New Year, New You! But how do you eat well when life is busy?
So the new year has arrived and everywhere you look there are advertisements about eating well and losing weight. However, it’s not as easy as just deciding to eat well and that’s it, job done, you have to change your habits, stay motivated, learn what is actually good for not what a company has marketed and skewed for their own gain. Sometimes life gets in the way, you wake up late, a friends birthday party is on, you’ve a late meeting,you are just too busy… There are lots of ways to eat well around all these things so here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Preparation is key – Write down your 3 meals and 2 snacks you want to eat for the next 7 days. Once you have done this, do a food shop (not on an empty stomach though). Keep to your list. Now you have the food in, prep a few meals and snacks! Just do it, no excuses needed.
2. Always eat breakfast – Organize it before you go to bed, leave the crockery out. If you don’t have time for that eat a banana and yogurt on the road. Breakfast breaks the fast of the night before, kick starting your metabolism. Currently 1 in 3 adults don’t have breakfast each day…shocking. If you think you aren’t hungry at this time, just eat it anyway, you are training your body for new habits.
3. Never eat in front of a screen – Leave the TV off, put the phone away! Practice mindful eating, you will be able to listen to the cues your body gives you, for instance when you are full. Chew slowly and savor the taste of your meal. Make your meals as an opportunity to talk with your family and friends
4. Bring snacks with you – Whether you are at work or a busy parent, bringing snacks with you will stop you reaching for junk food on the run. Take a piece of fruit and chop up some raw veggies and bring along a small pot of hummus, or you can bring a handful of nuts. Snacks should be around 100 calories and no more than 2 snacks on a day when there’s been little physical activity.
5. Throw out the junk food – Keeping junk food out of sight and out of the home will help you to avoid having temptation close to you. Try junk food as a treat, not having it every day and only when you are out of the house.
6. Drink water before each meal – When you are properly hydrated you will feel fuller quicker. This will ensure you don’t eat your body weight in food at one sitting, reduce your calorie intake and proper hydration is great for the whole body!
7. Move more – Time to start factoring in 30 minutes of exercise a day. If you don’t do any build up to this. Find a sport you enjoy and join a club or try the couch to 5km app and park runs! This will improve your mood, help with digestion, make you stronger and reduce your risk of heart disease. You can find out about your local park runs here: http://www.parkrun.ie/ . If you are new to exercise why not try our fantastic 8 week programme, NutriBalance.
8. Keep a diary – If you are trying to lose or gain weight or simply eating healthier food, a diary is a great way to see exactly what you are putting in your mouth. Be as honest as possible, you are only cheating yourself. Note every single meal, snack and drink.
9. Tell friends, family and work colleagues you are eating healthier – This will stop people offering you junk food and give you a great support network. Donal O’Shea often talks about the 3 degrees of obesity. Eating well will often influence others around you to do the same, my advice to you is to be the one that influences others.
10. Pick a healthy eating buddy – Find that one person who wants to eat well too and lean on each other. It is often easier to do anything if we are working with someone else. Our competitive streak comes out, why not channel yours?
Now you have no excuses. These are all small changes and not too time consuming. So give it a go, start your healthy eating journey today. If you would like more advice, book in for a consultation with Laura now or pick up the phone 0873570573.