Pro-Trainer Barry, a personal trainer based in Clerkenwell, shares his tips on how to get the New Year off to a healthy start.

1. Remove the remaining Christmas food and drink from the house, as you will be tempted to pick at it. You will find yourself justifying it by saying “it’s the last bit of this, last bit of that”. Bin it all as soon as possible!

2. Set yourself a realistic goal(s). If you have never done anything physical before or for some time, ease your way back in to training and eating better. Otherwise you will slip in to bad habits again quickly.

3. Drink more water: 80% of your body is water. You will look younger when your skin is properly hydrated, plus it helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat.

4. Consume less carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body, but given that most people’s jobs are now office based you do not burn any significant amounts of energy throughout the day. Unused energy gets stored, which means an increase in body fat.

5. Consume more protein. Protein is the building block of life. Benefits include stabilization of sugar in the blood, which means less cravings, especially for sugary foods. It also aids better recovery not only from working out but also day-to-day life, meaning a better sense of well being.

6. When attending the gym, pick things you enjoy. If you like to pump iron or do a class with lots of pumping music, I think it is unlikely that you are going to enjoy something like Pilates / Yoga or vice versa.

7. Don’t forget strength training, involving both the upper and lower body. Too many people neglect weight training, particularly women for whom it’s crucial for preventing muscle loss and maintaining bone density with age. Plus it burns lots of calories!

8. Avoid fad diets, as they never work, especially long term. It never ceases to amaze me the things I read that people are willing to do for a so called quick fix. Nothing works better than exercise & eating well.

 9. Be consistent with all of the above. If your weight does not change for a week or two, just keep going as you may find it will start to drop again the following week. The same applies to your training: if you are stuck on a certain weight, keep pushing as you will eventually break through the barrier.

10. Finally, use a Personal Trainer. Of course I am going to say this as I am a trainer, but if you have an appointment you are less likely to make other arrangements & stick to attending. Also the trainer will push you harder than you will by yourself, making better progress over a shorter period of time and encouraging you to maintain your new healthier lifestyle.

You may also be interested in Barry’s Bootcamp, not run by the same Barry!

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