Gained Weight Over The Festive Period? – Blitz That Christmas Belly!
Christmas is a time for family, festivity and…you guessed it, food!
After what’s been a massively challenging and crisis-ridden year, the Christmas feeling will have been far from the usual in 2020.
Nonetheless, hopefully everyone was still able to make the most of their time and enjoy the festive period as much as possible!
Festive feasting (as fun as it is!) can take its toll. A lot of us would have eaten our 2020 worries away over the Christmas period…and it’s okay! Because, that Christmas belly can be well and truly blitzed! If you want to know how – then keep reading!
‘Tis The Season To Be A Festive Foodie!
Following our Christmas binge, some of us may be looking down at our gut with a sense of uneasiness or even disappointment…but don’t fret! Eating more than the usual during a special period of time is pretty much inevitable for the majority of us and it’s completely normal.
You most certainly aren’t the only one who may have gone overboard with the festive munchies. As a matter of fact, relaxation and indulgence through cheat meals, cheat days, eating a tonne of food whilst on holiday or during a special occasion can be a great and rewarding break from the routine structure of our life’s and the constant commitments we face.
So, don’t be hard on yourself and enjoy the “feel good hormones” we release we’re enjoying what we eat!
If you live a healthy lifestyle, time off from the regular routine for downtime and enjoyment is a fantastic way to create some balance! To establish a lifestyle which is both happy and heathy, balance needs to be your best friend.
So, What Does Festive Eating Do To My Body?
Snacking all day on delicious appetisers, sipping on wine and festive cocktails, devouring mouth-watering multi-course meals as well as the family favourites all sound absolutely great…wow, beautiful…but unfortunately alongside the fun aspect of this comes the compromise of post-indulgence weight gain.
The large meals we get through during the festive period can do more than add a few inches to your waistline. Big meals can slow down your digestion leading to food spending more time being processed- this can cause feelings of gassiness and bloat.
Festive eating and an excessive intake of carbs goes hand in hand, but what can this mean?
Carbs and sugar cause our blood sugar levels to rise, increasing the amount of energy stored in our bodies for fuel. As such fuel is not required from our bodies during a time of relaxation, our bodies start to store more fat. And as for alcohol, well the bottom line is that alcohol can be very calorie-dense, meaning that it’s a direct ingredient for weight gain!
Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom, let’s take a look at LBL’s top tips for reversing the festive feasting weigh gain.
LBL’s Top Tips For Blasting That Festive Fat!
We’ve put together some our most effective tips for supporting our bodies in moving forward whilst reversing the weight gained over Christmas time!
- Flush Away Extra Sodium and Bloat from Our Body – Stay Hydrated!
The weight gain encountered after Christmas may include bloat as a lot of calories are needed to put on fat. Water is a great fluid for our metabolism and drinking plenty of it can help to flush out all that unwanted sodium and bloat.
- Begin Your Days with A Citrus Flush
Eating large multi-course meals during Christmas time can take its toll on our digestion processes. Increased digestion can support the loss of more weight. Lemons are alkalising, whereas water is detoxifying, this makes a glass of warm water and lemon the perfect choice for cleansing your insides whilst supplying your body with vitamin C.
This drink can also help to sooth your bowels, allowing for improved functioning!
- Move Your Body!
Right, this one is a given. It doesn’t take a lot to form a habit and the laziness attached with the festive period is something that can remain. So, break it!- get up, stand up and move!
- Scrap the Caffeine
This can be really tricky one for those of us who rely on caffeine for that extra buzz to drive us through tasks, but it’s definitely something to consider. Caffeinated drinks cause dehydration- in doing so we become robbed of essential minerals. This can lead to our bodies responding through an elevated production of glucose which is a contributor to weight gain.
- Strength Training Can Go A Long Way!
Weight training is great way to burn fat- this type of training boosts your metabolism which then remains boosted even after your training session, facilitating fat burning throughout the day. Additionally, weight training can be especially vital for women in order to prevent age-related bone and muscle loss.
- Disconnect from The Digital World
In a day and age which is dominated by technology, it’s no surprise that a lot of us are stuck to our phones for the most part of the day. Though technology can also be used to gain information for bettering our body and mind, it can also support a sedentary lifestyle. So, make some time for yourself that doesn’t involve being glued to a technological device!
Gaining weight over the Christmas period can be truly frustrating, but with willpower and some discipline, the negative impact of overindulgence can be reversed, and you can be back on course to reaching your dream figure!