With Christmas just days away and selection boxes and mince pies coming at us from every angle, it’s fair to say that the festive season has well and truly begun.
You don't have to eat all the cake that's on offer!
No matter how strong our resolve, or how determined we are to walk away from the cake, there’s a good chance that between now and January 1, we’re all going to have a blowout or four.
Studies into how much weight we’ll gain over Christmas have proved contradictory, with findings ranging from a couple of pounds to almost half a stone, but one thing is clear; very few of us are restricting our overindulgence to Christmas week.
While many of us accept that a little weight gain is part and parcel of the festive period, for others it can be a whole world of stress balancing socialising and treat-filled cupboards on one-hand with minimising the damage on the scales on the other.
“It can be incredibly difficult to stick to a diet when the house is filled with wine, crisps and chocolates,” says David O’Leary, director of national bike hire scheme Bike & Go.
“The majority of people do find the lure of the treats far too strong to ignore, but that doesn’t mean their weight is doomed. There’s no reason why they can’t enjoy a few extra treats over Christmas, as long as they up their exercise quota to balance out the extra intake of calories.”
But forget hours pounding the treadmill in the gym while listening to hardcore dance music; there are plenty of ways you can burn off the calories while still entering into the spirit of Christmas. Here we look at five ways to beat the blowout – and have some festive fun at the same time.
1) Dance on ice
After being axed in 2014, the TV skating show is making a comeback in January 2018, with stars including Donna Air, Antony Cotton and Cheryl Baker included in the line-up. While the new series will undoubtedly kick-start the nation’s interest in ice-skating again, you can beat the rush by joining one of the many ice-skating lessons that are taking place up and down the country right now. Not only is ice-skating fun, especially if you enlist a couple of friends to go along with you, it’s also a great way of burning calories. Depending on how much skating you do, and what you currently weigh, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t burn between 250-670 calories in a 30-minute session. Just don’t indulge in too many hot chocolates afterwards.
2) Go on a festive bike ride
If you’re watching your budget and looking for a cost-effective way of shedding a few pounds, then why not dust down your bike and take in the Christmas lights in your local area? You could burn an estimated 90 calories during a 20-minute bike ride – more if you work harder. If you’d prefer to cycle with others but can’t get your friends to come along, then one of the many organised bike rides that regularly take place across the UK could be for you. And if you don’t have a bike? Just hire one. Bike & Go have bike hire facilities at the train stations of participating rail networks across the North West, North East and Yorkshire, East and South East of England and Scotland, and if you sign-up online this month, you can benefit from a half-price subscription fee of £5 instead of the usual £10. Once registered, you can hire two bikes at a time, with each bike costing just £3.80 per 24 hours. Easy.
3) Enjoy a winter walk
There can be few better times of the year to wrap up warm, escape the Christmas madness and head to the great outdoors. Whether it’s a gentle stroll you’re looking for or a full-on hike, the UK offers a wealth of walking opportunities, with plenty of organised walks taking place across the UK. If you prefer to go it alone, National Trust sites are usually particularly stunning in the winter months, or you may want to put your headphones on, choose the Christmas party playlist on Spotify, and head off in search of a winter wonderland closer to home. Pick up a steady pace and you could burn off between 65-100 calories for every mile you walk.
4) Do a YouTube Christmas workout
If you feel like adding a festive element to your workout, then a great place to start is YouTube, where you’ll find a wide range of Christmas-themed mini-workouts. The ‘All I want for Christmas workout challenge’ is fun, and actually pretty challenging, Zumba – 12 days of Christmas is a high-intensity dance workout, while Zumba – Feliz Navidad (Christmas Cha-Cha) won’t fail to put a smile on your face with its combination of sunny cha-cha moves and the energetic, Santa hat-clad instructor. Have a trawl around the site to find your own festive favourites.
5) Hit the tennis courts
Follow in the footsteps of Kate Middleton who was famously snapped playing tennis on Christmas Day in 2009 and head to the courts pre-dinner to burn off some of those calories in advance. Spend an hour playing and you should burn off around 500 calories – and carry on throughout January when the tennis courts are quiet and you could be a force to be reckoned with by the time Wimbledon comes around next summer . . .
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