Christmas is on the horizon - but does that mean we'll get a present we weren't expecting: a 'size Santa' waistline?!

There's no doubt many of us will over-indulge during the festive season. And why not? Say no to yuletide goodies and we might as well say 'no' to life itself.

I don't know about you, but I want it ALL this Christmas - sizzling turkey, roast potatoes, thick slabs of ham, rich gorgeous gravy, steaming custard on pudding. Oh, and did I mention wine and beer and brandy?

Sometimes it's good to just let go and enjoy life. It's good to workout and watch our waistlines and our cholesterol levels; it's marvellous to monitor our portions and ensure our food intake is rich in nutrients. But let's face it: we're PEOPLE, not dietary robots! Often it's better to just let the chips - potato, of course - fall where they may.

The question is: how do we do this without getting guilty and procuring more winter 'padding' than we'd like?

Answer: you don't do the above every day. That is, you ENJOY your fatty Christmas feast and savour all the trimmings. You grab a big piece of turkey (leg or the wing? I love both!). You pig out like there's no tomorrow. You pat yourself on the belly, guzzle more gassy beer, and flop out on the couch for an afternoon snooze. Most of all, you don't feel bad about it. Why should you?

One day of over-indulgence won't do you much harm. Anybody who tells you otherwise just wants to suck the fun out of life. Health and fitness and emotional well-being are important - but so is the ability now and then to have your cake and literally eat it. Christmas is - or ought to be - a period of gaiety and plain old good times. And part of the fun is having a little, or maybe even a lot, of what we like. It's liberating and, in my opinion, perhaps even necessary.

The trick to doing it WITHOUT over-doing it is . . . let loose, but don't do it every day.

However, if you are overwhelmed by guilt - or Christmas carbs - this yuletide, there's a number of things you can do to minimize festive damage.

1: Move around an hour after you've downed Christmas dinner. Physical activity will get your digestive system moving. The reason many people feel whacked out after Christmas dinner is due to an overload of carbs and calorie-laden ingredients. A nap is tempting, but you'll feel twice as knackered later. Movement will relieve this. You may not be up to a jog - but a stroll might be just the ticket. Often the crisp cool air of December is a delight for walking in. It's worked for me. You'll come back energised and red-faced - and you'll limit your culinary over-indulgence.

2: Bounce on a rebounder. This would also qualify as physical activity, but if you have a rebounder, this will do wonders for your digestive system. A rebounder is a mini trampoline, about the size of a coffee table. Rebounding benefits EVERY cell in your body and gives your organs an 'internal' massage. There's a million other benefits to rebounding, too - just Google 'benefits of rebounding' if you don't believe me.

3: Don't eat anything else till the following day. No, I'm not saying you should fast. Truth is, you won't have to. Festive feeds are big affairs - and they take a while to digest. More likely you'll feel full for hours afterwards, so in truth you won't actually need to eat again for the rest of the day. Drinking plenty of water will help, and if you get a chance to move around more later in the day, so much the better.

3: Have a smaller dinner. This is so simple. Just dish up your dinner on a smaller plate.

4: Hold the potatoes and just have your meat with vegetables. Carbs and protein aren't always a great food combo. There's loads of information out there on good and bad Food Combining. Basically, what it boils down to is this: don't combine starches and protein, and always eat fruit on an empty belly. Personally, I would rather a proper Christmas dinner with everything, but if this works for you and makes you feel less bloated or guilt-ridden, great.

5: Write a list of New Year goals. Sit with paper and pen and make out a list of what you want in the the new year. A better workout. A better career. A better income. A better eating plan. You might feel stuffed today, but having something on paper to focus on will relieve your guilt and zap negative thoughts.

6: Get back into your workout program and normal eating plan first thing next day. So you over-indulged yesterday. Big deal. Today is today. Now you can attack your workout by doing strength work or even interval training to start shifting any pounds you might have piled on.

7: Don't get hung-up on what it says on your weighing scales. So you piled on a couple pounds. It's not the end of the world. You can shift 'em again by re-applying your fitness program. And besides, what's a couple pounds compared to the actual festive family fun you'll have? Surely it's better to ENJOY what ought to be a special time of year - when you and your loved ones get to enjoy each other and have a blast.

And isn't that the most important thing?

Cheers!