Survive the Festive Season
Festive Fitness Tips for Surviving Christmas
The festive season is upon us and, although we are not kids anymore, December 25th still brings the Healthsure team just as much excitement as if we were.
Let’s not beat about the bush here — you should enjoy Christmas. However, the dilemma still remains: do you fully indulge in all the treats you can eat, or stick to various diets and routines? You don’t have to tell us how difficult it can be to stay active over the Christmas period and it may be tempting to say you’re going to get started with the new fitness routine in the new year.
However, you’ve got to consider that the average person eats an extra 3000 calories on Christmas day alone and gains over 2kg in extra weight over the holidays as a whole. The truth is that it may take a lot longer than you thought it would to work off that extra weight and adopt those new routines.
Additionally, your body is weaker than usual over the Christmas period because the colder weather has an effect on joint and muscle pain which can be particularly difficult to cope with during the winter months.
This is because you are much less inclined to be as active in colder weather as you would be in the warmer weather which can stiffen the joints over time. Moreover, colder weather naturally restricts the warmth of the blood which flows around your body in order to keep your core temperature steady.
To make sure that any physical pain you have doesn’t get any worse over the festive period, it’s important to keep active and make sure you’re getting up to some type of physical activity every day regardless of how strenuous the exercise is. With a little forward planning, it’s possible to enjoy Christmas in all its decadence and start the new year feeling fit, not fat.
Here are five tips to get you started:
- Exercise regularly. Keep active to avoid your joints getting stagnant. If you don’t move your muscles and joints regularly over Christmas, they will stiffen and make it more painful when you do move them.
- Make sure you stretch in the morning and evening. This can help keep you stay limber and not tense up. Moreover, in the lower temperature your muscles can tear more easily.
- Take a walk. Whilst the holidays provide ample opportunity for dancing, which is itself a fine way to exercise, why not go for a walk with the family after Christmas dinner to keep your joints moving?
- Stay hydrated. When it’s cold outside and the humidity is low, it’s easy to get dehydrated. Add to this any festive alcohol drinking session, and then it’s even more important!
- Enjoy yourself! A natural way to reduce tension over the festive period is simply to enjoy yourself and make the most of the time with your family, or wherever you spend it.
And most importantly — if you’re in pain, see a physiotherapist! We are qualified to help with muscular and skeletal pain, and we can not only help any aches and pains which have come as a result of the colder weather, but more importantly, we can help figure out what the problem is which is causing the pain and resolve it!
Above all, from everyone at Healthsure — have a safe and fun Christmas! See you in the New Year.
Book your appointment now:
✉️ info@healthsurephysio.co.uk
Also published on Medium.
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