Staying Healthy over the Holidays
This is going to stay light-hearted, yet informative folks, so grab a couple of minutes and read about what can get you through Christmas and keep you healthy, and get you fired up for staying active, unless you already are of course. You might need some help with those party nights though!
PARTYING – We love them too, and the typical Christmas party season features lots of alcohol, sugary and high fat food and not enough exercise, apart form the dance-floor perhaps. That said, whatever happens, try not to say to yourself, “Oh, it only happens once a year,” and then live to regret it in January, panic, over-diet (consume too little), and over-train and end up injured, or deflated with a frazzled metabolism. What do you do?
BATTLING WITH THE BOOZE -Alcohol dehydrates you, and if you exercise or are very active, you may already be dehydrated from training. If possible alternate alcohol with a glass of water. And, before you go to bed, make sure you have a big glass of water to flush out your kidneys. It takes an hour to process a unit of alcohol, so four pints of lager could take 10 hours to be completely gone from your system. A bottle of wine the same. But do try to stick to your schedule. If you’ve slightly over-indulged, a bit of exercise will do you good.
EAT RIGHT -Hangovers can mean you’re tempted to pig out on junk food but, instead, replace lost salts with good food with minerals and vitamins, and if you are training very hard for over an hour, an electrolyte drink can put back the good to counteract the not so good, so get plenty of vitamin-packed fruit and vegetables after a boozy night.
Try a smoothie packed with vitamin C rich fruits like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and orange juice. Eat dark greens like broccoli, plenty of salad and choose lean meat or fish for lunch and dinner, and if hangovers make you hungry, chop up some carrots, celery etc and a dip them in a tub of houmus, or grab a small handful of nuts to graze on.
Now if you don’t drink then of course this might not matter? It still does, because healthy levels of all these food types will keep your immune system boosted, which is essential in cold times.
STICKING TO YOUR SCHEDULE -Whether it is a sleep pattern, or activity schedule, stick to keeping active. Walk the dog, or your neighbours. Go out with friends to Wendover Woods, where the fabulous cafe can warm your cold fingers. Be positive and find someone to train with and inspire each other. The more active you are, the happier you are likely to feel, too.
Even on dark winter days exercising in the morning has extra benefits as it wakes you up and boosts the body releasing the happy hormones which lift your mood and make you feel good. Therefore try morning workouts to keep the momentum of your training, lift your mood and make you feel good. According to ASICS (shoes) research, 66 per cent of morning exercisers feel less stressed at work and 59 per cent feel refreshed for the day ahead. Athletes, and non-elites, this can be a good rest period to let your muscles relax. For everyone it is a great time to let your mind recharge, so relaxing is important. Try and share the Christmas chores, and look after youself.
If you have any questions about training on any level, contact me, and the team will be more than happy to help. We make exercise fun, challenging, and your goals achievable and training relative. ‘Keeping It Real’
POST XMAS BOOTCAMP – Castle Park, Wendover 10-11am followed by Hot Chocolate in Wendover. Book online to reserve your space.