Let’s get real, the Silly Season is one of our favourite times of year! It’s a time that we love to spend with family and friends, relaxing, laughing and let’s face it, eating and drinking and generally being pretty merry!

It’s also can be an anxiety inducing period for anyone who’s managed to commit to their health and wellbeing or just generally wants to maintain some level of health over this excessively social and incredibly fun time of year!

Whether it be your work Christmas Party, a family gathering or just a good old fashioned knees up with your mates, at this time of the year there’s constant temptation around and it’s incredibly easy to slip into old habits and completely abandon the good habits you’ve established since the end of the last Silly Season!

To prepare it’s important to remember how it is you want to feel come the end of the silly season, to make sure you still give yourself the chance to overindulge a little and to also recognise that you can still have fun, while ensuring you make decisions that help you stay the course and on track with your health and fitness!

It’s not rocket science and it’s all things you’ve heard before but here are our top tips for staying sensible this silly season

  • You’re bound to want to have a tipple or two during the festive season and that’s completely ok! Just make better choices – drink low sugar wine or low carb beers and opt for soda water and lime as your mixers for spirits! Stick to picking a handful of events that you’ll let your hair down for and be mindful of how much you drink at the rest! Make sure you keep up the H2O the whole time and try to alternate an alcoholic beverage with a big glass of water!
  • Be careful not to over indulge at every party – while it tis’ the season for over indulgence, just like drinking, pick one or two parties that you want to hit the Ham hard at and maybe take it easy at the rest. Eat slowly and don’t rush back! Christmas is also the season of leftovers – there’s no need to have two plates at every meal, when you know you’ll get to enjoy it all over again tomorrow!
  • Try not to centre every celebration or catch up around a meal! Look at other options, whether it be meeting a friend for a walk or catching up with someone while you both get your Present Shopping done! Be creative about how you spend your time with loved ones, who knows it might even leave a little more room in the budget for that perfect present for someone!
  • Try to stay in your normal exercise routine as much as possible – if you’re away from home go for a walk wherever you are, soak up a little sun and use body weight exercises to get your heart rate up! There’s thousands of options for activity and being out of your normal work routine probably means you have more time than ever to commit to getting a little more exercise in! Play a little backyard cricket, meet a friend for a walk instead of lunch, go for a bike or keep attending your regular VIVA Classes! Whatever it is, don’t let the silly season ruin your routine.
  • Offer to help be a part of the cooking and food preparation process! That way you have some control over what’s being served and you’ll be able to ensure there’s something that fits in with your plan and eating habits at any meal!
  • Last but not least, don’t hit the silly season thinking it’s a great time to excuse yourself from your normal eating habits and really let loose! Be mindful about what you’re doing and how much you’re eating without feeling that you have to restrict yourself at every turn!

 

While the silly season can be a tricky time to stay on track, it’s important to remember it happens once a year – be flexible about your methods over this time and let your hair down a little! Enjoy the time with family and friends and try to make the best choices of those that you have in front of you at the time!

Happy silly season to you all,

Liv, Gen and The VIVA Team