Yahoo Lifestyle 
Tim Robards: ‘Don’t rush back to the gym after Christmas’
Christmas is a time to fall off the wagon, drink and eat a little too much and regret it all the next day. But never fear, fitness guru Tim Robards is here to save us all from that pesky guilt this festive season.
What may surprise you is that Tim says it’s important not to rush straight back to the gym and go extra hard from Boxing Day, because you can end up doing more damage than good.
“At Christmas, people who tend to indulge a bit, instantly race back into exercise and training, and end up burning out quickly,” Tim tells Be.
“It’s so important to not feel guilty and push yourself too hard after the festive period.”
Tim, who is an ambassador for Deep Heat Pro, says it’s crucial to ease back into things after some time out of your routine and set small achievable goals. One step at a time as they say.
“This way you’ll ease into things and avoid getting an injury,” he says.
For many of us the guilt comes from losing count of how many slices of cheese, how many glasses of wine, and how many slices of cake we’ve had on the day. And Tim says that this “snacking” actually has the biggest impact on your health over Christmas.
“The biggest mistake people make is they eat portions that are too big and too many snack type foods laden with sugar and oils,” Tim tells us.
[[[https://au.be.yahoo.com/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/a/38259003/how-to-avoid-a-hangover-and-good-hangover-cures/How(https://au.be.yahoo.com/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/a/38259003/how-to-avoid-a-hangover-and-good-hangover-cures/How) to avoid a hangover this festive season]
“Try and stick to your normal main meals and avoid all the snacking on leftovers, and ‘party food’.”
He also says that some simple food and drink swaps can save you a whole bunch of calories and post-Christmas dinner guilt.
Like having wine instead of cocktails or champagne. Switch soft drinks for soda water with fruit to make it interesting.
“Fill your plate with salad and veggies before you add any meat (if you eat it), not the other way around,” Tim explains.
“Swap the oven-baked pies and sausage rolls for a BBQ chicken and salad. And the rocky road for some dark chocolate covered strawberries.”
But even Tim admits he has a weak spot, and will always leave room for a cheat meal of Christmas pudding at the end of the night.
Got a story tip? Send it to tips@yahoo7.com.au
Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram
