How to stay healthy and happy throughout the silly season!

So we have finally hit that time of year when 'the silly season' is let loose! The party and social life lift, the amount of alcoholic celebratory beverages and Christmas cakes are in abundance, and the time we have available to keep our regular fitness routine seems to be slimming!!
As much as I love this time of year, it isn't easy to keep maintaining that fitness and healthy eating regime like the remainder of the year!

So here are some tips to try and help you stay on track, feeling awesome, energetic and full of Summer holiday vigor.

- Make your exercise a priority. Set your alarm for an hour earlier (even 30 minutes earlier will do if you can't bear to lose that precious sleep!). Summer days are longer, so you've got an extra hour up your sleeve in both the morning and evening -
hooray!!

- Make time to reflect on the year that has just gone, and think about what you hope to bring into the new year ahead. Start by writing down a list of ten great things that happened to you over the course of the year (however big or small - I know there are things there!!), then write down a list of NEW goals you would like to reach next year (remember to make them Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) - you may have one GINORMOUS list, so try and reduce it to five maximum to keep your sanity!, now stick those goals up somewhere you walk past or look at each day to keep motivated, passionate and reminded about the path you wish to create.

- Enlist in the support of a friend or 'fitness buddy'. At least if you have someone to meet you, call you to drag you away from the couch or bed when you may be feeling a little seedy from the previous nights festivities, that sometimes over-riding 'lazy bones' in you will have to put up a good fight to not meet up with your friend!

-Try something different. This time of year usually brings gorgeous Summer sunshine, warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours. make the most of the great outdoors and go hiking, take a friend to a 'come and try' Canoe or Kayak session (Many local bays, rivers and national parks will have contact numbers...or think about joining in an established club!), Many city parks offer free (or cheap) twilight dancing sessions to tone those legs & meet some fun crew, head down to your local outdoor pool or beach and do a few laps (even if you grab a kick-board and simply kick, it's awesome for your legs!), jump on board the Aussie sports bandwagon and grab a few friends to have a hit of tennis or play some street cricket, or try your luck while getting some sun playing a round of golf!

- Don't go to a party or gathering hungry. You'll be more likely to reach for the pastries or sweet cakes! If it helps, always carry around some unsalted nuts, fruit, chopped vegies and handy healthy snacks to nibble on if you do get hungry. By the time you get home you won't be so ravenous that you reach for the first thing you set your eyes on.

- Start growing your own vegies. It sounds small, but the more your grow, the more excited you will get to grab some nice clean, natural and flavor filled herbs and vegies from the backyard to impress your friends with at dinner parties! The extra sunshine will make the up-keep outdoors much more enticing.

- I know you've probably all heard this before but space out those drinks with some water or soda water (add some fresh lime or lemon if that helps to pick up the flavor!). Even if you do happen to get caught up in the festive spirit, you won't wake up with a tongue feeling like sandpaper and a throbbing headache from dehydration. You'll be much more likely to get up to join your friend for a Saturday run if you're feeling relatively fresh and hydrated!! Believe me! Or better yet - look up some yummy mocktails to share around!

- When you feel a sense of 'burnout' coming along (and do not worry - you are NOT the only one!), you might feel fatigued, uninspired, flat, anxious, depressed and irritable - give yourself the okay to have a couple of quiet nights in or days relaxing in the outdoors. This time of year brings lots of parties, Christmas day preparations, gift purchasing, socializing, catching up with people before holidays, work deadlines and the rest! It is hectic to say the least; acknowledge when you need to just say no and give yourself some space to recharge. You don't want to turn into 'The Grinch'!

- Remember to count your blessings, take note of positive things that happen each day and even reflect on the reasons why they happened. Sometimes we get so caught up in what is happening around us and making sure that everything and everyone is running smoothly that we lose ourselves and begin to focus more on the negative. Write down 3 things that happened to you that were positive EACH DAY before bed, and next to them record why they occurred. Often this is a way of linking things back to something you did/said so it helps to give us a pat on the back every now and again or to see why things went well (so we can simulate our behavior again).

I'm sure many of you have got a few tricks up your sleeve that you use each year and I would love to hear them!

Just remember - if you do have an occasion or two when you do get a little too 'excited', don't kick yourself. You're allowed to let your hair down and enjoy yourself a little!!

Bring on Summer!!!!!!
Xxx