How do I stay fit through the holidays?

The final days of December are full of temptation. Can we give in to it and simply train a little harder in January to shed the extra kilos? According to nutrition expert Dr Samefko Ludidi, there is a smarter way.

Many people have a Christmas drinks party at work on the last working day, or a festive Christmas meal at school. Finally the holidays, time to relax. Many families have two Christmas dinners: one with his family, one with hers. And because you have a few days off, there is also time to meet up with friends again, preferably in the pub and otherwise at the bowling alley. In any case, these are not occasions where you drink water. And then the big one: New Year's Eve! Doughnuts and champagne!

Time to relax, no diet for a while. The gym is closed, you can take your foot off the accelerator. You will just train a little harder in January to lose the holiday kilos. But... the effects on your health do not take a holiday.

Hey, that is no fun at all! So we are not allowed anything anymore?

Of course you cannot keep the bow drawn all the time. Enjoy the time with your family and friends, eat out a little more often and feel free to have an extra glass. But if you manage to hold on to your habits in essence, the pleasure of the holidays will not be followed immediately by weeks of fighting against yourself. It is precisely at moments like these that you can make gains.

If you let go of your discipline, it often becomes a slippery slope. Come on, you already had a big dinner yesterday, so tonight can be added to that. Running tomorrow? Have you seen the weather? No, you need rest as well. And if you do not have to get up early tomorrow to train, you can still go into town later on. Before you know it, you have undone all your efforts of October, November and December. Ah well, I will train it off again in January, you may think. But feasting heavily in December and then digging extra deep in January to get back in shape is the perfect way to set the yo-yo effect in motion.

You can make it easier for yourself by doing an extra heavy strength training session or a long endurance run precisely on the day of a heavy meal or a party. That way you really convert the extra food you took in into extra fuel that is used immediately, rather than into fat reserves around your waist. While your competition is lying around with a full stomach, you are already making progress. What is more, they feel rough and bloated, while you feel good because you have proved yourself once again: you have discipline!

You can also use the holidays as an opportunity to start intermittent fasting. You then agree with yourself to eat and drink only between certain times. This reprogrammes your body, making it more efficient. An added benefit: you reduce the time frame within which you can make mistakes.

However you decide to approach it, I wish you happy holidays and a healthy 2025!