The festive season
is officially here.
That means you're going to be going out more,
your routine is going to be out the window
and there's going to be chocolate everywhere.
If you're feeling anxious
that you're going to ruin
all of your fitness progress
in the space of a week,
then listen up because we have got you covered
with ten essential
tips to get you through Christmas.
Welcome to The Outlifting Lounge. I’m Alan.
And I'm Derec. This is the show
that's all about pride, fitness
and everything in between.
Today's show is a little bit different.
We are dedicating
the entire episode
to our 10 Tips To Make The Yuletide Gay.
So there's no chat beforehand
and we're getting straight into it
before Alan here
gets called up by Santa
to help at the North Pole.
Did you just call me an elf?
Well, you are the right height.
And you've got enough white in your beard
to play Santa!
Wow!
Right, before we get started, however,
we need to say that
these tips are a toolkit and not a rule book.
But if you're already feeling anxious
about how much food and drink
you know you're going to consume or
by not being
as active over the holidays,
then we've got something here for you.
But listen, if you decide to ignore it all
and just rot on the couch
for five days eating Quality Street,
that's absolutely fine as well.
OK, let's kick off.
But before we do, actually,
I should point out that every single tip
that we've got today has a cheesy pun
name as well. So apologies in advance.
Alan, why don't you kick us off with number one?
So, number one. Don't be a drag to your future self.
So Derec, the idea here is not to write cheques
that your future body
can't cash, basically.
Yeah, it's
totally normal to fall
into that mindset over
Christmas and New Year of thinking,
I'll eat and drink all this now,
but it's fine, it's fine.
Because New Year, new me,
I'm going to sort it all out
in the New Year.
Yeah, and I think Christmas
is the time of year
where everybody just says,
it's Christmas, it's fine,
you know,
and everybody gets into that mentality,
which is fine to do
if you want to enjoy yourself.
But you shouldn't
be going all guns blazing
to then restrict yourself in January.
Exactly. And you should not have to justify
or offset
having some food and drink over Christmas
because that is what Christmas is for.
It's about letting your hair down
and enjoying yourself.
No, you're right.
And I think that just leads
into that binge restrict cycle
that actually we talked about
in last week's episode as well.
And if you reduce it down, essentially
what you're saying to yourself is,
oh, I'll enjoy this now
and then starve myself in January.
And that's not a really good
or sustainable approach.
No, definitely not.
It's like during Christmas, enjoy yourself,
enjoy the food,
enjoy the drink,
but don't have at the back of your mind
that you're going to be feeling guilty
and then January comes
and then you're going to restrict.
That's just not a good cycle to be in.
And the other aspect of this psychologically,
if you keep telling yourself
it's fine, future
me will cancel all of this out,
what that's going to do is encourage you
to overdo it
and indulge a bit
too much maybe?
Yeah, I think the biggest takeaway from that
is enjoy the food
now because it tastes great
and not that you're going
to punish yourself later.
Yes, absolutely.
Let's go on to tip number two,
which is rest you merry gentlemen.
And this is all about reframing
gym absence
as recovery, isn't it Alan?
This is about
not feeling bad about taking some time off
from the gym.
I talk to clients about this
all the time.
Rest is so important
for building muscle,
for losing fat, any fitness goal
that you have, rest is super, super important.
I think what this boils down
to for a lot of people as well
is that they find their routine,
they find their rhythm
and that Christmas and New Year
period just
knocks them
way off course.
Even the fear
of being knocked off course
I think is enough for them
to feel anxious.
Yeah, there was actually
a study recently that
if you take two weeks off from training,
it doesn't have any impact
on your progress.
Yeah, because as we know,
muscle grows when you rest.
It's not when you're in the gym
that your muscle's growing, that's
when you're kind of
making the micro tears
that then cause the muscle to grow stronger.
So actually
taking a little time away
to let your body fully recover
and have what you would consider
as a deload week
can actually be really beneficial.
And Christmas is normally a time of
stress anyway, isn't it?
You're running about
trying to get Christmas presents,
you've got loads of social events as well,
meeting up with friends, you've got
your Christmas nights out,
then the travelling to see
friends and family.
So just take the week
and just rest,
be in the moment,
enjoy the time with friends and family
and don't be worrying about your training.
Absolutely.
And the thing is, so we know from experience
if we've been forced to take a week off,
whether that be due
to injury or
whatever else,
you actually come back
feeling stronger
sometimes, you feel like you've got more energy
and you can throw yourself back into it.
So reframing it in your mind
as a good thing,
as a rest week
and as part of your training programme
actually is really
all you need to do.
Yeah, and I think as well
when you take a week off,
when you go back,
you're like, okay,
let's hit this, let's do it,
I'm smashing it again.
Whereas if you're a bit tired
and you're trying to push through,
you're not training as hard as you could,
so having that rest is actually
really beneficial.
Absolutely agree.
I think we have covered that.
Let's go into tip number three then.
Tip number three,
weight for it.
Okay, I'm waiting.
No, that's the title.
Alright, okay.
And it's weight,
w-e-i-g-h-t.
Ah!
And it's all about
not worrying about what the scales
say over Christmas.
Yes, I think this tip
is particularly important for anybody
that's been on a weight
loss journey
because I think it's important
to remember over the Christmas period
that progress is
never a straight line.
It's going to go up and down,
things are going to vary and actually
putting on a little bit
of weight over Christmas and New Year
is not the end of the world.
Everybody is going to be a bit
heavier by December 27th.
I will put money on that.
I know that I will anyway.
Oh, definitely.
And the thing is
if you stay away from the scales,
it's going to make you feel better,
especially if you don't
have a good relationship
with the scales.
And it's more important to go on
how you feel
and how you look in your clothes.
Everybody is going to be feeling
probably a little bit bloated,
a little bit heavy
just because we're eating foods
that we probably don't eat day to day.
Over Christmas as well,
we tend to eat foods
that are richer,
that are higher
in salt content
for instance as well
and that can cause your body
to hold on to water.
And water retention is one of those big things.
It's why
when people start a weight loss journey,
they have big weight
losses in the first few weeks.
It's because your body is changing,
it's not withholding as much water
and that water weight
drops off quickly.
If you're consuming more food,
your body is holding on to more energy,
so you're obviously going to be heavier.
That isn't going to be body
fat that you've put on
in that short space of time.
No. Some of it will be water weight,
some of it will be your muscles
holding on to glycogen from the carbohydrates,
some of it will be some body
fat as well.
But these things are normal.
Our bodies, even from day to day,
outside of the Christmas period,
our body composition
changes every day.
Because your body is burning off
fat cells, it's using, it's
replenishing, it's replacing,
these things are totally normal.
And your body composition
three weeks after Christmas
will be totally different
than it was during Christmas week.
And if you're someone that doesn't
have a great relationship with the scales,
it might actually be a good idea
just to put them away
until say maybe mid-January,
you know those three weeks after Christmas
that you just mentioned.
Because the number on the scale
then will be completely different
than if you weighed yourself
a couple of days after Christmas.
Do you know what,
that's pretty good advice for everybody,
because watching the scales is never going
to give you an accurate representation
of what your body composition is.
No, absolutely not.
Right, do you want to hit us with
number four?
Yeah, I'm actually quite proud
of the title of tip number four, which is...
Gobble Gobble.
Ladies and gentlemen, my husband.
Gobble Gobble.
That was actually
my Grindr username back in the day.
It wasn't.
Oh my god.
And this is all about
using protein as a safety
net against overeating,
grazing on leftovers and sweets.
I think what you're trying to say here is that
we should be prioritising protein on our plate,
so make sure that you're eating that first
because protein
makes us feel fuller
for longer.
Yes, if you are worried
about overeating,
having the protein source that's on your plate
first can really help with that
because it is
what sends the signal to your brain
that tells you that you are full
and it makes you feel satiated.
Also, it actually reduces the hunger hormone
ghrelin as well,
so you're feeling fuller
and your hunger hormones are reduced,
which means you're probably going to graze
a little bit less as well.
So not many people
realise this as well,
but eating sufficient
amounts of protein can help
to stabilise your blood sugar,
which means that you're not going
to get that mid-afternoon crash
and that can be particularly dangerous
if there is a big tub
of Celebrations or Heroes (or
other sweets are available).
Yeah, that's a really good point
and I think that's good for people
to take into the new year as well.
You know you sometimes
get that mid-afternoon
crash when you're in work,
it's three o'clock and you're like,
oh god, I need something to get me through
the afternoon.
Try and have a big portion
of protein at lunchtime
and then hopefully that will stop that
from happening later on in the afternoon.
So from gobble
gobble to tip number five,
which is another title that I'm quite proud of.
What is it Alan?
Tip number five is Ho-Ho-Hoarding.
So the point of this is don't overbuy stuff
and have it in the house
readily available.
This is something that goes on
quite a lot over Christmas.
It is not unusual.
I'm going to turn into Sofia Petrillo here.
Can I just say for the baby
gays listening, that reference
there was the Golden Girls in case they don't
know who Sofia Petrillo is.
Oh, that was handy.
If you're listening on an audio platform
you won't see this
but this is our Golden Rules:
The Wit and Wisdom of the Golden Girls,
which is always on display
in our living room.
It's a gayducation.
Gayducation!
Picture it,
you're in the supermarket
on Christmas Eve, the queues are huge.
I have seen people in Tesco
back in the UK at Christmas time
and they have got not just one full trolley,
not just two full trolleys, but people
with like maybe three trolleys
full of food.
And it's just like,
when are you going to eat all that?
I think people need to remember
that the supermarkets
are only closed for a day or two.
You don't need to be stockpiling
for another pandemic.
Put the toilet rolls
down.
Well, if you're overeating
you might need them.
True, true.
It's good now that a lot of the supermarkets
do close for a little longer
over Christmas to give their staff time off,
but really
it's only a couple of days.
It's not two weeks, it's
not forever.
People have this fear
that they're going to run out of something
and really,
is it the end of the world if you do?
Just one little thing?
I'm pretty sure you've got other stuff
in the cupboards.
Yeah, and I think as well if you've got stuff
out on the kitchen counter,
it's in sight, you're going to eat it.
Put it in the cupboards, it's out of sight
and then the temptation
is reduced as well.
That's a good tip, but even at that,
having too much stuff in your fridge
and in your cupboard
is still
going to encourage you
to overdo it.
So just maybe don't buy
as much stuff.
It's not the end of the world.
Okay Derec, hit us with tip number six.
Tip number six
is to savour the flavour.
Now this is all about being mindful
and present while you eat.
I really like this one and people
might have heard it already,
but it actually takes 20 minutes
for the message to come
from your stomach to your brain
to let you know that you're full.
Yeah, just by slowing down
the speed at which you're eating
does allow
your body time to recognise that,
to register that you don't need anymore.
Whereas if you're eating too quickly
and you're kind of just shovelling it in,
then you're
not giving your brain that time to register
and you're going to overeat.
Between every bite,
put your fork down,
engage in conversation
with your friends and family
and then start eating again
and you'll realise that you will start
to become full
as the meal goes on.
Rather when, like you said,
you're shovelling it in
and then 20 minutes later,
you're still hungry.
The Christmas meal
when whoever you're with,
whether it's with family, friends,
whoever,
take your time to savour it
and not just the food, but
savour the conversation as well.
It's about being in the moment, it's
about being present
and enjoying and making memories.
While we're on the subject
of savour the flavour,
dips and sauces,
just be mindful of those
because they can normally
be quite calorie dense.
Those liquid calories
sometimes people just pour
instead of
using them as a dip
and you're using way more.
As you said, they're really calorie dense
because usually they have quite
a lot of dietary fat
and oils in them
and that can have
an astronomical impact
on the amount of calories
that you consume.
Yeah, I mean, fat's not bad for you, it's
just that they're very high in calories.
So yeah, you can increase your calorie intake
without actually realising it.
Yes, that was a good little extra tip on there.
So shall we go on to the next one?
Tip number seven
is sashay away
and this is really about taking some time out
and going for a walk.
Whether that might be
Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Christmas Eve,
whenever it is,
getting out for a
walk is super, super
beneficial to our physical health
as well as our mental health.
Walking is an excellent form of cardio
and a lot of people overlook it.
They think that they need to jog
or they need to run but
actually brisk
walking is really good
and it's a big calorie burner too.
Especially for our community,
the LGBTQ+ community
and especially
at Christmas time,
you might need a break from your family.
Going back to visit family
can sometimes be quite stressful
so actually getting away from them,
going for a 15 minute walk
just gives you that breathing space
and it just gives you a little bit of time
to reset.
Yes, and while we are on the subject
of a 15 minute walk,
there was research
that was conducted by the University of Exeter
and what they found was that a brisk
15 minute walk
really and quite
significantly brought down
chocolate cravings.
So with the study that they did,
they found that people who had gone for a brisk
15 minute walk ate 50%
less chocolate
Five Zero?
Five Zero!
Five zero, wow.
So they cut it in half.
So if you are worried
about binging on the box of chocolate
that is beside you,
walking actually
helps with that.
Love that tip.
Walking also
helps regulate cortisol
which is your stress
hormone as well.
So if the family environment
is maybe a bit toxic then
and you are feeling a bit stressed,
get outside,
get yourself wrapped up,
if you are in the UK,
and go for
a walk just to clear your head.
And as we know, managing
your cortisol levels is crucial
when it comes to weight management as well
so if that is a priority for you
then definitely try
and bring your stress down.
Ok Derec, let's
go for tip number 8.
Tip number 8 is bedroom pump.
Now get your mind out of the gutter,
it's not what you think it is.
This is about
having short
bursts of exercise.
Well a bedroom pump
could be a short burst of exercise.
Great tip again
and especially with our clients.
A lot of our clients are going
to be travelling for Christmas
so on our last check in before Christmas
I'll be making sure
if they have access to a gym,
if they want to work out and if they don't
then we can make sure that we have
put some short workouts on the app for them
so that they can maybe do
like a hit session at home
or maybe some of them
might have resistance bands
for example, we'll create a workout for them.
Or they might just get out
and do a jog for example,
it doesn't have to be
a full gym workout.
Like we said earlier on,
if you just want to take a week out
and do no exercise
that's actually not a bad thing
but if you feel that
you want to maintain your fitness levels
or you just want to get in some exercise
then this is a really good way of doing it.
Just short at home workouts,
you won't have the equipment
that the gym has but
you don't really need it, eh?
No, you can do a brilliant workout
just with body weight, do a full body workout,
20 minutes, get
in, get it done
and you'll be feeling great after it.
I love a resistance band,
absolutely love a resistance band
because you can get a really good workout
using one of those as well.
You can have
some resistance training
without the weights in the gym
and you can control the resistance as well
because you can shorten the band
a little bit, you can pull it tighter
and that increases
that resistance on the band.
So you can really get a great workout
in a very confined space
using one of those, eh?
Totally and some people don't realise
actually that the more bands
that you add to say like your D handles
the more resistance you'll get as well.
You don't need to have one band on the handles
so you can make it as easy
or as difficult as you want.
And the good thing is as well,
they're really compact,
they are really light
and you can just throw them
into a toiletry bag,
they don't take up a lot of space.
So that is the ultimate
piece of travel fitness
equipment, resistance bands.
And they're cheap as well,
you can get a decent set
for like £15 off the internet.
We are not working for
a resistance band manufacturer,
we are not earning any commission
but it sounds like it.
Yeah, no they're great, we love them.
We used them during lockdown
and we got some really good results.
We did, we used them quite a lot.
We used them,
they're really good for core workouts
in particular, there's lots
you can do with resistance bands.
Okay Alan, give us the next one.
Okay, number
nine is the thirst trap
and this is all about
managing your alcohol intake
without being the party
pooper basically.
Look, it's normal,
if you do drink alcohol
over the Christmas period,
there are definitely more
events and occasions
where alcohol is present
and you're more likely to drink.
Yeah, one tactic that we do,
especially if we are somewhere
where the drinks are flowing freely, is
have one alcoholic drink
and then one glass of water.
Yes, that is a really good tip
and it also has the added
benefit of the next day,
it mitigates your hangover.
Your hangover definitely
is not as bad
if you have been drinking
plenty of water the previous evening
and maybe not drinking
as much alcohol.
Yeah, and we all know
as we get a bit older, the hangovers get worse
so anything to help
that is definitely a bonus.
Yeah, that's one really good
way to manage alcohol intake.
I think another way,
and this is especially important,
if you are out in a bar
or a club, then you can,
if you're drinking spirits,
you can ask for it in a tall glass,
you can ask for plenty of mixer
and maybe ask them as well
to not fill the glass up with ice.
Because when they do that,
you don't get as much mixer,
it's not diluted down,
you drink the drink faster
and then you get your next one quicker.
Yes, if anybody from Glasgow
is listening to
this and has been to the Polo Lounge,
they will know.
They gave you those stubby little glasses
which was full of ice
and it would be like two drinks
and then you would be onto another one
and then you would be steaming.
And another
tip to help with
alcohol intake
and this is probably especially
to do with weight management is that certain
alcoholic drinks
can be higher in calories.
So think like beer,
Baileys, that sort of thing.
So swapping those out for alternatives
is always a good option.
Baileys is a bit of a Christmas classic.
I think most people have it over
Christmas but
it's really creamy, it's
really calorific compared
to some other drinks.
If you are looking for some swaps as well,
if you're maybe drinking Spirit
and mixer,
switching
your mixer to something
like a soda water
or something
that is sugar free,
really, really good
because that's straight away
going to cut down the calorie
intake as well in those drinks.
And one last point
I would want to say on this is another reason
why you would want to manage
your alcohol intake
and it really underlines
everything I would say is
that alcohol ruins
your sleep quality.
Even if you pass out
because you've drank so much,
you're not going to get that
REM sleep that you need to feel rested
the next day.
I mean that's what the Christmas,
New Year period really should be about.
You should go back
in the New Year to your work
feeling like you've had a good rest.
And actually that
tip pretty naturally
leads us on to our final tip
which is tip number 10.
This is probably the title
that I'm most proud of.
This is a gay in a manger.
This is all about protecting your sleep
over Christmas and New Year.
Christmas you're
going to be super busy,
social battery drain is a huge thing
and it's okay
to leave a party early
to catch up on your sleep
which is also known as, Derec?
I have forever done this.
I am notorious for my Irish exit.
It's where you are out somewhere
or you're at a party and you just leave
and don't tell anybody
because you want to go home.
Yeah, that's the Irish exit.
And don't feel guilty for that as well.
You're looking after yourself
so you can be Irish
for the night and just leave.
I view it as me expressing my culture.
Good point.
Look, the festive period
is a really, really good time
to let your hair down,
unwind, enjoy yourself
and to catch up
with people in a social setting.
But it's also really crucial that you use it
to catch up on sleep, to catch up on rest
and to start the New Year
feeling refreshed.
People might not actually know that sleep
is actually the foundation
of mood regulation
so if you're sleep deprived
you're more likely to overeat,
you're probably more likely
to miss exercise
and you're not going to be very nice
to be around either.
But sleep is really key
over the festive period.
I really struggle getting enough sleep
and I know from my own
personal experience that
when I get enough sleep
I am definitely a better version of myself
the next day.
I can second that.
So basically what we're saying with this tip
and what we want to drill home with this tip is
make sure that you get
some silent nights.
That is the worst one yet.
I've been thinking of these
cheesy puns for a week.
Thank god we've got this recorded
and I don't need to listen to them anymore.
Right, okay.
I think I am all punned out.
Okay, why don't we do a quick summary
of all the tips. Okay.
Tip number one was don't
be a drag to your future self
by planning to offset everything in January.
Tip number two was rest
ye merry gentlemen,
which is don't be worrying
about taking some time off from the gym.
Tip number three, weight for it...
Don't watch the
scales over Christmas.
Tip number four was
gobble gobble up that protein
so make sure that you're prioritising it.
Tip number five was don't go ho-ho
hoarding in the supermarket.
Tip number six was savour
the flavour so make sure you're
enjoying every bite.
Tip number seven was to sashay away
and enjoy some walks over
the Christmas period.
Tip number eight was to
get in a bedroom pump
with some short bursts of exercise.
Tip number nine was to avoid the thirst trap
by managing your alcohol intake.
And the final one, tip number
ten was again a manger
which basically means
make sure you're sleeping like a baby.
But overall remember that
the festive period is there to be enjoyed
so don't stress yourself out about it.
So the key takeaway is
eat the food, drink the water,
take the walk and definitely
be kind to yourself.
Hopefully
you enjoyed today's show
and there were maybe one or two tips
that you can take away from that.
Remember
if in January you're feeling like
you maybe want a bit of a change,
maybe you want to lose weight, build muscle,
build confidence,
we're here to help.
Outlifting Lounge is just part of what we do.
Alan and I run Outlifting
which is a service for gay,
bi and trans men who want to transform
their bodies,
build unstoppable confidence
while they do so.
So we're talking personalised
workout plans,
nutrition planning,
accountability coaching, weekly check-ins,
you've got an app,
we've got a hub with recipes,
there is so much to our service.
If that sounds like
the kind of thing that you might use
then you can check us out.
Our website is outlift.ing
and you can find us on socials
as well on Instagram and on TikTok.
Our handle is @outlift.ing
If you ever want to have a free discovery call
so that you can chat to us and see
if our service
is the right fit for you,
you can book yourself into that
through our website as well.
But that's us for now
so thank you so much for tuning in.
Don't forget we have new episodes out
every Sunday and you can catch us
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So remember to subscribe
to keep up with the conversation.
But for now, over and Outlifting.