One option is always to indulge, but to plan to indulge. Put your evening’s excess in your diary ahead of time and work to minimise the impact with exercise and controlling your intake throughout the week to balance it all out.

If that’s not an option for your fitness goals, no problem, here’s a battle plan for you to follow:

Don’t be afraid to ask for substitutions: Salad or seasonal vegetables rather than fries, skipping the cheese, having the burger without the bun… there’s plenty you can do to make dishes healthier, and most establishments are willing to be flexible. 

Focus on fish: As long as it’s not fried, fish is a great choice for a healthy main course and is usually rich in protein, vitamins and good fatty acids.

Sauces and dressings can be secret weapons for diet sabotage: They’re too often filled with calorie-heavy oils or sugars, so ask for them on the side and use them sparingly.

Consider ordering an appetiser as your main course: By design starters are less substantial than main dishes, so consider having a starter dish as an entrée with a side of vegetables. Once you’re full of veggies, you won’t be craving the big main meal quite so much.

Ignore the bread, keep the butter: While the bread is full of starch and empty calories, milk and butter get a bad reputation when it comes to health; butter especially is associated unfairly with being overweight. Butter is, however, rich in vitamins and good cholesterol and in moderation is good for you.

Don’t trust the menu implicitly, especially when it comes to the ‘healthy’ section of their menu: Chefs will do their best to make tasty, healthy food, but it doesn’t mean it’s right for your specific health goals. Ask questions about contents and preparation if you’re not sure or the menu isn’t clear.

Share your meals with others: Sharing dishes with friends can give you the option of controlling what and how much you eat without having to make a fuss over substitutions.

There’s an almost shocking amount of calories and carbs in alcohol, so skip the plonk: While you’re at it, you probably want to avoid the dessert menu as well!

Look up the restaurant online before you go and try to put your plan of action together. This will allow you to plan a healthy meal and get all your substitution questions in order so you’re ready to blaze through them when it’s your time to order.

Lastly, enjoy yourself!

So why is it so popular now?

In 21^st century Britain, between what feels like an eternal ‘age of austerity’, employment stress (finding, keeping or getting paid more than the minimum for your job) and the demands of juggling our hectic lives, it seems we’ve been seeking a means of disconnecting from the stress of it all by reconnecting with ourselves. With yoga now well embedded in the UK’s health and fitness industry through dedicated yoga studios, classes and a percentage of those 3 million plus yogi who are qualified trainers, accessing yoga has become much easier. Add to this the viral popularity of YouTube ab-toning yoga videos, a prevalence of celebrity endorsed yoga DVDs and apps in the fitness media market, all of which creates interest in the benefits of yoga as well as wider interest into its holistic benefits. As a result, its popularity has soared.

Another reason why yoga’s in demand now is that with our 21^st century lifestyles come medical conditions which may actively prevent us from taking up other forms of exercise such as energetic aerobics classes, running or dance. Yoga can be practiced to great benefit by the old, the pregnant and even, to some extent, the ill, with mainstream news reports from the Daily Mail (2014) and the Daily Telegraph (2013) about how yoga can benefit sufferers from cancer and blood pressure.

All you need to do is choose the right yoga discipline:

SATYANANDA

The gentlest form of yoga, Satyananda is ideal for beginners. It focuses on deep breathing and flexibility through slow stretches and also teaches deep breathing.

HATHA

Another great version of yoga for beginners, Hatha offers more extensive stretching exercises but still at a relatively low-impact level, making it also suitable for older adults or those with health concerns. London based gym, The Factory, cite Hatha as a great way to start your yoga journey; allowing for poses to be modified based on physical challenges, such as recovering for injury for example.

IYENGAR

Iyengar is a yoga discipline which concentrates on body aligment and balance through postures. Props such as blocks and straps are used to help maintain postures.

KUNDALINI

The Kundalini yoga workout is more intensive, with faster paced routines and postures including a range of different breathing methods, including deep breathing, meditation and chanting.

BIKRAM (also known as MOSHKA or “HOT YOGA”)

With an added focus on the benefits of purification and developing stamina, Bikram yoga sessions take place in a heated room, making it an intensive, whole body workout. This level is more suited to those with high fitness levels and not those with heart or blood pressure health conditions.

ASHTANGA (“POWER YOGA”)

For the added benefit of weight loss in addition to those other holistic benefits of stamina, flexibility and core strength for mind and body, Ashtanga is the higher impact yoga workout. It’s more suitable for those who already have a certain fitness level to start with.

Finally, like any form of exercise, it’s beneficial when you’re doing it right. So although having multimedia access to online yoga classes is great, beginners especially are recommended to attend a few sessions with a qualified yogi, so that you can be sure you are creating postures properly for maximum benefit, not accidental damage.

*Image from Flickr and member a4gpo.

Those of you that have read my blog will know that I’ve recently signed up to a weekly 5k run. It’s a not for profit organisation that helps to organise free weekly timed 5km runs around the country. These take place every Saturday morning and it’s also really helping with my training routine. Our times at the moment are ok but there’s room for improvement.

Back to the article, ways to help improve your running in four easy steps. Do you ever feel you’re dragging yourself outside to run? Or maybe your times are getting worse rather than better? Follow these four simple steps and we’ll help you get back on track and improve your running performance.

1. Join a running club

If you aren’t already a member of a club you should consider joining one. Motivation is a massive thing for me and running with others is a great way to keep you motivated. You can also learn a lot about running from some of the more experienced runners in the club. I’m not in a running club but I do go running with friends.

2. Set some running goals

Why do you run? Is it just for regular exercise, get or stay in shape or to lose weight? Are you running an event like a marathon soon? Setting specific goals for a weekly or monthly target will also help you stay motivated.

3. Look in your fridge

For those of you that are running to lose weight and are not seeing the results you should be. How many times have you heard the phrase ‘you are what you eat?’. Well it’s true and your diet may well be affecting all the hard work you’re putting in at the gym or out on the track. If you want to see some real and deserved results then take a quick look in your fridge.

4. Track your runs in a log

If you don’t know where you are at, how will you know where you’re going? If you record your runs, this gives you something to compare and you may be surprised at how much progress you’ve already made. I’m currently using a Nike+ SportBand and it provides excellent motivation for me. It tracks my time, pace and calories from every run. If you’re not tracking your runs in a log, then give it a try.

All the best folks and please keep us posted about your results!