Christmas doesn't mean inactivity!
Hello, I'm Felipe Plazas, a personal trainer and dietitian specializing in improving body composition and a healthy back.
One of the most special times of the year is here, so I hope you're feeling great. I know the Christmas/Three Kings' Day holidays can be a challenge to stay focused on your training and routine.
However, today I'll help you with the advice I wish I'd had when I started, because enjoying the holidays without neglecting our health and goals is possible.
➡️ 1 - One of the main thoughts is to associate Christmas or holidays with losing everything you've achieved and gaining weight, but believe me, the problem isn't any time of year but rather your habits. I mean, if you've created a foundation that keeps you healthy, why would you be worried about Christmas meals?
➡️ 2 - You need to plan your schedule a bit before the celebrations and fit in your workouts without disrupting your plans. From experience, one option is to train early and have the whole day to spend with family and friends.
➡️ 3 - You can enjoy food in moderation , without having to weigh anything, but paying attention to your body's satiety signal. The gathering won't be more enjoyable if you decide to eat three more pieces of cake when you already felt fine with one or two pieces (for example).
➡️ 4 - You can include your loved ones in your daily routine and prepare a healthy option for the gathering. This way, you'll be including quality food, and so will your family. Double well-being.
➡️ 5 - While you'll be having meetings, meals, and parties, try to stay active, whether it's taking walks on your own or with your pet, doing quick workouts at home or at the gym, or even dancing. I'll expand on the training section later.
➡️ 6 - Let go of the guilt; you have the right to enjoy a dessert or a larger meal. Remember, you're not that one meal or action, but rather the sum of what you do over time.
And how do I organize my training?
You may be one of those people who already has a hard time getting organized throughout the year, and when these dates arrive, you don't know what to do and end up putting it off until January or training for two days but then quit because you get frustrated.
First, you need to keep in mind that the holidays are two weeks long, and no one achieves or loses their goal in that time. With this in mind, think about how many days you normally train, and honestly, how many you can train for, given your commitments.
I show you a visual example of a week where person X trains 5 days and how he could focus it during these weeks of festivities:
ENT = training
DES = rest
Let's assume you train 5 days with one focus:
1- Torso
2- Leg 1
3- Upper thrust
4- Superior traction
5- Leg 2
And during the Christmas weeks you can switch to a 3-day approach:
1- Torso
2- Leg
3- Full body
As for exercise distribution, I recommend that most of the exercises you choose be demanding, as they will help you maintain a certain level of progressive overload.
This is a very appropriate approach to training 3 days per week and progressing, as it allows you to maintain a 2-day weekly training frequency, prioritizing 2 days to each hemisphere and a third global day as a reminder of both.
This way you free up time during the week, you continue to stick to your habits, and even if you find it hard to believe, the combination of training three days a week and spending time with your loved ones will make you progress.
Example of demanding core exercises:
Conventional deadlift, barbell pendlay row or dumbbell bent over row, military press and bench press.
Example of demanding leg exercises:
Squat or variations, press, lunges and Romanian deadlift.
*On a full-body day, you can do a mix of these exercises and add more analytical ones.
*You can also include abdominal work at the end on 2 of the 3 days.
*You can also include intense cardio work at the end of your workout that will only take a few minutes (such as HIIT on a rowing machine).
*45' – 1h sessions and you have the whole day to enjoy whatever you want.
Finally, I'd like to share with you a mentality that the team and I generally apply: we should move more, not eat less.
I hope this helps you spend Christmas without guilt or pressure, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.
Have a happy holiday season and good health! 🎄
Felipe Plazas,
Personal trainer for María Puntí's team.
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