Words: Violet
With New Year just around the corner, you’re probably sitting on the sofa right now, having had a day full of left-over’s, turkey sandwiches and even more alcohol, pondering on the thought of what you’re going to change next year. We can guarantee that almost 80% of you are thinking about the weight you’re going to loose, the muscle you’re going to gain and general improvement everyone will see in your fitness.
As it’s still only just after Christmas (and if you’re anything like us you plan to keep on over indulging until at least New Years eve), then forget about joining the gym just yet, and start with these 5 very simple steps to a better body (next week you can read all about serious health kicks and getting back your six pack), but for now just ease in.
These are, we know, by no means ground breaking tips, nor will they magically restore your body to its 18 year old rugby playing days, but they will make a small difference over the next week and hopefully make the inevitable January health kick a little more bearable.
1. Water, water, water, So simple, and yet so many people don’t drink enough. You know that you’re meant to drink around 1.5 litres a day (8 glasses), which really isn’t hard – get a water bottle to monitor how much drinking. Start your day with cup of hot water and a slice of lemon to detox the body as soon as you wake up and drink 2 glasses of water before each meal – this will make you think you’re fuller than you are and hence you’ll eat less.
2. Snack on harder foods, Whenever you find your feet miraculously walking your body across the room to yet another box of Christmas chocolates, for the next few days, stop – and go for a bag of unsalted, unshelled pistachios or even oranges instead. Simple as it sounds, food that require a little more effort to eat forces you to slow down and make you more aware of your calories.
3. Get Up, Stand Up, Apparently the average person now sits down for around 8 – 10 hours a day. This kind of sedentary lifestyle unsurprisingly leads to bad health and weight gain. Whether you are at work or still on holiday for the next few days then be sure to make a few simple changes, from getting off the tube a few stops earlier or walking around the block on your lunch break., 4. Choose your seat wisely, No doubt you have many more dinner parties to come in the final days of December and one small change you can make is choosing where you sit – it might sounds odd, but since most food congregates in the middle of the table, be sure to place yourself at the end instead, where you’re less likely to eat seconds or start picking once the wine has started to flow.
5. Swap Drinks, Obviously we are not going to tell you to stop drinking (although come January we might just do that), but we are going to suggest that you make a couple of small swaps. Try changing that glass of red for a Gin & Tonic, or even the usual tonic water for a slim-line equivalent.
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