Your survival guide on how to get through the next two weeks and enter the new year fresh and healthy

It’s the season for kicking back and celebrating with family and friends, but spare a thought for your fitness, which often takes a backseat during this time. We ask experts for advice on how to find time for exercise

Less can be more when your body needs time and energy to recuperate from festivities. Picture: iStock 

Christmas is about food and drink, family and friends. Unless you are an elite athlete or in training for a specific event, fitness can take a back seat during the festive season. That doesn’t mean avoiding exercise altogether, though, as it will only make the comeback harder on January 1.

Studies have shown that fitness starts to diminish in as little as 10 days, more so as you get older. My philosophy at this time of year is to accept that my usual workouts will be sidelined but to offset the physical decline — and the guilt — with incremental bursts of activity whenever I can fit them in.