Many of us are counting down the days before we go home to our mom’s delicious home-cooked meals. From samp to dumplings, most of us add on weight that can counter months of hard work.

SowetanLIVE met up with wellness and fitness guru Juanita Khumalo at the Candi and Co pop-up store during the MTN Pulse Day on Friday to get tips on how to navigate the big days.

1. Lose an extra kilogram for December and don’t stop exercising:

“Try to lose a kilo or two to accommodate a kilo or two in weight gain. But while you’re doing that make sure you exercise three to four times a week at a minimum. So don’t stop exercising.”

2. Be smart with alcoholic beverages:

“Be smart. Look for the calorie-smart beverages like, for example, gin has minimal calories; have sugar-free tonic instead of normal tonic. Have extra brut champagne, have extra dry wine. These have the least amounts of sugar.”

3. Have small portions of food:

“Life is too short and, at the end of the day, life is about balance. So you don’t want to be going on holiday and you're not happy and not eating. Eat mom’s food but moderate it.”

4. Detox in January to snap back:

“Eat as cleanly as possible, avoid frying your food. People never believe me when I tell them that condiments [tomato paste, mayonnaise, chutney] have a lot of calories. Eat fruit that are low in sugar like strawberries, berries, grapefruit. Make smart choices.”

MTN Pulse Day held at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg is an event for the youth where visitors can listen to panel discussions, see performances, exhibitions in beauty, fashion, entertainment, lifestyle and wellness, gaming, sport and entrepreneurship - hosted by the best in the game.