Get Fit this Christmas !
ADVENT CALORIE COUNTDOWN!
The festive season is upon us. The cupboards, fridge and freezer have all been stocked
and you have been invited to all those corporate lunches! With just a little bit of self-discipline it is perfectly possible to enjoy a Happy Christmas and enter the New Year feeling fit, not fat. You don’t need to forgo all treats as you can limit the damage by selecting foods more carefully. There are always healthy alternatives to any meal or nibbles so if you choose the less calorific option you will avoid piling on excess pounds which you then have a hard job removing in the New Year.
DON’T BE A CHRISTMAS PUDDING !
One of the biggest barriers to exercise is a lack of time so having a long Christmas
break is a great opportunity to begin or maintain some physical activity. It reduces the chances of putting on weight, helps energise you and also reduces stress which sometimes accompanies long vacations. Its also a good time to get the whole family participating as well so use the holiday period to get the welly-boots out and go for a walk or something else more adventurous. You could buy outdoor gifts for everyone
that then need to be road-tested. Walking after lunch aids digestion a lot more than nodding off in an armchair!
A CELEBRATION EXCUSE?
When the whole season is an excuse for celebration those alcohol units can really mount up. The biggest reason people gain weight over the festive period is from the consumption of alcohol. Many people seem to think fluid doesn’t count!!
Unfortunately, alcohol is very high in calories and high in sugar – in fact almost as many as pure fat!
Calories from alcohol are ‘empty calories’ – they have no nutritional value but by changing what you drink you can go a good way to reducing the impact of the festive bulge! Try and keep track of how much you are drinking and intersperse alcoholic drinks with soft ones together with plenty of water.
Drink spritzers if you like wine or pints of shandy if you are a lager drinker. You will get a large drink but one that contains less alcohol. Opt for half pints if you prefer higher strength lager or try lower strength beer.
A recent survey revealed that the average wine drinker consumes 2,000 extra calories each month. Over the course of a year, that’s the equivalent of eating 184 bags of crisps or 38 roast beef dinners.
With a pint of bitter the same as a medium slice of pizza, and a standard size ‘ready to drink’ bottle (‘alcopop’) the same as 100g of cookies, the calories from alcohol soon add up……
Have a great fun Christmas but take it easy on the alcohol!
Simple Exercise to get your Shoulder fix!
This has to be the best exercise for getting you out of that nasty standing stooped position or slumping in front of the TV.
Lie on your front, arms relaxed by your side, forehead on the floor. This will automatically put your shoulders in a bad position. From here gently shrug your shoulders towards your ears, then roll them right back towards the sky to get in the
ideal position. Next float the arms off the floor and give your self the thumbs up, literally, by turning your thumbs towards the sky. To complete this exercise take a large inhale of breath, lift your chest and peel the breast bone off the floor. Hold this for 5 seconds, exhale and peel back down to the start position, repeat this 10 times for a straighter you.
To book a personal training session or for more information contact Toby on tg@tobygarbett.com www.tobygarbett.com