male voice, deep, very clear, for language learners, natural speed
Many people think that because I appear a bit overweight that I must be out of shape and unhealthy. But I have a radiant skin and the fitness level of an army cadet. You wonder how I do it? I like to consider myself somewhat of an athlete who has one yearly event that I need to train for. I may not be in the Olympics but Christmas eve is my time to shine, and I need to be peak shape in order to do my best. My first fitness tip is that specificity is essentially. What I mean by this is that since I carry around a big bag of gifts, I need to train my body to be able to carry it. There’s no sense in me hitting the gym and lifting weights. Instead, I train by grabbing a big bag and filling with a ton of stuff to weigh me down. I then walk for miles and even run hills with this awkward load. It’s a great way to strengthen my legs and cardiovascular system at the same time. My next fitness secret is that I get fast by doing interval training. Sure I spend a few weeks going for long jogs at a light pace to build up my aerobic base, but by Spring time I’m right into the intervals. I need to be to my work at a very high intensity. You can imagine that visiting millions of homes all around the world in less than 24 hours requires a fair degree of speed. That’s why I use intervals. They allow me train at faster speeds for longer periods of time. For instance, I’ll often run with Rudolph and the other reindeer over several miles. We’ll do 1 minute running as fast as possible, then recover for 1 minute, and then repeat that until we hit the floor. As you can imagine, they usually win. And that brings me to my next tip…Train with someone who can push you! That’s why I use the reindeer as my training partners. They are naturally much fitter – mainly because they’re animals who can fly! – but they force me to bring my “A” game to each and every workout. If I slack off, then they’ll leave me in their wake. But by training with them and trying to keep up with them, I force my body to get stronger and fitter than I could on my own – it’s truly amazing. I guess it’s like people who go running with their dogs. The last fitness tip I’ll share is the importance of consistency. Since I only need to be in tip top shape for one night a year, it might not seem like missing a few workouts here and there will make a big difference. But nothing could be further from the truth. Back in my early days I thought I was fit enough not to have to train as often as I do now. I would go out and party with the elves and come home many a night after far too many drinks. I would wake up feeling groggy and tired and unmotivated to train consistently. And my performances suffered. I remember a few Christmas eve’s where I missed over 1 million homes just because I was too slow! I vowed never to let that happen again. When I thought of all the children I let down it really upset me. Now, I’m more focused and consistent. I train 4-5 days per week – no matter what! I know that the big part of consistency is not just the results it produces but the momentum it creates to make working as automatic as brushing your teeth. That could well be my most important advice. Be consistent and never give up! I can honestly say that exercise is important – that’s for sure – but if you want to lose belly fat, then you’ve got to be eating right. I wish I could say I was an expert in that area as well but the proof is in the pudding. Or should I say the pudding is in my pooch? Haha!
