Feel Fabulous over the Festive Season
It’s nearly Christmas, and it seems the festive season gets longer and longer each year. The amount of weight the average Christmas-celebrating person gains over the festive season is the subject of many articles at this time of year, so here’s how you can avoid weight gain over the darkest months of the year instead.
- Remember that Christmas is just one day, there’s no need to buy ‘Christmas food’ just yet. Sure, order your turkey from your local butcher in advance (and I would encourage you to use your local independent butcher than buy supermarket meat), but hold off buying calorific celebration scran until the last minute. This means it won’t be in your cupboards tempting you to eat it until required.
- Plan a walk for Boxing day or even after Christmas lunch. Rope in your family and friends and make it a social occasion.
- Give healthy presents. Not everyone appreciates boxes of chocolates or bottles of wine, so think about alternatives. For children, instead of junk food, buy them toys that will get them active (and wear them out rather than get them hyperactive). A favourite present to a nephew was an inflatable football goal... Invest in some Spacehoppers and have a race on Christmas day for a silly laugh (and excellent leg exercise). A winner with parents and kids alike. Or perhaps a PT voucher or fitness book for the ‘reluctant’ exerciser in your life…
- Scotland excels in ‘brown buffets’ at this time of year, by which I mean many buffet tables are laden with meat, pastries and ‘heat and eat’ products. Add some colour to your buffet table with a salad, some sliced fruit or some carrot sticks and dips. A typical Australian Christmas meal is quite different, with very fresh seafood often replacing turkey and the trimmings (although I guess it is mid-summer there!).
The festive season is a wonderful time to kick back and relax, but you don’t need to get to Hogmanay feeling bloated and unfit. Be a healthy influence on your family, and you’ll be surprised at how much they thank you. They may even appreciate their very own copy of the Healthy Living Yearbook, jam-packed with lots of hints and tips to look and feel great throughout the year, specially written for Edinburgh and the Scottish seasons. Only £9.99 with free UK delivery from www.healthylivingyearbook.com
Personal Trainer Tracy Griffen has been helping individuals feel fitter and fabulous for over 18 years. If you need a hand with your new year’s resolutions, or even some healthy eating ideas, drop her a line.
