How to stay in shape and train over the holidays
I finished my competition season in mid-December 2014, and a week later I was sitting down to Christmas dinner. I know firsthand how hard it is to stay in shape over the holidays when the table is laden with blood sausage, salad with sour cream and three kinds of cake. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to recognize the feeling—a couple of weeks without discipline can undo months of work. Here’s an honest account of what I do to make sure the morning of 1 January doesn’t start with a soft, puffy reflection in the mirror and a guilty conscience.
Why staying in shape over the holidays goes wrong
The problem isn’t delicious food. It’s the lack of a plan. Most people start December thinking, “I’ll make up for it in January,” and give up on training before Christmas Eve even arrives. Less training, more food, less sleep—that’s all it takes.
The truth is simple: you don’t have to give up the holidays. You have to give up the idea that they’re an excuse to lose control. You make that decision before the first gingerbread cookie hits the table.
Plan your workouts before your calendar fills up
Baking, buying presents, visiting relatives, traveling. December can get away from you quickly. Look through your calendar in late November and schedule your workouts just like any other appointment.
If you’re heading out of town, check ahead to see whether the gym at your destination will be open. Most gyms have shorter opening hours on holiday weekends, so check the times. Spontaneity is your enemy here: leave your plans vague and the workout won’t happen.
Set yourself small interim goals, too. You’re usually well rested and well fed over the holidays, making this a good time to break a personal record. You’re more likely to find real motivation in a workout than under the Christmas tree.
Staying in shape over the holidays: basic nutrition rules
The most important rule is to stick to your usual routine. If you normally eat three times a day, eat three times on 24 December, too. Skipping lunch to “save room for dinner” is a shortcut to overeating.
Plan your cheat meal in advance
One or two more relaxed meals a week won’t derail anything. Quite the opposite—if you’ve been on a low-calorie diet for a long time, a planned cheat meal signals to your metabolism that you’re not starving. Choose Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve and enjoy it without guilt. If you eat with a guilty conscience, you lose both your shape and the enjoyment.
Control your portions, not the menu
Have some cake—but not the whole cake. Before you sit down, decide what you’ll put on your plate and how much. A festive meal doesn’t require you to try everything; it’s about the company. One piece of blood sausage tastes just as good as three.
Make smart choices
Jellied meat, pork, rosolje, mulled wine, cheesecake. Sometimes you have to choose between bad and very bad, sometimes between good and better. Make the best choice for the situation. Eating meat and salad before dessert is always better than the other way around.
A separate point about alcohol: as long as there’s alcohol in your bloodstream, your body switches off fat burning. If you drink, you drink—but understand what you’re getting and what you’re giving up.
When your holiday fitness plans go off the rails
One gingerbread cookie accidentally turns into twelve. It happened. So what? Tomorrow is a new day. The worst thing you could do now is start punishing yourself: fasting for a day, doubling your cardio, telling yourself, “I’ll starve it off.” That’s a shortcut to your next binge.
What’s done is done. Get back to your usual diet at your next meal—not next week. One slip-up won’t undo three months of work. Three weeks of slipping up will.
Don’t adopt other people’s standards
Most people have already decided to fail before the holidays begin. That’s their choice. Your standards don’t have to match theirs. If you’re offered a second slice of cake, “No thanks, that was delicious” politely ends the discussion. If the party goes on until dawn and you have a workout in the morning, your friends will understand. Those who don’t aren’t the people you should base your fitness decisions on.
Frequently asked questions about staying in shape over the holidays
How many kilos might I gain over the holidays?
Actual fat? A couple of hundred grams over a couple of weeks, if any. What the scale shows on 27 December is mostly water weight from salty foods. Give yourself a week back in your normal routine, then check again.
Do I have to skip workouts over the holidays?
No. Staying in shape over the holidays starts with exactly that: not skipping your workouts. Two to three times a week is the minimum I stick to, even during the most hectic holiday week. If the gym is closed, I go for a run or do exercises at home.
Should I completely avoid anything on the festive table?
No. Banning foods completely sets you up for a binge. Eat a little of everything and move on. One Christmas Eve won’t ruin your shape.
Author: Peep Reinart
Come and train! ArtGym
