Burning Those Post Holiday Calories

Join The Gym

The gym in January is like a moth to flame because everyone comes out of December feeling full and merry after indulging in too much food and too much alcohol. But the gym is the best place to be to get the most out of exercise and weight loss, in January they always have great offers to get people to sign up for membership so its a great time to take advantage. Be careful when you do sign up though that the membership works for you, some clubs work on a 12-24 month contract where you sign up to pay monthly and cannot break it. But there are some that do month to month membership, so research your options. The best reason for signing up to a gym is there is usually a range of facilities to use when you sign up, generally gyms offer a range of fitness classes to suit all levels of ability, and they often have swimming pools with spa facilities. These are all added bonuses to get you working out more often.

Plan An Event

My favorite piece of advice to people when they want to lose weight is to pick a target or event and to train for that rather than worry about the scales. January is the perfect month to plan to take part in a 5-10k race for charity or simply as a goal because they are usually in the spring months of April to June. That gives you about three to four months to build up fitness to take part, and this is the easiest way to lose weight because you are distracted from constantly looking at the scales and will naturally change body shape while training. If you are planning to complete a 5k or similar, there is no need to pay out for a gym because you can train outdoors, adding up running time as you progress through the month. Start off with running 5-10 minutes with a 5 minute walk to rest and gradually build up your continuing running pace.

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Invest In Home Equipment

January is also a great time to go out and get or renew that home gym equipment you always wanted. Not only are there great new year sales but because there is a high demand for fitness equipment you can get some really great deals. It may seem a lot to invest in — particularly if buying treadmills or similar — but if you calculate how much you may spend on gym membership in a year you will save money overall. Having equipment at home will really boost your weight loss potential because in January the weather tends to be bad and many people get in from work in the dark and don't want to go out. If your treadmill is there ready and waiting you are more inclined to jump on and do a workout — even if its just a walking pace to get rid of the days stresses. Try to use the equipment at least 3 times a week to get the most benefit from it.  

More Subtle Ways To Boost Weight Loss

Lifestyle Changes

We all get to the 1st of January and have a list of new years resolutions that we hope will last longer than a week! But there are some simple changes you can make to your daily life that will not only improve your wellbeing but will lead to a higher calorie burn and ultimately weight loss. Not just that but you will feel great in both body and mind. Think about how you get to work, if you use public transport you could get off a stop earlier and walk the remaining distance, do you work in a building and use the lift? Start off by getting off a floor early and walk up the rest of the way and always walk down. What do you do in your lunch break? Try using the coffee shop which is a 5 minute walk away or walk to another part of the building to eat lunch. How about at home, if you have a dishwasher try washing the dishes instead a few times a week, start the gardening on your weekends to get ready for spring. There are a lot of simple ways you can be more active in your everyday life.

Join A Walking Group

The best thing I ever did was to join a walking group a few years ago because it made me feel great. January is traditionally the most depressing month of the year so why not get out there and make some new friends and exercise while you do it? People are generally strapped for cash after Christmas and these walking groups cost nothing but a few hours of your time. They normally meet at a certain point and just go for a walk, with friends, catching up about the week while getting some physical activity. This will boost the amount of weight you can lose but also make you feel better about your self and mental and physical well being is paramount to losing and keeping the weight off in the future.

Control Your Diet

We haven't mentioned diet or nutrition yet but it has to be one of the main factors in losing weight in the new year. Over Christmas and new year celebrations we all let loose and eat what we want. Many of us try and be sensible — but its not always successful! A good present to buy yourself is a workout/nutrition journal so you can keep track of your diet and exercise. You don't need to necessarily restrict what you eat just be wary of how many calories you are taking in, writing them down allows you to take more responsibility and control over what you eat.

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If you regularly see that the afternoon snack has more calories than breakfast you can see it and do something to change it. People often choose to cut out chocolate and alcohol come January but you don't need to stop completely as this will lead to more cravings, just cut down and allow yourself a glass of wine and a bar of chocolate at the weekend — after all January is a depressing time!!