1. Fill up on plenty of wholesome, fresh food
2. Try to cook meals from scratch as often as possible
3. Savour food, be mindful of every mouthful that you eat
4. Eat a balance of all food groups instead of cutting one out
5. Avoid eating in front of the TV or at the desk, as distractions can lead to overeating.
Make 2014 both a happy and healthy new year, with these 5 pledges to help you to look and feel greater than ever.
1. Get enough shut-eye
It is recommended that you get at least seven to nine hours sleep a night. This gives your body enough rest to repair, burn fat and ward off stress.
The main three factors causing lack of sleep are caffeine, stress and alcohol. As well as reducing these, try the following foods to help you get a goodnights sleep:
2. Eat a healthy, balanced diet
A balanced diet starts with eating lots of fresh vegetables, protein, good fats and carbohydrates (yes some carbohydrates are actually good for you!).
Not all carbohydrates are an enemy. Many of us fear the consequences of this food group and their associations with weight gain have stuck with many dieters. It’s the refined carbohydrates (like white bread, white sugar, and sweets) that you need to avoid.
Complex carbohydrates, like whole grains, help to maintain well-controlled blood sugar levels. Keeping you energized, slim, and healthy.
And if you need another reason not to curb the carbs, this macronutrient is in fact the only fuel that our brains can utilise, so without this our brain health and memory deteriorate.
3. Get active
Hit the gym, take a walk or go for a bike ride. Whatever you do, just get moving!
Regular exercise is not only good for your physical health (helping to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and strokes, as well as maintaining bodyweight), but it can boost your mental health too.
When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins, which trigger a positive mood making you feel happier and increasing your self-esteem.
4. Drink more water
Staying hydrated is one of the easiest things you can do for energy. When you skimp on water, the cells in your body shrink, so they can’t function as efficiently. This triggers feelings of fatigue.
The signs of mild dehydration, such as low energy and sleepiness, can dupe your brain into craving food. Many people confuse that empty-pit feeling in your belly as hunger, but in fact it’s quite often triggered by thirst.
Water is the perfect hydrator and drinking plenty of it helps flush away toxins that build up in our cells. You should aim to drink at least 1.2 litres of fluid (six to eight 250ml glasses) a day.
5. Stand Tall
Good posture is probably the world’s simplest beauty secret. It makes you instantly look taller and slimmer. You take in more oxygen, improving your skin and creating a wealth of new energy.
The perfect poise will help you look and feel more confident. To improve your posture, just follow these simple steps:
Are you bored with your cardio workout? Are you already dreading the stair stepper workout that you have scheduled for tomorrow morning? When you’re in a rut, it’s easy to fall off the fitness wagon because motivation and excitement are gone.
So how do you get your aerobic mojo back? You shake things up! Here are a few super-simple ways:
1. Change Your Soundtrack.
Downloading new songs is a fast way to bust out of your cardio rut and get you happily moving. When you have your headphones on, no one else knows what tunes you’re playing, so play whatever you want! Studies have shown that music is motivating, but if you’re bored at the gym, it may be time to shake that playlist up.
2. Change Your Location.
If you’re a regular gym-goer, maybe it’s time for a change of scenery. Move your workout outdoors or create your own home gym. Even a new DVD or two can mix things up!
3. Change Your Intensity.
Try a longer, less intense workout: If you can usually only set aside 10 to 20 minutes for exercise, make those minutes intense, switch it up by setting aside extra time to make your workout longer and less intense. By doing a longer, less intense workout, you’ll give yourself time to really enjoy the activity without rushing or trying to burn as many calories you can in a short amount of time. Pick an activity that you love—dancing, walking, hiking—and enjoy it!
OR…
Try a shorter, more intense workout: If you’re the type of exerciser who would rather walk for an hour than run for 5 minutes, then maybe it’s time for you to swap your low-intensity sweat sessions for shorter, more intense workouts. This is an especially good trick if you spend most of your mental energy watching the clock wishing your long workout was over.
Are the sound of wedding bells getting ever closer? If so, let me first of all congratulate you and your partner on the start of a wonderful journey together.
If you have just got engaged and you are worried about your current weight or body shape, don’t despair…
It’s never too early (or late) to start getting into shape, so my advice is to target any problem areas straight away. No matter what shape or size we are, there will always be certain parts that we want to tone up, flatten out and pull in!
It’s all too easy to get carried away, but be realistic about your goals. Unless you’re heavily overweight, don’t aim to lose more than two dress sizes. The last thing you want to do is set yourself up to fail and feel bad when you should be celebrating.
Forget crash dieting, as this will leave you weak, stressed-out and irritable. Instead, plan ahead and follow a healthy eating plan. This will help you lose any extra weight, with the bonus of getting better skin, hair and nails.
The best way to get into shape is through fat-burning aerobic exercise. Strengthening your muscles will build shapelier curves and increase your body’s ability to burn fat. This type of exercise, along with a healthy diet will give you great results, ensuring you look your best on your big day.
For information on the Wedding Packages I offer please click here.
Remember it’s your special day and you deserve to look and feel your best.