Eat What You Want and Skip Your Workout This Christmas (Here’s Why!)

When it comes to the entire holiday season, you really can’t simply skip your workout and eat whatever lands in front of you. On the other hand, whether you celebrate Christmas or any of the other fantastic holidays that take place this season, give yourself the chance to relax on the big day.

Yes, you need to take care, but on Christmas itself, give yourself the opportunity to eat what you love and skip your workout if it doesn’t appeal. Remember, your entire goal is to live a healthy lifestyle overall. This will only happen if it doesn’t feel like you’re punishing yourself. If you find yourself missing out on the foods you love and forcing yourself to do a workout you don’t want to do, you won’t want to keep up your efforts over the longer term.

Don’t Worry About The Feast

When you’re focusing on the big picture and you’re eating nutritious meals and exercising regularly, one day really won’t hurt. If you want to eat everything you usually would for your Christmas dinner, and if you want to skip your workout that day, it won’t define you. It won’t do much to benefit your physical health, but it will do a surprising amount for your mental health.

At the same time, it will make you feel all the better about continuing with your healthy lifestyle on regular days. In fact, you might find that you enjoy your indulgences more because they are a treat. Moreover, you could discover that you don’t need to eat nearly as much to be satisfied because it doesn’t take as much to feel as though you’re indulging. In that, if you choose to skip your workout that day, you’ll be fine.

Have a Plan for the Next Day

The key to making sure you can eat what you want and skip your workout on Christmas Day is to make sure you’ll go back to your healthy lifestyle the rest of the time. Therefore, to be sure you can relax and celebrate on the big day, be prepared for the day after. Be ready to hydrate, eat healthfully, and enjoy a great workout, too. Plan your meals and have them prepped in advance if you can. That will make it much more natural for you to get back into the old habits.

As great as leftovers are, make sure you eat them sparingly. Be very selective about which leftovers you’ll have and how much of them you’ll eat. Turkey meat is a fantastic thing to have as leftovers as it can be added to a kale and spinach salad or tossed into a light veggie stir fry. Try not to bog yourself down with a second or third day of creamy casseroles.

Don’t Skip Your Workout the Next Day

Be sure to only skip your workout on the one day. Otherwise, you risk making a habit of skipping it. It’s far better to get yourself right back into the habit. You’ll likely find that it makes you feel better on the day after that huge meal anyway.