A happy and healthy Christmas with MumMeFit
We can probably all agree on one thing: On Christmas Eve, roast goose,
potatoes and „Stollen“ taste way too good to even attempt to control how much we eat.
As early as in the morning of Christmas Day, we can already tell that the third piece of cake and the third glas of wine weren’t necessary anymore. But as soon as it’s dinner time, the roast duck tastes amazing again and finishing it all of with dessert is no problem either.
In the evening of the 26th of December at the latest, we’re laying on the couch with a fully belly, unable to move, asking ourselves how on earth we are supposed to ever eat anything again.
At the same time, there is this voice is our head telling us: „The new year begins in just a few days, there is no point in starting a diet now.“
So we’re convincing ourselves that we need to eat all the delicious foods which will be forbidden in the new year. „This year, I am REALLY going to start eating healthy.“
Why it’s the wrong approach to go crazy on Christmas, just to try to make up for it after New Years Eve, and how you can really manage spending a healthy Christmas (without having to restrict yourself in any way), we will tell you in the following.
Conscious indulgence: As early as in pre-chrismas period
This year, christmas is surely going to be different than usual. But already the pre-christmas period is full of temptations: Advent breakfasts with the family, mulled wine stands, in 2020 the counterpart to social interaction in restaurants and bars, christmas stockings filled with sweets and advent calendars.
We’re often particularly stressed out in pre-christmas period. Under normal circumstances, that time of the year our calendar is filled with christmas parties, this year we’re faced with the task to plan and organize the holidays to be compliant with the corona regulations. What stays the same is that we need to help overstrained santa and buy the Christmas presents ourselves.
In all this stress it can easily happen that we don’t make time to cook something proper and to sit down to eat. Instead, we eat one (or five) gingerbreads in passing. This for sure is nor particularly healthy, nor is it conscious indulgence.
No-one expects us to resits all temptations in pre-christmas period. However, try (even or especially when it’s getting stressful) to prepare all three main meals healthily, full of vitamins and fiber, and to eat slowly and consciously. We promise that the gingerbread is going to taste even better on the couch in the evening.
Indulgence in moderation
Implement little culinary tricks into your Christmas days in order to feel good all the time and to avoid falling into the post-christmas hole that was described in the beginning.
- Best, start „the day after” with a large glas of lukewarm water with lemon. This boosts the metabolism and provides some extra vitamins. Also, make sure to drink two liters of water or unsweetened teas (jasmine or fennel-anise-caraway, which improve digestion) throughout the day.
- Even on Christmas: Fill your plate and your belly with fruit and vegetables.
- Try baking differently: How about vegan Christmas cookies for a change? Often they contain less calories and cholesterol. Or try substituting the ingredients with healthier versions: Agave syrup instead of refined sugar, oat flour instead of wheat flour and maybe decorate the cookies with nuts instead of candy sprinkles.
- If you’re craving chocolate: Better resort to dark chocolate (70% cocoa). It contains less sugar, but more antioxidants, which, according to a study conducted by the department of medicine in Harvard in Boston, lower the cholesterol level, protect the heart and make blood sugar levels increase slower.
Movement, even (or especially) on Christmas
The holidays often come with stress: Grandpa shares his questionable political views, the kids are disappointed with their presents, the roast has been forgotten in the oven and as always no-one is helping us mums in the kitchen.
No matter what happened the day before: Arguments, tears, a few too many mulled wines or desserts, there’s few that can’t be fixed with a bit of movement and distance to the Christmas madness.
So, use the few hours in the morning, when your kids are busy playing with their new toys to clear your mind (and your digestive system!): With the MumMeFit App, you can compile a training according to your liking and have a break from holiday stress whenever you need it.
This year, Christmas is going to be spend in a smaller group and is probably going to mainly consist of sitting and eating. But even if there is( due to cancelled family– and christmas festivities) no real reason to leave the house, this doesn’t mean that you have to be sitting around all day. Movement boosts the digestion and clears your head. Guaranteed: After a workout (or after a walk in the fresh air with the family) you’ll feel reborn and reenergized for the rest of the holidays.
Say goodbye to thoughts like “It doesn´t matter now, I am going to start on the first of January”
According to a study, that as been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the average German gains 800 Gramms over the holidays. So no bad conscious when indulging!
The goal is to enjoy Christmas and everything that comes with it consciously and to avoid extreme black-and-white thinking like „Now I HAVE to eat everything, which will be forbidden in my strict diet after New Years Eve.“ There’s going to be temptations all year round: Birthdays, vacations, Tuesdays.. and let’s be honest: We rarely ever stick to a super strict diet.
We have to learn to listen to our body, to enjoy everything in moderation and to stay balanced all year round. During Christmas: Keep moving, try eating nutritiously and don’t have a bad conscious. Then you won’t need a strict diet afterwards.
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However, if you do want to do something good for you body after Christmas, no one says you can’t give up alcohol, sugar or fat for a few days. And if you feel like moving after New years Eve, check out our courses.
Enjoy your meals and Merry Christmas under these special circumstances!