David Lloyd

The hustle and bustle of Christmas is in our not so distant memory; thoughts of parties, entertaining, sitting by a fire munching through treats (weren't they lovely?) and the obvious Christmas meal.  As I write this I have a smile on my face as I'm sure you do too - until it suddenly dawns upon us.  A little too much inactivity, a little too much drink and a little too much food left us feeling slightly bitter towards this fond memory of Christmas.  My next thought is that getting into the gym, perhaps for the first time in a long time or simply returning after a break, has really not been that bad.  The few pounds gained over Christmas have disappeared and thanks to the new year's resolutions made and kept.

But, let us remember a new year's resolution lasts the whole year.  Now the extra pounds from Christmas have gone the bigger quest of weight loss and/or fat reduction comes to the front of our consciousness.  I do not want you to stop where you are, I want you to take one more step forward towards your goal and I will give you ONE tool to do this.

This tool is simple yet effective - Try a Body Balance class.

Body Balance is a mixture of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga; it is entertaining, challenging and most of all relaxing.  I refer you now to John's Post in which the effects of cortisol on the body are explained.  In short cortisol is a stress hormone which can make it extremely difficult to lose weight.  By reducing our stress levels with a class like Body Balance your body will begin again with its weight loss journey set by your new year's resolution.

To lose weight not every workout has to be so hard that you leave the gym in a soaked shirt, unable to walk down the stairs or leave you feeling light-headed.  In fact it is imperative that you give your body adequate time to rest and recover between hard workouts so that you can make the most of them.  

Try Body Balance two or three times, enjoy it and feel tension melt away from you and, most importantly, feel yourself take that step towards your new year's resolution goal of weight loss - with a happy side effect of a happier, more confident and relaxed you!