Dezemba is finally upon us, and we can feel the festivity and cheer in the air! Everyone’s in a better mood and the weather is gorgeous, almost as if to match. Songs sound better, especially played loud with the windows down, it’s easier to forgive minor frustrations, and that break from work and school feels like a well-deserved reward that we can just about reach out and touch. It’s a perfect time of year. And to reflect that, South Africans like to indulge – especially in unhealthy foods, alcohol and rich snacks.

Do we, at Trojan Health and Fitness, think that’s a bad thing? Heck no! Everyone deserves a year-end treat, and we know life isn’t worth living if you don’t let your hair down in the December sun sometimes. However, we’re also aware that a solid month “on the jol” could significantly set back the health and fitness goals we’ve been working so hard to achieve all year.

We’re talking weight gain/loss, losing muscle definition and condition and our cardio and aerobic fitness taking a knock. We’re all about balance here, so we’re never going to tell you to skip all the fun unhealthy December stuff entirely. However, if you want to stay on track to achieving your fitness and health goals, we’ve compiled a few tips and substitutions to keep your festive season just that little bit fitter.

Don’t skip breakfast.

You will be around a lot of snacks this time of year. Whether it’s at office parties or sweets being handed out by grown men in elf costumes in shopping centres, the temptation to start grazing like a hungry rhino and just not stop until you’ve devastated a whole plate of mince pies is going to be significant.

One way to mitigate this is by ensuring you eat a hearty and nourishing breakfast to start off every day. This way, you won’t be encountering those snacky situations already hungry, and you’re much more likely to be able to say “no, thank you” or “I’ll only have one.” However, this method only works if you have a healthy and sustaining breakfast. You can figure out how to build one of those in one of our previous blogs (aren’t we well prepared?): Fuel your day for maximum power: The building blocks of a power breakfast.

Don’t take a holiday from working out.

We’re not saying you absolutely must keep up your regular, strenuous training routine. However, as you’re likely to consume more calories, speeding up your metabolism by regularly moving your body might help you not veer too far off the track to progress. It will also keep you flexible and provide you with an extra endorphin boost at a time when you might feel anxiety-inducingly busy. Plus, there’s no better excuse to get out of a party you don’t want to be at. “Sorry, gotta get going, I’m running tomorrow morning” is a very plausible excuse to escape Aunt Dianne’s potluck, where the chicken casserole has that dodgy green tinge.

To skip the last-minute bikini body scramble at the gym, why not invest in a Trojan home gym system, so you can sneak in workouts without leaving the house whenever it’s convenient? Try light day hiking, easy cycling, skateboarding and yoga as other low-impact activities to keep you svelte even when ’tis the season.

Implement a “trade-off” system

If you know you’ll be living large, don’t approach your indulgences with pre-emptive guilt. Instead, go in with a plan. For every unhealthy thing you do, make an agreement that you will do one healthy thing to counteract it.

For example, for every alcoholic drink you consume, mark down that you’re going to be doing 30 minutes of exercise. Make sure this is a reasonable trade-off, that you don’t wake up with a hangover and the furthest thing from your perceived realm of possibility is the Comrades Marathon that 6-pack of beer at the braai earned you. You can also make “trade-offs” with food items or even unhealthy behaviours, like skipping sleep. A fun way to count your workout debt is in reps, which you can do on the go with our range of Trojan small exercise equipment.

DIY that bring and braai

A grand South African festive tradition, this is your opportunity to flex the fresh fitness recipes you’ve developed while tracking your macros all year. This way, you get to stay social, share healthy habits and still eat the food that makes your body feel good.

You can aim for leaner meats or even pick a plant-based option for the braai, like a roasted portobello mushroom. You don’t have to be at a social deficit to stay in a calorie deficit, and the answer to that lies in making enough to share.

Healthy holiday food swaps

If you follow these four simple tips, you’re already transforming your festive period from a fitness-focused point of view. We don’t believe in crash dieting or intensive restrictions here at Trojan. We think a healthy life is all about consistency, small choices that positively influence your day-to-day life and sustainable change towards the better. Of course, we’re also aware that calories don’t count on Christmas Day, and it’s your duty to go for that third helping of peppermint crisp tart. You owe it to yourself and to us! Enjoy!