Recovering from the excesses of Christmas and the New Year

Another Christmas gone and another year turned. We all love the Christmas and New Year season. Whether it’s the atmosphere itself or the company, these weeks are conducive to eating calories and more calories. We are all treated to traditional dishes and sweets. Some resist more than others, some get completely lost in the food, some tend to be more meticulous with what they eat.

Depending on your goals and discipline, you are the one who controls what you eat.

Those of us who enjoy training want to get back on track as quickly as possible by combining training and diet.

To face training after the excesses of these festive seasons I have essentially three things to say to you:

• Don’t Depress

The first thing to do and this is PRIMORDIAL is not to get depressed after the excesses you have committed. Getting thoughtful after the holidays about what you ate can be extremely detrimental to you and your results. Don’t look back. The path is from where you are to the front.

This is going to sound cliché but it’s very true. What matters is not what you do/eat from Christmas to New Year’s Eve, it is what you do/eat from New Year’s Eve to Christmas.

• You don’t have to make up for what was eaten

You don’t have to compensate for anything. You don’t have to kill yourself doing endless cardio, circuits, HITT’s to burn off everything that has been ingested.

• Routine

You should get back into or create a training and diet routine as soon as possible (don’t let laziness take over). 

If you had a training routine before and you didn’t stop training during this festive season, the only tip I have for you is simply get back on your routine.

This is really the ideal and most sustainable way because if you already have a well established training and eating routine you shouldn’t worry too much because it won’t be a week that will ruin the consistency you have throughout the year. Just go back to the plan and the results will keep coming. If the weight went up by returning to your diet and training it will come down!

If you really like training, I don’t think any more tips are necessary to get back into your routine. You’re probably already boiling to get back to training. 

To combat any excesses you may have committed during these festive weeks I leave you with these suggestions:

• NEAT Diário

NEAT- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

One strategy you can apply to increase your post-party calorie expenditure is to increase your daily NEAT. Stay more active during the day. On the following days go for more walks, go for walks and just don’t sit at home on the sofa.

• Take advantage of the Gym Promotions

January is perfect for promotions at gyms. Stay tuned and take advantage of some of the promotions that will arise to start a new training routine.

• Post Festivities Food

It’s not my area of expertise at all but I can give you some ideas after the excesses of the holidays. 

Try to be more controlled. If you go out to dinner, try to opt for healthier options (leave the chips, francesinhas and hot dogs for February, for example) and don’t eat desserts (you already gorged yourself on sweets at Christmas and New Year’s Eve).

Calorie restriction. If you are on a dietary plan you can always ask your dietician to restrict the calories a little more (not to reduce them too much).

Don’t buy sweets or “junk food” for home. When you go to the supermarket in January don’t buy sweets. That will help you because if you don’t have it at home you won’t eat it.

For those who used to train, stopped and in this new year it’s hard to get back to training after the holidays and for those who never had the training routine:

• Choose a physical activity that you love.

There are various physical activities in the gym (weight training, group classes, etc…) and outdoors (cycling, running, walking, swimming, etc…) and even some team sports (football, handball, basketball, etc…). You should choose one that you like because doing what you like is much more likely to be consistent over time and this activity becomes a routine for you.

• Train with someone

Training alone, for many people, can be monotonous and demotivating. Arrange with someone to start or resume training. You create a commitment which will make training a “must” and during training you always have a companion to help you get through it.

I hope these tips can be useful to you and help you get back to training as soon as possible. Getting back to training and dieting can sometimes be a challenge. Use how you feel about what you ate at parties as a motivating force to continue your daily routine.

If you have never stopped during the festive season all you have to worry about is continuing your journey towards your goals. If you’ve already been stopped for a while, respect your body’s limits and come back gradually.

I wish you all a year 2022 full of success, good training and good results!