Step into Christmas
Don’t stress... move your feet for a healthier festive season, says fitness expert RUTH LYNCH
IT’S JUST days until Christmas, and for most, this means a long list of festive activities, jobs and responsibilities. Even if you’re lucky enough to have completed all your Christmas shopping, you still have to navigate the parties and nativities, do the food shopping, wrap the presents and clean the house.
While this is undoubtedly very stressful, the good news is, you can turn this frantic period to your benefit.
All the rushing around, getting your heart pumping and breathing faster, will be doing your body lots of good, not to mention offsetting all that extra chocolate and wine you might be enjoying along the way!
So, rather than lecture you on how much sugar there is in a festive hot chocolate or how much exercise you need to do to work off one mince pie, here are some constructive tips on how to put some fitness pep in your festive steps.
SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP
SPENDING the afternoon browsing the shops and Christmas markets may not be doing your wallet any good but it may well be helping to keep your heart healthy.
Walking has been shown to have a beneficial effect on our health and fitness, lowering blood pressure and reducing cholesterol levels.
Adults should be aiming for an average of 30 minutes moderate activity a day and kids should do around an hour a day, so spending an afternoon briskly walking around the Christmas markets or shopping centre will be perfect (if you can avoid frequent hot chocolate breaks that is!).
Even if you just need to pop into town for a few things rather than for a long shop, why not ditch the car and walk, or even get the bus and jump off a few stops early? It helps more
than you think.
KEEEEEP DANCING!
RESEARCH has shown that an hour of dancing burns 150 calories. It is great cardiovascular exercise and when it comes to losing weight, it’s as effective as cycling and jogging.
It also helps increase flexibility and strengthens your muscles, which can help to reduce joint pain, and improve your balance.
So, kicking off your heels and getting on to the dancefloor at your
Christmas party or school disco is another way of sneaking some extra movement into your week.
If you don’t fancy dancing in public, or the parties you go to are a little more subdued, then it’s just as easy to dance around at home.
Get up and have a dance when your favourite song comes on the radio and have a boogie before you sit down to eat.
Not only does dancing get your heart thumping, it’s also a great opportunity to get the family away from their screens and doing a different kind of activity – one that can be enjoyed together.
Of course, dance isn’t just beneficial for your body – it’s great for your mind too.
It is proven that when people dance it raises their serotonin levels, boosting that ‘happy feeling’.
So, if you’re feeling a little stressed this Christmas a few smooth moves could be all you need to feel better.
CLEAN MACHINE
WHILE it may not be as fun as dancing or shopping, giving the house a deep clean before the family descends will also help you get physical and burn calories.
Of course, like any exercise, for it to be effective it must get you breathing harder and make your heart beat faster.
Pushing a lightweight vacuum around the living room or giving the mantelpiece a dust is unlikely to have much effect.
But putting some real elbow grease into cleaning the windows and scrubbing the floor, or carrying things up and down stairs, will be beneficial so make sure you throw
yourself into it.
DON’T STRESS
EVIDENCE shows that that there’s a strong link between being physically active and improving your mental wellbeing, which can be important to remember at this time of year.
While, for most, Christmas is a time to be merry, many find it stressful and challenging.
Exercising will help stimulate endorphins and keep you relaxed.
It’s also a great excuse to give yourself a quick half an hour away from any stressful situations (and a break from the relatives if you need one).
Try to keep up with your normal fitness routine where possible (it will also make it much easier to keep going with it in the new year).
But the chances are, if you’ve been rushed off your feet all week shopping and tidying, or are exhausted after some serious dancing, you will have done more than you think. It all counts.
It might even have earned you that mince pie. Enjoy!