3-step Christmas eating plan

Enjoy a guilt-free Christmas

You can enjoy Christmas without paying for it in guilt come January. Adopt these three easy strategies from fitness expert Laura Williams of the Pampers Village Parenting Panel:

1. Try and resist the temptation to buy too many Christmas treats in the run up to the big day. Reduced price tins of chocolates, packets of mince pies and tubs of peanuts will be calling you after a long hard day and if you're cold and tired, willpower alone might not do it. Put off stockpiling them for as long as you can, or stash treats in the car or even in the garden shed - this will make them trickier to access when cravings come calling.
2. Have some sort of Christmas fitness plan. Pledge to take just 15 minutes a day over the holidays to get your heartbeat raised. You don't even need to lace up your trainers - a game of Hide & Seek could burn quite a few calories in a relatively short space of time with the kids, while a long (-ish) post-lunch walk (45-60 mins) with the family will burn off a small helping of Christmas pud.
3. Try and curb your big eating days to just two or three over the Christmas period. For example, give yourself the green light to eat what you like on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve; for the other days, try and practise moderation - say no to a mince pie and have a satsuma instead or swap a handful of peanuts for a handful of olives.