Ah, January, traditionally the month of Robert Burns, vegan dinners and gym membership.
After a good three weeks of dining almost exclusively on Ferrero Rocher and enough Bailey’s truffles to cause a hangover, many of us will be eyeing the scales with fear and downloading “couch to 5k” plans on to our phones.
Some of us will also be itching to put our new smart watches to use, ambitiously setting them to 30,000 steps a day while the dog retreats under the sofa with an expression that says: “Don’t look at me, I wasn’t allowed one mince pie let alone the whole box.”
Health expert Dr Michael Mosley says Christmas is a major culprit in making us, as a nation, progressively heavier year on year. We are likely to be aware we put weight on at Christmas, but the real problem is we don’t then take it back off, he says.
Trying to drag ourselves out to exercise in the dark, cold, January days is especially unappealing for anyone not in the habit already, so a little reward seems in order.
Smart new activewear may be just the thing to add a spring to our step and help get us into the exercise mindset.
Leggings, tops, jackets and even underwear that are designed specifically for exercise will help make that jog around the block a more comfortable experience, while a decent pair of trainers with proper support and cushioning could even make working off the last of the yule log vaguely enjoyable.
