Christmas may be just around the corner, but it’s not too late to trim the body while you deck the halls! With a potent workout and some serious diet modifications, you can greet the holiday with a leaner, sexier physique. Incorporate these five tips to give yourself the gift of an amazing body by Christmas.

Get your Sleep

You may not think of sleep as a means to a more beautiful body, but sleep is essential to good health and weight loss. While you sleep, your body produces a hormone known as leptin, which is responsible for providing the body with feelings of satiety after meals. When you don’t get enough sleep, sufficient levels of leptin are not produced to control the appetite effectively.

Lack of sleep also increases production of a hormone known as ghrelin, which stimulates the appetite and contributes to overeating. This double whammy can sabotage that sexy body you are working toward.

Train in Intervals

The most effective type of workout for fat burning is interval training, which involves bursts of high intensity exercise throughout a moderate intensity workout. For example, you might try walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes, followed by a two-minute burst of jogging with an incline. Go back to moderate walking for five minutes, followed by another two-minute blast. When you engage in 30 minutes of interval training most days of the week, you will see faster results than simply walking at a single pace for a similar amount of time.

Add Weights

Strength training provides a double benefit. First, the exercises increase lean muscle mass, which helps the body burn fat more effectively. Second, strength training is one of the quickest routes to toned, sexy muscles all over the body. Two to three sessions a week are all you need to reap the full benefits of strength training. Make sure you allow a day between sessions so the muscles have time to rest and recover sufficiently before the next workout.

Up your Water Intake

Most of us do not drink enough water to sufficiently hydrate the body. Water also provides multiple benefits; in addition to providing hydration, it fills up the stomach so we end up eating less. Water also assists in the natural detoxification process of the body so you don’t have to worry about additional water weight or toxins in the body interfering with your workout cycles.

Increase your Protein

Protein feeds lean muscle mass and is essential for a leaner, meaner physique. The right types of protein can also assist in the weight loss process for faster, more effective results. Stick with lean proteins like poultry, fish and low-fat dairy products. Snack on a fat-free cheese stick or drink a glass of skim milk before a meal. Adding protein to your diet makes your strength training and your weight loss efforts more efficient.

When Santa comes tumbling down your chimney this Christmas Eve, what will he find? With these tips in hand, you will have a leaner, sexier body to show off when Santa makes his annual visit.