By Angela Kerrisk from Activate Fitness

It is so simple to get swept up in the holiday season! It is my favourite time of the year and if I could I would have the decorations up in early November!

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Christmas and New Year are widely associated with indulgence, the mix of social and national celebrations can help keep our typically cold winter at bay but can lead to a strain on our waistlines. How many of us start January with the best of intentions hoping to go on a ‘diet’ that will undo the excess of our partying from the previous few weeks! Did you know that four or five sweets from those holiday tins contain around 200 calories? And let us be honest, who stops at this?

You don’t need to deprive yourself or eat only boring foods or to accompany your treats with a side order of guilt - but you do need a plan!

Pay attention to what really matters. Although food is an important part of the holidays, put your main focus on family and friends. If your eating habits are balanced throughout the year, it’s okay to indulge once in a while.

You get to choose what this will be, don’t get drawn into the hype. One way to cut through the marketing that surrounds us at Christmas and that tries to draw us in is to set a rule; if the food or drink is available all year round, leave it. Just because it’s packaged differently it is still the same!

However, if it is a family recipe with the most amazing memories attached i.e. Gran’s stuffing or a traditional dessert or cake, enjoy every mouthful, get involved in the making of it so in time you too can hand this family recipe down. Cherish this experience.

PORTION CONTROL

If you are going to house parties be sure to eat before you go, prioritising a balanced snack containing protein, carbs and healthy fats. It takes a bit of time for your stomach to signal your brain. Have a chat, drink some water, wait a good 20 minutes before going back for seconds. It takes this long for your brain to register that you are full.

Get savvy about portion control. This is the biggest problem over the festive season. It is almost expected of us to overeat! Research has shown the bigger the portion the more you will eat. Focus on the first few bites, it is better to have a smaller portion of high-quality food.

Drink at least two to three litres of water every day to stay well hydrated. If you drink alcohol, have a glass of water in between drinks.

MOVE MORE

Get out and move every day. We are blessed here in Kerry to have so many places to choose from and that all ages can enjoy. A family walk after a particularly filling meal or late night can be brilliant for shaking off the cobwebs.

Meet up for coffee instead of pints. It is never about what you are drinking but who you are with, and again we have some amazing coffee spots to indulge in.

Try to stay to your usual routine and continue to have your three regular meals a day, this will in turn help naturally reduce the serving sizes of your celebratory meals with family and friends.

MAKE A PLAN

Christmas and New Year are all about having fun and not getting too stressed with everything. This year make it about good quality food, good company and most importantly about your family and friends. Make sure you enjoy yourself, share some love and remember that moderation is the key to anything to do with keeping healthy and safe during the festive season or any time of the year!

Now is the time to plan for the coming festivities. Having a coach on side to help you navigate this period is a huge help so that come January you aren’t caught spinning your wheels looking for a “quick win”, rather you are hitting 2022 working towards your goals, refreshed after an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas. If you would like a complimentary nutrition consultation, visit www.activate.ie.