How to Get Back on Track after a Blow-Out Christmas

If you didn’t see our blog ‘how to stay on track with eating healthy this festive season’, you may be finding that you’re not feeling as fresh as you were before Christmas. We are with you. And so we have devised a handy list to get back on track and start the new year afresh.

As much as we hate fad January diets, we do think it’s important to get back on the health wagon if you fell off in recent weeks.

Drink Plenty of Water

First things first, if you had a blowout festive season, it’s important to get on track with all areas of your health and that starts with getting the right amount of water. If you are anything like us, you traded in your H₂O for prosecco for the entire month of December, which means it’s now time to start the day right.

It’s recommended that you have approximately two litres, or around eight glasses, of water a day – even more if you’ve got an intense training regime. It’s a good idea to keep a glass by your bed so you can hydrate as soon as you wake up, but otherwise, you’ll be looking at drinking enough water to get you popping to the loo every hour or so.

Why not start your day with warm water and lemon? This tonic helps aid digestion – particularly good in the new year as your digestive system probably slowed down when it was inundated at Christmas. Lemon water is also a really good detoxifier, so although your liver and your kidneys will already be hard at work detoxing your body for you, a little helping hand never hurt anybody.

Get Plenty of Rest

Having downtime may sound counter-productive if you’re looking to hit the ground running in January, but trust us, the last thing you want to do is burn yourself out in the month you’re supposed to be getting it all together.

Sleep is super important for many reasons – firstly, we love to snooze! There’s no two ways about it, we want our sleep. But a good night’s sleep has plenty of benefits: improved memory, lower stress hormones, muscle recovery, improved concentration and so on.

So, go on and get your full eight hours, boo. Then you’ll wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Polar opposites to how we dragged our body out of bed in December post-Christmas party.

Eat the Rainbow

No, we do not mean Skittles – we mean a plate brimming with bright, beautiful colours as these colourful foods are jam-packed with nutrients, not to mention being one of our five a day.

A variety of fruit and vegetables is an important step to helping you get back on track; if the only green you saw over Christmas were the tree itself, it’s time to step up your game and fill your plates with greens, and oranges, reds, yellows, purples…

Not only will a diet high in fruit and vegetables get you that nutritional boost you need, but it'll also help your skin glow and digestion improve and add a little bounce in your step, without the mid-afternoon sugar slump.

Get Fresh Air

OK, so January is bloody freezing, and that’s that. So if you’re living in the UK and everyone else is vegging out on the sofa when they get in from work with hearty, winter-warmer meals, you need to take heed of the following advice.

Even if it’s cold and wet, find the time to get your body outside and fill your lungs with fresh air. Grab layers, an umbrella, some music or some friends and go for a walk at lunchtime to break up the day, a fat-burning power walk in the morning or an evening stroll after work. Getting the blood pumping will have you reaping some serious benefits. Not only will it improve your circulation but moving your body outside will improve your mind and your body. Not to mention get you hitting your 10,000 steps, and who doesn’t want that?

Plan Your Time

Don’t fall into the trap of going all in for January, if you can only work out three days a week, so be it. It’s really easy to push yourself too hard in January as you’re surrounded by new year detoxes and quick fixes, but those fads will not have you back on track after Christmas; they will just have you falling down hard come February.

Plan your workouts and your social life properly and the healthy way of life will soon become the only way of life – the way to make it happen is to make it a lifestyle, and having a clear plan will help you get there.

Be Kind to Yourself

Finally, and most importantly, do not restrict yourself after Christmas, even if you did over-indulge and binge; restricting is not the healthy way to get back on track. Treat your body right and get off to a good start this January.

For more help, advice and tips to live a healthy life and slay in the gym, check out our blog or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.