Consistency is key: You can have your cake and eat it too this party season
With Dezemba here — the month for which many of us have been working hard to show off our guns and bums — there is so much pressure to maintain “summer bodies”
Image: Ray Manzana
As I finish my leg day, I jump onto the StairMaster for 30 minutes of cardio. Currently, I do 2 x 30 minutes of cardio and 2 x HIIT (high-intensity interval training) a week with weight training.
Today, I am unable to finish my cardio because I am on deadline and I am exhausted. Usually, I would be hard on myself, but I have recently started learning about “consistency”.
Even as a fitness guru I sometimes fall into the trap of wanting a six-pack in a week and putting extreme pressure on myself, instead of listening to my body and focusing on working out and eating well most days of the week. I have had to learn that it does not take two weeks or a six-week challenge to reach my goal weight. Whether it is losing weight, gaining muscle or maintaining your goal weight, consistency is important.
Having a drink at the weekend and a slice of cake is not going to undo my progress for the week — that is, of course, if I was honest that week and didn’t binge behind closed doors.
With Dezemba here — the month for which many of us have been working hard to show off our guns and bums — there is so much pressure to maintain “summer bodies”.
Is it possible to reach and keep your fitness goals this summer while still having fun? And if so, how?
“The festive season is a very tricky time to lose weight, but just because it is tricky it doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” says dietician Sharon Mphahlele. “People should eat consciously. Many gatherings usually serve a list of starches such as rice, pap, potatoes, pasta, etc. The trick is to choose one carbohydrate at a time.”
According to the dietician, your plate should be broken down into ¼ carbohydrates, ¼ protein, and ½ vegetable.
“Playing into the culture of loving seven colours as a nation, we should explore a variety of veggies. Veggies are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre, which helps us lose weight,” adds Mphahlele.
Including vegetables or fruit in all our meals, including breakfast, is essential. But, while fruit is healthy and the serving suggestion is seven a day, when you want to lose weight you shouldn’t add too many to a smoothie.
“It’s important to know what your goals are with each meal — is it a snack or a meal?” says Mphahlele.
Indulging here and there is not a problem, agrees bodybuilder and fitness influencer Elizabeth Dumagude. “If I feel like chocolate in the morning on some days, I’ll eat it, but I will keep training throughout December just to make sure I am still at a deficit, because I won’t be eating as healthily from the 20th. I don’t want to be in a situation where I gain 10kg and I am back to trying to lose it all in January.”
And remember, if you indulged today there is no need to indulge tomorrow as well.
The next thing on your mind is probably alcohol.
“Choose alcohol that is low in calories,” advises celebrity personal trainer Israel James Sanza. “You can stick to spirits because they are low in calories, but avoid coke and lemonade and choose a low-sugar tonic for dash.”
“Dry red wine is also lower in calories and high in antioxidants, which are great for heart health,” says Mphahlele. “For women who drink, the recommendation is one serving of alcohol per day and for men it is two. A total of 125ml of spirit counts as one serving.”
Dumagude’s coach, for example, allows her one bottle of wine spread out over the week during her off-season, so alcohol is not always the enemy.
Since food is turned into energy, as long as you are using more than what you are consuming you will lose weight.
“A fun way of maintaining or losing weight is dancing. Continuous dancing for an hour can burn a lot of calories,” Sanza says.
Mphahlele adds, “Attend races and go hiking with friends.”
Sanza also encourages joining running challenges online where you compete with friends. “When you commit yourself to running 2-5km a day or 3x a week you will reduce the excess energy that you are storing during this period,” says Sanza.
If you find yourself on holiday someplace where there is no access to a gym, body-weight exercises are your best friend, according to Sanza. “Time yourself, depending on your fitness level, with a stopwatch, 30-45 seconds on and 10 seconds’ rest in between.”
Most importantly, remember that, as much as it’s important to achieve body goals in December, it is just as important to celebrate the body we are in.
