Top Tips To Avoid Christmas Hips

1. Scenario

You went out for drinks with friends and downed a G&T (90 calories) and two glasses of champagne (230 calories).

Damage limitation strategy: Go Christmas shopping – two hours trawling the shops burns 320 calories.

2. Scenario

When the after dinner mints came round at your work’s Christmas lunch, you er, accidentally took five (50 calories each – yep, really).

Damage limitation strategy: Join in the local carol service – a couple of hours singing your heart out will burn 250 calories.

3. Scenario

You only meant to taste those mince pies you just made but you accidentally scoffed two! (380 calories).

Damage limitation strategy: Well, the good news is that the hour it took to prepare and bake the pies burned 250 calories. You’ll get rid of the rest putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it.

4. Scenario

It’s your office party and you can’t resist the buffet table. Before you know it, you’ve consumed three deep-fried tempura canapés (225 calories), two cocktail sausage rolls (130 calories), and a handful of peanuts (150 calories).

Damage limitation strategy: Work it off while having so much fun you won’t even notice – get down to your local rink and go ice skating for 90 minutes.

5. Scenario

You are holding a children’s Christmas party and you’ve been tucking into the Pringles (154 calories per 28g) and Jaffa cakes (46 calories each).

Damage limitation strategy: Gather up the kids and get active with some energetic games like chase, catch and hide and seek. An hour will have you back at ground zero.

6. Scenario

The gym’s closed for Christmas and you’ve missed your regular aerobics class.

Damage limitation strategy: Banish the winter blues by heading to the park to collect pine cones and other winter souvenirs. You should find plenty in an hour, and burn off 200 calories. You’ll work off the rest of your usual 400 wrapping presents and writing Christmas cards for an hour.

7. Scenario

You’re heading off to a friend’s Christmas Eve gathering, where you won’t be able to resist her homemade mulled wine.

Damage limitation strategy: Don’t plan your party outfit in advance. Trying on and taking off clothes for 40 minutes burns 110 calories. And when you get there, circulate and chat instead of sitting down – you’ll burn 140 calories in an hour.

8. Scenario

Christmas dinner was so good you couldn’t resist those extra three roast potatoes (380 calories).

Damage limitation strategy: Don’t flake out on the sofa – if there’s snow on the ground, building a snowman will burn off the tatties in 60 minutes – or get the family up playing charades for a couple of hours.

9. Scenario

Christmas pudding without brandy butter just isn’t the same – so you went the whole hog, adding 195 calories to your dessert.

Damage limitation strategy: Work off your sweet tooth by chopping logs for an open fire. A half hour should produce enough wood to see you through Christmas and work up a good sweat!

10. Scenario

You’ve overdone the Boxing Day chocolates and scoffed eight Thornton’s chocolate truffles (265 calories).

Damage limitation strategy: Wrap up warm and head out for a Boxing Day walk. Forty-five minutes of country walking will work those chocs off.