How To Beat Christmas Weight gain!
With Christmas only a couple of days a way, OnIn.London thought we’d share with you the best exercises to work off the Christmas indulgence
Keith McNiven, founder of London based personal training company Right Path Fitness https://rightpathfitness.co.uk on the best exercises to work off the Christmas indulgence.
We wish we could tell you that weight gain over Christmas was a myth but with a new study in the BMJ showing that we gain up to 1kg/2.2lb a year (and most of this over Christmas), it’s time to face facts that Christmas overindulgence can lead to unwelcome weight gain.Interestingly though the study, which was undertaken with adults with a BMI of 20 or more and over the Christmas period, showed that weight management strategies like exercise to counteract indulgent food were successful at limiting weight gain over Christmas.
The group were divided into two, one group received just a leaflet on healthy eating whilst the second were given a goal of gaining no more than 0.5kg over the festive season along with the tools to do this, like restraint over eating and drinking, self-weighing and information on how much exercise was needed to counteract festive treats. Weight change in the first group who had little information was 0.37kg but the group who exercised and were restrained had a mean weight change of -0.13kg showing that the measures were effective at preventing weight gain over Christmas.
So when it comes to preventing Christmas weight gain, being more mindful about what you eat and exercising to counteract the extra treats can be beneficial, here are some of the best exercises to work off that Christmas indulgence.
1) Squats. Squats are brilliant for working your glutes and legs, you could even add in some hand weights as you squat to work your upper body too. There are lots of different variations but start with a sumo squat to really work those thighs. Start from standing with legs shoulder width apart and holding a weight with two hands at waist level. Slowly lower right down until your weight is on the floor (making your legs do the work, not your back) and then back up to standing. If you don’t have a weight, you can use something like a bottle of laundry detergent with a handle. 60 squats will be just enough for you to indulge in a sniff of chocolate- like a single Quality Street. 3 sets of 20 should do the trick, and when you know just how many squats are needed for a single chocolate, it can stop you raiding the box too!
2) Walking. One of the best exercises you can do over the festive period is walking. It’s free, you don’t need any special equipment to do it and is so low impact that you can drag the whole family along. A 60 minute walk at a good pace (no dawdling) will work off around 200 calories which is the equivalent of around 1 mince pie. As nice as it might be to eat all of the lovely food around at Christmas, make sure you have a check on calorie and fat content, so you can work out what extra exercise you need to do to avoid weight gain through over eating.
3) Running. Being cooped up over Christmas can all get a bit much at times, and if your gym is closed what do you do? A run can be done pretty much anywhere, so just grab your trainers and get outdoors for some much needed fresh air and alone time. Running is also great for calorie burning. 60 minutes of running can burn off up to 500 calories depending on how fast you run, your weight, age and fitness level. And with an average Christmas dinner racking up a massive 1000 calories in a single meal, the 60 minute run will go a long way to avoiding excessive calorie intake on the big day. Can’t manage 60 minutes? Split it into a more manageable 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon.
4) Weights. People are often needlessly fearful of using weights but one of the very best ways to burn fat is by having more muscle. A set of dumbbells or a kettlebell doesn’t have to take up much space in your home or garage but will be a really versatile piece of kit to help you in your quest to beat the weight gain this Christmas. Or, you can improvise with items around the home like boxes of washing powder, laundry baskets and even chairs. A 60 minute session with the weights will blast around 300 calories- about the same as a couple of glasses of mulled wine.
5) Swimming. A Boxing Day dip in the sea is a tradition for lots of people but you don’t have to go to those extremes to keep the festive weight gain at bay! Head down to your local pool for a swim and you can front crawl your way through around 200 calories in 30 minutes. Make it 40 minutes and that serving of Christmas pudding (sans cream) will be almost guilt free!
Christmas weight gain is not a myth but by upping your exercise levels and keeping an eye on what you eat, you can ensure it’s not a given for you!
