Getting ready for December

Some tips to keep you on track throughout the festive season.

Ok, I just looked at my calendar and realised we are one week away from December, and our summer is almost here, this is the time of year I love, we work hard all year round – head down and bum up but when the summer time comes we start to relax, indulge and live a little.

Summer represents so much for us all; it is a time for catch-ups with family and friends, some of whom we have not seen since last year, for Christmas and New Year gatherings. It is also a time for outdoor activity, picnics at the park, exploring nature, swimming at the beach, holidays – but most of all it is time out from our working life and living in the moment!

During this time of the year there is no need to fall off the wagon, for many of you, you have worked far too hard all year to make positive changes with your health and fitness and are finally feeling the benefits!

I’m not saying that you can’t continue to enjoy your summer and all the fun that it brings-but there are so many ways to incorporate your new healthy food choices and maintain your exercise routine.

Here are a few tips to keep you on track throughout our social month of December!

• Let go of guilt – Making yourself stressed over food and exercise during the next few months is not healthy, try not to feel guilty when you have a moment of indulgence, get straight back on track and focus on maintaining a positive attitude to food and exercise – that way you are more likely to stick with staying healthy and fit over the next few months, and not feel overwhelmed and think it is all too much and throw in the towel.
• Stay hydrated – Always drink plenty of water during the day to assist your body to stay hydrated, the health benefits of drinking water are endless, but it assist with the digestion of food.
• Slow down – If you are at a social event, make sure you try little bits of all types of food and avoid loading up your plate. Chew your food slowly and enjoy the taste and flavour of all foods.
• Remember, it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell your brain that it is full, so enjoy your meal and listen to it when you are no longer hungry.
• Also another good tip is to not linger at the food table chatting, as this can help to stop you from nibbling on unnecessary food like dips and chips.
• Be prepared - If you are going to a gathering where you take a plate make sure it is a healthy plate that you can eat and stay on track with.
• Get active – Through December stay active with games of sport in the backyard and park, bush and beach walks  runs, swimming etc. and do this with friends and family as it will keep everyone fit and happy.  You can even plan and organise your Christmas and social catch ups around these activities with a healthy picnic or a BBQ.
• Keep your regular routine of exercise up at the gym or at home, as maintaining consistency is the key to enjoy the benefits of exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Even when you are away on holidays there is no excuse as hotels often gyms and pools and you can always go for a walk wherever you are.
• Try to keep up your incidental exercise as well, take stair instead of the elevators when doing the shopping, park your car  a little further away from your destination, all those simple  choices we make in our everyday life can really add up.

Here is a little body weight workout to help keep you in shape you can do at the gym, at home, a park, or even on holidays. I like to call this the FIVE MINUTE NO BUTS BUTT WORKOUT.

Perform twenty repetitions for each of these exercises:

• First, get a low bench or a seat that’s about knee height, and step up and down with your right leg only, then with your left.
• Next, standing tall, step backwards with your right leg into a lunge for twenty reps, then swap to our left leg.
• Lastly, do twenty squats about the bench, knees aligned with toes, allowing your butt to just tap the seat behind you.

Remember you can still have your fun but stay focused so that you can start of the New Year with a healthy and fit bang!