Christmas fitness

As soon as there’s a slight nip in the air, we’re all inclined to reach for warming comfort food and choose the sofa over a workout every time.  Yet when the Christmas party season strikes, we don’t want to find that figure-hugging Little Black Dress is not as flattering as it once was.  The answer is to find a balance between nurturing yourself and staying healthy.  So enjoy that jacket potato but go easy on the butter – and have a brisk walk beforehand to raise your metabolism.

For specific sports and nutrition tips to keep you in great shape this winter, personal trainer to the stars and author of ‘The Hollywood Body’, Dan Roberts has the following advice to keep you fit and healthy:

Keeping Fit

Exercise as soon as you wake up.  This might mean getting up quarter of an hour before the rest of the family but just 20 minutes a day makes a measurable difference.

During the winter, try leaving your coat at home when you head out for a walk as you’ll find yourself walking quicker to keep warm.  A brisk walk burns twice as many calories as regular walking and helps to tone leg muscles.

It’s really important in cold weather to warm up correctly before you start.  There are 3 components to a safe warm up:

-First raise your heart rate by walking quickly or slow jogging for a few minutes.

-Once your body is warm, you can do some mobility work: swing your arms in circles to loosen up your shoulders, rotate your torso from side to side while keeping your hips still to loosen up your back and do some quick squats to get your legs ready.

-You can now stretch out your muscles, focusing on areas relevant to the activity you’re about to undertake – eg: if you’re going for a run, hip flexors, hamstring, glutes and calves are the muscles you’ll want to stretch out.

If you’re going out jogging, check you have the right trainers for the weather.  We should all change out footwear in the winter season.  Outdoor trail running shoes are harder wearing, have better grip and often made of gortex – therefore waterproof.  It’s better to lose some performance through wearing a bulkier trainer and have less slips. If you go for the waterproof option they’ll be no excuse not to run in the rain too!

Before you go out with friends, do 2 sets of 40 lunges in your lounge.  It’s tough but worth it.  Lunges helps your knees and back stay healthy and working your lower body muscles in this way helps turn your body into a better fat-burning machine for the rest of the day.

Nutrition

1. Drink more water to flush out toxins, reduce water retention and keep your body optimally hydrated (also aids concentration).  Try drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning before you eat anything – it’s a great way to start the day.

2. Hot water with a little lemon and sliced ginger root 30 minutes before a meal aids digestion.

3. Line your stomach with something filling before heading out for post-works drinks or a Christmas party.  Choose something with plenty of fiber in to keep you fuller longer, as this will take the edge off your appetite and stop you falling on calorie-laden canapes.

4. Don’t wait until Christmas Day to eat turkey.  Turkey is low in fat and high in protein.   The amino acids in protein-rich foods aid muscular recovery and keep your hair and nails strong.  Protein-rich food also helps curb your appetite.

5. Slim while you sleep!  Make your last meal of the day a protein feast.  You won’t feel uncomfortably full from an overload of carbs and your body will then use surplus fat stores for energy while you sleep.

For more information about Dan, visit www.DanRobertsTraining.com or to book a fitness holiday with him at www.BeachFitnessHolidays.com

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