As of today, I have committed to working on my “mince pie buffer”. No, it’s not a complicated pastry technique. It’s my own highly unscientific approach to my annual festive bulge. If I can claw back a few lbs before the Christmas foodathon hits, then those mince pies, mulled wines and cheese platters won’t have quite such an impact. Well, that’s the theory anyway.
The reality is a bit more of a struggle. New research - that won’t surprise anybody - shows that we exercise less when it’s cold. When it warms up a little, we’re more likely to move a bit more. The research, conducted by exercise tracker Jawbone, identified the low 60s – high 70s°F as our favourite climate for physical activity.
This comes on the day when it was announced that obesity costs the UK economy more than armed violence, war and terrorism. At £47bn a year, the economic impact of our collective weight, says a McKinsey and Company report, is second only to smoking. I’m not sure my anti-mince pie efforts will dent that, but I’m doing my bit.
Here’s my mince pie pledge:
*I’ll set my morning mood to positive to get me out of bed and into the gym. (I find this a bloody struggle!)
*I’ll take food inspiration from the Red Team’s favourite lunch spot, The Detox Kitchen.
*I’ll commit to the Red120 Fit Club mantra of 120 minutes of exercise a week.
Wish me luck. And for anyone else thinking of starting a mini festive health kick, let me know how you go. And join me for a mince pie in December.