Make a plan now and get fit for 2012!

Dec. 15, 2011 - PRLog -- Christmas is fast approaching and, let’s face it, the goose is likely to get a bit fat over the festive period.

We all over-indulge a little over Christmas, whether our weapon of choice is the mince pie or the trifle or the pudding or the crisps or the glass of sherry or the…well, you get the idea.

As a result, a New Year’s Eve resolution of millions of us is likely to involve getting into shape in some capacity or another.  Perhaps we’ll aim to lose a stone by summer, or get rid of the bingo wings that have emerged over recent weeks.

Gyms traditionally see a spike in enquiries and membership subscriptions in the first few weeks of each new year – but getting fit doesn’t always have to be about the treadmill or the rowing machine.

If you want to get healthy, you need to find an activity that you enjoy.  It’s important that exercising doesn’t feel like a chore when it’s cold and dark outside and you’d rather be cuddled up on the sofa under a blanket watching your favourite television programme.

Lots of leisure centres and clubs offer exercise classes such as the old school legs, bums and tums sessions to target those problem areas, or step classes which can really help you feel the burn!  If dancing is more your thing, give Zumba a try – these Latin and Caribbean inspired sessions are great fun and guaranteed to raise a sweat!  One hour’s intensive Zumba will burn off a massive 500 calories – so you won’t need to worry too much if you’ve had one too many mince pies at Christmas.

If money’s tight after the festivities, taking a walk or jogging round your local park could be just the thing to get you fit in the new year.  Asking a friend along will make the process more enjoyable, and you’ll get a chance to catch up on the gossip, too.

Lots of towns and cities will have opportunities for amateur team sports like football and netball – it doesn’t matter if you haven’t put on your boots or bib since school, you might surprise yourself when the moves all come flooding back!

One of the very best ways to lose weight and tone up is swimming.  This activity uses all your muscles provided you vary your strokes – so try doing a breast stroke for a few lengths, then a front crawl and then a backstroke, perhaps.  As a low impact form of exercise it’s fantastic if you have problems with your joints – other activities like running can be very damaging to those with bad knees, for example.  Some local authorities provide free swimming sessions for older people, students and young children.  Even if the sessions aren’t free, in towns like Croydon swimming opportunities are reasonably priced.

With the Olympics coming up next summer, we’ll all be feeling inspired to get into shape – so pick the activity you like best and factor it into your daily routine.  Just half an hour every day can make a massive difference to your waistline and your overall health.  So what are you waiting for ?

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