City Geisha

Happy Monday, my beautiful Geishas! Hope you all had a good weekend…Brrrrrrr….I’m really starting to feel the chill here in London, it has been absolutely cold but at least the sun is out. Love this sort of winter weather: COLD, CRISP weather with the sun shining bright…Love being wrapped up in layers of clothes, belted jacket with collar up and scarf wrapped around my neck and warm thigh high boots pulled up high. And in this sort of weather, all you want to do is eat comforting, stodgy food in front of the fireplace and drink eggnog and mulled wine. This time of year is not the time to start a diet or try to trim down.  YOU DO THAT IN THE NEW YEAR! Around Christmas time is when I drink a lot more than I would normally and eat more sugary foods.  What is the point of Christmas if you can’t enjoy all the wonderful gastronomical eats?? It’s all about maintenance for me right now and so in order to be able to let my hair down a bit and feast on all the Christmas delights without any winter weight gain, I am keeping up with my regular 4 gym sessions a week.

I’ve received quite a few emails now asking me what I do exactly at the gym. I normally hit the gym during my lunch hour and discovered classes about two years ago after having been a gym hermit for the past 16 years  as I would do my own solitary workouts on the machines.   However one fine day, I did a spinning class and I have not looked back since.   I am now a firm believer in classes as they motivate you so much more and there is a great ambience esp when the right music is played as it gets you going! Here’s a breakdown of my weekly routine:

Monday: Circuit training (45 min class)

Tuesday: Kickboxing (45 min class)

Wednesday: Circuit training (45 min class)

Thursday: Kickboxing (45 min class)

Friday: Interval training on the treadmill (20 mins)

What is circuit training? Click here to read my earlier post on it. And what is interval training I hear you ask? Well click here my friend to get the low down.

My weekends are my off-days where I give my body a rest and eat whatever the f*** I want =D With the party season in full swing though, I have missed the odd lunchtime workout due to a departmental lunch here and there but will make up for it by hitting a class in the evening. Either that or push myself extra hard the next day.  With all these little disciplinary actions in place, I am able to have a few glasses of eggnog and mulled wine a couple of evenings a week and enjoy Christmas yummies and chocolates without feeling like a heiffer.  It’s Christmas time, people, enjoy yourselves and if you are not an avid gym-goer, stop stressing yourselves out…New Year’s resolutions will take care of that.  But here are some tips to see you through the winter season:

• Be realistic. Don’t try to lose weight over the holidays. Focus on maintaining your weight, rather than losing weight, during this time of year. You don’t want to feel deprived. Instead, look for ways to eat smart and in moderation.
• Eat small servings of foods you do like, and pass on the ones that don’t really appeal to you
• After dinner, do something active, like taking a walk, to work off the caloric damage.
• Keep healthy snacks available to help you avoid temptation in the office, like walnuts, almonds, or cashews. Often a small handful of nuts will be satisfying, and keep cravings at bay.
• When it’s cold outside, it feels good to warm our insides. Start your day with a high fiber cereal, like oatmeal. Have soup for lunch.
• Don’t go to Xmas parties on an empty stomach. Have a light snack beforehand.
• And if you are drinking, have a glass of water in between each glass of yummy mulled wine.

Happy Holidays everyone and remember to wrap up warm! xoxo