Festive Season Fitness for Mind & Body

The festive season is almost upon us. Time for your work Christmas party and to celebrate with friends and loved ones alike. If you are like most of the population, we do tend to overindulge on food, not to mention those ‘liquid’ calories!

This is also the time of the year we start to make our new year’s resolutions - what we are going to do, when we are going to do it, and how.

We plan, then think, and then we can over-think it, and then we stress out about it all when we have loads of yummy food and drinks around – not the ideal time if you are an emotional eater.

Self-care and acknowledgement will help you navigate your way through what can be a minefield of temptation, both good and a little naughty.

Why not try these 10 steps to help you through the Christmas season along with a cheeky little workout you can do every other day.

1. Be prepared or prepare to fail (this is a quote I love!) Be organised to help reduce the already stressful time of year. Meal prep, or just have healthy snacks on you, so you do not eat the wrong option because it was convenient – remove the temptation.

2. Be positive and enjoy life and the moment with family and friends. Involve family and friends in what you are doing, they could have the same goals as you, and now you have a training buddy; you can help keep each other accountable.

3. Look at the smaller things in life – smell the flowers or take a moment to enjoy our beautiful coastline of Newcastle. The ANZAC walk is a beautiful area to enjoy.

4. Tell your friends and family you love them and are grateful to have them in your life. Be mindful and enjoy your loved ones.

5. Don’t sweat the big things you cannot control; life is too short not to enjoy what you have. We cannot control everything, and life gets a lot easier if you understand this and move forward with your journey.

6. Take time for yourself; even if it is only 10 mins, it is still your special moment. Just breath, exhale the negative and inhale the positive.

7. Keep it real with your goals to give you purpose. What works for someone else, may not work for you, so take the time to figure out what it is that works to save time.

8. Don’t set yourself up to fail; you're worth more than that! Time is precious, and you want to make every minute count.

9. Try and do something active each day for your mind, body and soul. It will keep your head clear, and keep you motivated toward your goal.

10. Appreciate where your journey has taken you and what you have gone through to get here. Acknowledge your mistakes, but most importantly, celebrate your successes.

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TWELVE DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS WORKOUT

(Do #1 then #2, go back to #1, #2 and add on #3 and so on). Repeat twice.

1. 5x box jump

2. 5x butterfly sit-ups

3. 5x push-ups

4. 5x squat jumps

5. 5x plyo lunges (each leg)

6. 5x mountain climbers (each leg)

7. 5x tuck jumps

8. 5x 30-sec plank

9. 5x kick throughs

10. 5x reverse crunch

11. 5x frog squats

12. 5x burpees