Preparation

It’s all in the preparation! Start preparing for all your Christmas indulgences now. Eat clean and train hard for the last few remaining weeks leading up to Christmas. Counter balance those units of alcohol and block of chocolate now so you can enjoy them guilt free over Christmas. By preparing now, you’re also saving some of the hard work you need to put in over January to get back to your best.

You only need 15 minutes to stay healthy in winter. Please read these fantastic tips from Alex Harris, commissioning editor of Men’s Health magazine. Survive winter and emerge healthier than ever!

Don’t shop on an empty stomach

It’s a well known saying and it’s true. We can’t avoid and nor should we, the Christmas parties and drinks. It’s a time to let your hair down and enjoy yourself and we can help ourselves at home by not shopping on an empty stomach. If it’s not in your cupboard, then it’s not going in your mouth! You’ll get plenty of people buying you boxes of chocolates and bottles of wine anyway so save your cash and your waistline by only buying the essentials.

Do plenty of walking

Sunlight is good for fighting off winter fatigue. We all feel it – all you want to do is curl up on the sofa and watch Miracle on 34th Street! Before you do, open those blinds and maybe have a brisk walk around the block to shake off those cobwebs. Also make your home environment as light and airy as possible so turn on those Christmas tree lights.

Get plenty of Vitamin D in your body

Vitamin D gives us healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin D also helps us fight off winter fatigue (see tip above). The sun is a good form of Vitamin D but it’s limited over the Christmas period and in the UK in general! Foods like fish, eggs and cereal are all great sources of Vitamin D so stock up now.

Please follow these four simple tips and enjoy your festive break. Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year! Over the Christmas period I’ve had my feet up. I’ll tell you all shortly about how my latest charity challenge went, it was eventful to say the least! I’ve also been thinking about doing my very first triathlon. Here are my thoughts:

When it comes to preparing yourself to take part in a triathlon, there is a need to ensure that you are fully focused and motivated. Over the course of the training for a triathlon, many people find that their focus falls solely on this activity. This means that many people will have a triathlon on the brain for much of their build-up to the race.

This means making some sacrifices and it means you may need to explain your training to others. If you have a wife, partner or close family, you need to try and balance the need to train with the need to see and look after them. This is definitely an area where triathlons need to have a complete focus in their life, so it helps to make sure that your friends and loved ones are on board as quickly and as comprehensively as possible.

One of the best ways that you can become fully focused on what a triathlon entails is to look at the equipment on offer and ensure that you have the right gear. There is a lot of clothing and equipment to choose from but there are some items that are more important than others. For instance, you definitely need to have access to a bike to take part in a triathlon. However, while there are many different styles of bikes to choose from, you want to choose a bike that is ideally suited to the terrain and nature of the event.

The right bike can make all the difference

This is where choosing from the range of time trial bikes may be of greater benefit to you. These bikes are slightly different from standard bikes in that they have handlebars or aerobars which reduce drafting. When it comes to time trials, cyclists are not allowed to draft, which places a greater level of importance on lowering the amount of aerodynamic drag of the rider and the bike. This style of bike can give you a much needed boost when it comes to taking part in the cycling event of a triathlon. There is not too much of a market for time trial bikes and triathlon bikes on their own but the popularity of both of these events ensures that the market which combines both of these elements will of be interest to many people.

When it comes to making the most of cycling, you also need to ensure that your diet is fully committed to the cause. A triathlete needs to take in the proper fuel to ensure that they are fit and ready for purpose in the build-up to the race. Training and taking part in a triathlon requires a great deal of training, which means that there is a need to be focused and to have enough fuel to get you through increased levels of work and commitment. This is where there is a huge need to tailor your diet and to ensure that your life is focused on getting the best training and performance levels.

Thanks for reading,

Find a gym buddy

There’s a common misconception that going to the gym is a solo activity; plug in a pair of headphones, drown everything out and get on with your fitness regime. While this can help you focus in the short term, you may become demotivated and bored as the months creep by. As other gym regulars start making better progress than you, you might start to feel frustrated.

Picking a gym buddy to train with could be the motivator you need to stick at it. Ideally, the person should be equally, if not more, motivated than you are. That way, you can spur each other on and have someone else to support you.

Develop a home fitness plan

If pounding electro-beats and long queues for equipment aren’t your cup of tea, you should consider exercising from home. A lot of people feel they need to pay extortionate gym fees in order to motivate their repeat visits. However, you’ll soon forget about that monthly charge as you swear off the gym each month.

To counteract this, you can exercise from home for fairly cheap if you order equipment from companies like Best Gym Equipment. For smaller budgets, aerobic equipment like steps, skipping ropes and pilates mats all have relatively low barriers to entry. If you’re willing to splash out a little, you could also invest in a single, more expensive piece of gym equipment. Technogym is a brand that’s become increasingly popular for fitness junkies who work out at home. From exercise bikes to cross trainers, there are plenty of options available to get your home gym operation off the ground.

Track your progress

A lot of people lose faith in their fitness plan because they can’t see the immediate difference it’s making. It’s important to remember that improved fitness, especially when it comes to weight loss and muscle gain, is a gradual process of incremental change. You won’t wake up looking like a chiselled Greek god after your first session at the gym.

To put things in perspective, track your weight and figure by recording it. This could involve keeping a written journal or taking pictures of yourself week by week. It’s also a good idea to seek advice and help from personal trainers to keep you on track and constantly challenged. There are also plenty of fantastic beginners guides to exercise to help you get started.

Christmas eating is always a subject people like to talk about mainly because they have done to much! Which can be forgiven as life is for living but for those of you that are currently training or seriously thinking that your health needs to improve then have a read of this below!

The average person will consume around 6,000 calories on Christmas Day.

The average traditional Christmas dinner is 2,000 calories

The average person will gain at least 5lb during the Christmas period;
Christmas Eve – New Years Eve.

Breakfast
300 – 1000 calories

Dinner
1000 – 2000 calories

Supper/Tea
Leftovers/Turkey Sandwich
500 – 1000 calories

Mince Pies/Chocolates/Nuts etc
1000 – 1000 calories

Alcohol
180 – 1000

Here is a further breakdown of Christmas Dinner based on ‘normal’ portion sizes with no extras eg. Butter on carrots etc.

Turkey – 170
Roasts – 130
Roast Parsnips – 100
Turnip – 29
Peas – 70
Sprouts – 8
Carrots – 3
Sausage, Bacon Wraps – 120
Stuffing – 250
Cranberry Sauce – 86
Gravy – 200

Sub Total - 1,166

Christmas pudding and brandy butter – 423

Total - 1,589

Extras
¼ or 100g Celebration chocolates – 450 calories
Nuts – 160 calories
2 Mince pies – 420 calories
2 pub measures wine – 180 calories
Pub measure sherry – 68 calories

It is easy to see why the average person overeats by 3,200 cals per day over the Christmas period and can gain over 5lbs!

Now what you have been waiting for: Ways to save calories

Now I’m not always a fan of calorie counting for the normal run of the mill individual but it is important that you understand what calories are and where they come from in order to control portion size etc.

• Remove skin off turkey and save 50 cals per portion
• Replace sausage meat stuffing with chestnuts, fruit and veg based ones

• Use yams or sweet potato rather than potatoes

• Serve Christmas pud with low fat custard or low fat greek yoghurt or better yet without

• Fill up on veg or have a veg soup starter to take edge off appetite

• Start the day with a big breakfast porridge or scrambled egg and smoked salmon to slash hunger pangs and mindless nibbling

Finally…

Stop at two alcoholic drinks – apparently according to Robert Pandina at the institute of alcohol studies, New York, somewhere between the end of the 2nd drink and ½ way through the 3rd the part of your brain that controls inhibitions stops functioning and so this can stop you making good food choices and who you go home with!

DRINK LOTS OF WATER – Dehydration is one of the major causes of low Christmas energy, grumpy moods and constipation. You will burn around 60 fewer calories when hydration levels are low.

A 30 min walk each day can use up to 200 calories, making a total of 1,600 calories.

Happy Christmas!

Thanks for reading. I mentioned in my last post, I was creating my own challenge over Christmas. Well here it is! I’ve named it ‘The 12 Days of Christmas‘ and I’ll be running 60 miles over the 12 days to raise money for Percy Hedley. They’re celebrating 60 years in 2013, hence the decision to run 60 miles. Each day, I’ll be running to a different location in the North East of England. For example, on the 8th day, I’ll be running 10 miles to Lanchester Dairies to celebrate 8 Maids-a-Milking.

I’m asking everyone for support, not only for donations but to run some miles with me. I openly admit I’m not a brilliant runner so I’ll need you to make this happen! It’s also going to be freezing cold and probably the last thing I’ll want to do at 7am is get up and run but it’s all for a good cause. I’ve had tremendous support so far which is nice.

I have a schedule for the 12 days over on my personal blog at Father Fitness. Please have a look and see if you can help me. Please also help spread the word and lets finish this year with a bang.

Thanks again,