Stress-free through the holidays

Holidays are nice and yet they make many people feel anxious and anxious. The dishes are often sumptuous, many are much too big, and coffee with pastries or cookies is often followed directly after lunch. Especially in sports, such days are often associated with anxiety and nervousness, as they interfere with our usual training routine. There is often less time left for training and at the same time the meals are much more energetic than is usually the case on such easy training days. It is precisely this combination that causes anxiety among not so few athletes, as they do not want to gain 0.5-1 kg unnecessarily over the holidays. So what to do?

Do's and don't's

There are a number of useful tips to help us get through the holidays well. This certainly includes the tip that we should also have realistic expectations for the holidays. Anyone who hopes that it will be the perfect meeting, the perfect dinner suitable for athletes, the extensive walk and it has never been so and usually difficult to implement this should also go into these days with lower expectations. Of course, things can always turn out differently than you think, but you should still remain realistic. On the one hand, this protects against disappointment and, on the other hand, from excessive internal stress.

In order not to gain a little weight after all, people are looking for strategies to get out of the holidays successfully. The important thing about all these approaches is that they don't become extremes. Whether the hours before the family dinner or after an extensive meal. Starving and excessive exercise do not have the desired effect.

Every year before the holidays, many ask themselves how best to approach the big family gatherings. We often choose traditional meals for the holidays. While many of these recipes have disappeared from restaurant's menus, they're still part of our culture. We shouldn't forget them and let them slowly disappear from menus and our memory. They're such an important part of our history. Even though some (!!!) are heavy and energy dense, even though they're not found on the usual athlete's nutrition plan, we can and shall enjoy these foods during the festive time - without any regrets. Our usual daily nutrition shouldn't consist of solely heavy, calorie dense meals but it's ok to enjoy them on occasions like Christmas. However, as we look forward to traditional meals on Christmas day, there're still a few questions that remain…

What should I avoid?

What do I do with large buffets?

Should I perhaps skip breakfast on such days?

Should I train extra in the following days?

Together with RTS, I and my colleagues dedicated themselves to the topic of holidays in 2021. The health magazine from December 2021 provides answers to some questions and also has some tips. Here's the link to the show:

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