How to navigate party season and stay on track with your goals…

December is here! There will likely be lots of social events and occasions this month, however that doesn’t automatically mean you can’t still make weight loss progress (if that’s your overall goal).

I’d say there are a few things to keep in mind…. Firstly, you’re a human, so you want to have a good time with those people who mean a lot to you – let that be your priority! You can enjoy yourself…. Party season doesn’t need to de-rail you!

Here are 5 things to remember this December:

• Enjoy yours-ELF!

Allow yourself the freedom to eat and drink some of the food / drink you might not have on a day to day basis. Relax and enjoy it, tis the season and all, BUT be sensible and try not to completely over-indulge on these high fat, high sugar foods – moderation comes into play here. Have a couple of crackers with cheese, share a dessert, have a couple of chocolates (and savour them!), just don’t dive head first into the Celebrations tub…!

• MODERATE!

Too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing. Eat to enjoy, not because you ‘can’. There’s no need to eat the full box of chocs in one sitting… you’d probably feel sick if you did, so practice eating a few and then putting the box away. If after 30 mins you still really want another, have another, but often that short, enforced pause helps you break the binge-eating, mindless-chomping cycle.

• The first sip or bite is always the best!

Think about it – the first sip of wine, the first swig of gin, the first bite of pizza, the first profiterole…. The first bit is always the most enjoyable! I’m not saying the rest isn’t nice, it is, but isn’t as good as that first bit! So bear in mind this law of diminishing returns – eat until you’ve satisfied your need for enjoyment – once you have, stop. This way you get the best of both worlds…

• MOVE MORE

Keep walking, working out and sticking to a regular routine of exercise. ‘Party season’ is basically one whole month, so stick with routine where you can and flex a little when you need to. Going out in the evening? Workout in the morning. Feeling hungover? Walk it off before hunkering down on the sofa… Meeting with friends? Incorporate a cute winter walk (weather permitting!)

• Stick to the basics

On as many days as possible, stick to your new normal (those habits we’ve been working so hard to form) and smash the basics. The worst thing you can do is jump off the wagon for the whole month – that will put you right back to square one. Tick all the boxes you can, every day you can. And on the days you can’t – enjoy yourself! GUILT FREE! And make sure you’re straight back to ticking the boxes the day after. That’s how you smash your goals. Doing the basics every day…. GET IT DONE! JFDI!

Hopefully this helps you navigate the party season with intent…. The intent to continue to work on you and your goals, and the intent to enjoy it. You can do both, but try to plan rather than just winging it!

Prepare for party season! And Merry Christmas!

Kaye x