FITNESS Staying in shape over Christmas

STRIKING A BALANCE Pull out your diary and pencil in your exercise or training sessions over the holiday period.

Factoring in some festive fitness


Personal Trainer
Paul O'Brien

Almost all of us want for Christmas is to be able to relax and enjoy time with loved ones, indulge in some sweet pleasures and not have the associated guilt or weight gain that are synonymous with this time of year. Yes, we all want to have our cake and eat it!
Christmas can be a tricky time of year. Amidst all the preparation and the excitement of the build-up, our focus is on nurturing, relaxation and indulgence. If you are exercising or training, the festive season can represent a bump in the road, that bump being anything from minor to insurmountable.
However, festive fitness is more than possible with just a little careful planning. As I’ve written many times in this column, the key is balance. Your aim is to strike the correct balance between R (relax) and R (relaxation) and exercise. For most people, this is not the time to focus on improving your fitness but to maintain what you have. This maintenance is possible if you complete about 60 per cent of your current weekly volume over the couple of weeks of Christmas.
So, back to planning - this is a vital first step. Pull out your diary and pencil in your exercise or training sessions over the holidays. Arrange to work out with a friend, or attend a group class or running session. Social support is a key factor in maintaining motivation levels so don’t overlook it.
Here are some further tips to help you achieve the right balance this Christmas:

1    Eat sensibly – slow down, digest your food. Wait 20 minutes before opting for seconds or dessert, you’ll probably find you don’t want it. Eat lots of vegetables at dinner. Snack on fruit and nuts to prevent you from overeating at mealtimes.
2    Indulge – don’t deprive yourself of the things you like. Doing so may create a negative psychological relationship between food and exercise. Instead, choose a time to indulge yourself, maybe with your feet up watching an evening movie. Delay your treat until later in the day and you’ll find it much more rewarding and are much less likely to berate yourself.
3    Exercise at home – design your own routine for a quick interval-style workout in the comfort of your own home. No snow, ice and rain to worry about here! The following is a good routine using just your own bodyweight.

- Jump Jacks x 20
- Push-ups x 10
- Squats x 10
- High Knees (Running on the spot)
x 20 each leg
- Burpees x 1

Rest as little as possible between exercises. Rest for 2 to 3-minutes once all exercises are completed and then repeat the circuit once or twice depending on your fitness level.
Trust me, you’ll be more than grateful for keeping your fitness levels ticking over during the Christmas period. Remember those New Year resolutions are just around corner.
Have a great Christmas.

Paul O’Brien is a personal trainer and life coach based in Westport.