Monthly Archive for December, 2009

New Year Weight Loss

If you are like most people the number one goal on your list of new years resolutions is to lose some weight.

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if this was to be the year when you actually lost a few kilos and reached your ideal weight, and what’s more maintained your ideal weight for the entire year and beyond!

You should understand that it is of no use whatsoever to starve yourself on some kind of crash diet which may see you lose weight but also see you putting it all back on (and then some) in a very short space of time. To add insult to injury, your metabolism will also have been damaged and you will find it extremely difficult to lose weight from hereon in.

You need to find a regime that is both realistic and that you are happy with. In my opinion this should always involve some kind of exercise which will not only help you lose weight and look great, but make you far healthier and happier.

It doesn’t have to be anything extreme, just something that causes you to breathe a little faster or break into a sweat. It’s important you add resistance training into the mix though, don’t leave out this really importand aspect of training. This is what will help you shape your body. The best thing about it is that once you start you will find that the exercising itself will become addictive and something that you actually look forward to.

Next, you need to start eating sensibly. There is no need to go on some far fetched diet, if you eat balanced meals with heatlhy snacks in between you will see that this will have a massive effect on your weight loss goals.

When it comes to making new years resolutions to lose weight the main problem is that people set their weight loss goals too high, and when they have only lost a couple of pounds within the first week or so they usually just give up. What they fail to realise is that a couple of pounds of fat loss is great and if they are consistent and patient, then their weight loss goals will soon be met. So don’t make over enthusiastic goals to start off with and you won’t be disappointed. Be realistic.

I find that another problem is that the thought of losing weight is associated with going without and feeling miserable so it’s really important to find foods/meals that are healthy and you enjoy.

The thing is, it doesn’t have to be like that and if planned properly you can find it to be an enjoyable experience and the feeling that you will get when you reach your ideal weight will be priceless. What’s more, when you have achieved this you will feel like you can go on to achieve absolutely anything.

Christmas is almost here! As if you didn’t know

Usually it’s the case that by a couple of days after Christmas (mabye even before it arrives!) you are completely sick of the rich food that is eaten over this period and your body is craving for some healthy goodness. As you may have spent quite a lot of money on food for Christmas it is always a good idea to look at healthy snacks that you are able to make out of the Christmas leftovers.

Gather up all of the fruit that has accumulated over Christmas and make a big fruit smoothie which is absolutely bursting with goodness – it makes a lovely, healthy breakfast for the whole family. Of course you should add some vanilla protein powder so you aren’t ingesting a big glass of simple sugars alone. While fruit is good for you, remember it is sugar, and should be eaten with protein to avoid that big sugar spike.

When looking at healthy Christmas leftover snacks you can’t leave out the turkey. Turkey is a very healthy, lean meat, it is only when you add all of the trimmings that the calories start to pile up. Simple cold meat and salad, turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches (minus the butter), curries, you name it, turkey is a very versatile and beautiful tasting meat.

How about a bowl of homemade soup which can basically comprise of any leftovers that you have accumulated. Make sure that you include lots of vegetables and it doesn’t just have to include turkey, put anything and everything in there and leave it to simmer on the stove, the wonderful smell will have everyone eager to get stuck in and it makes an ideal lunch time dish.

Ham is another versatile meat that can be used in a variety of healthy ways. A lovely crispy salad with some cold ham is a quick and healthy choice. Be daring with your salad, all of the normal stuff such as lettuce, cucumber etc but you can include fruit and nuts as well.

You can cook up a little pasta and mix lots of chopped up turkey or ham into it, grate up a little some parmesan cheese and serve with some of the above salad – eaten with a small slice of warm crusty bread (if you must!). Absolutely delicious and yet another cheap healthy snack which can be made up from the Christmas leftovers that would most probably otherwise go to waste.

There are really no limits to what you can come up with, just use your imagination!