Navigating your way through the silly season with your health intact

This is the time of the year when invitations to work drinks functions, BBQs and other social engagements are coming thick and fast. A recent article on the British Dietetic Association website titled ‘The Great Stuffing’, stated that on average most of us will consume 6000 calories on Christmas day alone (compared with the recommended daily amount of 2500 calories for men/2000 calories for women). Combined with extra consumption in the lead up to Christmas, the article proposed that the total extra consumption of the few weeks equated to starting the NY 2-2.5kgs heavier than on 1 December!

So what to do?

Being aware of reducing consumption is an obvious way to reduce this burden on your waistline but a recent study shows that exercise can have a powerful effect on reducing weight gain and other detrimental health effects above and beyond just burning excess calories. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/27/the-power-of-a-daily-bout-of-exercise/?src=me&_r=2

The take home message is that daily exercise is a powerful tool to combat the detrimental effects of excess consumption over the silly season so get out there and move!

-Kristin Lewis