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Staying

SLIM through the silly seasonIt’s no new challenge to keep your jeans done up after the roast turkey season, but we’ve got some tips and tricks to keep your zip from popping this

Christmas and New Year.

WORDS SAMMY HOWARTH

DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW A BALANCED APPROACH TO THE HOLIDAYS (YES, YOU CAN STILL HAVE PIE)

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Christmas: it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Pigs in blanket, hot chocolates by the fire - and the most anticipated time of travel, with most escaping the city to their home towns, or if you’re privileged enough to pack up completely, zip off to another country and enjoy the festivities in a foreign land. But there is the potential your bank balance won’t be the only thing you’re sweating over, if you prepare for the inevitable break in routine over the holiday season.

Pre-Pack a Protein SnackA rhyme worth remembering here; lean protein is essential to keep the muscle you’ve been pumping so hard retained over the silly season. Even if you’re not working out with the same dead weights as you would be in the gym, protein is an essential macronutrient that not only assists in muscle growth, but keeping you full. Stock up on Quest Bars before you jump on the plane, and try and tuck into some lean meats at the Christmas meal, taking small portions rather than a huge helping. Wait 20 minutes before hitting the second helping of the buffet (that’s how long it takes your brain to recognise the stomach is full), then see if you really need more food. As if you didn’t need another reason to munch on some turkey! Some other clean protein sources include: 0% Greek Yogurt (try Fage, with some FlavDrops from MyProtein) Boiled Eggs Turkey Wraps 0% Cottage Cheese

So you’re a little shy on equipment. Let’s say you’ve hit Spain for New Year’s Eve, and you’ve arrived in Barcelona to find yourself in a tiny, 14-bedroom hostel room. Couldn’t be more of a nightmare for the fitness guru, you’d think. Don’t panic - a real fitness fanatic works with what they’ve been given. The world is your oyster, my friend. Go out and find a nearby park or open space (complete with your wind-breaking jacket, of course). A park is particularly ideal. Look around you and be creative - the most useful pieces of equipment consist of parallel bars, benches, and tables. That’s it. What was your excuse for not training while on holiday again?

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3 Time of DayEnsure you get up first thing in the morning before any planned activities (that includes the endless gin and juices you’re likely to indulge in!) and hit the park. While cardio isn’t ultimately necessary, it can be particularly helpful in warming up. Head for a 5-10 minute moderate pace run to your open space area before getting into full training mode. Don’t forget that nutrition is 90% of the equation in your fitness goals, so cardio can’t necessarily ‘cancel out’ the overindulgence on Christmas Pudding. It can however, have additional health benefits that won’t impact on your gains; such as improvement in cardiovascular health (that is, the pump-ing of blood around your heart and body), the release of endorphins (the chemical that diminishes the sensation of pain, or ‘the happy chemical’) and improvement in your fitness endurance, meaning you recover quicker, and can ultimately, work out harder and longer.

Jog it out before the rest of your bunkmates are awake for an all-day high.

4 Gym Passport If you feel slightly less inclined to sweat it out in the winter’s air, why not enquire about a Gym Passport? Some larger, commercial gyms like Anytime Fitness and Fitness First have chains in countries all over the world, so if you’re a member of those, ask at the front desk about opportunities to work out whilst overseas. Fitness First, for example give their members an International Gym Passport with proof of overseas travel, meaning you can visit other branches up to 30 times outside your regular for a full 12 months.

FEELING A TAD FROSTY?

Get your blood circulatating by holding these stretches for the allocated times below after your initial warm up.

Hamstrings, 30 seconds x each legLateral Lunge, 8 x each legBodyweight Squat x 10Tricep Stretch, 20 seconds x each armGlute Stretch, 20 seconds x each side

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5 Inspire YourselfTake a look at some of the travelling fitness gurus who manage to keep themselves trim all year round. Check out some of the Instagrammers below who post inspirational material to motivate others on the road.

Fitness on Toast www.fitnessontoast.com | Faya Nillson | @fitnessontoast

Swedish Blogger and Personal Trainer, Faya Nillson features plenty of bright, colourful photo-graphs on her instagram with workouts inspired by the environment around her. Most recent-ly she attached some TRX bands to a palm tree and worked out on the beach, followed swiftly by a ‘Sprout, Apple and Barley Salad’ - concocted, it appears, on the road. And if it doesn’t inspire you to hit the trees with your resistance bands, well at least you’ve got some additions to your travel bucket list.

The Salty Coconutthesaltycoconut.com | Lakey Peterson | @lakeypetersonDreaming of the beach while you’re in dreary Europe this winter? Dream no more. Surf, sweat and sand is featured on internationally-renowned surfer (and banging babe) Lakey Peterson’s Instagram. For those of you heading to a tropical climate this Christmas, take some inspi-ration from Lakey and jump on a board for a full on body workout. Probably check out the lessons available first, though if you’re a newbie - that’s potential shark bait. Kayla Itsineswww.kaylaitsines.com | Kayla Itsines | @kayla_istines

Stunning Adelaide-borne personal trainer, Kayla Itsines, founder of the internationally praised Bikini Body Guides has a spectacularly inspiring Instagram. Follow this gem and ex-pect to see plenty of healthy fresh food ideas, videos of her do-it-at-home HIIT workouts, and of course, her perfectly sculpted bod. The constant transformation pictures get a bit old, but at least you know if you’re doing what she’s doing, it’s working. Try one of Kayla’s free featured workouts and come back dripping in sweat - thank us later. Lauren Bongiornowww.laurenbongiorno.com | Lauren Bongiorno | @lauren_bongiorno

Lauren Bongiorno is a Type 1 Diabetic and Yoga enthusiast who regularly posts videos and pictures of her daily workouts. Her bodyweight workouts are often performed in the privacy of her own backyard, attesting to the fact that you can do it too, albeit not so private in the communal football field 100 metres from your hostel. Lauren also snaps some seriously good-looking toast combinations that will have you salivating in seconds - hit up the break-fast buffet and make your own combo with inspiration from her blog. Lorna Jane Activewww.lornajane.com.au | Lorna Jane Clarkson | @lornajaneactive

Get ready for the green-eyed monster to pop up here! Not only does Lorna Jane feature some gorgeous fitness models on their Instagram, but they also post plenty of pictures under the hot Aussie sun, complemented by fashionably-conscious gym outfits guaranteed to result in a spending spree. But don’t get jealous - get active! Take a leaf from Lorna’s book and get crunching on your nearest beach or park, depending on which continent you’re on this holi-day season.

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The Moves

You’ve got your equipment, your energy levels have spiked, you’re ready to work out. Let’s take a look at what we can do with the one thing given to us: our body.

High Intensity Interval Training is proven to torch almost twice the amount of calories you would if you were performing steady state cardio - so take a leaf out of Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide, amp up the intensity and perform this circuit as fast as you can in 4 x 7 minute intervals, with 60 seconds break inbetween circuits.

Set your timer, and get sweating.

CIRCUIT 1 CIRCUIT 2

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Walking Lunges x 10/Leg Squat Jumps x 20

Mountain Climbers x 20/leg Burpees x 10

Reverse Bench Crunch x 20 Tricep/Diamond Push Up x 15

Plank x 60 Secs Push Ups x 15