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6 tips to starting the New Year off right.

Firstly I wanted to say Welcome to 2019!

I hope that you all had a happy, healthy and safe Christmas and New Year period and got some time to relax, spend time with friends and family and do some things you enjoy.

I know that keeping any sort of normal routine over the Holiday period is very hard and there are lots of events in the lead up to Christmas meaning that you are eating out a lot more often and not in your normal routine as your may be on holidays from work, working shorter hours or have the children home from school. Nevertheless, this does not mean that your months of hard work leading up to Christmas is all gone because of it. The quicker that you get back into your normal routine the easier it will be to re-establish those good habits.

Here are my 6 tips to help you get back on track for the start of the new year and have you back to feeling like your energetic self in no time.

1. Get back into your normal routine as quick as you can

I generally know that over the Christmas and New Year period any good routine that you had going tends to go out the window. Between Catch-ups with friends, the office Christmas party and the festivities of Christmas itself, it is hard to stick to any sort of plan in terms of eating and exercise which can easily lead to a few extra Kg's sticking around. Getting back into exercising and eating well can help shift those unwanted Kilos and also help with getting back into the work after a few weeks off. Or if you felt that you weren't really in a routine previously, now could be a great time to establish one and start the year off fresh.

2. Exercise

Exercise will not only help you to shift those unwanted kilos but it will also help improve your energy levels and reduce those post holiday blues as you go back to work. My advice - you need to make a routine that works for you. If you are a shift worker and finish at 2.30pm then afternoon exercise sessions it is, if you are a night worker then exercising a few hours before you shift will not only help give you energy to last through the night but it will then also eliminate you having to do it in the morning when you are just coming off your shift and all you want to do is catch up on sleep. The quicker that you were able to re-establish that routine, the easier it will be keep it up and the healthier that you will start feeling sooner.

3. Get enough sleep every night

Making sure that you are getting at least 7 - 8 hour sleep is a crucial factor in being healthy. Numerous studies have shown a correlation between obesity and a lack of sleep and increased stress levels and a lack of sleep. Lack of sleep causes your hormone Leptin to decrease which conveys the hunger signal to us while eating. So decreased leptin means you won't feel as satisfied and full after your eat and therefore are more likely to overeat.

4. Don't go on any crash diets

Fad diets are nothing but that - just a fad. They come and go and are not going to help you achieve long lasting sustainable weight loss. The majority of weight that is lost when people people go on a diet like that is water weight and is not sustainable and once they start eating normally again, they regain the weight that they lost plus more. A healthy, sustainable amount of weight to lose per week is somewhere between 500g - 1Kg.

5. Make sure the fridge is stocked with healthy food

Getting rid of all the excess junk food, chocolate, biscuits, chips that was leftover from Christmas and New Year and having the fridge stocked with wholesome, nutritious food will make it easier for you to eat healthy. After a late night at the office, having the fridge stocked will make it more convenient to then come home and prepare something quick and easy and will reduce the temptation to then get take away food.

6. Drink water and reduce alcohol consumption

Everyone always thinks of the calories that they put in their mouth food wise, but it can be the calories that are drunk that can have the biggest impact. Reducing or even eliminating alcohol for a month can show significant results weight loss wise but also health wise too - you will be surprised.

2018 by The Nutritional Trainer © 

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