Christmas is fast approaching and that always means one thing, lots of food, lots of alcohol and unfortunately, lots of weight gain. Then starts the inevitable New Year’s Resolutions in which we vow to lose the extra weight we just put on (and maybe a few more kilos for good measure). And why does this happen? Because we don’t have a plan, we indulge for weeks on end and worry about the consequences later. But don’t dismay, because we’re here to help you make this year different. Over the next month I’ll be posting our 5 part series on how to stay in shape over the holiday season. The tips will be useful and they’ll be achievable; things that you can actually do whilst still enjoying yourself. So without any further ado, let start with our #1 tip.

Tip #1 – set goals
If you don’t know where you want to get to it’s almost impossible to make it there. Goal setting is the most effective way to stay on track over the holiday season. Rather than wait for Jan 1 to set your goals I recommend getting a foot up and taking action now. Take an initial waist measurement and set a goal size that you wish to be on Jan 1 ; this way when you start your New Year’s resolutions you will be one step ahead. Once you have a goal size, write it in big numbers and stick it up on the wall so you can see it every day. Start taking regular waist measurements and writing down the numbers as you go. The key is not to worry about the number on any given day as this can fluctuate greatly, but instead look at the trend over time. Is it increasing, staying stable or decreasing?

Studies show that this simple task of keeping track of your size is enough to maintain your weight without doing anything else. What happens is that when we measure things we tend to be more conscious of our actions and choose healthier alternatives without even trying.

The hardest part to this whole process is actually starting, so I recommend you do it straight away. Find a tape measure and take your initial measure. Before you check your emails, before you check Facebook, do it now and make this the year that you actually stay in shape.
Not sure how best to measure? Leave your email below and we’ll send you our video on how to take waist measurements the right way.

So that’s it for today but in our next post, #2 of this 5 part series, I’ll tell you how to stay in shape whilst still indulging in all the good things.

-Chris