When it comes to the silly season, we don’t mess around, in fact, we take our festive activities very seriously. We drink a little more than usual, our regular salads have morphed into cheese boards alongside all the other mouth-watering foods that come with being festive. Add to this our social calendars that seemingly need their very own PA and where could we possibly find the time to workout?

I am not complaining here and we all deserve to let our hair down and have some fun this time of year, however, one thing that does seem to slip is staying active. It isn’t on purpose, it tends to just happen this time of year.

I am the first one to raise my hand and admit this, but one thing I do know that when I exercise I feel the best version of me.

Top tips to help us stay active over the silly season

• Do a little bit of movement every day. Even if you can’t do 10,000 steps or a full workout, try doing a 10-minute blast workout, a walk around the block or some stretching
• Don’t go all out with drinking and not exercising every day. Try to go for a hike or a big walk at least every few days or you are likely to be feeling very unwell after the holiday season
• Drink lots of water as it will help you hydrate

Don’t pressure yourself to start a full health kick over the holidays, but definitely try to do something and kick start some good habits.

No gym, no worries 

• Squats
• Push-ups
• High knees
• Mountain climbers
• Start-Ups
• Lunges
• Burpees

Go for a run in your own backyard

Get outside and enjoy the fresh air and the sun this time of year. Ben suggests giving interval training a go too, “Interval training is where you alternate bursts of high-intensity training, with lower intensity training. For example, you may sprint for 400 metres and then jog for 400 metres and do that again and again for 20-30 minutes.”

“It is a great way to burn calories as it is vigorous. It is also time-efficient because you can get results a lot faster. For example, the Department of Health recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week vs. 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity. Therefore if you are short on time, you now have no excuse as you can get similar benefits in half the time.”

For interval training Ben suggests:

400m run, 400m jog or walk. Repeat for 20 mins

Or workout wise, you can do the above workout mentioned, but do 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off and repeat for 20 minutes.

• Walking or beach catch ups are always a good idea. Even aim to do a workout with your friends before you head out to your festivities
• Try to drink water in between anything alcoholic
• If you know you’ll be eating heavy food, try to do a 10-minute stretch, walk or workout at to help energise your body. This (may) help you not get as tired as we are accustomed to getting on Christmas Day