As a child, Christmas cannot come quickly enough or last long enough; as an adult, things are different, with the festive period taking a physical and mental toll.

​

Food, drink, late nights, last minute deadlines, more food, more drink, the office Christmas party, topped with more late nights and more Christmas parties, tests our overall well–being to the limits.

​

Then there is the three–day event itself: the mandatory Christmas Eve drinks, snacks and sweets; champagne breakfast on Christmas morning and of course the Christmas dinner with all the trimmings; before eating it all again on Boxing Day.

​

So, it is easy to understand how one UK study found the average Brit puts on around 2.2lb (1kg) over the Christmas period. It might not sound like a lot, but on average we only lose around 1/3 of the weight we gain – meaning over a decade you could be adding 6kgs to the scales thanks to Christmas.

​

The question is, can you still enjoy Christmas without wrecking all the effort you’ve put into healthy eating and exercise throughout the rest of the year?

The answer is yes, but it takes a bit of effort and restraint.

​

However, if you are able to control your Christmas calories, you will be ahead of the game when it comes to healthy New Year resolutions.