A Christmas-inspired HIIT workout to lose the bloat

Christmas is a time when people often overindulge – which can lead to bloating and lethargy. And guilt!

It starts in December with work Christmas parties and rolls into January with New Year celebrations. All this fun often means more alcohol and more food than usual, and often sacrificing the time that you’d usually dedicate to exercise.

But it is also a season to be enjoyed! Once a year, this is a time to be with your friends and family- so take the pressure off yourself. Accept there is going to be some overindulgence, rather than stress about it.

Once the guilt has been side-stepped, there are still ways to help you feel your best through this period when it comes to fuelling your body and staying active.

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3 ways to eat smarter this festive season

• Preparation! If you know you will be eating a heavy lunch or dinner, try to eat foods in the morning that are healthier and will make you feel good. A green juice or some steamed veggies will help with your digestion and make you feel better before you head out to Christmas lunch or dinner
• Drink a lot of water. It’s a boring tip, I know, but when you drink alcohol you get dehydrated. The water will also fill you up, so you’ll drink less alcohol as a result
• If you can, try to chose a healthier option or a smaller portion of something that is high in calories

Get those endorphins flowing

When you’re on holidays it’s likely that your workout routine will be interrupted, so don’t sweat it! Incidental exercise such as a walk, a surfing session, or going for a swim in the ocean can work just as well to get your body moving.

Here is a fun HIIT workout that you can do anywhere anytime to help boost your energy.

Your goal here is to the boost energy, so this workout focuses on your cardiovascular fitness. Do the below exercises for 40 seconds on, and then take 20 seconds off to rest:

5 rounds:

Walking lunges

Step-ups

Jump squats

5 rounds:

Push-ups

Tricep dips

Burpees

5 rounds:

Bicycle crunches

Russian twists

High knees/skipping

Cameron Falloon is the founder of Body Fit Training, a former AFL strength and conditioning coach, former personal trainer to Princess Diana, and a high-performance manager.