While Christmas is known as “the season to be jolly,” it can be a significant source of stress and pressure for many of us. Some people can feel overwhelmed by the excess, expectations, and exchanging of gifts at this time of year. Furthermore, Christmas is notoriously a time to indulge, but we have some great tips on how not to overindulge! The average person gains 3 to 4 kgs between Christmas and New Year's Day, and those who are overweight often gain more, including children. Being able to enjoy Christmas without having much of an impact on your health and waistline.
Don’t Try And Do Everything
Avoid unnecessary stress over the festive season by planning as much as you can and being careful not to take on too much. You’re not being selfish by saying “no” to some things or asking for some help. If you are responsible for cooking and hosting the Christmas Day activities, then don’t take it all upon yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Everything In Moderation
Christmas seems to be all about excess – but there is not much enjoyment in overindulging when you feel less than great the rest of your time off. Try to have a balanced diet as much as possible with lots of fruit and vegetables. Moderation is the key with both food and alcohol and remember to drink water throughout the break. A great tip is to drink a glass of water between alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, sparkling water with a slice of lemon or cut up strawberries is delicious. Your liver will appreciate it over the Christmas break too!
Time Off
If possible, plan your holidays so that you get some time for yourself to restore. It’s easy to burn the candle at both ends if you jam-pack your Christmas break with running all over the place and ending up completely knackered from it. Furthermore, creating the time to restore leading up to Christmas will allow you to enjoy the Christmas break as well and not feel overworked and overstressed.
Keep active
Exercise can be great for mental health and a perfect time to keep up throughout the Christmas break! Going for walks in the mornings, getting some beach or bush time to relax and restore with the kids. Being out and about in nature is a great way to spend time with loved ones, keep active and you won't have the tendency to be stuck in front of the TV to relax.
Christmas should be fun but if you find that previous years have not been enjoyable then consider doing something about it – try something different. One way would just be to get away from it all and remove the majority of the hassle from the whole festive experience. Make slight changes this year, ask for health, drink less, keep active and hydrated and see how this Christmas period feels for you!