Top 5 ways to get back in shape after Chinese New Year feasting

Ok, so almost everybody ate and drank way too much during Chinese New Year.

Too much pineapple tarts, bak kwa, love letters, beer and spirits -- I get it.

I too went to visit my relatives overseas and ended up eating more, and exercising less that I usually do.

That's what usually happens during a super long weekend like the recent Chinese New Year weekend in Singapore.

Clients at Genesis Gym Singapore also know they will probably have more family or social events that take them away from a generally healthy lifestyle.

While everyone has different goals and needs for their training and nutrition plans, here are the top 5 Dos and Don'ts the Genesis Gym team suggests to get your health and diet back on track after the Chinese New Year festive period.

1. Don't rush and "over do" things because of guilt or shock over not fitting into your skinny jeans or previous belt hole setting.

Do plan process goals that you are 100% in control of.

For example, you may want to lose 3 inches off your waist, or 10kg off your weight, or drop to under 10% body fat. But these are end goals which you may not be able to control. Process goals that you can control. And you should write them as things that have ALREADY HAPPENED. For example:

• I ate breakfast consistently for the past 30 days

• I drank enough water to urinate at least 5 times per day with clear urine

• I started playing sports twice a week with my friends for work

A look through some of the previous health articles I have written will help you choose some process goals to work on!

2. Don't over do long distance cardio. "I feel fat, I'm going for a jog" is a common reaction to an increase in scale weight. This can make you burn muscle away rather than fat.

Do start an interval training or strength training-based workout as this builds lean muscle for a boosted metabolism. There are some free home based (or gym based) workout videos at my book website www.happybodybook.com

3. Don't stress out over weight gain (or anything else). Short-term stress like an intense training session is usually beneficial for you.

But long term stress like worrying about family, what people think about you, sales targets, comparing your social status and income with others is negative for you because it puts your body into a state of weakened immunity, brain function, sex hormone levels and fat burning.

Do take part in thoughts and activities that are stress busting. Forming relationships with positive people, cutting out negative talk and complaining and focus on problem solving instead, getting quality sleep rather than surfing the net till 2am, cutting out processed food and drinks are all excellent, basic things you can to lower stress levels.

4. Don't try to do it alone. There is a wise saying that states: "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with".

Do find a group of people who share your goals and healthy habits. If all your friends and family don't participate in healthy habits, you really need to find a supportive community that does.

Genesis Gym is entering its 8th year of service to clients, and my team and I have been coaching people for 12 years with literally thousands of clients with great results.

Recently I reflected on the top 10 results I have seen in people in their first few months of training. And almost all of these 10 people had a strong support system around them. They had either supportive family members, gym friends, or work friends that helped them to consistently make good choices. I don't think this is a surprise at all!

5. Don't hope for the best and just "think about doing something". I was once asked if practicing positive thinking is important in life. I think it's a great thing to have positive thinking, but its even more important to take positive action.

For example, if an airplane encounters a storm during landing, I don't care if all the passengers think we are going to crash. I DO CARE that the pilot has taken the positive actions of proper training, not being drunk, having enough simulator practice etc.

Do take action to make a change even if it's slow.

One of the most important things I have learnt as a coach for the last 12 years is that permanent changes are usually made step by step. It is not how much I know that is important. It is how much I can help a person change, and empower them to keep that change long term.

So make change but do it at a pace which you can sustain. I suggest doing one additional habit per week if you have kept up your previous habit consistently for at least a week before, for example, no new habits till you can do your old ones properly.

Ok, there we have it. I wish you and your families a happy Chinese New Year season. And I hope some of these tips help you have a healthy 2014.

Coach Jonathan Wong has a Doctorate of Science in Holistic Medicine, is a Certified Sports Nutritionist and is the author of "The Happy Body - Getting to the root of YOUR fitness, health and productivity". He is also the founder and CEO of Genesis Gym Singapore (tm), which aims to provide the best personal training and fitness services in Singapore. (Intro Video to Genesis Gym Singapore HERE) The views expressed are his own.