NOT to be a Scrooge here, but while Santa Claus may be considered the face of the holiday season, his “robust” build also serves as a cautionary tale about overindulging in the celebrations.
So as we flip our calendars to its last four months and start to smell Christmas in the air—or the scent of sweet ham, whichever way you like it—it’s important to keep in mind that there are ways to living the “merry” and “happy” parts of this season’s greetings responsibly. Let us count the ways:
WORK IT OUT
I can’t emphasize this enough, but being fit is a lifetime responsibility and not just a seasonal fad (I’m looking at you people whose concept of fitness is limited to “rock-solid abs” to be flaunted during summer). Especially at this time of year where food, booze and parties abound, it’s much easier to lose track of our exercise regimens.
However, there’s no excuse to losing track of our fitness goals. That is why, ideally, you need to work out for at least three times a week.
If you can’t spend one whole hour for a workout, you may do short high-intensity workouts spread throughout the week.
How hard can that be? In fact, just by walking vigorously for 30 minutes, you can already burn 170 calories, according to Health.com.
NO GYM? NO PROBLEM
WITH social gatherings happening left and right, and the oh-so pleasing holiday traffic looming on the horizon, some will surely be tempted to pull the “I don’t have time to go to the gym” line out of their excuse bag.
There are also quite a few who’ll say they don’t want to squeeze themselves in gyms filled with people chasing their months-late New Year’s resolution.
It’s important to note that the gym is not a magical place where you can exclusively workout. You can workout wherever you want to. Did somebody say, “It’s all in the mind?” Nowadays, there’s a bevy of functional workouts that can be done in the comfort of your home, which I will continue to illustrate in this corner of the page.
LOOK GOOD AND FEEL GOOD
NO one wants to party looking like a sick dog. In order to stay healthy and look sharp, remember to take vitamins, stay active but get enough rest.
KEEP HYDRATED
MAKE sure to drink at least eight glasses of water every day, including a glassful the moment you wake up. Besides, we burn fat more efficiently when we are hydrated.
DO NOT GO TO A PARTY STARVING
It’s always better to load up before partying, even just a light meal, to avoid overeating once you’re in the thick of it.
How can you burn heavy recovery food if you go straight to bed?
EAT
Of course, we must also enjoy those yummy holiday treats but take note of the right amount and portion.
What we should do is to eat a healthy breakfast, light lunch and a small snack to eat before heading on to parties.
With JT Nisay
• For fitness training and lifestyle coaching, contact Jonnel Cruz at 0917-8414848.