THE shopping centres are heaving, the shelves of the shops are now full of Christmas gifts galore, the advent calendars are prepared on the mantle and to top it all off the Coca Cola advert has finally made its first appearance! Christmas is certainly on its way!

Around this time of year I begin to experience an onslaught of what I like to call the ‘Festive Fouls’. I get them from family, from friends and even my clients!

Festive fouls in my mind are festivity themed excuses put in place by ourselves to ignore our nutritional and exercise plans.

Festive fouls are often jovial and easy to conquer but most people who use them have built such a full story telling themselves why they cannot succeed that they are doomed not to make any progress in their body composition between mid November to January.

Have a read through my top three, smile as you remember using them either this year or in previous years, read my advice and then take action.

December and the Christmas period is not an excuse not to achieve your body composition desires. I know many people that have succeeded this time of year and I have many new clients who have just joined me who WILL.

The Top Three Festive Fouls

‘I can be totally compliant except for this date, this date, this date, this date, this date, this date and this date because I have X on…’

This one is so common through the festive period. I hear it every year. X can be Christmas parties, family gatherings, business lunches, you name it!

Let’s be honest with ourselves shall we? These events happen 365 days of the year and if we are being truly honest with ourselves you will probably even find when looking at your diary that up until the 24th December your month doesn’t actually look that much different to any other month.

General busyness and events is no excuse for not sticking to your nutritional plan or exercise regime. One thing I help my clients with around this time of year is how to navigate Xmas Menu’s.

I teach them how to make the best choices and how to adapt dishes (simply by asking – yes you can do that) to suit their goal. I also remind them of the importance of preparation, especially with food.

You are in control of your mouth and you are in control of your mind. Your decisions are up to you, but please remember that you can navigate menus and make better choices when you are out and about.

As for exercise, 15-20 minute full body workouts can be performed anywhere without any equipment. They can be performed in hotel rooms, gardens and parks, so no excuses for you there either!

‘I am going on holiday, so what would be my nutrition plan for then?’

An abundance of alcohol, 2 truckloads of chocolate, 4 bales of carbohydrate and please stay away from the protein.

COME ON! What did you think I was going to say?

Vacations and holidays come around every year. You have made the choice that you want to change, so what is just one holiday of sacrifice? (Is it even a sacrifice if it delivers the goods?)

The scenario that really upsets me is when a client or anybody for that matter is getting consistent results, goes on holiday and completely blows it.

This is bad for a number of reasons.

Firstly because trying to get your mind set and eating habits back on track once you have filled your body with all the things that got you where you were in the first place is tough a second time around. Just think how much effort and will it took the first time!

All clients who work with me follow a program of detoxification for between 14 and 28 days. This is usually the first time that many clients have experienced what it feels like to be healthy and have MEGA energy.

A hefty slice of gluten, wheat and dairy exposure on your nice clean body always leads to the same result: ‘OH MY GOSH, I LOOK AS IF I’M PREGNANT, ALL MY HARD WORK HAS BEEN RUINED’.

It hasn’t…it normally is just water retention BUT again, this was your decision. What is better, an awesome body, super high energy levels and a feeling of wellbeing, or 7 stuffed crust pizzas and fried bread every morning.

All holiday destinations have salad and meat. Trust me, I have been to some pretty remote places and many populations in the world do get away without living on fake food.

Just because you can’t find a slice of home in the form of a takeaway doesn’t mean you have to starve for the night. Try a supermarket…like you would at home.

‘I just want to focus on damage control this month'

I will start my plan in January with everyone else.’ This is a tough one. Most people who use this one are right; it is easier to tackle a goal when a social support network is in place.

Tackling a goal in January with everyone else provides that net of social support because everybody is in the same boat. The main problem is that from my experience 80% of people fail at their New Year weight loss goal. This suggests that January is no better for shedding the pounds than any other month.

We must also remember that the average weight gain over the Christmas period is between 7 and 14lbs.

By following the correct nutritional plan and exercising regularly just three weeks prior to Xmas you could lose this before the big day.

This means two things. Firstly, you would be no worse off after Christmas even with a bit of slippage. Secondly and most importantly however it also means you can spend a Christmas receiving all those comments we know and love, ‘how much have you lost?’, ‘you look fantastic’.

What motivation to get you back on the wagon and overtaking all the delayed action takers in the New Year!

Prove me wrong lovely people, and make 2012 the year that you conquer all these festive fouls! You will thank me :- )

Scott Marsh is the director of Xcelerate Fitness (http://www.xceleratefitness.co.uk), a results focussed personal training company based in Marlow. For more information on transforming yourself in 2012 email info@xceleratefitness.co.uk or call 07921 856308 for your FREE information pack.