FESTIVE party season is knocking on the door which means indulging in mulled wines, mince pies, canapes and chocolate coins for weeks.
By December, your calendar will likely be solid with social events, from the office party to ‘Friendsmas’ and family get-togethers.
It’s natural to want to look your best and sparkle in your festive glam, and if shedding a few pounds is what you long for, we’re here to help!
We all know eating less and moving more is the best way to lose weight, but at this time of the year especially it can feel like a chore.
Instead, we’ve rounded up some unusual hacks to squeeze into your daily routine, to feel better and strut your Christmas stuff within weeks.
CLEAN your teeth earlier in the evening, around 7 or 8pm, says Jose Guevara, fitness instructor and founder of Shredded Dad.
Sweet, sugary and salty treats that follow dinner can rack up several hundred calories to end the day and don’t help with sleep, either.
Jose says: “There’s something about that fresh, clean, minty flavour that coats your mouth and numbs those indulgent cravings right in their tracks.”
A STUDY published in the Journal of the National Medical Association found that a pinch of salt (preferably Himalayan salt) can stop you reaching for that slice of cake, bar of chocolate or bag of crisps.
Experts said that salt prevents the loss of sodium and other electrolyte minerals, which can cause hunger levels to increase when your insulin levels fall.
Alternatively, put a pinch of salt in a glass of water and drink that instead.
EXPOSING your body to brief spells of cold can potentially give your metabolic rate a little boost, according to research.
This doesn’t have to mean taking ice baths daily, which can be time consuming and costly.
Instead, Jose says that something as simple as ending your shower with 30 to 60 seconds of cold water could activate some of the calorie-burning brown fat cells.
GET the most out of your workout by fasting beforehand, exercising before breakfast.
Joe says: “Training in a fasted state helps get your body used to tapping into fat stores for fuel; it’s like you’re reprogramming your metabolism to be a more efficient fat burner.”
Plus, some studies have shown that morning exercisers have a lower body weight than those who exercise in the evening.
Make sure to refuel after a workout with a meal, reducing recovery time for your next session.
CHANGING into your sportswear to exercise can seem like a chore – but who said you have to?
Jose says: “There’s something liberating about just starting to exercise when you’re already in lounge mode. It removes the barrier of having to ‘get ready’. And these little hurdles can be enough to make you skip a workout.”
He adds: “If you’re already in your PJs, you can just roll out of bed or off the sofa straight into a quick bodyweight routine, yoga flow or plank workout.”
THE key to weight loss is to “increase perceived portion size” of your meal, according to scientists at Shaanxi University, China.
Study participants perceived portions of chocolate to be bigger when displayed this way.
To do this at home, cut food into smaller pieces and spread it across a smaller plate.
Eat each mouthful mindfully.
Carl Smith, a PT and CEO of Active Careers, says: “The research found this can help people lose weight as they think they are consuming more food than what is actually occurring and are tricking the brain on a subconscious level.”
IT is a bit time-consuming, but writing down everything you eat could help you lose weight.
The theory is that it helps you analyse what you’re eating and notice any patterns of behaviour.
In a study of almost 1,700 people, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, it was found that participants who kept daily food diaries lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t.
NEED a really easy way to burn more calories?
If you work in an office and spend much of the day sitting down, then switch to a standing desk.
Carl says: “Studies have shown that standing can burn anywhere between 70 to 95 calories an hour compared with 65 to 85 when sitting, depending on your age, height, weight and gender.”
Although it might seem minor, this means you could burn a potential 400 extra calories each week just by standing up in the office.
DITCH the white crockery temporarily as it could be jeopardising your weight-loss efforts.
An easy hack is to switch white plates for red, according to research by Oxford University.
Scientists concluded that: “Red is a primitive danger signal, but it also gives the food less contrast, which makes it look less desirable so you won’t eat so much of it.”
Carl adds: “The study goes on to say that you should avoid eating in front of the TV, as your brain will be so involved with the TV that it will miss the cues reminding you that you’ve had enough.”
GET the family involved, break a sweat and have fun by including fitness games into your evenings and weekends.
Carl reveals: “A Stanford University study examined the effects of Pokemon Go on physical activity and found participants increased their steps on average by 1,473 a day over a 30-day period.”
Try tennis, frisbee, tag or hide and seek with the kids – you won’t even realise you’re burning calories.
Plus, you’ll be distracted from the snack drawer.
OUR surroundings can have an impact on how we feel.
A study found sniffing lemons helps people feel thinner, while the odour of vanilla – typical of a Christmas candle – can make you feel thicker and heavier.
Though it’s not a weight loss hack, the study by researchers at the University of Sussex suggests we can harness the smell of lemons to feel better in ourselves!
