Survive the Silly Season.

Well only 3 more sleeps until the man in the red suit arrives and I am so not organised!  I've bought all the pressies but haven't wrapped any yet.  My poor nursery has a pile to rival the size of Mt Archer in the corner of the room and I've got a heap of baking I want to do but haven't started.  Hopefully you are all more organised than me :)
I just wanted to give you a few tips to getting through the Silly Season without needing to go up a dress size by the end of it. 
1.  Try to keep moving.  Try to stick to your regular training sessions when you can.  And the days where you can't, move more.  Increase your incidental exercise by parking further away at the shops, running around with your children at home, walk around the house when talking on the phone.  Make a game of it and even include the children ie. when you wash the dishes do 5 squats for every plate you wash, or every time you walk through a doorway do a burpee.  Sure you might look strange but no one else will see you, except possibly the children and they'll love to join in. 

Christmas Bodypump class 2009

2.  Christmas day dinners are a recipe for calorie overload.  Keep these tips in mind so you don't overindulge to beat the bulge - use a smaller size dinner plate as you will fit less food on it, and don't go back for seconds, thirds, fourths etc.  Also fill your plate with lots of fresh green, leafy salads or vegies (try to make half of your plate salads or veg, a quarter protein and a quarter breads or pastas) 
3.  If you are asked to take a plate to a social occasion make it a healthy one.  Opt for a fresh fruit platter, fresh cheese and grape platter or bake something yourself so you have control of using healthier ingredients.  You could even go for little egg muffins or mini crust less quiches, zucchini slice or some mini berry muffins. 
4.  Never skip breakfast.  If you know you're going to be hitting the festive parties that night don't save up your calories by skipping meals earlier in the day.  You'll end up starving and as soon as you walk through the door you'll be elbowing everybody to get to the buffet table and over indulging.  Stick with your regular healthy breakfast and lunch options with a good mix of carbs and proteins.  And even before you go to the party have a light snack if you're feeling hungry to prevent the hunger gorge.
5.  You can still enjoy your festive fizzies (ie alcohol) but remember moderation is key.  For every glass of alcohol you have, follow it with a glass of water.  Don't let people refill your glass until your glass is empty and don't just have a liquid dinner.  Try to stick with low carb beers or low alcoholic wines/champagnes.  And avoid the creamy cocktails.  Ensure you fill up on a good meal of protein and carbs.  Keep in mind a big night on the Christmas cheer can potentially have you blowing out your calories that night (late night kebab anyone?), blowing out your calories the next day (my hubby's hangover cure is KFC nuggets - yuck lol) and can leave you feeling sluggish and tired for a day or 2 after so your training suffers. 

6.  Don't feel guilty for saying "NO".  I know sometimes you don't want to offend Nan by saying no to her second serving of plum pudding but your waistline will be grateful.  It is a sad reality that people (usually our nearest and dearest) will try to sabotage our healthy choices and usually they don't do it intentionally.  I constantly get told to "take it easy and rest" and "one little piece of cake won't hurt" from one family member.  I just let it slide and know that I'm doing things for my own benefit of a healthy body and mind. 

7.  And lastly enjoy this time and don't beat yourself up for having a bad day.  Accept that it's the time of year that your healthy eating may slide but don't use it as an excuse to eat a years worth of bad crap in one day.  It's all about moderation and making healthy choices.

I want to wish all of the Be Hot After Baby followers a very Merry Christmas and Wonderful New Year.  I thank you all for following over the last few months and your wonderful words of support.  I look forward to sharing more time with you in 2012. 

Stay safe, stay active and stay healthy xx