As
you have probably seen from my recent blogs, I have been lucky enough to have
an excellent summer – I partied away at hideout festival in Croatia, I finally
got round to doing my PADI in Phuket in Thailand (read the blog post here) and over the bank holiday
weekend I went to Ibiza with the girls (check out my thoughts on Ocean Beach
Club here).
However,
I also managed to get food poisoning (thanks undercooked squid) and had a really
bad allergic reaction (thanks salt water in Jet apartments).
So
now things are back to normal and I am getting back into my routine, I went to
kick boxing for the first time in SIX WEEKS and I surprised myself – my fitness
was still there. I must note here though that I had forgotten ALL my sparring
techniques and totally freaked out when faced with sparring… and cried! In my defense,
someone throwing a punch to your face can be pretty scary! #iamsocool
Anyway
though, I am also pleased to say that over the summer I haven’t lost my fitness,
and what’s more I haven’t put on one single pound and my clothes aren’t feeling
any tighter. I think I have finally
cracked that “healthy” is a lifestyle, and fad diets don’t work! It isn’t about
dieting to get into a bikini and then binging on holiday and piling it all back
on again! This is just a cycle of yo yo dieting.
On
this reflection I want to share with you my top tips that work for me in
maintaining a “health is a lifestyle” attitude and staying fit at all times… but
all with a pinch of realism. This is a real girl’s guide!
I
like to be healthy and fit and enjoy knocking up new recipes but I also love to
eat out at least 2 times a week, have a cocktail addiction and like to do other
things at the weekend other than bake quinoa and sweat it in the gym. Sure, I
would love a 6 pack but then again, I love experiencing all on offer and
tasting a bit of it all!
It
is about balance but hopefully these tricks can help…
Real girl tip 1: always
have breakfast
Don’t even think about stepping outside and commuting to
work without a decent breakfast. Wake up that ten minutes earlier to get a
decent breakfast down you, this will rev your metabolism, keep sugar levels
from spiking (and then heading for the nearest sources of sugar) and help keep
your energy up. Basically this will set you up all day.
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| porridge - 2 min in the microwave! |
Real girl tip 2:
eat smaller meals, more often
I like to eat three smaller meals and several snacks throughout
the day. Yes you read right, I said “snack”. But I do mean healthy snacks here,
like carrots sticks and hummus or protein shakes, not half a pack of McVities
hob nobs and a bar of dairy milk.
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| smoothies are a great snack! |
Real girl tip 3: drink
plenty of water
I am bit of a water monster, and I gulp down about 4 liters
of the stuff a day. This might be a bit too much for most, but make sure you
get at least 2 liters a day. It will
help flush through toxins and sometimes we confuse thirst for hunger. If you
feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. This is particularly important when
on holiday, busy or under stress.
Real girls tip 4:
make healthy dinners in bulk and freeze
I hate processed ready meals and have only had one in the
whole of my life. Whilst I appreciate we are all pushed for time, it really doesn’t
have to take that long, even if you are cooking for one. When you make meals,
make more than one potion so that you can freeze them for a later date. Works
particularly well for curries, soups and chilli con carnes.
Real girl tip 5: fill
up on protein
A lot of girls shy away from protein in a fear of bulking
up, but don’t be! It fills you up and helps build lean muscle, and we all know
muscles weighs in more than fat. Most health experts recommend about 45grams of
protein for the average woman but I have read a lot of articles lately that say
double this is ok! We are all different, so listen to your body (and seek professional
guidance if you’re dieting).
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| try to eat a colourful diet |
Real girl tip 6:
get active
Even if you can’t exercise, say you’re on holiday, then try
to be active where you can. Walk around the sites, get active with some water
sports or go for a pre breakfast dip in the hotel pool. I admit that when we
were in Thailand I only managed one exercise session but we did stay active –
an afternoon rock climbing in the heat helped me burn up to 550 calories per
hour! Also, even if you can only manage one jog the whole holiday, once is
better than nothing!!!
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| head to the park and get inspired to use what you can! |
Real girl tip 8: it
is ok to indulge
…but don’t binge. What is the point of living life if you
can’t have a little of what you want? It is ok to have a little of what you
want, be it the chocolate cake or English fry up, just try not to make it a
habit. And if you want a taste of the cake but not all the sugar, then perhaps
you can share a portion with a friend?
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| caught red handed! |
Real girl tip 9: watch
the sugar
Back in January I enrolled on a nutrition course and one of
the things that really stuck out for me was the negatives of sugar and how it
is sugar, not fat, that is the culprit for the tire around my midriff! So don’t count the calories, watch your sugar
in take! I could write a whole blog on this but try and cut out refined sugar,
by reducing your intake of sauces, don’t have fruit after 4pm, opt for natural
yoghurt over flavoured, skip the fizzy drinks etc.
Real girl tip 10:
plan food and drink and dining out
Don’t just use your diary for organising your social and
work like, use it to organise your meals. If you know you’ve got a particularly
heavy weekend of eating out and drinking, then make a more conscious effort to
up your vegetable in take during the week, or if you know you’ve got a carb
heavy meal out on Wednesday, then make your meals lighter on the carbs in
Thursday. This will helpfully break the damaging “diet” mindset which results
in binging and starving sets, and instead looks to a long term healthy eating
approach
X x X
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