Running off the pudding

Sport

Jan 10

January 2019 | David Claridge

CHRISTMAS IS a time to be happy, to marvel at the colours that fill the stores and gild the decorated trees. Around the end of November, the Christmas-themed treats seem to come out and the supermarkets start stocking shelves with colourful and yummy looking chocolates and candy canes.

I celebrate the festive season by getting a Beer Advent Calendar, my ‘treating myself’ is in full swing even before Christmas Day when the coup de grace of eating and drinking time comes.

By the time Christmas and New Year are over, I’ve gained weight and I haven’t been active for weeks.

Fortunately, there are tips and tricks to turn to, so as to not completely wreck yourself over the festive season. After speaking to two local health enthusiasts, I discovered a few things to keep in mind leading up to and following the holiday season.

Westbury based Personal Trainer, Liza deLautour, who runs You & Me PT, believes that where everyone goes wrong is with all the food on Christmas Day.

“Part of the problem with Christmas is all of the leftover food, it tends to last for days,” she said.

“We have become a nation of people who like to socialise over food and drinking alcohol. We need to move more and find other ways to socialise.

“I would suggest that people move, move as much as they can. We tend to be sitting, eating and socialising a lot around this time of the year.

“Put on some music and dance, drink lots of water, its finding that balance.

“Everyone has to find something they love to do. There is no point joining a gym if they hate being inside. If you love walking or dancing, get out there and do it.”

Deloraine-based Personal Trainer, Kimberlee Dixon believes that people need to have more self-control when it comes to the big day and an ongoing commitment to what you eat and do.

“I tell my clients that they have to do dieting and exercising,” she said.

“A lot of people often think they only need to do one or the other. Unfortunately, you have to do both to get the best results.

“Eating bigger breakfasts, medium lunch and a smaller dinner is the key. We need to fuel our bodies for the day, and by the end of it we go to bed with less in our stomachs.

“Many of us end up eating a lot at Christmas, but we are all human at the end of the day.

“If you want to stay in shape you need to try and resist large portions. Give time for your body to process, go for a nice walk or play some cricket in between, said Kimberlee.

It’s up to us to be good to our bodies, still enjoy the holidays but rethink our eating habits and be social in ways that are more active. I still over ate this Christmas, but now I have some tools that will help to improve my overall health and wellbeing.

Of course, if I need some professional help, Liza and Kimberlee are out there and happy to help us reach our goals.

Thank you to ‘You & Me PT’ and ‘Kimberlee Dixon Personal Training’ for taking the time to help with this story.