Get fit, not fat, this Christmas
The festive season is upon us, and that can only mean diet debauchery, abandoned fitness regimes and six-hour TV marathons. But it doesn't have to be this way. With a little forward planning and a smidgeon of self-discipline, it is perfectly possible to enjoy a happy Christmas and enter the New Year feeling fit, not fat.
"Many people fall off the exercise bandwagon at Christmas, or rule out the idea of getting into shape during the festive period, assuming there is no point in starting until the New Year," says award-winning fitness consultant Dean Hodgkin. "But given that one of the biggest barriers to exercise is lack of time, a break from the usual routine can provide the ideal opportunity to begin or maintain physical activity." Staying active over Christmas not only reduces your chances of gaining weight, it also helps energise you, reduces stress and gives you a break.
Exercising first thing may entail getting up a little earlier than normal, but it does ensure that you get your workout done before other commitments and crises get in the way - and it will kickstart your metabolism for the rest of the day.
Workouts don't need to be long to be beneficial. "If you're prepared to work hard, you can fit a super workout into just a 30-minute window," says Hodgkin. It's a trade-off between duration and intensity: recent Australian research found that 20 minutes of high-intensity interval training burned more calories than 40 minutes at a steady state. And if time is of the essence, you can even break down your daily exercise into short bouts rather than opt for one single prolonged session (research shows that activity bouts as short as 10 minutes are effective).
If an influx of family and visitors make it difficult to do your usual workout (say, a gym visit or a solitary run or bike ride), try to get everyone involved in something seasonal, like ice skating (click here for a link to the UK's top ten seasonal ice rinks) or a winter walk. The Ramblers' Association Festival of Winter Walks has a programme of more than 300 walks nationwide between Boxing Day and 3 January, open to all and ranging in length and difficulty.
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You can rig the odds of getting guests outside in your favour by buying gifts that are just begging to be roadtested. "Bikes, scooters, in-line skates, footballs and Frisbees are all good options," says Hodgkin.
If you can't drag yourself - or anyone else - outdoors, look for indoor alternatives to slumping on the sofa. The ubiquitous Wii-Fit Plus - currently at the top of the UK gaming charts - offers a realm of opportunities for hitting virtual tennis balls and punching invisible targets without leaving the living room, or try one of the latest exercise DVDs (this year's seasonal batch of celeb-endorsed releases includes Davina McCall's Davina Fit and EastEnder Jessie Wallace's Look at me now). Or there's always good old-fashioned Twister.
As far as timing is concerned, it's better to schedule activity in after eating, rather than before. Research from Old Dominion University shows that post-prandial exercise attenuates the glycaemic effect of food, minimising blood sugar spikes and dips and reducing the likelihood of further snacking later on. Gentle after-dinner activity also helps to support digestion a lot more than nodding off in an armchair does …
Full article here:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/11/get-fit-not-fat-christmas
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