OVER the last two weeks I have sat down to write this blog many times.

But each time I have been distracted by either another box of festive chocolates being opened in the office, the anxiety of getting out and beating the Christmas rush and the nagging reminder that those Christmas cards have still not been written - not even the one that needs sending to Portugal! Oh heck!

Yet at the same time my instructor friends and I have been lamenting the drop in numbers in our classes as all those participants who have worked so tirelessly throughout the year jack it all in to celebrate their fitness gains by sitting on their backsides and stuffing their faces with junk.

Every year the same sorry cycle presents itself across every health club across the entire country.

Come December the gym and studio are desolate - occupied solely by a few die-hard exercisers and weary instructors who are faced with teaching their usually packed class to just three members.

But I will bet my bottom dollar that come January those classes will be rammed.

Old members full of New Year resolutions stand lycra clad shoulder-to-shoulder with new exercisers who have been treated to a gym membership as a Christmas present.

The latter group tend to fall by the wayside by say the end of February - bar but a few.

The others will continue on that annual fitness treadmill to lose that Christmas bulge until their seasonal “let it all go to pot” abandonment kicks in again late Novermber/early December.

I began wondering why we let this happen.

Why a routine that we have stuck too throughout 11months of the year goes out of the window as soon as the mince pies, Christmas pudding and endless boxes of chocolate come in.

It makes me feel sad that exercise is not more an integral part of everyone’s daily life. It is something that is viewed as a chore - as the first thing that is expendable when we are busy or
stressed.

And then I thought about how complicated we sometimes make this job of exercise.

By joining gyms, searching for weight loss short cuts provided by unscrupulous marketers and being led astray by every new all singing all dancing fitness regime - are we trying to be too clever by half?

Bamboozled by all the above, is it any wonder that we look to the excuse of Christmas to take a break from exercise?

Getting and staying fit doesn’t have to be complicated, time consuming or difficult.

All you have to do is follow some simple basics - eat sensibly, keep active - and there you have it.

Sure enjoy Christmas and all the festive fayre that comes with it.

But keep active at the same time and rather than end up as the Christmas Pudding, you will face 2008 fit, fresh and feeling as fabulous as ever.

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