1. We will all have at least one friend with the same level
of sincerity as Boris Johnson, inform us that ‘I’m not sending cards this year as I’m going to
donate the money to charity instead’ when you know full well they aren’t. They
simply can’t be bothered to send you a card and they use the charity bit as a
way of softening the blow.
2. Facebook friends will continue to post soppy pictures of
their Christmas trees as if they’re the first, last and only person to have
ever thought of wrapping some lights around a flippin’ tree. (Only joking Facebook friends, I love your trees really).
3. After attending numerous parties, festivals and functions, some happily and some with the enthusiasm of a World War II conscript, one thing is for sure, many of us will gain some weight.
And here are my top 3 tips on how to deal with this weight gain...
1. Train like your half deaf Gran trying to watch telly and
increase the volume!
With all the festivities, undoubtedly extra calories will be consumed and you’ve got to find somewhere to put them if you don’t want to pile on the pounds. And what better excuse is there to get away from watching another crappy rerun of a Christmas special first shown in circa 1970 than getting out and doing a bit of training?
If you’re used to running for 5 miles consider going for 6
or even 7, if you’re used to lifting weights for 3 sets of 10 try to do 4 or
even 5 sets. Basically, treat your training like your half deaf Gran trying to
watch the TV and increase the volume of it, after all these excess calories
need somewhere to go and they may as well fuel your training rather than you’re
spare tyre!
Think of it as a win-win, not only do you get out of the house over
the Christmas period (which can seem like a boring eternity for many) but you
also get to spend some time away from your visiting uncle knob-head, whom you
only see once a year…for a reason…as my mum would say ‘You can choose your
friends, but you can’t choose your family’.
2. Act like a girl desperate to fit into a particularly tight dress and DON’T eat.
Before I got into personal training I was blissfully unaware of the lengths women would go to, to ensure they fitted into their favourite tight dress. Having heard countless testimonies from clients the most common and preferred method appears to be starving oneself throughout the entire day thus ensuring they are able fit into the dress come the evening. Now I am not condoning this practice as it is often supported by ridiculous amounts of cigarettes and other unhealthy lifestyle choices all in the name of fitting into a dress.
However, if you are planning on highly calorific feast in
the evening, the premise of reducing your calorie intake in the daytime in
readiness for the impending excess calorie consumption is not necessarily a bad
idea. Think of it as saving your calories till later in the day, which can simply
be done by skipping breakfast or lunch or even both. In essence it is a form
intermittent fasting which is gaining traction amongst the scientific literature as an effective method of weight loss and I've written about it previously HERE.
3. Behave like a newbie at an alcoholics anonymous meeting and accept it.
As regular readers’ will know, often my advice runs counter to some of the advice you see spouted about by other fitness ‘experts’ and once again I am not going to disappoint with my final tip.
The third and most important tip is to accept that weight
gain is probably going to happen.
At any time of year let alone Christmas, there is nothing worse than when you’re out out, as a certain cockney comedian would put it, than having some fun-sponge friend sitting next to you saying ‘oh I can’t eat that, it’ll make me fat’. So rather than boring your friends with the macronutrient content of your desired meal, sod it and opt for whatever you like and accept that yes, it may not help with your weight loss, but it does dam taste good and it is Christmas after all!
Of course, don’t approach every meal over the festive period
with this mindset or you’ll end up piling on the pounds quicker than Donald
Trump collects wedding rings but a little excess here and there certainly won’t
be the end of the world! After all you’ve got January and beyond to burn it
off!
At any time of year let alone Christmas, there is nothing worse than when you’re out out, as a certain cockney comedian would put it, than having some fun-sponge friend sitting next to you saying ‘oh I can’t eat that, it’ll make me fat’. So rather than boring your friends with the macronutrient content of your desired meal, sod it and opt for whatever you like and accept that yes, it may not help with your weight loss, but it does dam taste good and it is Christmas after all!
Thanks for reading.
TO BOOK YOUR FREE HEALTH AND FITNESS ASSESSMENT, OR YOUR
FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION, OR TO BOOK A PLACE AT MY BOOT CAMP CLASS PLEASE
DON’T HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH.
Matt
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