I love the build up to Christmas, I love the Christmas films, Christmas carols, choosing presents for family and friends, not to mention making homemade gluten free dairy free mince pies.
Christmas means different things to different people and we all like to celebrate it in our own unique way. Its a time when most of us think about connecting with our families and that can be exciting and fun. The giving and receiving of presents and eating tasty treats and drinking some mulled wine and watching some good old Christmas films or singing Christmas carols in church or at an event or at home. Last year we were all facing the reality that we had to stay away from loved ones to show our love and keep them safe from Covid. This year we have all had our double vaccinations and some have had their booster Covid jab and flu jabs too, so we are in a very different situation and can once again be with loved ones and family members.
THE LONG TO DO LIST
There is also no getting away from the fact that Christmas can be slightly overwhelming with the to do list as long as your arm and the usual things that need to be done as well as extra visitors or trips to visit friends and family that you know you won't be seeing at Christmas. Then there is the decorations to find let alone put up, the tree to buy , the Christmas lights to untangle (even though you are so careful they always end up being tangled as if someone has gone into your Christmas decoration box and tangled them all up)
For some reason (we may never understand ) most of us feel the need to make Christmas perfect putting others needs before our own which can make December and the lead up to Christmas the most stressful time of the year. Trying to please everyone and fit everything in can be incredibly stressful. With so much to do and so much to think about exercise can slip to the bottom of the list but did you know that exercise has been proven to boost your mood and self esteem, improve your sleep quality and energy levels and help manage and reduce stress.
BOOST YOUR MOOD, ENERGY AND DE STRESS
It's when we are at our most stressed and busiest that we need exercise the most. So get your walking shoes or trainers on and go for a walk, do that low impact Hiit or cardio workout on YouTube, make some me some ME time and roll out your mat and practice some Pilates , it doesn't have to be super hard to be effective, you can chose some gentle Pilates from my YouTube channel and keep moving and keep your mood boosted and self esteem and energy levels high.
FOOD
It just wouldn't be Christmas without a few mince pies, a few chocolates, treats and a few glasses of mulled wine and champagne now would it? A few treats over Christmas aren't going to do you any harm as long as you don't continue these treats into the New Year with You and making the treat a regular thing. If you eat a few chocolates or have a dessert or mice pie or two try to balance it out a bit by being active and getting out for a walk Perhaps with the friends you are visiting or are visiting you. Don't think of exercise being a punishment for what you ate more of a way of sustaining your weight and avoiding putting on too much, Relax a little, have things in moderation and stay active but don't let it all consume you and make you even more stressed and miserable by avoiding the treats altogether.
Have a wonderful Christmas, Keep active, and arrive at January feeling fresh, rested and restored.