With the festive season fast approaching, we have no doubts that there are already a few indulgent meals pencilled into your diary. While it’s a time of celebration, that doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your health and fitness, along with everything you’ve achieved throughout the year. Josh Peters from Hybrid MMA & Fitness in Central, Hong Kong, shares his five top wellness tips to stay healthy and maintain your fitness during the festivities to ensure 2020 gets off to the best start.
Train early in the day
Everyone wants to spend time with family and enjoy themselves during the day, so try to fit in your workouts first thing in the morning. Wake up a little earlier, get to the gym and get it done. You’ll thank yourself when you’re tucking into a glorious feast later.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
This is a great tool to use during the holidays because it’s efficient. and it’s unlikely you’ll want to spend all day in the gym. Keep your workouts short and sharp and get back to enjoying time off. HIIT allows you to burn a good amount of calories in a short amount of time so you can get in and get out. Grab a family member, and try this quick HIIT workout outdoors, or in your hotel room:
Holiday HIIT Workout:
- Jumping lunges: 10 each side
- Mountain climbers: 15 each side
- Push-ups: 10 repetitions
- Sumo (wide stance) squats: 15 repetitions
- Burpees: 10 repetitions
Repeat this four times, as fast as you can. Too easy? Simply increase the number of rounds.
Include fitness in your holiday plans
The easiest way to keep up your fitness is to stay active and make physical movement part of your plans. Involve your family in activities like hiking or going for a walk, which is a great way to spend time with family, burn some calories and keep yourself fit. Try tracking your steps and aim for at least 10,000 steps per day.
Eat mindfully
You’ll want to enjoy yourself during the holidays and indulge in some treats—preferably without the cliched holiday bloat or weight gain. A few tricks to help you stay on track is to keep your meals around festive activities restricted to lean sources of protein (pass the turkey!) and nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables. Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated, chew slowly, and incorporate protein into your bigger meals.
Prioritise sleep
It’s a holiday, after all. Try and aim to get at least seven to eight hours of good quality sleep. Not only will this help make sure you’re ready for all the activities of the day, but it’ll also help with cravings by stabilising your blood sugar. You’ll also be primed to do more activities, thereby burning more calories.
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