Christmas – a time for giving, a time for believing… and for many of us a time for stuffing ourselves silly!
How many of us find ourselves laid out on the couch, fit to burst, having eaten in one day the same amount as we would normally eat over 3 days? After years of this same scenario on Christmas Day it may be hard to believe that it’s easily avoided, but with a bit of forward thought it truly can be.

Follow these 5 simple rules to make sure you don’t end up feeling stuffed this Christmas!

1) Start as you mean to go on; have a normal-sized breakfast. If you eat a huge breakfast you are more likely to eat larger than normal meals throughout the remainder of the day. This too goes for chocolates. Once you pop one you’ll probably continue do so for the whole day, so try to refrain from the chocolates until after dinner.

2) Get out for a half hour walk, or if you can’t escape the house do fifteen minutes of stretching. Both will invigorate you, and help minimise the chances of you reaching for sugary foods.

3) Think ahead. If you are visiting a number of houses on Christmas Day, you can rack up a serious amount of food and drink if you accept both wherever you go. It’s ok to say ‘no thank you’!

4) At Christmas dinner itself, fill your plate with a normal portion of food. If you want a second helping, fine, but make it half of what you originally ate. Third helpings are a no-no!

5) If you want to taste the Christmas cake, the pudding and the mince pies, make sure it is exactly that – a taste of each, as opposed to a full portion. This means you’ll end up eating one dessert instead of 3 or 4.
Follow these guidelines and I promise you will have a much lighter and brighter Christmas.  Now that is reason to celebrate!

Jodie Marsh and Fatima Whitbread have a lot to answer for. The recent images of their heavily muscled, bikini-clad bodies have caused many women already fearful of weight training and its ‘bulking effect’, to avow anew never to try it in case they too might end up looking so masculine.

Most women shy away from weight training altogether, and for the few that do partake, it is often with a set of dumbbells that would fail to challenge a small child. Instead, many mind numbing hours are spent pounding away on treadmills and cross trainers – with little or no change in physique.
This avoidance of resistance training is lamentable, as it can improve body shape and increase fitness in a way which no amount of cardio will ever do.

Contrary to popular belief muscle does not weigh more than fat (a pound after all is a pound). Muscle tissue is, however, more dense than fat (roughly a third of its size in fact) so even if you were to gain a pound of muscle for every pound of fat lost, you would still lose many inches and look far better.
While cardio elevates metabolic rate for 3 hours post exercise, a strength workout can leave it raised for up to fifteen hours. Furthermore, muscle itself is more metabolically active than fat, meaning the more muscle you have the more energy (a.k.a calories!) you burn, even when at rest.
Resistance training also wards off osteoporosis due to its stimulation of osteoblasts (known as the bone building cells), improves posture and fights the aging process.
Ladies, if you want a firm and fit body, resistance training is a must. Ditch the treadmill and pick up some weights. You’ll reap the rewards.

Please seek the advice of a fitness professional before you embark on a weight training program.

Maintaining flexibility is fundamental to optimum health – yet, it is probably the most neglected aspect of fitness. Stretching is vital for people who exercise, but it is also important for those who do not. Short and tight muscles create postural issues, leading to general ‘aches and pains’ and, more seriously, can result in real injury. 

Without specific attention, flexibility will diminish over time. To help stay limber, perform the following 5 stretches every day, holding each one for 30 seconds. Ensure muscles are properly warmed up prior to stretching.

Cat Stretch (for back): On hands and knees, round out the back, sending head and tailbone apart, drawing navel to spine. Hold this position as you inhale and exhale.

Hip Flexor Stretch: Start on knees, step one foot forward so ankle is directly below the knee, press forward until you feel stretch at top of rear leg. Repeat on other side.

Chest & Shoulder Stretch: Stand facing wall, extend arm and place palm against wall at shoulder height, leaving hand in place gently turn your body away from wall until you feel stretch across the chest. Repeat on other side.
Hamstring Stretch: Lying on back knees bent feet on floor. Straighten one leg and use hands to gently draw towards the chest. Repeat on other side.

Hip & Buttock Stretch: Lying on your back, knees at 45 degrees. Place right foot just below the left knee, wrap hands around left leg and draw towards the chest until you feel stretch in right hip. Repeat on other side.
Whatever you do, don’t neglect to stretch! Not only will it leave you more injury resistant, but stretching also speeds recovery post workout, aids relaxation and quite simply feels great.

TRICK OR TREAT?

With Halloween just days away I am prompted to think of how so many of us are treating and indeed tricking ourselves when our days of ‘trick or treating’ should be long behind us!

Now fully fledged adults, many of us are still ‘treating ourselves’, and doing so much more often than we realise.  A bad day at the office (or a good one), feeling tired, having done a workout, feeling sad or feeling happy….all become reasons to indulge, and all too often in the form of caffeine, sugary foods and alcohol.

We may trick ourselves that such regular indulgence is ‘no harm’, but the daily chocolate bar, cappuccinos and frequent glasses of wine can add up a sluggish, overworked system – and to creeping weight gain.

Check yourself as you go throughout your day and see how often you treat yourself.  You might get a scare when you realise just how often you are doing it! Replace your old reward system with a new healthy one. Whether a relaxing bath, a massage, a new book – what’s important is making the move from excessive or unhealthy food consumption.

Of course ‘treats’ need not be banned altogether, but they should be occasional, rather than a daily feature.  Leave the trick or treating to the kids, before you end up looking and feeling a fright!