1. Lift weights twice a week to increase your muscle mass. This muscle will burn more calories even when you are not exercising. Go to the gym, buy some dumbbells for home, go for a walk with a bottle of water in your backpack, or do some weight training.
2. Take care of your heart and lungs by being active for at least 30 minutes each day. This can be broken up into more than one session, so it could mean 2 x 15 minute walks.
3. Eat small amounts of GOOD fats: avocado, oily fish, olive/flaxseed oil, nuts and seeds, these will take care of your cardiovascular system (heart, arteries and veins). Eat less BAD fats: Fried foods, meat, cakes, chocolate, chips, cookies, butter, these will damage your cardiovascular system and make you fat. Eliminate ALL trans fats from your diet, they are very bad for you and hide in many cookies, cakes, chips, puddings, candies and chocolates. These fats are extremely harmful to health. Avoiding them will help you avoid foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt and low in nutrients. Check the labels.
4. Protein will make you feel full and help repair your muscles after exercise. Try to get protein from skinless chicken, tofu, legumes (beans and peas), and oily fish like salmon, fresh tuna, and mackerel; these also contain other beneficial ingredients and are low in bad saturated fat.
5. Make sure you eat your carbohydrates, they help you exercise and burn fat, but eat SLOW carbohydrates like oatmeal (porridge), wholemeal bread instead of white, brown rice, honey instead of sugar, wholemeal pasta, lentils, vegetables, pulses. If you want to lose body fat, replace half of your carbs with steamed vegetables at dinner.
6. Drink more water, many times the body sends the same signal of thirst as hunger. Drink water first thing in the morning and throughout the day, especially during and after exercise. Reduce the consumption of tea and coffee, avoid carbonated drinks.
7. Eat a piece of fruit and drink water instead of drinking fruit juice which is high in calories and difficult to digest.
8. Watch out for sports drinks. Unless you’re training really hard, a bottle of sports drink can replace all the calories you just burned in your activity. Bring a bottle of water instead.
9. Be careful what you drink! Alcohol and mixers are high in calories.
10. Don’t be hungry; this will lead you to eat the wrong things. She carries healthy snacks wherever you go; bananas, apples, rice cakes, dried fruit and nuts (be careful with them though). Hunger can be triggered by boredom or lack of stimulation. Go for a walk or walk in the garden, or vacuum. Eat 5 small meals a day instead of 3 large ones.
11. Watch your portion sizes; they are generally larger than they need to be. If a smaller serving leaves you hungry, add a large spoonful of broccoli, cauliflower, or other steamed vegetables.
12. Eat your breakfast. In tests, people who eat breakfast lose more weight than those who don’t. You cannot exercise efficiently and reach your potential without eating properly.
13. Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. When you go, write a list and stick to it, don’t be tempted by special offers on foods that you know are bad for you.
14. Look at the ingredients in everything you buy. Look at the total amount of fat and what type of fat, avoid saturated fats and hydrogenated fats, as they are linked to the development of heart disease. Look at the number of calories and the amount of salt you are going to eat.
In general, the more ingredients on a label, the less goodness there is in the food. Taking the time to prepare a few meals with fresh ingredients will improve your health and probably reduce your fat intake, since most prepared foods are high in fat and salt.
15. Beware of reduced-fat labels: It just means there’s less fat than the original. (For example, reduced-fat mayonnaise still has 50g of fat per 100g, very high in fat.) These foods are often high in sugar, fat, and calories, and you may eat more because they seem healthy. Don’t buy reduced-fat cookies and cakes, just eat something healthier and get used to the fact that life is fine without those things.
16. Do not fill the house with chips, cookies and candy for the children, it is not good for them and will encourage you to eat them too. Try to lead the whole family to a healthier diet, this will help prevent obesity, heart disease and diabetes in your children when they are their age, give them a long and quality life.
17. Stock up on healthy foods. Write down a list of delicious and healthy things that you may have forgotten you love and make sure your cupboards are stocked with them; cherry tomatoes, beans on wholemeal bread, kiwis, mangoes, ryvita and marmite……
18. Make your lunch and take it to work. Buy whole grain muffins and cans of salmon and tuna; It will only take you a few minutes to make a sandwich and pick some fruit. Even a sandwich from the store will be full of fat and low in nutrients. Hold the mayonnaise on the tuna!
19. Watch less television: it will give you less opportunity to snack, more time to exercise or organize for the next day. Organization can be the key to making your lifestyle healthier.
20. Motivate yourself to change your lifestyle and that of your family. Set an example for the kids that mom and dad are fit, active and healthy. Take them for walks, bike rides, walks to the shops, and swimming. Take them to a local gym to play soccer, dance, or basketball. Our children need our help if they are to prevent the growing epidemic of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, as well as other lifestyle-related diseases. Change your eating habits; you will only do them good. LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
21. Buy yourself an exercise video to do at home instead of watching TV. Choose yoga or pilates, aerobics or a stability ball. There is a wide variety on offer, talk to me for help. Buy yourself a healthy lifestyle magazine to motivate you, recipes and exercises to do at home. Four good ones are Zest, Men’s Health, Ultra Fit, and Health and Fitness. Buy a low-fat or healthy eating cookbook for ideas.
22. Remember to have some treats and have fun, life is for living, being healthy should be enjoyable too, not a chore.
23. Slow down, stop rushing, be more organized, and take time to enjoy cooking, exercise, and life in general.
24. Take some time to relax and unwind. You need to reduce stress levels to stay healthy, exercise, yoga and pilates can help you do this, as can a warm candlelit bath.
25. Make exercise and healthy eating a normal and enjoyable part of every day of your life. You will live longer, protect the health of your children and be a happy and healthy person.
I hope this motivates you to change your life in small ways and reap big benefits. Until next time,
Vikki.
Do you have friends and family who could benefit from getting in shape and feeling better? If you do, treat them to a free copy of this newsletter, forward it, and ask them to email me a request. Email [email protected] Subject: Newsletter request.