PostChristmas Guilt

My favourite thing about Christmas, is the food. Roast potatoes in duck fat, three different kinds of roast meat, salads with delicious dressings, Christmas pudding with custard, trifle, chocolates, home-made slice…my family really goes all out with the Christmas feast, like I’m sure a lot of families do. It’s a time of celebration, after all.

Your belly is so full, and you end up eating left overs for a few days. Which is why, when you jump on the scales around New Years because you want to know what your weight is at the end of this year so you can make a resolution to make sure it’s a smaller at the end of next year, that you start to feel guilty. You’ve put on an extra few kilos – nothing massive or even noticeable, but you have.

You start regretting all the delicious food you ate, going back for seconds, lounging around because you felt too full to move.

Here are a few tips of my own that help me to not feel bad about the large consumption of food and drink I did over the course of a day or two.


1. Go for a walk every night after dinner.

Even just a short walk around the block every night starting on Boxing Day will help you feel a little better. You want to stay active, and although it might not be a cardio work out, it’s still movement, and all movement is healthy.


2. Don’t load your plate up initially.

There are so many different foods to try, and over-filling your plate will psychologically make you feel worse than going back for seconds or thirds after you let that first plate digest a little. You won’t eat as much, but you’ll still get to devour all the dishes you want.


3. Play with the little ones.

Most families have children, whether they be your own or your nieces or nephews. Go outside with them, try out their new toys, be involved with them. Being in the fresh air will do you wonders. Even if you are just standing outside, watching your little cousin try out his new remote control car will give you positive energy.


4. Wake up at a normal time.

Don’t sleep in too much, and don’t stay all day in bed the day after Christmas. I know it is severely tempting, but it will only put you in the lazy mindset which won’t help the positive energy to flow through you. You’ll lack the motivation to do anything, including go for the short walk.


5. Go and do something.

If you are lucky enough not to have to work for a few days after Christmas, go and do something during the day. Go see a movie, or go shopping, or having coffee with some friends. Just little things that don’t take a lot of effort, but leave you feeling good and get you out of the house.


6. 2014

Start thinking about the new year and all the wonderful possibilities it may bring. Write a list of things you want to do throughout the year, like take a short holiday or go to a festival. Start planning, because planning things in advance not only reduces your stress later in the year, but it makes you feel positive about the year to come, and takes your mind off being maybe a little too self-indulgent over Christmas.


However, I don’t think you should be feeling guilty at all about enjoying yourself on Christmas. It is once a year, after all. You should enjoy it and embrace every part of it.

Merry Christmas



#_christmas
#_positivity
#_mindset
#_health
#_family
#_self
#_self -esteem

%selfavenue