OH! Magazine - Australian Version December 2013 (Australian Version) | Página 10

MICHELLE
BRIDGES

HAVE A MERRY FIT-MAS

www.michellebridges.com.au

( Fitness )

Michelle Bridges provides her tips on how to keep fit this festive season.

n our world, Christmas is on 25
December. But if you live in
Armenia apparently it’s on 6 January, or
in Ethiopia, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the
birth of Christ is celebrated on 7 January.
The most important thing is that
wherever in the world you reside there is
one thing in common when it comes to
Christmas – it’s only one day. Not a week
or a month, just one day.
For most of Australians, however, this
year Christmas will probably start around
lunchtime on Friday the 21 December
when the office resonates to the sound of
a champagne cork bouncing off the
photocopier, and finish celebrations after
Australia Day. Of course, next year, our
national day falls on a Sunday, so we’ll
stretch out the ‘hoorays’ until the Tuesday
– just for good measure!
For many, ‘Christmas’ translates loosely
to ‘hammer the heck out of yourself for a
month or so’. Every opportunity that
presents itself for us to socialise is our cue
to consume our own bodyweight in alcohol,
and to eat enough cheesecake to launch
us into glycemic shock.
Now don’t get me wrong. Anyone who
knows me can attest to the fact that I’m
happy to let my hair down on the odd
occasion. But let’s keep it real – Christmas
is actually not a month-long religious
holiday, it’s only one day (or two if you
want to stretch to include Boxing Day!).
There’s a paradox here that we should
remind ourselves of. We spend most of the
year complaining that we a) don’t have
enough time to exercise; b) it’s too cold; c) it’s
too dark; d) it’s too early; or e) your friends are
busy so you have to train on your own.
Christmas holidays are the best time
to be exercising and looking after yourself
because most of the above-mentioned
roadblocks tend not to apply during the
summer holiday period.

I

10

ISSUE 5 ( OH! MAGAZINE )

If you have a few drinks one night, you
don’t have to race out of bed the next
morning. The weather is generally warm
and inviting, and more often than not your
friends are available to exercise with you.
In this season there’s usually a whole lot
of outdoor activities on offer, particularly if
you are close to a beach or a national park.
And remember, when celebrating it’s not
all cheesecake and pavlova – there’s plenty
of healthy food on offer, you just have to look
for it and make healthy decisions.

http://youtu.be/HBfezxm_qYs

Michelle’s Tip
Plan your exercise activities in advance,
and don’t let unexpected invitations
mess up your good intentions.