The 5 rules of a JT Ethos Christmas
Posted on 21st November 2022 at 16:37
My first thought when preparing this article was it really should be 12 rules but firstly that's more than twice as much writing and then I thought “who the hell is going to remember 12 rules for a healthy Christmas”????.
Talking about health & well-being in relation to Christmas can often feel like being the fun police and it's almost a topic that shouldn't be raised. However, I'm not really sure anybody actually believes that and I'm also pretty certain that most people understand that health and Christmas much like health and any other celebration do not have to be mutually exclusive.
With my clients I spend an awful lot of time being very focused and very deliberate about the choices that they make, helping them move towards a specific goal that they have decided is important. It therefore it doesn't stand to reason that at Christmas all that should be completely forgotten. If something is so important that one is willing to commit to it over an extended period of time,
would you really be willing to throw all that away just for Christmas?
I also fundamentally believe that you can celebrate Christmas, you can celebrate any event and still work your way towards the health, fitness, rehabilitation &/or well-being goals that you have.
So, in the very considered and deliberate fashion here are my 5 rules for a healthy, fun Christmas which still leaves you on track for your bigger picture health goals that you have for the rest of the year:
1. Have the Christmas you want! You are in charge of your life, you are in charge of your choices, you are in charge of what you eat. I will argue with anybody who says they have to eat something for whatever reason. You don't! You don’t have to have anything, you have what you want.
So make a choice. Decide what type of Christmas you want, have that Christmas and if necessary make it right afterwards. Ownership of the choices that you make is hugely important not just at Christmas but at all other times too. It's also hugely important for your mental health. If you own something, if you choose an action then one can't be regretful or feel because you've chosen it.
2. It's only one day. And if you think about Christmas dinner or lunch in a traditional sense, you are actually ticking off all of your major macronutrients very easily. You will have protein, carbohydrates and you will have some form of fat. You may well have Christmas pudding and custard, you may well have cheese and biscuits you may well have alcohol and all the other things but it is generally one meal and it doesn't have to be eaten in excess you can do if you wish (I both certainly will!).
3. How late can you leave it to start Christmas? One really good tip that I use with clients is to ask them exactly when the Christmas period really needs to start. What I mean by that is how late can you delay your Christmas celebrations starting, your office parties, your nights out with friends, those nights that tend to creep into the working week which one doesn't do for the rest of the year. There is a huge difference in starting Christmas on 1st December versus starting on 16th, 17th or 18th for example. A 2 week detox feels like a massive task, so imagine how much impact a 2 week delay in starting could have on your health?
4. Remember that one day of fun doesn't have to become 2. We have days in between that can be just as good as they would be at any other time of the year. Often we may have one bad day and that will roll into two, three or more particularly at this time of year. Even if you have multiple of commitments during a week you can decide exactly how you want to behave in the days between those commitments. You may have to go out three or four times in a week but if you are eating really, really well in between then there's no reason to fall too far off your stated path.
5. In the words of the great Bobby McFerrin don't worry be happy. Even if your health, fitness & well-being activities completely fall off the waggon then regret, remorse, guilt or negative feelings will do absolutely nothing to change that. Once it’s done, its done. This obviously refers back to point 1 but has a very serious impact on one’s mental health if you don't keep it in perspective. Even the most long drawn-out Christmas period will last no more than six weeks, which might take you three months to get back to where you were, but you still have the opportunity to wake up the next day and start heading back in the right direction again. Re-engaging and re-connecting to the motivation and commitment is a key skill to any long term health and wellbeing strategy.
So there are my five quick rules for a healthy happy Christmas.. Christmas does only come round once a year, it is a special time for many but it equally doesn't have to be a time where you give up everything you've worked out for the rest of the year. Pick and choose what works for you, make it your own, put your own stamp on it and have a very Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.
And if the wheels completely fall off then can I highly recommend signing up for our six week Rocket Fuelled Health Kick which will be starting on the 9th of January and will completely reverse all the damage that you may have done to yourselves over the festive period. Click here to sign up
Tagged as: Education, Emotional health, Habits, Happiness, Health, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition, weight loss
Share this post: