Forget beach ready, are you year-round ready?
The weather is beginning to warm up, so naturally thoughts turn to digging out the summer wardrobe. This can fill many with dread, another summer, another year of not being comfortable with your body and health. We will be bombarded with detox diets and faddy foods in an effort to drop half a stone within 2 weeks. However, these quick fixes are not sustainable and partaking in them will do little to improve health and wellbeing, especially long term.
58% of women and 68% of men are considered overweight or obese. Studies have shown that almost two thirds of Brits are on a diet ‘most of the time’ and that 48% of us have made an effort to lose weight in the last 12 months. Spending most of your life trying to lose weight is exhausting and damaging, both physically and mentally. Faddy diets may work in the short term, but rarely provide the nutrients we need to sustain health, and often lead the individual to fall off the band wagon, regaining the weight lost and then some.
This time of year brings everything to the forefront once again when it comes to looking after your health, with the threat of stripping down to fewer clothes and feeling comfortable in doing so.
So ask yourself, have you had enough of the yearly anxiety inducing coming of Summer?
If the answer is yes, what follows are a few simple guidelines, enabling you to lose weight healthily, safely and permanently and get on the road to steady and consistent health and wellness.
Food
- Eat 3 meals a day with a couple of snacks, if needed
- Don’t go more than 5 hours without eating
- Eat a balanced diet consisting of lean protein and complex carbohydrates
- Eating regularly will enable your blood sugar levels to remain steady, maintain a healthy metabolic rate and provide you with sustained energy
- Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg each day
Alcohol
- Be aware that having just a couple of drinks is enough to throw your weight loss off track as they are full of empty calories
- Government guidelines state that both men and women shouldn’t consume more than 14 units of alcohol each week. If as much as 14 units are consumed, this should be spread over at least 3 days with 2 consecutive alcohol free days
- Aim to only drink on social occasions rather than at home, as this will decrease your overall intake
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water
Sleep
- Aim for 6-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night
- Lack of sleep increases your risk of obesity and diabetes
Exercise
- The recommended amount of exercise for adults is 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 times per week
- Exercise classes, 1-2-1 sessions, swimming, jogging, cycling, hiking, there is a huge range of exercises you can take part in, it’s all about finding what works for you and your lifestyle
- People often say that they don’t have enough time for exercise, but we will often find we don’t have time for something we don’t enjoy. Find what you love and make time for it!
Small and simple changes are what will help you to achieve health all year round. Embarking on a permanent healthy lifestyle without unrealistic expectations and achievable goals will enable you to make this simply a ‘way of life’.
Download your food and exercise diary to log your food, drink and exercise.
Print off our shopping list and food planner to make life easy.
Check out our huge array of recipes to fill that shopping list!
