Hi ladies, remember remember 5th November!! Why? Maybe because it’s only 7 weeks to Christmas and it’s the start of the panic season!
What do I mean by the panic season? Well, panic about what to buy for presents, who to buy for, how much food are you going to need, will you fit into your party dress, what happens in January after all the indulgences?
You see, panic! It would be GREAT not to panic about those things but it’s hard not to. As a fitness professional and a trainer only to women (mainly over 40), I always try to offer a rational solution to a panic situation. I can’t really talk about presents here but I can talk about food, exercise and the January ‘oh my god, I’ve put on a stone’ syndrome!
I’m not here to preach about what you should eat over Christmas (and what you shouldn’t) and how much – it’s your choice (obviously). All I can say is try the 80/20 Principle around Christmas. Try to eat healthy 80% of the time and for the remaining 20%, indulge – YES, I’m suggesting you INDULGE. But…but…a fitness professional suggesting that? Of course, otherwise you’ll end up going mad and it will be so HARD trying to stick to a healthy diet 100% of the time.
Here are my Christmas tips:
- Eat plenty of vegetables and smaller portions of fruit.
- Take advantage of the turkey – it’s lean, low in fat and provides lots of protein.
- Eat cake! Yes, cake. Here’s a recipe courtesy of Teresa Cutter. Look at the photo – the cake looks delicious! Click HERE.
- Drink wine – am I mad?! Red wine contains an ingredient called Resveratrol, which has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease and increase life expectancy. However, don’t go drinking 3 bottles of the stuff in one day!
- Eat healthy snacks. When you’re watching The Wizard Of Oz or some James Bond film, why not snack on dried fruit and nuts, home made garlic bread, a few squares of dark chocolate or a natural yogurt mixed with raspberry juice?
- Keep exercising and stay active. This is SO important, please don’t find excuses not to exercise. There are a million benefits of exercising regularly – too many to list here! Oh, you don’t have time?? Really? Can you fit in 12-minute workouts, three times a week? Of course you can – a good job I teach that to the ladies who come to my group sessions.
There are a few tips to be going on with. I hope you find them useful. Oh, and if you have any of your own, let me know and I’ll share them.