Dear Clients and Friends of Body Temple,

They say good things come to those who wait and so here goes: my first Body Temple Newsletter….at last ! Life for me has been somewhat busy of late, revolving mainly around my 5 month old daughter’s feeding patterns plus taking over the management reigns at Body Temple !

People say Christmas is a time for reflection and so I will certainly use my Christmas break to think back over the amazing events that have occurred in my life in recent months and be thankful for all that has transpired during 2008.

I will reflect upon what a wonderful journey motherhood has been for me and how lucky I am to be surrounded by such an incredible group of clients & trainers at Body Temple: it really makes coming to work each day such a pleasure ! And I will replay in my mind the many positive success stories that have been achieved by Body Temple clients during 2008.

I am very thankful for all the support that I have received in 2008 from a wide variety of people. Give some thought to who has supported you in the past year & remember that Christmas is the perfect time to remind them how grateful you are for having them in your life!

I will also take some time to celebrate with Mike, Matilda and our family & friends. We are off to wintry England to give our thermals an airing and to enjoy cosy evenings by the log fire – what a way to spend our first Christmas as a family !

Whatever you are planning for the Festive Season, the Team at Body Temple wish you a wonderful Christmas, a Happy New Year and much success in 2009! We are very grateful to have had your support in 2008 & we look forward optimistically to seeing you in 2009 to continue working with you on your health and fitness goals!

Seasons Greetings,

Karine x

Limited Xmas Holiday Training Sessions NOW Available

Body Temple will be operating this year over the Christmas period so please let your trainer know if you wish to continue sessions at this time so that we can have them scheduled for you. Even if you do 1 or 2 sessions per week over the silly season it will really help you keep achieving your goals.

Jen’s Nutrition Corner

We are pleased to introduce a new section to the Body Temple Newsletter – each month Jen will be providing useful tips to help you with your Nutrition.

Yoga has been around for thousands of years, and is currently very popular. Studies have shown that it can help with many different adverse health conditions from carpal tunnel syndrome to diabetes. Our bodies were designed to move around, stretch and perform tasks such as catching fish, picking berries, running away from predators and building shelters. We were not evolved to sit almost stationary in front of a computer screen all day, but unfortunately the reality is that is what many of us are forced to do to earn a living.

Yoga helps to prevent injuries and pain problems, while keeping you relaxed and helping to reducing stress levels, this is achieved by stretching and strengthening many muscle groups. When we sit all day, some muscles become tight and contracted, while others become weak and stretched out. Our bodies can literally "freeze" into a position that we stay in for too long. Practicing yoga regularly can help to retrain your body so that muscles are elongated as well as strengthened and therefore help to maintain a healthy posture.

Since this inaugural piece happens to fall in December, this month's section will focus not so much on nutrition per se, but instead will leave you with some tips on surviving the holiday season without "blowing" your weight loss achievements and/or goals.

It is estimated that between the time of Thanksgiving (end of November) and New Years an average person consumes an extra 619 calories per day. Over the course of a week that's an extra 4333 calories! Now think of those numbers in terms of weight loss. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories over the course of a week to lose 1 pound of body weight (.45 kg). Well, you'll be gaining more than 1 pound per week if you keep up with what the statistics tell us about holiday over indulgence. So, it's important to have a plan on how to deal with extra calories consumed over the holidays. Here's what I recommend:

4 Nutritional Tips to Surviving the Holiday Season Unscathed and ready to start the New Year on the right foot:

1. Have a Goal! Remember to go back to basics - Failing to plan means planning to fail. Have an end goal in sight, be it maintaining your current weight or, even more ambitious, continuing with your weight loss. You must first decide what your outcome will be when the holidays are over and you have to look at yourself in the mirror on January 1st.

2. Beware of the Buffet! Everywhere you turn in Singapore there's a buffet for this event or that. Buffets are tough because there is such a sensory overload of food sights, smells and even noises (think cutlery clacking and champagne bottles popping) that it’s hard not to feel an overwhelming desire to overindulge.

As with your holiday season end goal, have a plan for how you're going to deal with the buffet. One idea, which in recent studies has led to fewer calories consumed, is to only choose 2 items at a time to put on your small plate (choose the small plate over the larger one). It was found that only choosing 2 items at a time led to fewer trips back to the buffet because people chose what they absolutely had to have, and were satisfied with that. Also, don't automatically approach the buffet and start piling food on your plate. Assess the buffet first, do a once over. Then decide what you absolutely have to try and start with those things. Choose two items, as I mentioned before, and go back your table for a try and a break from the buffet. Drink plenty of water, one glass in between every glass of wine or champagne, and also plan ahead how much alcohol you'll allow yourself. That way the overindulgence of alcohol won’t lead to overindulgence of food too.

3. Remember to exercise! There’s a simple equation when it comes to weight loss, calories in must be less than calories expended. If you know you’re going to be tempted to overindulge at an event on let’s say Friday night, plan your week so that you’re sure to get some extra exercise in. That way you’ll have expended some surplus calories that might just even out with the extra calories consumed on Friday night. If calories in equals calories out, you’ll maintain your current weight, an ideal outcome considering all the temptation that comes along with the holidays.

4. Schedule time for yourself - need I say more? An over-tired, over-stressed person is likely to reach for more sugary, comfort foods that are not good for the waistline. But, if you make sure to schedule some time for a facial, or a massage, or whatever non-food "treat" you desire, you'll feel fulfilled and ready to "give" more of yourself to others over the holidays.

Using some of these easy rules can help you take the focus off the food and pay more attention to what really makes the holidays special — your family and friends !

This month recipes have been combined in our Christmas E-Recipe book that the Body Temple has put together for you!