The festive season is almost upon us. A great time to celebrate and catch up with family and friends! It’s also a time when on average Australians gain 0.8-1.5kg – which doesn’t sound like much until you consider research showing that weight gained over the Christmas and New Year period is rarely lost!
In addition, an American study established that weight gained during this period usually occurs around the torso. Weight gain in this area is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Not much to celebrate.
Why not make this year the year that’s different? Check out the tips below to make your Christmas and New Year good for your health, not just your social life.
- Make it H2O-only! Drink either still or lightly sparkling water instead of high carb soft drinks. Adding a sliver of lime or lemon will make it fancy and help alkalise the body – health bonus points!
- Avoid going to parties hungry. Eat something light beforehand to reduce your chances of snacking on high-carb party food. Our FatFix bars are perfect for this.
- Filling up on healthy fats such as butter and coconut oil and quality protein helps with satiation, leading to less risk of overeating.
- Look at maintaining your current weight instead of trying to lose weight over the Christmas season.
- Avoid alcohol or limit consumption to 1 or 2 standard drinks a day. Too much alcohol can set off weight gain, dehydration, diabetes, malnutrition, and diseases of the central nervous system and the liver – not to mention potential social incidents!
- Make exercise social. Go walking with family and friends instead of just sitting around. Enjoy beach cricket, throwing a Frisbee, touch footy, bike riding, swimming or even a good old game of tag. Humans are designed to move, so get out there and have some fun.
Here’s to a healthy Christmas and happy New Year. After all…when our bodies and minds are healthy, we feel better, we look better, we have more energy and we’re able to get more out of life!
