It should come as no surprise that the Daily Mail reported earlier this year, that the top New Year’s Resolutions in Australia was to improve fitness and eat better.  Conversely, in June, 2018 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that more than 70% of men and 56% of women are considered overweight or obese.

Christmas time is a wonderful, social time of year. The majority of us go out alot more than normal, which can cause us to put on weight during this time. The excess consumption of alcohol, sweets, over indulging in rich food, and neglecting our exercise routine can create energy slumps, sugar cravings, and feelings of exhaustion.

I absolutely love educating myself and others on the importance of health and fitness. All you have to do is visit a friend in hospital or hear about a family member or colleague who had a major health scare and you quickly realise 2 things:

1. You don’t want to go to any hospital anytime soon for any reason.

2. How quickly you become grateful for your health.

With that in mind, as a qualified personal trainer, I would like to share simple strategies I use to maintain my weight and energy levels all year round. These tips have helped me to lose weight, reduce fat and increase muscle mass.

?Drink more water. It astounds me how many people go through an entire day with barely a sip of water. Up tp 60% of our body is made up of water. Increasing your water intake has many excellent benefits including; clearer skin, hydrating your body allowing your muscles to move more freely, increases your energy levels and makes you feel so much better generally.

?Increase your protein intake and decrease the amount of carbohydrates you eat. It is so easy to overindulge in carbohydrates, start becoming aware of how much protein you eat on a daily basis and where possible increase the amount of protein you consume especially in the evening. For example: Many people regularly consume sushi which has minimal protein and is very high carbohydrates. Aim to eat more turkey, ham, steak, fish, eggs, salmon and prawns.

?Daily focus – move more! Take a stroll along the beach, walk your dog, go out dancing, walking to the shops instead of driving. Remember, every step makes a difference.

?Use an app to track your macros and/or calories which keeps you mindful of what you eat and drink. Macros means eating in accordance to a specific number of protein, carbohydrates and fat every day to maintain and/or lose weight.

For example: Simply overindulging in too much coffee with milk can significantly increase the number of carbohydrates. Apps you can use to track your macro and/or calorie intake. example: Vision Personal Training, Fat Secret, My Fitness Pal

?If your hungry between meals have a sparkling mineral water or black coffee (no calories) to reduce hunger.

?Aim to not eat anything after dinner.

?Lift more weights at the gym rather than attending cardio sessions.

?Engage in intermittent fasting one day per week which means drinking black coffee and water until 12pm. Then you can enjoy your first meal of the day.

Wishing everyone a magical holiday season. Leave your comments below about these health tips and I hope these tips make a difference for you during the holiday period.