7 Post-Holiday Rules to set you for the New Year

In Fitness by Polina

To all the Foxes going back to their offices today (boo!)

Christmas was great. No need to darken it with guilty thoughts on what you should have or should not have done during your Christmas break – concentrate on what you are eating, drinking and doing now. Here are some tips to help:

  1. Veggies are our friends. One cannot go wrong with veggies (unless there’s mayo/sauces in sight). One can eat a huge bowl of cooked veggies with garlic and chilli and still not go wrong! So, stock up on greens (broccoli, cabbages, spring greens, kale, spinach, etc) and on salads (any leafy types) and eat plenty with every meal or snack whenever hungry.
  2. Clock your fullness. Eat slowly, ideally not at your desk, and be conscious if/when you get full. If still hungry after your meal – top up with veg. Feeling full and acknowledging it minimises habitual snacking, specifically on sweets.
  3. Keep hydrated. This means small sips every 15-20mins throughout the day – you’ll feel more alert and less munchy.
  4. Get your colleagues to join in with healthy snack ideas – everyone is in the same boat looking to feel lighter, suggest bringing fruit and chopped veg for snacks, perhaps some homemade dips such as guacamole and hummus
  5. Do 5 x 30 sec planks and 5 x 5 push-ups in the morning and immediately when getting back home. These are classic strengthening exercises, micro-workout will fly unnoticed but your body will thank you for building up strength.
  6. Sleep. Sleep is the new Omega-3. However busy you are, arrange your schedule in a way to give you a minimum of 7 hours sleep. No compromises here. This is one I struggle with and something I will be working on this year
  7. Always, always acknowledge your progress to yourself however small it is! It’s not so much about the power of positive thinking as about setting your mind to work for your rather than against you – beating oneself up hasn’t helped anyone yet, only loaded with doubt and guilt. Maybe you cannot do the push-ups yet but at least you are trying – that’s a progress! P.S. any questions re push-ups – I’m here 🙂

    8. Onward and upward, lovely Foxes, time to get upgraded for 2017!