CHRISTMAS time means mulled wine, mince pies, turkey leftovers, chocolate, and alcohol, plus time off work – it’s a bad combination for our waistlines and our motivation, and it’s cold outside too.
Fitness professional Benjamin Campbell of Bexley-based Four Season’s bootcamp has some great tips for how to survive the festive season without piling on the pounds.
Ditch the Sweets
Swap sugary sweets for fruit – cranberries are great at this time of year with only 25 calories in half a cup.
Family Walks
Walking the dog or just going for a walk together is a great way for everyone to burn calories and enjoy the winter scenery.
Supplements
As the days are shorter and the flu season begins one of the best ways to stay healthy is through additional supplements. Even a basic multi-vitamin can help pep you up.
Alcohol Alternatives
Fruit cocktails are a healthy and delicious alternative or of course you could offer to drive and stick to water saving yourself a hangover and your friends a fortune on taxi fares.
Dance the Night Away
If you are out at a party hit the dance floor and burn off those excess calories.
Healthy Christmas Dinner
When it comes to the big event pile your plate high with veg and opt for a nice lean turkey. Cauliflower is a great source of Vitamin C and it’s good for your heart.
Workout
Just because your normal routine’s gone out of the window it doesn’t mean you can’t work out – 10 minutes of high intensity interval training first thing will set you up for the day, or go for a 30 minute run.
Healthy Start
Start the day with a nice cup of hot water with a lemon slice. This will help to alkalise the stomach and settle your PH levels important when you are eating a lot of rich acidic food throughout the day.
Avoid some foods
While it’s nice to indulge you will help yourself if you can steer clear of the bread and cheese – opt for a smaller plate and pile your plate high with salad on those Christmas teas and go for meat rather than cheese.
Healthy Seasonal Snacks
And finally there are some lovely healthy choices to be had at Christmas time – make sure you try some tasty nuts or how about a delicious Tangerine?
Go to fourseasonsbootcamp.co.uk
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