If the end of Christmas Day felt like you were filled up to your neck with six babies sitting in your stomach, join the club. All the trimmings, a 5 kg turkey, vegetables, bread sauce (it’s bringing back those bloated memories) – still with space for Yule Log and Christmas Pudding – kept me full for a while.
Now, days into 2014, the New Year is amongst us and I highly doubt that the Resolution list is finished. The first usually revolves around healthy eating, go the gym more and don’t drink as much! This is where I want to try and create a realistic plan so the above can – poof – disappear off the to-do list; and this can be achieved in moderation without a manic plan – that’s eating one grape a day, locking all alcohol away and sitting through an hour of spin at 6am when all you want to do is sleep.
First step, go shopping and fill your basket with fresh fruit and veg and tasty meals you enjoy, but maybe substitute the chocolate biscuits and pic ‘n’ mix for a tempting bag of nuts. Keep your meals balanced and, if you felt like you ate your body weight in food over the duration of the Christmas week, turn back to your portion sizes beforehand. Although you may want to lose weight, you still want to feel healthy and good on the inside too; and as soon as you begin eating regular foods again (see ya next year sprouts) no doubt you’ll feel a little emptier.
Next, if you have a gym membership, good on you, but keep on using it! A new year is essentially the same as last year so keep going when you feel motivated to. If you are determined to join a gym, check out the previous article on where to join for equipment and classes that’s worth the price; and if the gym isn’t your thing, go for a nature run around a park or take it upon yourself to accept a challenge of a 5k, 10k or even half/full marathon. You can achieve a goal in the New Year and keep your body burning.
Finally, alcohol at University is often hard to say no to. Casual drinks of one drink may lead to two, then three… you see where this is going. Don’t go dry in January though (your friends will not want to look after you in February when alcohol is back on the menu); swap gin and tonic for a refreshing elderflower squash and if you are dragged out to a bar when you really just want to revise, order a lime and soda – it’s a good disguise for a vodka lemonade. Then when you have finished your essay and want a nice glass of wine, you feel like you really deserve it and your insides will thank you too! Nothing like a bit of cleaning without detox diets and spinach breakfasts, lunches and dinners…
Hopefully you all entered 2014 feeling optimistic, excited and full of Champagne; and that should not be lost now that we’ve entered January. You may want to change your bad habits from 2013, but you’re allowed to have treats too; appreciate scrumptious food, glug the odd glass (bottle) of wine and just remember that a gym is around the corner for when you’re ready to enter. If this isn’t helpful, just think you’ve now got another eleven months until the next Christmas dinner is ready, and when the waddling begins…
Edited by Ili Mustafa