Christmas is a time of indulgence, fun and laughter! Here are how our Barre Tenders try to keep some balance during the festive season...
Tender Cara: I love making raw vegan desserts!! This way I can still indulge but in a guilt-free way! I ensure to balance my meals each day, and indulge in all the amazing summer fruits on offer!! Smoothies can be amazing for breakfast because you can smash out all your greens and fruit needs and feel great when you have a few guilty pleasures for the rest of the day! Over the 10 days of Christmas I also plan 10 active activities - walking, gym, barre, the beach, the pool or just being outside with my kids. It's the festive season! But finding creative ways to eat healthy shouldn't limit your fun! We are so lucky we have a summer Christmas with amazing opportunities to get outside and eat amazing fruit!
Tender Andrew: To be quite honest for the most part I let myself binge. I put limits on myself like 1 piece of chocolate a day or no obvious sugar or alcohol between Christmas and New Years but for the most part I'm pretty casual and I just try to exercise normally. If I put on a little layer of cushion it's proof that I have had a wonderful festive season and I'm not really gonna be that upset about it.
Tender Melanie: I lead a vegan lifestyle so I don't consume any animal products. I eat a lot of carbohydrates to keep my brain and body energised and like to treat myself. Since the foods I eat don't contain any cholesterol and tend to be lower in saturated fats than animal derived products I don't feel guilty as long as I eat a wide variety of foods and keep my staples fresh and unprocessed. I like to buy organic and stay away from numbers. So in short I eat whatever makes me feel good. That may be a chocolate bar or a piece of cake or a juice, smoothie or roast vegies etc. This Christmas I think I might make some Japanese dishes for a change! And some rum balls since I just bought a new food processor.
Tender Tra Mi: I’m lucky to come from a family that is obsessed with creating delicious and nutrient rich foods all year round. So for me the festive season is full of amazing meals that I can totally afford to go back for seconds or thirds! And to keep ourselves from falling into a food coma, we always take a long bush walk after lunch.
Tender Brianna: I like to balance the festive season by keeping active! During the day I'll do a light workout, dance class or bike ride and at night if it's a balmy summer evening I'll go for a walk along the beach or catch up for drinks with friends!
Tender Amber: My favourite part of the festive season is visiting my family in sunny Wollongong. Every year I get to brush up on my cartwheel skills in the backyard with my two beautiful nieces. It's easy to work up a sweat whilst learning one of their energetic dance routines! I try not to make any major lifestyle changes during December. Delicious, nutritious food, a little extra rest and being with the ones I love keeps my mind and body happy.
Tender Emma: I love to balance my health and fitness over the festive season by involving my family and friends. Changing up my routine and incorporating different types of exercise and making the most of being outdoors! I'm from Perth so when I'm home I love taking my workout to the beach. Whether it's swimming, surfing, running on the sand or sit ups with a view! In terms of health, I love summer fruits and incorporating these into yummy salads and smoothies. I think everything is about balance so I certainly don't say no to sweet treats and I think it's great to indulge every now and then in the good company of family and friends
