Staying on track in Winter

Staying on track during winter can be difficult. It gets darker earlier, the weather isn’t great, and we tend to spend more time meeting up with friends, visiting family, and attending festive activities. 

Christmas should be a time enjoyed with family and friends, but if you’re worried about how to stay on track, try out some of the tips below to help you strike up a good balance.  

Keep your activity levels up 

Working out is great for you, but if you struggle to find the time over the festive period, try to keep your NEAT activities up. NEAT is essentially everything you do day to day that isn’t working out. It could be doing housework, DIY or gardening – anything that gets your body moving whilst doing generic daily activities.  

Balance your food 

Indulging in more sweet treats than usual over Christmas is inevitable, but finding a good balance between nutritionally dense food and sweet treats can help you to stay on track.  

Banning food from your diet is never usually a good idea as it tends to lead to a binge when you can’t resist the craving any longer. So, a handy guide to follow is using an 80:20 split with nutrient dense food and treats.  

Stay hydrated 

Did you know up to 60% of your body is water? This is why staying hydrated is so important! Aim for a minimum of 6-8 glasses of fluid per day (water or sugar free squash).  

Think about your alcoholic beverages  

Although there’s no safe level of drinking, the guideline says to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, and to spread this across 3 days or more. As well as this, alcohol is what some people call ‘empty calories’ because they have no nutritional value. A pint of beer has around 210 calories, whereas a spirit mixed with a low calorie / zero sugar mixer has around 100 calories, so choosing a lower calorie option can be a good way to help you stay on track.