It’s Never Too Late to get Hip and Healthy

I know, I know… It’s winter, it’s cold, freezing in fact, it’s dark, it’s nearly Christmas. Whilst all these may be true it is never to late to jump on board the Hip and Healthy train. We believe in living a life that’s 80/20. That is 80% angelic and 20% not so angelic. You can adopt this attitude any time in your life. There is no right or wrong time. And although 80/20 is a great balance to aim for – it is by no means the rule. With that in mind we want to remind you that you can still have lots of lovely indulgent Christmassy things like hot chocolates, mince pies and candy canes – actually maybe not candy canes they don’t even taste that great and they have NO nutritional value – let’s say Christmas pudding instead. You can still have all these lovely things and to make them taste even more wonderful why not start the day off with a run, have a healthy breakfast, snack on a delicious raw juice and have a delicious and nutritious lunch. Just because it is Christmas does not give you excuse to throw your health compass out the window – in fact, if anything, it is the perfect time to embrace the challenge of staying healthy, remaining cool, calm and collected and keeping fit. You know you will feel better for it. Let us know how you get on on our Facebook page.

Here are some Christmas challenges that we turn into triumphs… we try and lead the way in all things hip and healthy so hopefully this will give you a few ideas…

The Challenge: A Night Out

Temptation everywhere – we hear you! Try sticking to clear spirits such as Vodka as they contain less calories and won’t give you such a headache in the morning so you won’t feel as inclined to skip your morning workout. Mix them with tonic water and fresh lemon. If you must have a sweeter mixer choose cranberry juice that has at least some nutritional value.

The Challenge: Exercising in the Cold

Running in the cold is actually even better for you in many ways than running in warm weather. Because your body temperature will be lower you will actually burn more calories as your body tries to warm you up. The key to running outdoors in winter is layers. Wear a base layer, a mid-layer (this will act to trap the air) and a shell – something that is waterproof and windproof.

The Challenge: Christmas Treats 

As we said above, Christmas treats are definitely allowed – it would be a miserable season without them! Like summer but without the sun. All you have to do here is allow yourself them but in moderation. I know – harder than it sounds. If you are anything like me you can scoff an entire packet of salty sugary nuts in the same amount of time that Usain Bolt runs 100 metres. So, set yourself some boundaries. Never by the super-seized version of whatever your buying. Only allow yourself your treat at a certain time of day or limit yourself to the amount you are allowed. Then right it down and remind yourself of it! You just need a bit of willpower.