Now the festive season has arrived,
we are surrounded by ‘junk food’ that seems to be more appealing around
December. Is it all of a sudden acceptable to have a piece of chocolate before
breakfast? It does not have to be all bad, here are a few simple ways to avoid
over indulging around this time of year:
- Take advantage of the colder nights warranting hearty soups full to the brim with veg!
- Keep your hands warm and suppress hunger with plenty of fruit teas.
- Roasts do not have to be full of calories, make sure you fill your plate with 50% veg and the remainder with leans meats. Why not try boiled potatoes instead of roasted?
- Use gym time wisely, now mornings and evenings are darker, head to the gym and start trying to maintain/build muscle. This will help you burn more calories day to day which is ideal to counteract that extra mince pie. 1kg of fat burns 3kcals per day whereas 1kg of muscle burns 60kcals!
- If you know you are having a dinner party at friend’s house, where there will be lots of tempting foods on offer, make sure you have a small breakfast and lunch. This will ensure that if you choose to indulge it will have less of an impact!
- Finally, try to stay clear of the sugary drinks on offer - if you are eating more anyway try not to tip over the edge with a 400kcal cocktail! Stick to flavouring your drinks with fresh fruit.
You may have to accept that over
the Christmas period you might not make as many steps forward as you would
like. But stay positive and make sure that the steps backwards are minimal so
the road in January doesn’t seem so long!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Emma McMahon, Fitness Instructor
& Personal Trainer
