Dealing with the Christmas Binge
At IPT Fitness we pride ourselves in creating a disciplined, results focused training environment, whilst still respecting our clients life outside of the gym. Over Christmas it is important to take a hard earned rest and some relaxing time with friends and family. However, with such progress made this year here are some tips on how to keep on the strict and narrow whilst still enjoying yourself this Christmas.
The ad on TV that states its ‘Christmas days, not day’ holds a lot of truth. To avoid the bulge stick to your diet plan throughout the day, pay particular attention to the protein and fibrous green vegetables where possible. You have to earn the right to enjoy your carbohydrates and treats to come.
Throughout the festive period, party nibbles are a regular; crisps, mince pies… the list goes on. Where possible avoid the carbohydrate based nibbles, make friends with the pig in a blanket. If you have say in the food prepared, make some meat based treats and raw vegetables to be dipped in home made guacamole for example. Remember, if you take in your protein you are less likely to binge on the carbohydrates later. Seek good starchy carb’s such as sweet potato wedges over ‘white’ counterparts. Add cinnamon to your carbohydrate heavy meals, as this has been shown to improve your body’s ability to use carbohydrates.
Alcohol … The devil of Christmas! Again, choose wisely. 4 pints of lager can be up to 1000 calories, a mulled wine can be around the 500 mark, and a glass of baileys is around 400 calories! Think carefully before letting this enter your body. Calories from alcohol are metabolised in the body before fat, so this combination with the multiple Christmas treats is the recipe for a fat loss disaster. If you must drink, wine is the lesser evil in this case.
We do not advocate calorie counting on a whole, rather the macronutrient breakdown is far more important, however under these circumstance you simply have to respect the calories… A newspaper recently reported a Christmas dinner can contain 3500 calories! Lets hope ‘Christmas days’ aren’t all like this!
Chrimbo tabata pre-binge circuit:
