Getting results despite the festive season

6 ‘Commandments’ for the next 6 weeks

It’s 6 weeks until Christmas!  This is a challenging time for many of our clients.  Although the majority of our of members list ‘fat loss’ as a fitness goal, the many social events, festive meals and  celebratory drinks make achieving that goal extra difficult.  To balance out the self imposed pressure to ‘look great for summer’ with the excesses of the season, here are the 6 main ‘commandments’ to follow.  Apply yourself to these and you should achieve results despite all the parties…

 

 
1. Exercise, move and exercise some more
To lose body fat you need to achieve a negative calorie balance.  This means burning off more calories than you consume.  During a festive season this would be incredibly difficult without exercise and lots of activity.  Schedule regular intensive exercise sessions in your week, some moderate exercise like walking/cycling, and then include as much incidental activity in your day as possible.  Remind yourself that every time you get moving from your desk or the couch you’re working towards your fitness goal.

2. Quit non-hungry eating
There will be many events and meals where you will consume foods higher in sugar/fat than you would normally.  Don’t add to your energy intake even more by snacking or grazing when you’re not even hungry.  Burning off all the excess energy will be difficult unless you have hours and hours of free time in your day for lots of cardio!  Learn to listen to your appetite and eat only when hungry, not because you are bored/frustrated/upset/angry/excited/nervous etc.

3.  Focus on eating Low GI
Low Glycemic foods/meals ensure that energy is released slowly and can be utilised for hours after eating.  If you eat a High GI meal you’ll get an energy spike and then a crash after where you’ll feel tired and crave another sweet hit.  Learn to balance out your energy, feel full for longer, and therefore avoid a rollercoaster of energy spikes and crashes and overeating.  Check out http://ginews.blogspot.com/ for great information and recipes.

4.  Ban overeating
Commit to eating only what you need at every meal.  Stop when you feel satisfied, rather than stuffing yourself until you feel uncomfortable.  If you overeat every day you’ll be consuming way more energy than your body is using, which means fat storage!

5.  Avoid temptation at home
There will be plenty of sweet treats, rich foods and other snacks at events over the next 6 weeks.  There’s no need to have them at home too!  Do not buy treat foods for home or work.  Stick to filling your house with whole grains, fresh fruit and veggies, low fat dairy and lean protein.  At least you know you’ll be eating quality foods when you’re away from the parties.

6.  Steady with alcohol
Don’t binge at every event.  Sure there will be drinks quite often, but try to balance it out with alcohol free days. Remember that alcohol is ‘empty calories’ which means there is no nutritional value but plenty of energy.  Also alcohol encourages the storage of fat.  Keeping this in mind might curb your drinking and those late night drunken fast food choices.

 
We’d love to hear how you’re going with the above guidelines.  Leave a comment below.  Any ‘commandments’ you find important that I’ve missed?  Share them with us!

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Posted in: Fitness, Goal Setting, Nutrition by healthy on 10th November 2011

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