Looking for daily ways to help with weight management? Try some of these suggestions for the upcoming month.
It’s the New Year 2017 and summer is here, so we all know what this means! Shorts, strappy dresses and bathing suits! Everyone wants to look and feel their best, so the Super Me Team thought it would be a fantastic time to give you some tips to help shift stubborn weight and get healthier.
- Snack throughout the day! Try to eat healthy snacks throughout the day. When we are really hungry our bodies usually start to crave more food than we need giving you “eyes bigger than your stomach” syndrome. Great snacks include nuts, seeds, raw crackers, chia puddings etc... It doesn’t have to be a huge amount and it doesn’t need to take hours to make. Just something that can help you to cull the hunger and keep you on track during the day.
- Finish eating by 7pm each night. Eating no later than 7pm is a fantastic life-long habit and one that will serve you well as you age. It is a secret to longevity and also helps with avoiding overeating which helps manage weight levels.
- Fasting. If you haven’t tried fasting before, now may be a good time! Try a one day fast, or even half a day (skip breakfast and morning tea). Fasting can enhance wellbeing and healthy weight management. Make sure you prepare your body a few day prior to the fast to maximize your results. Think of your fasting days as contributing to a healthy liver and clear and well-functioning detoxification pathways – critical to weight management.
- Exercise! Move your body daily! Aim to move your body daily for at least 30 minutes. It doesn’t have to be high-intensity, instead of doing big blocks of exercise – try to do small bursts of exercise throughout the day. Go out and run up and down the stairs a few times while at work, do a set of squats in your lunch break, 10 press ups in your afternoon tea time etc… This technique will also help to control stress and cortisol levels (which all hinder weight management).
- Stop and breathe. Aim to do some form of breathing exercises each day if you are not already. My personal favourite is to put my legs up against a wall and listen to guided meditation for 15 minutes. This is a wonderful pose to nourish your adrenals and signal your nervous system to kick into the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ response. If this doesn’t sound like you then try belly breathing exercises, (do this 2- 3 times daily to help your body to relax and unwind). This is fantastic tool used to signal to the nervous system that it is time to rest, relax and unwind and allows for the liver, digestion and other metabolic processes to do their jobs efficiently.
- Protein. Ensure you are having a good source of quality plant protein with your meals. Chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans) tofu, tempeh, quinoa, nut butter, tahini, hummus etc are a few good examples of high protein and nutrient packed foods. Protein will help balance blood sugar levels and keep you feeling satiated for longer periods of time throughout the day – and help you combat those sugar cravings!
- Sleep! 8 hours a night is a must! Research shows that good sleep will assist with weight loss by regulating our appetite hormones. Good quality sleep also allows your body to restore itself (especially if you've been increasing your exercise). Sleep helps to reset our nervous system into the parasympathetic 'rest and digest' response.