Well, December is here and with it the indulgent glory that is Christmas. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I’m a huge Christmas fan! What’s not to love?
Family, friends, thick cut glazed ham, ‘Love Actually’, the gifts, the post lunch snooze, ham (yes I know I wrote that twice), even the uncomfortable food-baby that grows over the course of the day.
However, I believe there is one area that we fail to indulge in. An area that could balance the energy equation a little bit more and save some of that anxiety and stress come January.
I’m talking about our activity levels. While I don’t have data to back this up I can anecdotally say that, in my experience, activity levels and fitness goals tend to take a backseat come December. Ask any health professional or business and they will tell you that December is a quiet period.
And this is a problem. You see, if you’re doing the Christmas period right, you’re more than likely to be consuming more energy dense foods over the course of the month. With all the parties, constant Christmas snacks which are literally everywhere, the Christmas eve/day/boxing day feast crawl and we can’t forget the increased alcohol consumption that also tends to go with the above.
This heavily tilts the energy balance equation towards surplus as food intake increases and energy expenditure decreases.
This inevitably leads to the holiday weight gain we’re all so familiar with. In fact, new research suggests that no matter what you celebrate, at any time of year, the holidays are likely to be your period of greatest weight gain. More concerning is that on average we only lose roughly half of the weight gained. This suggests that 12 weeks of the year may account for around halfof our annual weight gain.
Now I don’t say this to scare you or even try to give you 5 top secrets to avoid Christmas weight gain. Because part of the magic of Christmas is enjoying good food with good company.
(Disclaimer: Practicing mindfulness and moderation still advised).
Keeping active over the Christmas period will have a number of positive benefits:
Improve calorie partitioning
Essentially by keeping active over the Christmas period we are ensuring that our muscles have a constant turnover of muscle glycogen. Exercise lowers the glycogen content of our muscles and possibly the liver, making them more receptive to incoming calories. So by continuing to exercise even when there is ample calories from pudding coming in, at least some of that energy is being taken up by muscle cells to use for energy or to replenish glycogen stores.
Building muscle
In my article on the 7 mistakes to building muscle I highlight repeatedly that building muscle is a costly process. Meaning it takes an energy surplus to build significant amounts. Something that we are likely to have around the Christmas period. Instead of dropping off from the gym or exercise, why not knuckle down and put all that food to use. Aim to hit PB’s or increase volume (in a smart fashion) during this time and let the increase in calories fuel your sessions, boost recovery and build some muscle.
Improve health & minimise fat gain
Keeping active over the Christmas period also aligns with general health guidelines. We know that staying sedentary over long periods of time is terrible for long term health and that inadequate levels of physical activity is one of the top 10 risk factors for mortality worldwide. Rather than writing off the whole month and deciding to start your fitness/health kick in January, just do what you can. Every walk, game of cricket, squat, nephew piggybacked is going to help.
Struggling for ideas to keep activity levels high this festive season?
Here are my top 6 Ways to keep active over the Christmas period
1. Increase your step count
Christmas is a busy time of year. Add to that the often stifling heat that accompanies this time of year and it’s easy to come up with excuses to stay in our air-conditioned comfort. An early morning or evening walk can be an easy and effective way to keep active and use up some of that festive season fuel. Get to bed a bit earlier, wake up 30 minutes earlier with your active wear prepped the night before and start the day outside. I also like the idea of a Christmas light crawl! Pick a suburb with good Christmas lights and get walking.
2. Make social catch ups active
Let’s face it, while the exercise and diet side of our lives may take a backseat, our social lives generally explode in December. This doesn’t have to be the case. Rather then catching up for drinks or lunch at a café why not make the catch up active. Or mix the two. I like the idea of a picnic in the park with some Frisbee thrown in to get the blood flowing.
3. Farmers walks: Christmas shopping edition
Shopping at Christmas…you either love it or hate it. Either way you know that if you have a lot to do it can be pretty taxing. I say work with this. You know when you do a big grocery shop and you don’t want to do multiple trips from the car to the kitchen so you load up with the bags and feel like the Mountain from Game of Thrones carrying it…. No? Just me? Okay. Anyway, embrace the burn and get your steps up while carrying a ton of Christmas shopping. Park a little further away and avoid some of the stress of shopping mall parking.
4. Include a badminton set in the secret Santa
This is one of my favourites! Most of us will be in at least one secret Santa this festive season. Rather then adding another box of shortbread (delicious as it is) to the mix, grab a cheap badminton set or some other active game. Chances are at some stage that net will get a bashing.
5. Unleash the inner child
You know who doesn’t appear to gain much weight at Christmas? Children. Why? Because they expend so much energy during the day playing. While I’m not endorsing running around the house at full speed, taking some time out to play some cricket or join in on the water-fight is a great way to increase movement.
6. Make Use of a quiet gym
December in many gyms is reminiscent of a wild west movie where the tumbleweed blows across the screen. Having worked in a gym environment for years I can tell you that there is a marked decline in gym attendance around Christmas. Embrace this and enjoy the freedom of not having to fight for equipment or someone pinching your bench mid circuit.
However, you choose to do it, try to make this festive season rich in activity and exercise too. I guarantee your body and mind will thank you for it come early January.
If you’d like further help with your nutrition please click below:
References:
Helander EE, Wansink B, Chieh A. Weight gain over the holidays in three countries. New England Journal of Medicine. 2016 Sep 22;375(12):1200-2.
Yanovski JA, Yanovski SZ, Sovik KN, Nguyen TT, O’Neil PM, Sebring NG. A prospective study of holiday weight gain. New England Journal of Medicine. 2000 Mar 23;342(12):861-7.
