Make sure you have a flabless New Year..

Expert Emma’s daily routine for eating and exercise

A TOP fitness expert says many of us put on half a stone over Christmas – but we can lose it in the New Year.

The trick, according to fitness and nutrition trainer Emma Murphy is to have a daily routine to go straight back into.

Emma, 35, says life is full of times of celebration, such as Christmas, birthdays and foreign holidays.

We all need to relax, enjoy ourselves and not bother with counting calories from time to time. But then it’s time to get back to eating well and exercising.

She says: “Enjoy these special occasions, but then it’s back to your routine.

“I indulge over Christmas, but the key is then to stop it and not allow those bad habits to run into January, February and March.

“The fact of even just having a routine has a mental wellbeing advantage.

“When we are out of structure we can feel a little bit down in ourselves but this can be avoided if we have a healthy exercise and eating daily plan mapped out.”

With all the family meals, dinners out, parties, treats and tipples, we can put on around four kilos (8lbs) over Christmas, she says. But don’t get despondent about it as that can mean we avoid making necessary changes as we believe it’s futile.

“Don’t give up,” she encourages. “It’s normal to put on a few kilos over the holidays, don’t let it overwhelm you, the thoughts of having to lose it.

“Don’t allow negative self-talk. Think about it as a half kilo you lose first, then you move on to the next half.

“It comes down to showing up every single day for yourself. Put on your gym leggings and get your exercise done.”

To exercise in a smart way that burns calories and does not take too much time Emma suggests a daily high intensity programme for 20 minutes.

Exercise for 40 seconds on and 40 off.

“With high intensity you burn calories throughout the day. It is short but effective,” she said.

“For your workout use kettlebells, booty resistance bands – great for your glutes and quads. You can get them in places like Dealz. Adding resistance is what creates the burn.

“For toning arms, using a light dumbbell, do your jumping jacks and your hammer curls, bicep curls, triceps dip on a chair. For your tummy do sit-ups and the bicycle, ankle taps, leg raises, these all target the core. Do everything nice and slow.” Also, get out for a daily walk. Emma says: “Try to speed it up, then slow it back down to normal walking, the idea is to get your heart rate up. Aim to get 10,000 steps daily.”

Diet-wise, she advises: “Be sensible and do your research. Look at how much sugar and salt is in foods..

“Usually people know a higher protein diet and more natural, less processed food is better.

“But know what’s in your food and why you need to plan your meals in advance. Life will get busy and it is harder to make the right choices then.”

“Switch your white wraps to wholemeal. Change your sugar to brown sugar, your white rice to brown. Look at making fake-aways instead of ordering takeaways.

“For lunch don’t load up your carbs by eating sandwiches. Instead make a big salad with protein like chicken. Don’t skip meals, have three meals and two healthy snacks.

“The more healthy food we eat, the more we burn. For breakfast, choices include natural Greek yoghurt with fruit; or boiled eggs; or avocado and smoked salmon. Have oats one day with some chocolate protein powder and fruits. Mix it up.”

Here’s her diet and fitness plan to follow, which will get real results in six weeks.

Don’t give up, it’s normal to put on bit at holidays EMMA MURPHY FITNESS EXPERT