Christmas can often be one of those times of year where your exercise regime comes under fire and suffers from all the good stuff going on; tempting mince pies, brandy butter and Christmas nights out. Especially if you will be spending time away from home and without access to your usual gym facilities.Studies have shown that up to 90% of people gain half a stone or more as they leave the old year behind and begin the new one.But there are ways to minimise the interruption and help ensure that you won’t have to start dieting the minute Big Ben strikes 12. There are several strategies you can use which will help you stick to your usual exercise regime as much as possible and really pack a punch over Christmas and New Year.The three key areas to focus on for festivity fitness are:
•Time efficient exercise plans. •Maintenance of exercise routines where possible. •Ideas for calorie saving. AN EVEN KEEL. With those aims in mind, keep a watchful eye on your diet, avoiding excess calories where you can. It makes your job a lot easier as you go into 2019 if you haven’t got weight to lose, or fitness to regain. Don’t panic if you have a heavy calorie day, just be more careful the following one and it should all even out. Make simple changes, like swapping sugar-laden wine for lighter G&Ts. LET’S GET PHYSICAL. Maximise the time you have by doing more intensive workouts. Resistance training is good for this, and although rest time during sets is an important part of training, you can use the time instead to swap between different sets of muscles:
• Triceps and biceps. • Quads and hamstrings. • Abdomen and lower back. • Chest and upper back.
There are several strategies you can use which will help you stick to your usual exercise regime as much as possible and really pack a punch over Christmas and New Year.
CV (cardiovascular) workouts can burn a lot of calories. Instead of doing a steady session, aim to do interval training –Two minutes as fast as you can, followed by two minutes rest. If you want a more intensive strategy, then cut the recovery time in half. If it’s practical, hold onto as much of your normal routine as you can. Butlook carefully at it to decide how you’ll handle any changes. It’s no good looking for a rowing machine if you’re up in the wilds of Scotland with family. If you’re going to be away from home,work out where you’ll be able to slide in exercise opportunities. You don’t have to hit the nearest gym,even walking the dog at a fast pace will help maintain fitness levels.Substitution is also your friend. Don’t be afraid to swap a squash session for a run and do whatever you can to get your heart rate up and the blood pumping. And if all else fails, chasing around after the children can be surprisingly effective! KEEPING IT REAL. Be realistic about your aims, depending on what you want to achieve over the festive period. Are you looking to maintain your weight or keep up with marathon training? Depending on your schedule, you can change your routine without compromising it. Swap days around, go running first thing in the morning before anyone else is up and take advantage of any log chopping to be done.
As for so many things in life, the bottom line is prevention rather than cure. So enjoy the festive season whilst making sure that you hit the fitness ground running in the New Year. Cheers!