On the 9th day of Christmas, my trainer gave to me...

Wow! Its the 20th already, I'm almost done with my gifts, just a couple to go... Why do I always leave it so late?

Anyhoo, its day 9 of the 12 days, and today I've got 9 tips for a healthy christmas...

1. Have fun. Relax and enjoy the time with your family and friends. Stress isn't healthy, take some time for yourself and chill. Theres the whole of next year to worry about stuff...

2. Don't beat yourself up over what you shouldn't have eaten. That said, don't pack yourself full of sweets and crap for the next 7 - 10 days either.

3. Eat a good breakfast. Don't go skipping arguably the most important meal of the day just so you can "treat" yourself later.

4. Christmas dinner is great, I love it, all that turkey, veg and trimmings. But think about what you eat. Its Christmas, not "eatasmuchcrapasyouwanttillyouburstday" Load up on turkey, veggies and keep the potatoes and stuffing etc to a minimum. Healthy and tasty!

5. If you are gonna have an alcoholic drink, try not to go overboard with it. I'm not gonna get all preachy about this, I like a couple of beers every now and again too, just know your limits and since alcohol has as many calories per gram as fat, keep your intake moderate.

6.  You eat smart all year (more or less..) eat your meals, and snack healthily when you need to. Why change that now? Just because there are chocolates and crisps being passed around doesn't mean you have to have them, pass them on. Don't feel guilty for doing it either.

7. Get out for a walk. As tempting as it is to stay in with a selection of sweets and mince pies, watching whatever movie is being re-run on tv, get up, get dressed warm and get out for a stomp. Fresh air and exercise is a great way to burn off some those calories consumed over the xmas period.

8. Learn to say no once in a while. Everybody wants to get round to see everybody at this time off year, usually ending in all involved being totally stressed, rushing about and not really enjoying the time they have with anyone. Put a couple of things off until after the holidays and it'll give you a little breathing space and let you enjoy the holidays. You'll go into the new year feeling more refreshed and ready to kick 2012s ass!

9. Take the down time to think about your year ahead. Set some goals and write down how you are going to go about achieving them. Make some plans so that next year is your absolutely best yet!

Day 10 tomorrow, check back in then...

Stay healthy.