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A common new year’s resolution is to lose weight. Chris van Rooyen, cyclist for Team Bestmed, gives us a few tips on how to prevent weight gain, which might make our weight goals for 2021 a little easier to reach.

1. Gaining weight seems inevitable during the festive season. What are your top tips to prevent weight gain in 2021?

During the festive season, you can quickly gain weight if you are not paying attention to your eating and drinking habits. The same applies year-round if you think about it.

Here are a few easy tips to prevent weight gain in 2021, including a few tips for cyclists too:

• If you have an option between deep fried or grilled food, opt for grilled.
• Beer and wine are filled with sugar and overindulging in these drinks will cause rapid weight gain. Minimise your intake of alcohol, as well as fizzy drinks.
• Drink a recovery shake after a long ride instead off binge eating from your fridge.
• While on an endurance ride, fuel your body with fruit or a protein bar.

2. Treats are virtually impossible to avoid during this time of year. Is cheating okay, even after the festive season, and to what extent?

If you eat right, an occasional treat won’t be detrimental. You could look at it as an incentive, but do not overindulge.

3. Do we need to exercise more regularly if we do indulge?

Exercising more will assist, but it might not be enough to stop weight gain. Clean eating is more than half of the battle won when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

4. What exercises do you recommend for burning fat?

Long endurance rides at low heart rate.

5. What are the healthiest snack alternatives that you would recommend (e.g. kale chips instead of French fries)?

I recommend fresh fruit and health bars on rides. I also recommend rather having sweet potato fries and salad or vegetables with meals.

6. How should one approach getting back into a healthy eating and an exercise routine in the new year?

It will be easier if you started training during the festive season and getting into a routine before the new year, but it’s never too late to begin.