Staying Slim Over The Festive Season
Come ‘silly season’ and even the most dedicated of people can come unstuck. Thinking about how to manage your exercise and diet plans through the maze of office parties, family dos and general ‘let it all hang out’ festive attitudes can result in extreme anxiety.
Fear not, for there is a relatively simple way to handle all this and still come out looking and feeling decent. My top tips for the season are as follows...
1. Drink enough good quality water every day (0.033 X your weight in kg = litres of water daily) and be sure to add good quality salt to your food (best bet is Universal Vision’s Himalayan crystal salt, which you can get from The Happy Body).
This salt will help keep the body hydrated and water itself is a natural thermogenic (aids in burning body fat).
2. Eat more good quality fat and protein as this will reduce sugar cravings and will help to control blood sugar levels.
Protein helps release your fat burning hormone, while good dietary fat ensures less potential for body fat storage.
3. Eat less processed carbohydrates since these foods release sugar at a much more rapid rate than the non-processed alternatives.
High processed carbohydrate intake = high blood sugar = high insulin output = body fat storage.
4. Don’t drink alcohol on an empty stomach – rather either eat a meal, or snack on protein/fat foods such as raw nuts, biltong, boiled eggs etc. before you drink.
Alcoholic drinks are carbohydrates, which significantly effect blood sugar and thus body fat storage, not to mention liver function.
5. Do something physical daily and make physical movement more common in your day, in general.
Offer to look after someone’s toddler for a few hours, get stuck into the garden, spend more time cooking good meals, go for a walk first thing in the morning, play beach bats, drag a friend to gym with you etc.
6. HAVE FUN! Make sure that whatever it is you’re doing, you’re living in that moment instead of feeling guilty or remorseful … make conscious choices but allow for some spontaneity too.
Have a great festive season and see you again in the New Year…