{"id":340192,"date":"2025-12-12T10:10:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T10:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/340192\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T10:10:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T10:10:14","slug":"festive-flex-how-to-stay-fit-amid-xmas-brunches-and-nye-bashes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/340192\/","title":{"rendered":"Festive Flex: How to stay fit amid X\u2019mas brunches and NYE bashes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s a Dad joke that rolls around at this time of the year: There are two types of people in the world \u2013 those who shout, \u201cTen! Nine! Eight!…\u201d at a party on Dec 31; and those who whisper \u201cTen! Eleven! Twelve!…\u201d doing reps at the gym on Jan 1. Hahahah. Stop.<\/p>\n

\"If If your social calendar is packed, fit in micro-workouts such as quick runs or light home drills. (SHUTTERSTOCK) <\/p>\n

We disagree. Be the person who does both. It\u2019s hard, when December typically packs in a reunion, a wedding, a Secret Santa exchange, another wedding, the office Christmas party, another wedding and a year-end meet-ups. But new fitness regimes keep you locked in more easily than before.<\/p>\n

Yoga instructor Vanshika Pandey who has trained Malaika Arora and Sara Ali Khan; and Sahil Chauhan, consultant at Anytime Fitness, offer advice on how to keep at your get-fit goals as cocktails and cake fly past.<\/p>\n

\"Keep Keep your workout gear ready or pre-book an Uber to the gym so you\u2019re compelled to go. (SHUTTERSTOCK) <\/p>\n

Zoom in on micro commitments. Even gym trainers know how tough it is to stick to a regimen when one is buried in social commitments. They recommend toning down on the workouts rather than giving up completely. Shorter morning runs, upper-rung weights, or just lighter home workouts every day instead of gym sessions. \u201cIf you cannot take out 45 minutes out of 24 hours for your health, especially when it feels harder to do, you are not taking your life seriously,\u201d says Pandey.<\/p>\n

When Pandey was training Malaika Arora, she was impressed by the actor\u2019s commitment to working out every day, even in a busy shooting season. It\u2019s the kind of advice she gives every client: Arora at 52, is fitter than women half her age because she doesn\u2019t skip her workouts.<\/p>\n

\"Save Save a new workout, a new playlist, even a new pair of sneakers for a day you\u2019ll need the motivation. (SHUTTERSTOCK) <\/p>\n

Build an exercise menu. Even the gym around the corner can seem too far in the morning if you drank multiple G&Ts the previous night. \u201cOpt for yoga, stretching, skipping, power jogging or weight training at home,\u201d says Pandey. Or save a new workout, a new playlist, even a new pair of sneakers for a day you\u2019ll need the motivation. Pandey also suggests adding meditation and dancing to home workouts. They all count as exercise.<\/p>\n

Watch the snacks. \u201cYour body reflects what you eat much more obviously than how much you work out,\u201d says Pandey. Don\u2019t think of it as a substitution game \u2013 a salad today to make up for the meatball sub yesterday. Instead, look at your calendar and mark the days there will be feasting for dinner. Plan healthier lunches on those days, and a low-calorie snack that fills you up just before you head out, so you don\u2019t overdo the fried, heavy starters.<\/p>\n

\"Fill Fill up on healthy snacks at home to avoid going overboard on fried stuff at parties. (SHUTTERSTOCK) <\/p>\n

Stock up on healthy food at home. So you\u2019re more in control of what you consume in a month full of buffets. Pandey recommends soaking jeera, saunf and ajwain the night before and drinking it the morning after a drinking binge to clear the system. She also finds that soaking raisins overnight makes for a healthier treat when you\u2019re craving a post-meal pastry or cookie.<\/p>\n

Stay locked in. \u201cMost people miss their goals because they depend on motivation, and motivation comes and goes,\u201d says Chauhan. At party season, especially, it helps to build external cues to remind you of why staying fit matters. Keep your workout gear in sight or easy to retrieve. Prebook an Uber to the gym so you\u2019re more compelled to go. Unfollow or mute the Insta handles that distract you with cheesy snacks. Train with a friend or family member who\u2019s feeling a similar kind of pressure this time of year.<\/p>\n

Reverse engineer your motivation. Chauhan says this works especially well for people who give up on their own goals to honour social commitments. Save all your podcasts or streaming shows only as a post-workout treat. And build a menu of incentives just as you built a workout menu. Skincare samples? Try them after a gym shower. Flirty text to the cutie on Hinge? Save it for after the jog. Polite \u201cAs per my last email\u201d to the colleague who deserves a scolding? Oh, savour it for a full gym session before you hit send.<\/p>\n

From HT Brunch, December 13, 2025<\/p>\n

Follow us on www.instagram.com\/htbrunch<\/p>\n