Welcome to Hip & Healthy’s 12 days of FITMAS! What is this, you might ask? For the 12 days leading up to Christmas day, we’re giving you a little insight into how some of our favourite wellness influencers are spending Christmas, their favourite parts of the festive season and little nuggets of wisdom!

On the 1st day of FITMAS, we’re kicking things off with Zanna Van Dijk, fitness enthusiasts, personal trainer, author and an all-around inspiring lady!

How do you beat the festive stress? I am crazy about planning. I make spreadsheets for my gift giving. I mean, they are even coloured coordinated. I make lists of gifts for my loved ones throughout the year and then consolidate them in the spreadsheet, separating them into categories like “ideas” “bought” and “delivered”. Of course, I also buy these well ahead of time and hide them away. Am I a little crazy? Don’t even judge me!

What’s on your Christmas wish list? A digital detox! I am taking 5 days off social media for the first time in 5 years – since I started this job – and I can’t wait! Hopefully, it will encourage me to engage even more with my family and friends this festive season! I encourage everyone else to do the same if they can, it’s a time to connect with those you love.

What do you eat on Christmas day? I am plant-based, so I will be having a nut roast along with tonnes of veggies and of course roast potatoes, stuffing and vegan gravy. I am also on a mission to make an epic vegan Christmas dessert for my family, to show them how delicious vegan food can be. I am not quite sure what it’s going to be yet but fingers crossed they love it!

Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions? If so, what are they?

I’ve actually set myself a bit of an eco-friendly challenge for 2018. As well as being interested in fitness, I’m super passionate about living a more eco-friendly life. This autumn I got a smart meter installed so that I can track my energy use and reduce waste. Living consciously is such a high priority for me and I think we could all be making small, sustainable swaps to support the planet. That used to be really difficult with household energy because it was totally invisible, but with a smart meter, you can see exactly how much energy you’re using and how much it’s costing as you go along. A bit like a fitness tracker for energy! Earlier this year, I didn’t know smart meters existed, let alone that they are free and available to everyone, even if you rent your home. If you look after the bills, you can just get in touch with your energy supplier to get one! So – in a nutshell –  my challenge for 2018 is to continue to reduce energy waste so that this time next year I can look back at my smart meter and see what a difference I’ve made.

Read Zanna’s fitspiration here!