Does yesterday’s Christmas lunch mean hours in the gym?

HAVE you ever wondered what wellness experts do during the festive season to stay fit and healthy?

Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore because we’ve asked Lisa Raleigh, the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s ambassador and wellness expert, for her top tips on how to stay healthy during the holiday season.

1. How do you stay healthy and active during the festive season?

I practise everything in moderation and strive to keep the balance where I can. I indulge in all the foods I love – but I watch my portion sizes. If my regular gym schedule is out of the question, I get active in my surroundings. Running is my favourite way to explore new travel destinations, and I always travel with a resistance band in my luggage to squeeze in a quick workout wherever I can. Twenty minutes in a hotel room is really all you need!

2. What is your favourite indulgence?

Cake! A real, homemade vanilla sponge or red velvet cake is my ultimate treat. Only the best quality will do – it has to be worth the calories!

3. What is the best exercise to help with toning my tummy?
The plank. This is a compound exercise that recruits all the muscles of the core, as well as some of your upper and lower body muscles as well. Try holding a plank position for 3 sets of 10-30 seconds to tighten up that tummy. Remember, too, that toning trouble areas isn’t about spot training – you need to be fit all over first! Include sprinting intervals into your cardio workout to burn more fat, and include compound exercises – like the plank – into your strength sessions to torch more calories per workout.

4. I just had a huge Christmas lunch, does this mean I have to spend hours in the gym?

If you’d like to maintain your figure over the holidays, it means you have to pick the way you’d like to create a calorie deficit. If you’ve got a big dinner lined up, you could make the rest of the day and maybe the day after, too, a low calorie, clean eating day, to accommodate the indulgence in the evening. Or, you could add in an extra workout that week to help balance out the added calories. It’s up to you what extra effort you make to allow yourself to indulge guilt-free.

5. What is the one bad holiday habit people should try and avoid?
Having an all-or-nothing attitude is probably the top offender. I love the saying ‘Do what you can, with what you’ve got, from where you are’. Just because your usual gym routine is out the window, doesn’t mean exercise isn’t an option. Grabbing opportunities to keep active is so important, and little things like walking instead of driving, playing beach sports with friends instead of being sedentary, and wading along sea water at thigh height all add up. It’s about getting incidental. In the same way, indulging in your favourite foods doesn’t have to mean binge-eating. Plate up smaller portions of unhealthier foods, and create deficits where you can. If drinks are on the cards for the evening, skip the carbs the following day. Beating the bulge in the festive season is all about balance.

 See more heart healthy festive tips from Lisa here.

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