Don’t Let A Decadent December Season Lead To January Blues

Posted December 7th, 2017

‘Tis the season!

The winter season is a lot of fun and we all deserve to cut loose and enjoy ourselves, but they’ll eventually come to an end and we’ll have to pay for our indulgences. It’s a story we see every year here at The Thames Club. People party hard for a solid month, then New Year’s Day arrives and they regret not maintaining their fitness and not taking better care of themselves.

January is already a miserable time of year. The weather is cold, we’re all back at work, no one has any money…so why add to it? This doesn’t have to mean sitting in at home while all your friends are out having fun. It’s about partying the healthy way (or, at least, the less unhealthy way).

Drink More

There are a lot of nights out during the festive season. From work events to catch-ups with old friends to family get togethers, it can feel like December is one long drunken night. And, bad news, alcohol is really bad for your health. It dehydrates you, it’s full of empty calories and it leaves you craving junk food.

Tackling dehydration first, you’ve probably been told a million times before to have a glass of water between drinks and to down a pint of H2O before bed. That’s fine advice, but there’s a better way. Sip at a two-litre bottle of water throughout the day so that you’ll be really hydrated at the beginning of the night, thus lessening alcohol’s dehydrating effect.

Make Smart Choices

Water aside, your choice of drink is also important. Beers and wines are high in calories, so avoid them. Spirits are your best bet. When choosing mixers, diet versions are low in sugar but will be full of chemicals. A good quality juice will be high in sugar, but will also be chemical-free and contain vitamins. Rather than stick to one, you could begin with a juice and then swap to a diet mixer. Even better than this would be to mix your drink with soda water, or to take it straight up. If you choose straight up, order a glass of water on the side. It’ll give you something to sip at during conversations and it’ll help with hydration.

Food wise, make sure you eat a filling meal before you go out. You don’t want to be tempted by the late-night takeaway. It’s also a good idea to have easy to have healthy food that’s easy to prepare in the house, so hungover you will have no reason to order a medicinal pizza. Don’t forget that members of The Thames Club have access to our healthy on-site deli, which will be run by Breakfast by Bella throughout the holiday season, so even if you don’t manage to stock your fridge you can get a healthy meal.

What Else?

Following this advice will help to make sure that you enjoy the holidays without taking too much of a toll on your health. Other helpful hints include not drinking at some events, especially if you’ve got a busy social calendar. And if there’s a dancefloor, get on it! It’s a fun cardio session. It all comes down to finding a balance between partying hard and having self-control.

If come January, however, you find that you’re not in as good a shape as you were before you may want to consider booking one of our in-house Personal Trainers. They’ll help you to get back on the right track. Contacting them involves one easy online form.

 

 

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