This is the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas season is upon us and it’s a beautiful time of year, filled with friends, family, visits from Father Christmas, and plenty of parties with lots of eating and drinking! For anyone following a healthy lifestyle you will inevitably come across more challenges and choices during this part of the year.

To lose weight, we have to consume less calories than we burn. But, there are so many other elements we must consider for healthy living, such as balance. Achieving a balance during this time of the year will inevitably limit the damage to your weight loss journey and general healthy lifestyle.

Alcohol is filled with “empty” calories. No alcoholic drink will provide you with any nutrients, and they are inevitably calorie laden. However, if you fancy a drink at your works Christmas do – you can – but you must make smart choices.  Drinkaware have developed a phenomenal sheet where you can check the calories and food equivalents to any drink. Here is a link to the Calorie and Food Equivalents in Drinks . This is a really handy tool to help you to make educated choices throughout the party season.

Do remember that any alcohol will put pressure on your liver and the increased sugar intake will impact your gut bacteria. So, if you are drinking make sure that you don’t cheat throughout the next day with naughty foods due to fluctuating blood sugar levels leading to increased food cravings.

Canapés can also be calorie laden, so when you see the waiters swanning past you, try to ignore them! A huge tip we have for New You Boot Camp clients is to eat your dinner before you go to a drinks party. It will help you to be in a position to decline the unhealthy snack foods and canapés that are inevitably at any Christmas do.

Christmas dinners and banquets can be incredibly difficult for any person on a health kick, but you can make healthy choices. Meat and vegetables are still on the top of our agendas. So, decline the bread basket and ask for some olives. Decline the cream based soups and enjoy a smoked salmon starter. Decline dessert and enjoy a delicious coffee.

Everything about a healthy lifestyle is balance and you can always make the right choices. The issues we generally hear from clients is that once they fall off the band wagon, they enter a long road of self destruction. Our answer to this is, “Don’t make one naughty event turn into a naughty week!”

You may well fall off the band wagon, or simply just enjoy a really excessive night. Enjoy it and chalk it up – the important things is still to keep a balance. So don’t beat yourself up; just make smart choices and keep up your training!

Christmas is a joyful time and you can enjoy this special time without it being to the detriment of your health or weight loss goals. To truly help you follow your healthy lifestyle, keep an eye on the New Your Boot Camp Recipes. Our team are consistently updating the recipe pages for new inspiration and tips.

Merry Christmas everyone. We hope you have a wonderful time and we look forward to supporting you in the New Year!