I don’t love winter, I’m always cold, my skin is dry, getting out of bed in the morning is such a struggle and my diet is less than ideal.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The good news is that winter is finally over, it’s warming up, everyone is coming out of hibernation. Which means it’s a perfect time for a health overhaul.
Firstly, what are you drinking?
Alcohol is not just empty calories but also plays havoc with your metabolism.
That one glass of wine every night or those few after work beverages on a Friday could be hindering your weight loss.
Limit alcohol to one or two standard drinks a week, if you are trying to lose weight.
Choose spirits with a simple base like Vodka, lemon, lime and soda or a gin martini.
Avoid beer or cocktails, which can be laced with sugar, even a gin and tonic can have up to 22g of sugar in one serve.
Check your labels?
Just because something claims to be “healthy” doesn’t mean it is.
That “Healthy” flourless chocolate cake with no flour but 2 cups of sugar, isn’t healthy.
Companies are often very clever about their marketing; finding loop holes in legislation to make products appear healthier than they are. This is why I always recommend reading the nutritional panels before deciding on a product.
There is even an app called “Food Switch” that allows you to scan a product and it will read the label for you and give you feedback if it is a healthy option and why.
Recommendations:
- Sodium- less than 120mg per 100g
- Fibre- more than 3g per serve
- Sugar- less than 15g per 100g
- Total fat- less than 10g per 100g
- Saturated fat- less than 3g per 100g
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Try and get your five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit in every day. Try and sneak a few vegetables into every meal, this could be as simple as adding mushrooms and spinach in your breakfast omelette.
Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, but most importantly fibre, which helps keep you full for longer and curbs cravings later in the day.
Fruit is also great, but you can have too much.
Did you know that the average smoothie bowl has 2540kj (600 calories) and 130g of sugar?
If you’re trying to lose weight, one bowl would not be far off half of your daily energy requirements.
Move it or lose it?
The average Australian only walks around 7500 steps a day. We don’t realise how important incidental exercise such as playing with the kids, doing the groceries or having a job that keeps us on our feet, all contributes to our physical activity levels. Ideally we should aim for 10,000 steps a day.
This help with weight loss, mental health, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and bone health.
Recommendations:
- Walking lunch breaks: it doesn’t have to be a sweat breaking workout, even just a stroll down the main street or around the block will do wonders for your body + you’ll get your daily hit of Vitamin D.
- Park your car a block away from where you need to go, to sneak a few extra steps in!
- Try a standing desk in the office.
