How to Tackle the Silly Season

The Silly Season is officially here! The one time of year that the majority of us spend the whole year waiting for. Time with family, numerous social outings with our pals, plenty of meals out and the most incredible indulgences.

On the same note, some of us chasing health goals do find it quite stressful if we are aiming to stay on track. Not to worry, here are a few hints to help you nail your Silly Season this year.

Tip #1 - Accept it

My first suggestion is just “accept it”. Accept that it is the time of year where we do “go off the tracks”, accept that our social outings to become based on indulgences, accept that there will be more yummy temptations, accept that you will have higher cravings, accept that you will be eating a bit more than normal. Accept it AND embrace it!

This time of year is special. We spend time with our loved-ones and that’s what is most important in the big scheme of things. One or two weeks of making “poor” food choices won’t hinder our progress. In fact, it can help us fire up in the lead in to the new year. The new year is when our motivation is peaking anyway. You have many, many weeks to hop back on track and reset or continue your health and fitness goals. Enjoy the Silly Season while it’s here!

Tip # 2 - Include Protein in Every Meal

You have probably noticed that the good ol’ protein legend is just a shining light. During the Silly Season, it also serves so many wonderful benefits.

Here’s why we should incorporate a source of protein in each meal:

- Protein keeps us fuller for longer: This prevents us from overeating as we become satiated quicker.

- Protein uses more energy to digest. This is called the thermogenesis of food. In comparison to alcohol, fat and carbs, protein requires more energy to break down. Essentially, the body will be working harder and using more energy to digest protein sources. Eating protein and burning calories, winning!

- Protein will cause less water retention: There’s nothing worse than going to bed with a sore stomach from eating too much food. This is normally a result of water retention from salt, alcohol and excess fats and carbohydrates. It is a lot harder to get that “uncomfortable” bloated feeling after consuming serves of protein.

Be sure to rip into that seafood platter, mum’s Chrissy ham or the turkey as they are PACKED with protein! Winning!

Tip #3 - Wake Up and Move

Let’s face it, normally we find a billion hours in the day on Christmas Day. There’s even times we get “bored”, especially if feasts are already prepared and organised.

Waking up and doing some form of movement can benefit our bodies in a number of different ways. A few include:

- Endorphins: The happy hormone! Moving our body and completing physical activity releases endorphins which in-turn, places us in a good mood. There’s no such thing as a bad workout as we always walk away feeling more cheerful in comparison to how we felt at the beginning.

- Supports digestion: Getting our bodies up and going helps digestion of food. This prevents discomfort later in the day. Having our digestion system switched on prior to Christmas feasts can help us digest food that little more comfortably during the day.

- Vitamin D: This is an obvious one for outdoor workouts. However, spending time outdoors and moving supports our Vitamin D levels which as a result, has so many wonders on the human body.

- The vibe is high and festive: If you are that next level and head to the gym on Christmas Day, you will notice there's one hell of a vibe. It is truly amazing. Surrounding yourself with energetic, motivated people (think about it, those people in the gym on Christmas Day are full-blown weapons) can only support your mood and drive you to higher levels of determination.

Tip #4 - Load Up on the Good Stuff, Fruit and Veg!

Sounds kinda boring but honestly, load up on your fruit and veggies. Not only do they provide you with thousands of vitamins and minerals but they are also high-volume foods. High-volume foods are those that are super low in calories but they keep you satiated and full. You could have a giant bowl of salad and just be scraping 50 calories in some cases in comparison to a bowl of trifle which can be upwards of 500 calories.

Christmas meals that are generally stacked with fruit and vegetables include:

- Salads (obviously): Be creative and include a summer fruit in your salads. Pineapples, apples, cherries and mango are all great additions to your salad.

- Fruit platters/kebabs: Normally they also include some form of sweet treat like marshmallows, chocolate, melted chocolate but you’re also receiving plenty of fruit at the same time.

- Roast meals: potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion, pumpkin are all high-volume vegetables that will keep you full for a while whilst providing your body with nutritional benefits.

Tip #5 - Don't Weigh Yourself After Christmas Day!

Or anytime over the Silly Season for that matter. In all seriousness, what will you achieve out of weighing yourself after a day/night/week of indulgences? In most cases for most people, scale weight will trend upwards during the Silly Season. This however is more often than not just excess water weight. When we consume more sodium (e.g. ham, turkey, gravy etc.) excess carbohydrates (e.g. potato salads, fruit cake etc), fats (e.g. dips and chips) and alcohol, our bodies naturally store water. These sources ”pull” water in and store it. Sometimes, our bodies can retain up to 4kg of water! This appears on the scale though as “you have gained 4kg” which is certainly, not the case.

Not to worry, this water disappears within a week or even faster if we return back to normal schedules. Moving your body the next day and getting physical activity in will definitely help reduce the water retention and help the body return to it’s natural state. Little bit of water never hurt anybody!

Just remember...

As mentioned previously, the Silly Season is a time to enjoy time with family and friends. It’s one week out of the year that we can really cherish and appreciate.

Guilt is a wasted emotion, especially around food. Eat that slice of pavlova, sip on that glass of red and dig into that Christmas ham. The New Year is right around the corner which is the perfect opportunity to reset and re-evaluate health and fitness goals!

From us at Body Aus, Merry Christmas and have an epic New Year!