Watch your weight wherever you are!
Spring and summer are just around the corner, so don’t wait for the last minute to start doing ridiculous diets… keep an eye on yourself and manage your weight on a daily basis.
© Thinkstock
By paying attention at all the food moments and possible exercise and wellbeing opportunities of your day, you can easily avoid putting on those few extra pounds and save yourself lots of grief come April. There’ll be no need to set out on some rigid diet or fanatical sports routine.
Here then, are a few simple things you can do, not at all painful and sometimes downright pleasant, to help you stay on track for a healthy, happy summer…
1. In the kitchen: Protein powders and starvation diets, not for me thanks! To avoid gaining weight, you just need to follow a few basic guidelines, without starving yourself… Cut back on fried foods, fatty foods and bought desserts and puddings. Lean towards white meats (with the skin removed), less fatty than red meat. Steam-cook your veggies, grill your meat and fish (without oil of course). And finally get flavor into your food with fresh herbs, exotic spices, lemon juice or low-fat yoghurt.
2. At mealtimes: I eat three times a day, at regular hours whenever possible. Try to never miss a meal, especially breakfast and above all, give up nibbling between meals, unless it’s a bit of fruit, nuts or cheese. Hard to do? Not really, you just need to re-learn good habits – a bit of self-discipline for a few weeks and you’ll master it.
3. Out and about: I walk as much as possible, at least 30 minutes of extra activity a day if possible. If you can’t get into the whole gym/exercise gig, at least get into walking. Get off the bus/tube one station before your own and walk the rest, walk to the shops to buy your milk instead of getting out the car… and of course, give up escalators and lifts!
4. In the bathroom: I love my body. Exfoliate your whole body regularly, invest in a good anti-cellulite or firming body cream and rub it in often. Take a few minutes after your shower everyday to massage whatever cream or body butter you have into your whole body. Massage activates the blood circulation and helps reduce water retention, as well as pampering your skin. Learn some basic self-massage techniques to encourage better mind-body wellbeing and get any toxins moving in the right direction – out!
5. In front of the mirror: I pamper and look after my face in the same way as I pamper my body. Help keep your face younger and its muscles toned with a few minutes of facial exercises every morning, before you apply your makeup. Don’t forget to massage your chin and neck area with a good moisturizing/firming/lifting cream (adapted to your skin type) to help the skin stay firm and wrinkle-free. No double chin for you!
6. In the bedroom: I’m enjoying the most fun exercise around – sex! All the specialists agree that sex is good for health: it burns calories, helps blood circulation and improves emotional wellbeing. So devise your own personalized sexy bedroom exercise routine, and get down to it as often as you can!
7. On Saturday night: I’m having fun, in moderation. It is worth repeating – loads of completely useless calories are hidden in alcoholic drinks, be it wine, beer or spirits. So binging over the weekend is not going to help and could in fact negate all your healthy efforts of the week, in addition to the harm you do your body and the time it needs to recover. Try to at least cut back on weekend liquid partying – replace one alcoholic drink with sparkling water or a diet soda. And by all means get out on the dance floor – there’s nothing like dancing until dawn to burn off calories, and yes, dancing definitely counts as exercise!
8. Over the weekend: I get some professional support. If you’re having a hard time exercising or eating healthily, why not book in for a full-day or weekend programme to give you that extra boost of encouragement you need. It could be a spa or detox weekend, a residential course in a particular type of exercise or sport, such as Tai Chi or golf… a cooking class – whatever inspires you and help keep you on track.
9. On holiday: No more lazy holidays for me. Try and convert your holiday into one of wellbeing, instead of abject laziness or endless eating, drinking and being merry. Beach holidays are great when there’s some wilderness around to be explored or sailing classes to be had. You can now get amazing environmental holidays – treks in the desert, river canoeing etc. All wonderful ways to change scenery while staying active. Always try to enjoy the local fresh food fare at open markets – wondrous local fruit and veg, no need to eat stodgy international food at your hotel or tourist trap restaurants.
10. At work, home and everywhere: I drink a lot, and then some. At least 1.5 litres a day, and up to 2.5 litres a day if you're dieting. Apart from maintaining the body during hot weather, water has three other beneficial qualities: it fills you up and so helps you avoid between meal nibbling; it purifies the body by flushing out any toxins; it hydrates all the body’s organs, including the skin. What more could you want?
Copyright © 2012 Doctissimo
Posted 17.01.2012
Get more on this subject…
