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Christmas... Minimise the damage?
There are 3
certainties in life - death, taxes and overindulgence at Christmas. The key
to Christmas this year is to MINIMISE the damage. Do not ruin your
hard work throughout the year by completely throwing your exercise and
eating regime out the window. Below are 10 tips to help you to
minimise the damage this Christmas.
1. When preparing food for Christmas try to substitute
ingredients to lower the fat/calories.
2. Avoid sauces and gravies
or use them sparingly.
3. Go to the buffet
line with a small plate.
A full small
plate tricks your mind into thinking it is eating more than it
really is. You can always go back for seconds; but all of this slows
down the eating process, giving you more time to feel full.
4. Make sure that
you aren’t really thirsty, instead of hungry. Drink a glass of water
before you start eating.
5. Eat Fibre. It contributes to a feeling of fullness.
6. Eat Slowly.
Hormones
signal the brain when you're full, but it takes about 20 minutes
from start time before you feel it.
7. Create a plan ahead
of time. Before the holidays sneak up on you, create a plan for
incorporating fitness and good nutrition into your daily routine.
Evaluate your holiday schedule and then determine how much time you
will realistically have available to devote to working out.
8. Don’t put your
fitness goals on hold until the New Year. If you can’t exercise as
often as you normally do during this time period, adjust
appropriately. Don’t use the excuse that since you don’t have time
for your full workout you just won’t workout at all. Instead accept
your limited availability and simply reduce the frequency and/or
duration of your exercise. It’s much better to cut your fitness time
in half than to completely eliminate it.
9. Schedule your
workouts. Mark them on the calendar and set-aside time to complete
them. Consider them as important as any other appointment or event
you have marked on your calendar.
10. If you can't get to the gym then exercise at home. You’ll be more
inclined to follow-through on your exercise commitment if you don’t have
to drive somewhere to do your workout. Plus, you won’t waste
any
time on driving or parking on the way.
And just as importantly as everything mentioned above, have a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Waste
Your Waistline?
Everyone wants that perfect waistline.
You know, the one that Halle Berry, Brad Pitt or Cameron Diaz show off on
the TV.
But how do we ensure that we can achieve this seemingly unobtainable goal?
Here are 5 tips for helping you to achieve the waist of your dreams.
1. Face the truth.
The truth is, you can lose weight as easily as the next person. It doesn't
matter how overweight you are, or how many years you've been overweight. If you follow a
sensible diet and exercise regime which allows you to eat, within reason, you can slim down to
whatever
weight you want. It may take you a while, and
you will have several bad days or bad weeks along the way, but unless you
have been diagnosed you as having a specific medical condition which
prevents you from losing weight, you can get slim!
However, first of all you need to examine how important it is to you!! If
your weight loss goals are very important then
you will be prepared to put the time and energy into achieving them.
The most important aspect of weight loss however is
do not worry about losing weight! Worry about eating correctly and
exercising and the rest will follow.
2. Burn calories.
Too many individuals rely on fad diets, or changes to their eating habits
solely to lose weight. This may be because they do not like the
prospect of exercise, or they have the impression that it will hurt too
much! Certainly, depending on the type of exercise that you do it
may! However, not everyone needs to jump on the treadmill at 12km
per hour to lose weight. There are a huge range of alternatives when
it comes to exercising. The key is to find some form of exercise
that you like, and stick to it. This may mean hopping on your bike
and cycling around the local park with your partner at a leisurely pace,
or perhaps jumping on a rower at the gym. Find some form of exercise
that you are comfortable doing, start off at a relaxed training intensity
and make a habit of it. Who knows, you might even start to enjoy
yourself. Even better, you may find that by including exercise into
your weight loss regime you can treat yourself to some of the eating
pleasures that had formerly been taboo.
3. Document your progress.
It is very easy for individuals to state "I exercise regularly, I eat well
but I still cannot lose weight". However, their impression of
regular exercise may be 2 times one week, none the next. The easy
way to track your performance is to record a journal or training diary
with details of all of your exercise. This will help in 2 ways.
Firstly you can see what you have been doing and it may make you realise
that your exercise programme is perhaps not as regular as it should be.
Or secondly, it will help you in adhering to your planned exercise
regime. It is also advisable to track your food intake. This
way you can analyse the types of foods that you are currently eating,
and your daily caloric intake as well as changes that may need to be
made to your diet.
4. Don't go hungry.
Starving yourself is not going to assist you in your long term weight loss
goals.
Hunger can actually make us fat, because failing to eat regularly can slow
down our metabolism. This in turn means we are burning less calories
throughout the day. Instead, try to eat 5-6 regular small meals
throughout the day to boost your metabolism.
5.
Stay happy and positive...
Do not let your weight loss goals completely absorb your life.
Make sure you maintain a happy and positive outlook, stick to you eating
and exercise plan and you will eventually lose weight. Happy
training.
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