Christmas is coming…
The shops are stocking their Christmas goodies, the coffee shops have launched their festive menus, Jack Frost is on his way and the German Markets will be here soon.
It’s a magic time of year but there’s an elephant in the room….
Deep down you are concerned about gaining weight over Christmas.
– You know there’s going to be endless temptation to eat ‘just one more’ chocolate….
– You know you’ll be surrounded by far more food than you can comfortably eat…
– You know your friends and family will encourage you to eat ‘just a little bit more’…
You want to enjoy the festive period and relax but that a little voice in the back of your head is a constant reminder about all the weight you’ll gain if you do…
…but the truth is, it doesn’t have to be this way.
You can banish this little voice and head into December with confidence – relaxing and enjoying your Christmas without worrying about gaining any weight at all.
In this ‘Christmas Survival Guide’ I’ll reveal my 5 top tips to help you understand exactly how you can do this.
Luke’s 5 Top Tips For Enjoying Christmas Guilt-Free:
1) Go High On Protein – during your Christmas lunch, load up your plate with protein and veggies FIRST. The proteins (such as turkey and ham) and veggies help to provide that ‘full feeling’ and stop you over-eating the other food groups (like pigs in blankets) that are more likely to lead to weight gain.
2) Maintain Your Exercise Routine – keep exercising regularly. The boost in metabolism following an intense workout will increase calorie burn for up to 48 hours, meaning you can eat more calories without gaining weight. Try to squeeze in a Christmas Eve workout focussing on lifting weights with higher repetitions (12-20 per set) than normal for all major muscle groups. This will deplete the stored energy in your muscles, meaning energy extra carbohydrate you eat on Christmas day will be used to replenish this energy, rather than being stored on your waist line.
3) Sensible ‘Beverage’ Choices – let’s face it, you’ll probably be having a drink or six! Avoid high-calorie and high-sugar drinks like beer, wine, cider, cream liquors and ‘alcopops’ and opt for lower-calorie drinks like vodka with diet soda or gin and slimline tonic. (Most spirits with low sugar mixers are fine). Additionally, if you are having a drink with your meals, it’s more beneficial to your waist line to ensure less fatty food is eaten.
4) Eliminate Temptation – you will be surrounded by boxes of chocolates and other such treats. If they are around they will get eaten, even with the best will in the world! Do yourself a favour and get rid of them, or at least ask your family to hide them away – out of sight, out of mind.
5) Stay Strong-Minded – one of the hardest parts about following the above guidelines is the peer pressure. Friends and family will inevitably ‘encourage’ you to have one more; be it slice a of Christmas pudding or glass of wine. This can be difficult and we often say yes simply to keep the other person/people happy. This is the time to stay strong and know your limits. Ask yourself – “is it more important to keep the other person happy or stay strong and know that my personal goals are more important to me?”.
So there we have it, my 5 top tips for confidently surviving the Christmas period guilt-free.
I sincerely hope this blog post helps you to enjoy your Christmas period without worrying about gaining weight and feeling anxious about starting the New Year a few pounds heavier. If you have any questions about it feel free to get in touch.
If you would like to find out more about what we do here at Luke Bremner Fitness, we offer a completely free and non-obligation consultation where we can sit down and discuss your health, fitness and body-shape goals in more depth and explore how our range of personal training and nutrition coaching programmes can help you achieve them.
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