Top Tips for Managing Eating and Exercise
Looking after Yourself
Exercise and food can be two things that are testing, tempting and just plain frustrating at this time of year.
Following are some tips to help with both during the Festive Season or any time a party, 'do' or celebration is on the horizon!
Drinks, Nibbles, Buffets and eating out
- Don’t stand right next to the food. Put some food on a plate and move away.
- Food that leaves a greasy mark on the plate or serviette is high in fat, limit intake.
- Eat something healthy before you go out so you’re not ravenous when you get there and inhale the table contents!
- Cheese, dips, fried foods (e.g. wontons, samosas) salamis, sausages, cheerios, “creamy” anything and pastry, are probably all high in fat. Don’t be fooled by filo pastry the sheets are often buttered together! Limit the amount of this sort of food.
- Food that glistens or is shiny is likely high in fat. Have less of it.
- Don’t skip meals because you’re pushed for time, especially breakfast. Can you have some frozen meals in the freezer? They are great for heating and eating when time is short and better than junk food.
- If you are hungry after you’ve eaten, have a glass of water and wait. The brain can take 20 minutes to register we’re full.
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic. If driving be super vigilant or you may be getting more exercise than you planned this summer!
- Put your drink down between sips, you’ll drink less.
- Drink out of a tall glass, it fools our brain into thinking we’re having more where as short wide glasses have the opposite effect!
- Drink at least 1-2 litres of water a day, more if you exercise, drink alcohol or coffee.
- It may be low fat healthy food, however that doesn’t mean you can eat more of it. Portion sizes remains the same!
Try to get some activity into most days. If you can’t get to the gym or follow your regular exercise routine then get into “snacktivity” snippets of exercise that add up to at least 30mins a day. Try parking further away and walking, take the stairs not the lift, get out into the garden, mow the lawns, turn the music up and speed clean the house (you’re welcome to try that out on mine if you like -Jan!), clean the windows inside and out
How about a brisk walk around the neighbourhood, especially between courses on Christmas day?
Don’t forget some wind down time for yourself too. Christmas can be all “go go go”. Walking the dogs, meditation, yoga, stretching, going for a swim can be great ways to have a bit of ‘me” time and keep fit and healthy too.
