Everything in moderation...

Moderation and Christmas.....words which should never be used in the same sentence.

Why would anyone choose moderation anyway? Whoever achieved anything with a moderate approach?

I can see it right now, Christopher Columbus and his crew taking a moderate approach to finding new-land “ Here we are boys off the ship let’s see what this wonderful land has in store for us” only to find out they got as far as Guernsey! What a disappointment.

Who seeks to choose a partner who is moderately good looking, moderately intelligent and has a moderately bright future? That’s a sure way to disappoint your parents.

Oscar Wilde once said “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess”

So this is what you need to do this Christmas. Go out, socialise, spend time with loved ones, play, party, dance, drink, eat and be merry. Give yourself a break. You’ve earned it.

However, when you decide to exercise DO NOT take the moderate approach. Tackle your fitness training classes with the intensity of an erupting volcano.

My top tips for a Merry Christmas!

1. Fight fire with fire - Tackle your excess with the opposite, complete abstinence, after all according to St. Augustine “complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation. Give your digestive system a break from food and alcohol with some intermittent fasting. The ideal time to do this is the day after the night before. Do not eat for 16-20hrs, what’s the worst that can happen? You won’t starve you silly Billies! Couple this with a rehydrating strategy (see tip number 3).

2. Feast on whole foods. Whole foods are better nutritionally balanced than processed foods. What’s processed food? Well if it looks far removed from its natural form then it’s most likely to be processed. Think chicken nuggets, they no longer look recognisable as something which comes from a chicken.

3. Rehydrate properly
Here’s a short list of drinks you may consume over the coming festive period followed by the amount of calories, only for your information.

• A pint of Beer (Fosters) 200kcals
• A pint of cider (Magners) 210kcals
• A glass of red wine (large) 180kcals
• A glass of white wine (large) 180 kcals
• A double Vodka lime and soda 110 Kcals
• A gin and slimline tonic (premixed can) 110kcals.

The problem with consuming these drinks is finding a glass big enough to hold them all!

What you need to do to rehydrate is:

• Water – drink a glass every hour for six hours to keep your body topped up
• Sport drinks – choose one with electrolytes to replenish the body’s salt levels
• Ginger ale – ginger can soothe your stomach

4. Five a day.... make that ten a day!
I love Christmas lunch, and one of the best things about it from a health perspective is all the yummy veg. Double the amount of veg on your plate, fill up on the good stuff (just remember that potatoes don’t count as veg!). Then if you have room for dessert have one. If you do stack up on the veg you might not get as far as dessert. However I always make it my mission to have dessert. Desserts taste good. It’s strange, as there always seems to be room for dessert, I suspect we might have second stomach for dessert. OK enough of desserts, or you may think that I am obsessed.

5. Credit, debit – Socialise but pay homage the lords of sweat. For every boozy night out you have, make a trip to your nearest BMF outdoor bootcamp. Alternatively find a hill and sprint up it! Six sets of 60m hill sprints followed by a 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 sequence of press- ups,then the same again for sit ups, then burpees should sort you out.

6. Don’t beat yourself up. If you can’t see your feet anymore, it’s no big deal. Feet are ugly. You got yourself into this state and you CAN get yourself out of it.

In the New Year you can become a new you!

On 2 January, it’s time to focus on your goals and get back to your fighting weight. Pick a diet and stick to it for two weeks, it doesn’t matter which one, be it Atkins, South Beach, Paleo, Weight Watchers or even the cabbage soup diet. Diets work because they help you make conscious food choices, restrict your calorific intake and help you plan your meals better. You just need to know which one works for you.

The key here again is intensity. Focus on doing this for just two weeks to get the job done then eat optimally again.

That brings me to the end of my blog so I’m off to get some dessert from the fridge.

Enjoy the festive season and don’t look back in anger.

From us all at a BMF have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!