The time of year has arrived where the trouser button gets undone to give the food baby some breathing space! You wake up hungover, stuff your face all day with food you’ve been avoiding all year, drink too much, pull a hamstring on the twister mat and boxing day becomes a bloated, headachy nightmare. Why? Why didn’t you learn from last year, or the year before, or the year before? Well its Christmas and if you can’t do it then, then when can you? If you are one of the lucky ones with buckets of self-control then great but if you are not, here are a few tips to make sure your body doesn’t hate you too much on the New Year’s Day family walk.

1. Eat Slow

If you train like an athlete for a continuous hour, you will be lucky to burn 700 calories. Three mince pies or a chocolate Santa will take you over that threshold. Exercise will tone you up, help stop you from getting diabetes type 2 in your 70’s and do many other wonderful things to help your body but it doesn’t shed the pounds. Being mindful of what you are putting down your throat is the only way of controlling your bulging belly. The easiest way of doing this is to eat slowly. Unfortunately, there is a delay between your belly and your brain. It can take 20 minutes for the stomach to let the brain know it has had enough, so take your time. Eat slowly and slip water in-between to give it a chance to catch up.

2. Satsumas galore.

You can’t walk into a supermarket at the moment without looking at the orange glow of the piles of satsumas in their fishnet packaging. Pick one up and take them home with you. Packed full of antioxidants, one satsuma has nearly half of your recommended daily vitamin C intake. Contains fibre which keeps hunger away for longer, has less sugar than orange juice, helps lower cholesterol and is only 40 odd calories. I could go on with my love affair of this little orange beauty but not wanting to bore, I’ll leave it there. You get the message, put them in your trolly.

3. Get some air in your lungs

The fitness industry is always looking for the next new wonder exercise. I’ve been knee deep in exercise for the last 30 years and have seen it all. Forget a few hours a week in the gym. Do something daily. Get exercise into your daily routine and try to do 20 minutes a day. If you can’t make the gym there are so many things you can do and one of the best and cheapest forms of exercise is the old fashioned one foot in front of the other thing, you know, walking! Get that blood pumping round your body and go for a walk after dinner. Give your body time to digest and get the family out the house and round the block. Speed up your metabolism, clear your head and save your cardiovascular system.

4. Boxing day hangover

The best way to avoid that boxing day hang over is not to drink at all but then you have to suffer the family sober! The main cause of hangovers are dehydration. Alcohol contains ethanol which is toxic to your body and makes you pee more thus, dehydrated. It also can dent your immune system, increase stomach acid, opens blood vessels and lower blood sugar. All contribute to that banging headache in the morning. The best thing to do to help with the boxing day banger other than not drinking, is to drink water before bed and eat a big breakfast in the morning.

For more information on MolyFit please go to www.molyfit.co.uk.