Category Archives: exercise

Top Tips for Healthy Eating at Christmas

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Top Tips for Healthy Eating at Christmas


Tip 1 – Eat slowly

Eating at Christmas is about socialising with family and friends.  It is not a contest for who can eat the most the quickest!  Watch your portion size and then eat slowly, really enjoying your food.  Stop when you are satisfied.  There are always left-overs at Christmas and nobody will notice if you leave something on your plate.

 Tip 2 – Eat your big meals as early as possible

The best time to eat a big meal is just after noon.  At that time your metabolism is working faster and you have the rest of the day to burn off the calories.

Tip 3 – Have a break before you eat your dessert
If you load Christmas pudding, trifle or other sweet things on top of your turkey and gravy it will take much longer for the sugar to digest and pass through your stomach.  During that time, the bacteria in your stomach will cause everything to ferment causing bloating, heartburn and wind.  Take time out to clear the table, have a walk, play a game or something else to let your dinner go down for at least an hour.

Tip 4 – Watch your alcohol intake

There are two problems with drinking alcohol.  The first is that the alcoholic drink and the mixers are empty calories – they are not giving you any nutrition.  The second problem is that alcohol acts as a dis-inhibitor.  After a couple of drinks you notice less about what you are eating and drinking and therefore you tend to eat more than you normally would. 

To avoid these problems drink plenty of water so that you are not thirsty.  Have a glass of water before you sit down to eat your Christmas meal and have a water ‘chaser’ if you are drinking in the evening.

Tip 5 – Be careful when you eat out

Eating out can be a challenge when you are establishing new, healthier eating habits.  There are some simple ideas that can help you.  Firstly, push away the bread basket and resist the temptation to eat before your meal arrives by sipping water.  Next, trade potatoes for another vegetable you enjoy.  Ask for sauce or gravy separately so that you can have a smaller amount.  Finally, don’t over-order or overload your plate.  If you are satisfied before your plate is empty either leave it or ask for a doggie bag.

Tip 6 – Take opportunities to exercise

The Christmas break can be a great time to get out for a walk with friends or members of your family.  Getting outside during the middle of the day is a great way to burn off some calories and boost your levels of vitamin D.  If the weather is not so kind, you could play a physical game indoors.  There are plenty of computer games that are fun and involve physical activity.  Or you could dig out that old game of Twister from the back of the cupboard.  Or how about just having a dance to some music?  If you’ve got young children they will love it.

Tip 7 – Enjoy yourself

Eating healthily over Christmas is not a punishment – feeling bloated and overweight in the New Year is!  The holiday period can be an opportunity to take time to cook and eat good quality food.  Enjoy it!

Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year!

Lack of Exercise More Harmful Than Smoking?

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A new report published in the Lancet today, 18 July, has concluded that a lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths across the world  as smoking.  The team of researchers was drawn from centres across the world.   They concluded that about one third of adults are not getting enough exercise and this causes about 5.3m deaths a year.

Dr I-Min Lee who co-authored the report said that “Being inactive increases your risk of developing chronic diseases”, these include heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer.  This does not mean that it is ok to smoke as long as you exercise.  It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle by not smoking, eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight and taking exercise.

So how much is enough exercise?   The Report recommends that adults do 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.  You don’t have to do this all in one session, in fact it’s better to spread it over the week in manageable amounts. And you don’t have to go to the gym, you could try brisk walking, cycling or gardening.  It’s whatever would fit into your daily routine.

Start off by setting yourself a target for the week that you know you can achieve and then schedule the time into your diary.  Next remove any obstacles to you achieving your target.  Get the trainers and the gym kit out of the wardrobe and leave them somewhere handy.  You want to get into the habit of taking exercise so that it just becomes part of what you do.

Finally make a commitment to yourself or, even better, to someone else that you are going to do this.  Remember physical activity improves your physical, emotional and mental health.

Beat the Winter Blues Update

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A couple of weeks ago I suggested taking a walk at lunchtime to get some midday sunlight and some healthy exercise.  We already know that exercise has significant benefits for mood and energy levels and has the potential for managing addictions.  Now there’s an even better reason to go for a walk.
According to research published by the University of Exeter, a 15 minute walk can cut your snacking at work by a half.  The researchers invited 78 regular chocolate eaters to abstain from chocolate for2 days and then enter a simulated work environment.  They were asked to take a brisk 15 minute walk on a treadmill and then they divided into four groups.  The first group was given an easy, low-stress task and the second was given a more difficult task.  The other two groups were asked to have a rest before being given the same tasks as the first two groups.  Chocolate was freely available to all the teams.
The groups who had exercised before working ate on average half the amount of chocolate eaten by the others.  The difficulty of the task made no difference to the amount of chocolate they consumed.
Professor Adrian Taylor, lead researcher, said: “We know that snacking on high calorie foods, like chocolate, at work can become a mindless habit and can lead to weight gain over time. We often feel that these snacks give us an energy boost, or help us deal with the stress of our jobs, including boredom. People often find it difficult to cut down on their daily treats but this study shows that by taking a short walk, they are able to regulate their intake by half.”
You can read more at http://www.sciencedaily.com Dec 7 2011

Confessions of a Running Beginner

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Regular exercise is important to me as part of my overall fitness and wellbeing.  I get bored easily so I try to have a selection of types of exercises that I can choose from.  So I vary between the gym, swimming, Pilates and using the Wii.  
Couch to 5k
I had never been interested in running until some friends told me about the NHS Couch to 5k programme.  It is an audio running plan that you can download from http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/couch-5K-running-plan.aspx  It takes complete running beginners to running for 5k (or 30 minutes) in nine weeks.
What I like about this programme is that as well as the 5k goal, there are goals for each week so you get lots of opportunity to achieve and feel good about your progress.  There’s also good music to run to and positive reinforcement from Laura who encourages and congratulates you as you go along.
I’ve really enjoyed jogging around the area where I live during the summer months.  What I have had to overcome is the negative thoughts that come into my head when I’m running such as ‘You don’t have to do this – you could turn around now’ and ‘You’ll never run for 25 minutes’ and ‘Aren’t you too old for this now?’  Fortunately, as a sports mind coach, I know  that these thoughts aren’t true and that there’s lots of techniques I can use to overcome them.  The important thing to do is to acknowledge the thought and understand that it is just a belief that you can change.
I can now run for 30 minutes but I haven’t reached 5k yet so there is still a goal to achieve.  So, come on Laura – let’s get those running shoes on!