51 New Years Health & Fitness Challenges
How To Beat Those Winter Blues: 6 Handy Tips