DON’T undo months of hard work and healthy eating just because it’s Christmas time – that’s the message health and fitness experts from around the shire were eager to get out this week.
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With Christmas and New Year fast approaching, personal trainers have urged people not to over-indulge and not to use the holiday season as an excuse to go “silly”.
Of course, people will tend to treat themselves at this time of year but the important thing is to burn it off, Batemans Bay personal trainer Scott Buck said.
“The most important thing is to just stay active,” he said.
“You’re going to indulge a lot more over this time of year, so you’re going to have to burn off a bit more.
“Most people are going to be on holidays, so get out with the family and go on walks and bike rides.
“If you have a big night, you’ve got to get up and burn it all off, you can’t just do it all again.”
Some people might cringe at the thought of having to give up some of their holidays for exercise, but Buck was quick to insist it doesn’t have to be a chore.
“You don’t have to go to the gym,” he added. “People go to the gym all year, so it’s often the last thing they want to do during the holidays.
“But get out and use the facilities – it’s great weather so go for a swim, use the bike track or even kick a footy.”
With friends and families coming together for big parties at this time of year, more often than not a bowl of lollies or a bag of chips are no more than a few steps away.
And while it’s usually difficult to avoid temptation, former ACT Brumbies captain Steve Hoiles, who now runs a 24-hour fitness centre in Batemans Bay, gave out some simple advice.
“The rule of thumb over Christmas is the 80/20 rule,” Hoiles said.
“You’re going to eat some delicacies but try to make sure it’s 80 per cent good food and 20 per cent of the stuff you wouldn’t normally overdo like sweets, lollies and chocolates.”
Hoiles also said there is always some form of exercise you can do and he encouraged people not to break their training cycles.
“Too often people take time off and they find it hard to get back into it. We’re open 24 hours so there are no excuses but even if it’s just a 30-minute run on the beach, don’t go cold turkey on the training,” he said.
