Getting Back in Shape After the Holidays

What Strategies, Diet, Supplements, and Physical Activities Can Help? Here's how to get back in shape and regain focus after the holidays, so you can start the new year off strong.

Getting Back on Track
Returning to healthier habits, regaining focus for work or school after the holiday break—these are priorities for many of us.

A balanced and proper diet is undoubtedly a great starting point to restore your fitness and cleanse your body from holiday excesses. So, yes to a mindful diet and dietary supplements, but also yes to physical exercise and more specific supplements to regain balance, strength, and mental focus.

Let’s break it down step by step to see how and where to intervene for maximum benefit and well-being.

Diet and Detox

It’s important to follow a healthy and balanced diet. Nutritionists recommend prioritizing fruits (especially pineapple and lemon) and vegetables (particularly broccoli, asparagus, celery, chili peppers, and artichokes). Additionally, don't skip ginger, green tea, and dark chocolate—these are rich in polyphenols, as is pomegranate.

These healthy foods provide antioxidants and protection, boost metabolism, and support the body's natural detoxification process. Strict diets are unnecessary; common sense and proper portion sizes are enough. And although it might seem obvious, drinking water is always beneficial—it helps cleanse and refresh the body.

Sustainable Physical Activity

Exercise also brings significant benefits, and there are many ways to stay active without overdoing it or taking too much time from your daily routine.

Outdoors: A 30-minute daily walk can have highly positive effects on the whole body and cardiovascular system, burn calories, and reactivate metabolism.

At Home: Trending now, chair workouts are an effective way to maintain or improve your fitness and tone your muscles from the comfort of home. These exercises use a simple chair and offer various combinations to work your abs, triceps, chest, legs, and glutes. There are plenty of useful resources online.

Just 15-30 minutes of exercise per day can already make a positive impact on your fitness.

From a supplementation perspective, proteins and amino acids can be beneficial before or after a workout.

Regaining Mental Focus

The ancient Romans said, “Mens sana in corpore sano” (a healthy mind in a healthy body). Mental efficiency and concentration respond to specific stimuli that an active and fit body can provide.

Is getting back to work proving harder than expected after the holidays? Struggling with concentration and motivation?

There are natural substances like bacopa or sage that can help regain focus. Additionally, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is recognized by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) for its role in contributing to normal mental performance and reducing fatigue.

These strategies are simple to implement without much effort; all it takes is the will to start. Since the new year has just begun, now is the perfect time to seize the opportunity for positive life changes. Take care of yourself—and do it the right way.