Did you know that the average Vietnamese person gains between 2-3 kgs over Tet?
If you are an average person, you would have to run for at least 4 hours per day to stop yourself from gaining weight.
We know that running 4 hours per day isn’t a realistic expectation. And neither is promising yourself not to eat all of your favorite holiday foods, or expecting you to lose weight over the holidays. That’s why we’d like to give you 5 methods to stay (reasonably) disciplined over Tet so that you can maintain your health and truly be ready for a successful new year.
1. Set a Reasonable Behavior Goal
When we set fitness goals, we usually set what we call “outcome goals”. Some examples of this are “lose 5 kg” or “run 5 km in 30 minutes”. However, setting goals like this are unrealistic during the holiday. Instead, you can try to set yourself a realistic behavior goal.
Behavior goals are simple, like: run for 30 minutes per day, maintain your yoga routine, or simply just to spend time with your family outside and off of your phone. Scheduling a small block of time every day to maintain your health is a great way to beat the holiday slump without putting any extra pressure on yourself.
2. Don’t “Binge Eat”
You may feel like the best way to save yourself calories is to fast for an entire day so that you can eat as much as you want during your next big family meal. This may make sense in theory, but in practice, sitting down to the dinner table with a huge appetite is the surest way to overeat.
A much better way to manage your eating is to make sure that you always have access to healthy snacks to make sure that you never get too hungry. Some of our favorite healthy snacks are fresh spring rolls (goi cuon), fruits, granola, boiled eggs, fresh vegetables, and unsalted nuts.
3. Eat slowly, and stop eating when you’re full.
We know that this is probably the hardest thing to do. Especially on your first family dinner when you have your mother, grandmother, three different aunties and a mother-in-law all trying to pile food on your plate. Take this tip:
Start yourself out with a big plate that has everything that you want on it. And eat it slowly, always making sure that you still have some food left on your plate. Because you know that as soon as your plate is empty, somebody is going to put more food on it and you can’t say no!
4. Drink one beer, drink one water.
In 2020, Ho Chi Minh City alone drank 45 million liters of beer, and 55 million liters of soft drinks. One beer contains 150 calories, so you’re definitely going to add some extra weight if you drink, and you’re not careful. A really good way to help you control the amount you drink is to drink one water for every beer you drink. That way, you’ll drink about half as much beer, and be more hydrated to prevent a hangover the next day!
5. Hold yourself Accountable
We talked about behavior goals, but what’s most important to make sure that you’re held accountable to those goals. That’s why we’d love to hear from you! Please send us your goals.
- If you want to be careful with your eating, send us your family dining schedule and some of your favorite unhealthy holiday foods, and we will help you make an eating plan.
- If you want to exercise a certain number of times, send us your preferred workout style and schedule, and we will send you a plan.
- And if you don’t know where to start, you can follow Upfit Facebook and Youtube channel for more Exercise at home videos, easy-to-follow and reasonable guidance!
Then, we will set you up with a free consultation, no strings attached, online or in-person. After that, you can contact one of our coaches to ask questions, get some motivation, or just hear “great job!”
From all of us at Upfit, we hope that you have a happy, healthy and relaxing Tet, and we hope to see you soon!
