One of the places I worked at had a cartoon of Garfield (the happy, round stripy cat) on the wall.On one side of the page he was round, happy, smiling and the caption said: “Before Work”. On the other side of the page he was skinny and scrawny, deflated, frazzled, the fur sticking away from his body. The caption read: “After Work”.

I think we should reverse the sides and put “before Christmas” and “after Christmas” as the captions…….

Here are 14 hints how to come out the other side of Christmas looking more or less the same as before.

The hints are in no particular order, just take note of those that appeal to you and really apply them! No results without action!

1. Lose weight before Christmas, join a boot camp, build up “Christmas Credits”. This is really good advice - maybe too late for this year - but you can always mark your calendar for next year already (or build up Easter credits!)
2. Eat or drink something before going out to a party so you don’t arrive starving and devour the whole buffet.
3. Take small portions and a small plate to start with. Wait 20 minutes after finishing your plate before getting more. (20 minutes is about the time it takes for your body to signal that no more food is required or that more is needed).
4. Use a small wine glass and stick to dry white or red wines. Avoid dessert wines.
5. Move away from the buffet, dessert table or cheese and nut platter. Talk more, eat less!
6. Avoid anything with pastry - yes I know, it is painful, all the fun stuff is gone….
7. Don’t eat the crackling - easy if you happen to be vegetarian
8. Avoid the gravy
9. Avoid fatty dips - stick with ricotta and yoghurt based ones, hommus and baba ganoush.
10. Use plain crackers, dry breadsticks or raw vegetables with your dip
11. Avoid deep fried entrees, and anything crumbed or battered - have steamed or grilled dishes instead
12. Have mainly fruit for dessert
13. Drink plenty of water
14. Go for a brisk walk, swim or visit your local gym before or after each party.

I know you heard it all before but prevention really is better than cure. It is so hard to lose weight - it is truly easier not to put it on in the first place.

Good luck on your journey.

Transcaucasian Cabbage Salad

• 23 ml/1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice (I used 30ml)
• 30 ml/2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (I used a 6% one, Bertolli brand)
• 23 ml/1 ½ tablespoons sunflower oil (I used 30ml)
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large red onion halved and finely sliced (I used small white as I had no red, red is nicer for colour)
• 1.25 kg cabbage, outer leaves removed, cored, quartered and finely sliced (I used 1.5 kg and was very generous with the removal of the outer leaves and core)
• 6 tablespoons finely shredded mint leaves (I used 2 tablespoons because I had no more in the garden. I chopped them very finely).
• Combine everything thoroughly and chill for at least 3 hours. Toss again before serving.

This is one of our family favourties. Enjoy!

In Germany women used to pride themselves in baking 10- 20 different kinds of biscuits during December which then were served up at Christmas time and thereafter.The following recipes were handed down to me by my grandmother:

Coconut cookies

50g butter (unsalted)

100g sugar

vanilla extract

1 egg

rum flavour

bitter almond flavour

125g flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

(or use self raising flour)

1 tablespoon milk

250g desiccated coconut

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla, add egg and flavours. Add rest of ingredients.

Roll dough into little balls, place on tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 15 minutes till slightly golden. Remove carefully from tray as they are still quite soft.

Coconut Macaroons

125g butter

300g sugar

vanilla

4 egg yolks

50g flour

375g desiccated coconut

4 egg whites (beaten till stiff)

Mix all ingredients, then carefully mix beaten eggwhites into the dough. Use a teaspoon to make little mounds on a tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 200 C for 10-15 minutes.

Coconut Sticks

4 egg yolks

125 g sugar

180g butter

250g flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

250 g desiccated coconut

50ml vodka or brandy or grand marnier or similar spirit

Juice and peel of 1/2 lemon

Mix dough, roll into sausage shaped rolls, about 5-6 cm long. Bake on lined tray for 20-25 minutes at 180 C.

To make them extra special, melt chocolate and dip each biscuit into chocolate so it is half covered.

Enjoy!

What do I look for when I am teaching my class?

When I teach Yoga, I have understanding and compassion for all my students. Being older gives me a unique perspective.

Yes, I have students who can do certain postures more perfectly than I can (or ever could for that matter– this has nothing to do with age!). It is great to observe these students.

I hope that all my students, regardless of ability, feel safe, encouraged and nurtured. Yet, I still extended them to their maximum without stress or force.

My job is to watch their alignment and to make sure they don’t develop bad habits in a posture.

I help them to relate the way they move during a yoga class to problems they may encounter in their everyday lives.

The most memorable moments for me are the ones when students report that a chronic problem or pain they have had for years has greatly improved or disappeared altogether.

In upcoming posts/articles I will explore physical flexibility in a lot more detail - what it means for yoga students, teachers and most importantly, what it means for you!