I have a love hate relationship with Christmas....

I love the time with the family, the food, the lights and music and decorations, the Christmas story.. did I mention the food?

I am a self confessed foodie. I love food and Christmas is the best. Turkey and stuffing, Jamaican curry goat, oxtail, rice and peas and lasagna. Macaroni pie. Ahh and then desserts: apple pie and ice cream, cake - both vanilla and black - and the eggnog!

Of course with the Christmastime eating so amazing, surrounded by the over abundance of good food it is too easy to eat way past your limits, while at the same time the get-togethers and visits play havoc on your workout schedule.

Let me be real. I know that the obvious answer is to be disciplined. Fit in that workout no matter what! You have got to be that little bit selfish with your time. However, I know that isn’t me. I will put other people and priorities ahead of myself. What about you? I would love to hear in the comments how you manage or plan to manage this season.

Here is what I did to try to control myself.

1. Lots of walking

We have just moved house over the Christmas period and are walking to discover our new neighbourhood as the weather allows. This is England after all! Rain is king...

2. Fasting

I have taken a break from fasting from Dec 24th up until the 27th. We were just about due for a week off anyway since we hit week 6, the week off of our fasting program. But I'm settling for a few days instead of an entire week off knowing that there will be a lot of indulgence.

3. Exercise

I am continuing to workout through the holidays. Even on Christmas morning we did a 10 minute HIIT workout before breakfast, and I am continuing with the Strength Pyramid, Phase 1.

In addition to that we are continuing to play tennis and do yoga through the week.

The Aftermath

I started the Christmas week at 182 lbs. I ended on Boxing Day morning at 187 lbs.

Indulgence time has stopped. Back to fasting. Considering my eating I feel that it could have been worse! I think that working out helped to keep my metabolism high and keep the extra eating at bay. I feel good about this year as my expectation was to put on a few pounds like always, but I also know that the 5 pounds I gained this time will fall away very quickly over the next week or so.

I hope people enjoyed their holidays, indulged themselves without going overboard, and enjoyed time with family. I'm also hoping that you kept up some form of working out over and now that you are ready to hit the weights again. Looking for a program? Head over to my plans and join me in the Strength Pyramid ( https://www.15minutefitnesshacks.com/challenges). I am starting week 3. Let’s encourage each other to hit 2022 running and get fit together 15 minutes at a time!

I encourage you all to register, and let's work together. Install the app Fit by Wix from your AppStore and join us with invite code DTIKDS. Let's do this!!