The Christmas season undoubtedly has many peculiarities. We will discuss them and share some recommendations so that, as a good athlete, you come out unscathed from all Christmas dangers.
Lots of Concentration in a Few Days
Christmas brings an increase in our social activity, starting with friend groups, company meals or dinners, and ending with family gatherings. We concentrate a lot of social activity in very few days.
This social activity is filled with emotional benefits but can also jeopardize the stability of our healthiest habits regarding food and exercise. We drastically increase and concentrate many hearty meals that include nougat and sweets, followed by those little glasses that fill us with joy, and we will probably chain a few "late nights."
If you are an ultra-disciplined person who never interrupts your habits, no matter how Christmassy it is, you don't need to keep reading. But if you're not, we'll share a good method.
During Christmas, Movement Pills.
Indeed, movement pills or snacks can be a great counterbalance to partially offset the imbalances of these holidays.
What is understood by a 'movement pill'? Well, brief physical efforts.
Our goal is based on making brief physical efforts that only require a few minutes and can be easily done anywhere without the need to change clothes.
We have endless options, but we'll share some very simple ones you can do during these holidays, such as:
Standing
- Climb stairs: If you go to any house to celebrate a big meal, skip the elevator. 40 steps are enough.
- Squats: Quick to do, wherever you are, 10-12 squats give you a good movement pill.
- Jumping Jacks: A few little jumps dedicated to cardiovascular health and toning our bodies. 30 seconds at a good pace go a long way.
If you don't mind getting down on the floor:
- Planks with push-ups: If you don't mind getting down on the floor, some good push-ups will give you a good movement pill. 10 are enough.
- Mountain Climbers: 30 intense seconds work wonders.
For the Pros:
- You might be invited on an excursion these days. Walking is basic, but if you want to add a little extra to your walk, take advantage of the steeper slopes or inclines to add intensity and start running intensely for a brief moment—between 35 and 40 intense meters uphill, and you'll get a good movement pill, like when we used to say 'Let's have a race' as kids and immediately started running. To avoid an unwanted injury, start gradually and listen to your body.
Frequency
To achieve good results with the "movement pill" strategy, it would be ideal to do one every 2-3 hours throughout the day. You can combine them and have a great time.
The Classic Christmas Weight Gain
Our first piece of advice is to enjoy it. The kitchens of homes are filled with effort and love to create exquisite Christmas dishes. Enjoy them.
That said, there are four options that can prevent all that gastronomic enjoyment from translating into the classic Christmas weight gain. Let's go over them:
- Do movement pills, which reduce blood glucose levels.
- If everything seems too tempting during these Christmas meals, focus on satisfying yourself mainly with protein and fiber. Concentrate on keeping carbohydrates and Christmas sweets in check, enjoying them but in very small doses.
- The most dangerous trigger is found in alcohol consumption. It's up to you, as always; the secret lies in moderation.
- Christmas can be a great time to start intermittent fasting, not with the goal of weight loss but with the goal of protecting our metabolic flexibility. To start, you can try a 12/12 window one or two days a week, progress to 14/10 to eventually achieve the coveted 16/8 window—16 hours of fasting and concentrating meals within the remaining 8 hours.
These are our Christmas tips; we hope they are useful.
The entire Vibliotec team wishes you a MERRY CHRISTMAS.