Yearly Archives: 2015

December 18, 2015

TOP TIPS FOR EATING OUT.

Eating_out

When eating out it is difficult to keep to healthy options. However, there is no reason you can’t continue to follow your healthy eating plan.

Here are some top tips on how to stay on track and still enjoy meals out.

  • Don’t arrive hungry
    Have a healthy snack before you arrive, making it less likely you’ll need to dive straight into the bread.
  • Avoid starters
    You only need to eat one meal at a time – you’re snacks should keep you going.
  • Special requests
    Most (quality) restaurants will be happy to remove or add small ingredients on request.
  • Protein-based foods
    Ordering a protein-based meal will be healthier and make you feel fuller.
  • Substitute
    All restaurants have vegetables and they should happily replace foods like rice, bread, or potatoes for steamed or grilled vegetables.
  • Green vegetables
    Order these in unlimited quantities to fill you up.
  • Spices
    All spices are fine, so go ahead and give your meal some flavour.
  • No sauces
    If you can’t refuse, request the sauce in a side dish and just have a little.
  • Dressings
    Olive oil and flaxseed oil dressings are good.
  • Dessert
    Occasionally a small dessert is fine, but if you eat out regularly try to avoid or share a smaller portion.
December 11, 2015

FOOD FACT: SWEET POTATOES.

Sweet_potato

  • Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of carotenoid antioxidants.
  • They contain calcium, are high in vitamins A and C and contain thiamine.
  • Sweet potatoes are also high in sugar and therefore should be used sparingly.
  • Sweet potatoes are not related to the potato nor the yam— they are actually a member of the morning glory family.
December 1, 2015

EXERCISE OF THE MONTH: DECEMBER.

Plie

TIPTOE PLIÉ SQUAT

Benefits:
Targets your inner thighs with a ballet-inspired move. Going on tiptoes also tones your calves, and strengthens your glutes.

How to do it:

  • Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointed out at 45°.
  • Engage your core and hold your arms in front of your chest for balance.
  • Lift your heels off the floor and squat, keeping your knees above your ankles. Pause, then squeeze your glutes to stand up and slowly lower your heels.
  • Start with 2 sets of 15 reps. This can be increased as you improve.
November 23, 2015

HOW MANY REST DAYS DO I NEED?

Bored

A common mistake of people new to exercising – and even among experienced exercisers – is to workout too hard, too often. Overtraining can effect your health. By not allowing for proper rest periods in your workout routine, it is far more likely that you don’t adhere to your exercise habit, due to feeling poorly, excess fatigue or soreness, or even injury, if you aren’t allowing your body to heal in between workouts.

So how many rest days do you really need a week?
The number of rest days that you take each week depends on how intensely you train, especially relative to your fitness level. As a rule, if a muscle group is still sore from a previous workout, do not train it intensely again until it has healed and is no longer sore.

For example, if my thighs are sore from a lower body strength workout I did yesterday, I should not train them again today – or the next, if they are still very sore. In this case, it doesn’t mean I have to take a complete rest day; I could train my upper body or core, or stick to light cardio, yoga, stretching, etc.

Balancing your workouts to target different muscle groups on different days of the week allows you to take fewer rest days, but even then, you should save at least 1-2 days a week for rest, or at least active rest or active recovery.

What is active rest or active recovery? 
You don’t have to spend your whole ‘rest day’ on the sofa! Light physical activity on a rest day can help boost your mood, your health, and your progress or ability to maintain your weight or fitness level.

If you’re looking to stay active even on your rest days, a good rule is that the activity should not be something that would cause you sore muscles. Whether you’re walking, swimming, doing yoga, stretching, etc, it should be at a reduced intensity from your normal workouts.

What happens if I over-exercise?
If you don’t include enough rest into your workout programme, you are putting yourself at risk for overtraining, which increases your chances of health repercussions and otherwise avoidable injuries.

The best thing you can do is to listen to your own body; if you think it might be asking for more rest, don’t think that listening to that request means that you’re a failure or ‘slacking’. Rest is an important part of fitness and can be what makes the hard work you put towards your goals count.

Overtraining symptoms are diverse and different for each person, but here are a few symptoms you should watch out for:

  • Depression
  • Loss of appetite
  • Severe fatigue
  • Slower healing & longer recovery times
  • Changes in mood and ability to focus or concentrate
  • Amenorrhea – missed or very irregular periods
  • Aches & pains – particularly of the joints
  • Depressed immune system – increased chance of catching colds and other infections
  • Changes in performance – if you find yourself moving slower, lifting less than you’re normally able to, having to take more rest breaks and generally not pushing yourself as hard as you normally do, you could be overtraining.
November 13, 2015

FOOD FACT: KALE.

Final Artwork

  • Kale eases lung congestion and is beneficial to the stomach, liver and immune system.
  • It contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the eyes from macular degeneration.
  • It also contains indole-3-carbinol, which may protect against colon cancer.
  • Kale is an excellent source of calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, and chlorophyll.
November 2, 2015

EXERCISE OF THE MONTH: NOVEMBER.

Squat_thrust

SQUAT THRUST

Benefits:
Not only will this exercise give you a great cardio workout. It will work and sculpt your thighs too. It’s win win!

How to do it:

  • Begin in high plank position, with your body in a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Step your right foot forward toward your right hand.
  • Quickly alternate the positions of your feet, jumping your right foot back and left foot forward (beginners can start by stepping the feet backward and forward, rather than jumping).
  • Repeat as quickly as you can for 3 intervals of 20 seconds, with a 10 second rest period in between. As you progress, you can increase the number of sets and/or time interval.
October 22, 2015

10 SUPERFOODS PROVEN TO MELT FAT!

Porridge

Not only have these foods been given the title of ‘superfoods’, for their great nutritional value and overall benefit to health, but now it’s been discovered that they contain ingredients that actually aid in weight loss too. Below is a list of these superfoods, along with the ingredient that makes them super.

Bell peppers
The vitamin C helps produce carnitine, which in turn helps muscles use fat.

Avocados
Full of protein, fibre and monounsaturated fats that lower cholesterol.

Kelp
High levels of iodine to help thyroid hormone production and minerals to break down fat.

Eggs
Just 80 cals and 6g of protein, it’s a great way to start the day, helping limit your calorie intake for the rest of the day.

Oats
A third of your daily amount of fibre in a single serving. Keeping you fuller for longer.

Spinach
Full of fibre, vitamins and minerals to ease water tension.

Grapefruit
When drunk with meals, the juice is thought to lower weight gain by up to a fifth.

Dark chocolate
Aim for a couple of squares that are at least 70% cocoa. This will reduce your craving for sweet, salty and fatty food.

Peanuts
Have a handful as the amount of energy used to digest them means you burn calories while you’re eating them. Studies also show eating peanuts increased metabolic rate by 11%.

Cumin
A fat-busting miracle that lowers cholesterol.

October 12, 2015

FOOD FACT: BROCOLLI.

Broccoli

  • Broccoli contains twice the vitamin C of an orange.
  • It has almost as much calcium as whole milk ­­– and the calcium is better absorbed.
  • It contains selenium, a mineral that has been found to have anti-cancer and anti-viral properties.
  • Broccoli is a modest source of vitamin A and alpha-tocopherol vitamin E.
  • It also has antioxidant properties.
October 2, 2015

EXERCISE OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER.

Pilates

BIRD DOG

Benefits:
This move strengthens and tones the stomach, sides of the stomach, hips and back. The emphasis on balance and alignment also helps with posture.

How to do it:

  • From all fours, reach your left arm forward at ear level and extend your right leg straight back at hip height. Imagine you are balancing a cup on your lower back and another on your upper back between your shoulder blades.
  • Brace your core and hold this position for 30-60 seconds. Make sure you’re not holding your breath. Carefully return your arm and leg to the floor. Repeat on the opposite side.
September 21, 2015

HOW MUCH EXERCISE SHOULD I DO?

Weight

Have you ever wonder if you are doing enough exercise? Are you confused by which intensity, frequency and type of activities you should be doing? Listed here are guidelines issued by The Department of Health, which outline the amount of exercise a typical person should aim for based on their age.

Adults (19–64 years):

  • Adults should aim to be active daily. Over a week, activity should add up to at least 150 minutes (21⁄2 hours) of moderate intensity activity in bouts of 10 minutes or more – one way to approach this is to do 30 minutes on at least 5 days a week.
  • Alternatively, comparable benefits can be achieved through 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity spread across the week or combinations of moderate and vigorous intensity activity.
  • Adults should also undertake physical activity to improve muscle strength on at least two days a week.
  • All adults should minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary (sitting) for extended periods.

Adults (65+ years):

  • Older adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain some health benefits, including maintenance of good physical and cognitive function. Some physical activity is better than none, and more physical activity provides greater health benefits.
  • Older adults should aim to be active daily. Over a week, activity should add up to at least 150 minutes (21⁄2 hours) of moderate intensity activity in bouts of 10 minutes or more – one way to approach this is to do 30 minutes on at least 5 days a week.
  • For those who are already regularly active at moderate intensity, comparable benefits can be achieved through 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity spread across the week or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.
  • Older adults should also undertake physical activity to improve muscle strength on at least two days a week.
  • Older adults at risk of falls should incorporate physical activity to improve balance and co‐ordination on at least two days a week.
  • All older adults should minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary (sitting) for extended periods.

 Children & young people (5-18 years):

  • All children and young people should engage in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day.
  • Vigorous intensity activities, including those that strengthen muscle and bone, should be incorporated at least three days a week.
  • All children and young people should minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary (sitting) for extended periods.

Individual physical and mental capabilities should be considered when interpreting the guidelines. Always consult your doctor before you start a new exercise regime.