JOHANNESBURG – People tend to replace exercise time for an extra drink at the bar or a few more minutes around the cookie jar, but this should not be an excuse to break your diet and fitness routine.
Throwing caution to the wind and indulging in every craving can make facing reality on New Year’s Day a lot harder.
“According to a survey done by The British Dietetic Association, on average, people gain 2kg within the four weeks around Christmas alone,” said Peter Jordan, principal officer of Fedhealth.
“Research shows that this 500g per week weight gain can continue well into the New Year too.”
Jordan said it did prove to be harder for people to avoid celebratory meals during the festive season but believes self-control may be the only answer to having less regrets come January.
“Fortunately, unlike our Northern Hemisphere counterparts, we can spend time outdoors enjoying South Africa’s beautiful climate during the festive season.
“So take advantage of our sunny days and get active,” he said.
He offers the following 10 tips to fight the flab over the festive season:
1. Exercise early in the morning. Even the most diligent person will struggle to find motivation to train after a long day at the beach and a lazy late lunch. Make the most of the early sunrise and head out before the rest of the family wakes up.
2. Drink a glass of water before eating or drinking a soft drink. This will help to keep you from overindulging in those extra calories.
3. Use exercise to explore new areas. Enjoy the adventure of running or cycling where you have never been before.
4. Make exercise a family affair. Take the dog along. Let the kids ride alongside on their bikes.
5. Try some new activities like swimming, rollerblading, sea-kayaking, stand up paddling, or a mountain bike ride. These are all great holiday activities that will still give you a good workout.
6. Stick your training programme up on the fridge. Tick the days you do train and make a cross on days you don’t train.
7. Many holiday towns have activities such as running events over the festive season to attract holiday makers. Check out the local newspaper for events near you.
8. Buy yourself some cool new exercise gear. It will encourage you to put it on and get out there.
9. Enjoy the warm summer evenings and go for a walk around the neighbourhood after dinner. This helps keep your metabolism high so you burn more calories while you sleep.
10. Say no to seconds. Just because there is extra food around doesn’t mean you have to eat it. Enjoy the celebrations but avoid having seconds and getting into the habit of snacking throughout the day. Try keeping some healthy snack options, like fruit, around the house.
More advice:
The best way to avoid falling completely off track is to plan ahead of time what you’ll eat and when you’ll exercise.
Take a look at your week and pencil in your ‘can’t-miss’ events, then see where you can find some extra time for fitness.
When it comes to diets, the one rule to live by during the holiday season is to avoid attending any event hungry.
Always have a satisfying snack beforehand and, if appropriate, bring along a healthy dish that you can munch on to distract yourself from the calorie-laden items.
