It's 6 weeks to Christmas and we’re half way through our countdown to Christmas with Kegel8.

If you have been following our 12 weeks to a leak-free Christmas countdown, then you may be starting to feel a difference, and may be noticing less leaks and more sensation. This week’s advice focuses on a problem that creeps up on us all at Christmas…

It’s 6 weeks to Christmas, and Christmas is sneaking up on us very quickly. In the Kegel8 office, we are having our work Christmas party next weekend, and that means lots of food and a few glasses of bubbly. While it’s great to go out and have fun, the key is moderation, and this will not only help your waistline, it will help your pelvic floor too.

Watch how quickly the calories can add up at a Christmas buffet:

  • 4 mini sausages on sticks = 280 calories
  • 4 Quality Street chocolates = 160 calories
  • A mince pie = 250 calories
  • Sausage roll = 480 calories
  • Small handful of peanuts = 300 calories
  • 2 glasses of champagne = 200 calories
  • Total = 1670 calories

What doesn’t seem like a lot of food adds up to more than three-quarters of your recommended daily calorie intake. It’s Christmas season, and it’s no fun being the only person at the party who isn’t eating, but with a few simple swaps, you can enjoy the buffet without too many extra calories to put strain on your waistband and your pelvic floor!

Instead of 4 mini sausages on sticks (280 calories)

Have 2 mini chicken satay sticks (50 calories)

You save 230 calories

Instead of a serving of sherry trifle (320 calories)

Have a serving of fresh fruit salad with a splash of single cream (100 calories)

You save 220 calories

It’s simple. And if you needed any more encouragement to watch your weight this Christmas, check out this piece of advice from Dr Mark Slack, consultant urogynaecologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge:

“Weight loss improves muscle strength, because fat infiltrates muscle and weakens it. A 10% weight loss creates 50% improvement.”

That means that by losing just 10% of your body weight (to put that into perspective, if you weigh 11 stone, that’s just 15 pounds or 1 stone 1 loss), you can improve your pelvic floor muscle strength by up to 50%.

Carry on Kegel8 exercising, it's just 6 weeks to Christmas!