Keep Trim This Holiday Season

Sam Witter | 3rd December 2015

running-1024x682Celebrity Personal Trainer & VIVA Columnist , Sam Witter Reports On The Importance Of Exercise…

Christmas is just around the corner and, as the festive season gets into full swing, so will your ever-expanding social calendar which means it will be easy to neglect your health and fitness routine in favour of mince pies and mulled wine! But how do I manage a busy Christmas schedule without undoing all the hard work I have put in throughout the year? Well here are some top tips that will mean you won’t want to hide from the scales come New Year.

Choose your treats :

Swap milk chocolate for dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or over).

Swap white and rosé wine for red wine (red wine is high in antioxidants).

When having a drink try to drink water as well (for every couple of drinks, have a glass of water).

Try to load your Christmas dinners with vegetables and limit the amount of starchy carbs such as potatoes. (Yes that means pile those sprouts onto your plate)

Turkey is a superfood that is an extremely lean protein source and is also packed with nutrients such as vitamins B6, B12 and zinc. So eat it to your heart’s content

If you follow these principles over Christmas the inevitable January health kick will not feel like such a scary thought and 2016 may well be your healthiest year. Best wishes to you and yours for a very happy Christmas. For more info on Sam’s tips visit www.thetriplan.co.uk 

Find 30 minutes a day to exercise:

Gone are the days when it was considered that long, boring cardio sessions were essential. High-intensity bursts of exercise are most effective for fat loss and can even keep you burning fat all day. So drop the miles and speed up!

Know when to stop:

Everyone loves a treat and Christmas is a time to indulge but not to over-indulge. Having a couple of cheat meals over Christmas is perfectly fine; cheating for fourteen days straight is not! The key to staying on track here is to plan days when you will have a treat and be good in-between. This will make a huge difference, keeping your metabolism high, your health in check and will mean that you can enjoy your indulgence more.

Try something different:

On Boxing Day each year I always go for a long walk in the countryside with all of my family. Try to plan social events that get the heart working, blood pumping and keep you active rather than another day sitting around eating and drinking. Whether this is a fun activity with the children or a relaxing walk, plan it in over the festive period.

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