The basics
After the last article on ‘quick fix?’ I thought I would expand a bit further on some of the helpful hints and tips that I have come across during my time in this industry. They are all easy to achieve, and even though they may take a bit of time getting used too, the results will be worth it in the end.
The biggest mistake people can make is rushing headlong into something as potentially confusing as weight loss and fitness, there is simply too much information out there to take in all at once, so lets start with ‘The basics…’
Check the ingredients
When buying any foods other than fresh produce, (i.e. processed) it is, in this day and age essential to have at least a cursory look at what the manufacturer has put in. The amount of added sugar, fat and salt that can be found is a bit frightening to say the least, unfortunately many people are simply unaware.
The labels on many products are not helping to keep people informed, which is hardly surprising given that very popular food stuffs are packed with sugar, fat and salt. Worse still is the advertising used on some ‘low fat’ products, for example did you know that a reduced fat biscuit can contain more calories than the ‘normal’ equivalent, due in the main part to the extra sugar added to balance the reduction in fat. The whole subject of labelling and ingredients deserves an article to itself and is something I intend to carry out in the near future, however for now have a look at the table below for a rough guide on what to look for in the labels.
Boost your activity
One of the biggest problems with today’s modern world lies in the automation of everything, gone are the days of everyone having to toil all day to make a living, now more and more jobs have been ‘enhanced’ by the use of machines. Of course this has had some positive impacts, but in the process of this advancement we have become less and less active. There are hundreds of things we could do each day to boost the amount of activity we do, it just takes a little imagination, some examples could be walking to work, cycling more, taking the stairs rather than escalators or lifts, getting off the bus a few stops earlier or even leaving the house 10 minutes early so you can walk around the block before leaving, any which would have a positive effect on your health.
Portion control
A sizable mistake a lot of people have made is that as they increase their activity, they also increase their calorie intake. Most of the time this goes undetected as the extra ‘fuel’ comes from larger portions put onto the plate. Other people serving up your food can also have a disastrous effect on your portion control, after all, nobody wants to be seen as mean or tight fisted, so they often put more onto your plate without really thinking of the consequences. Men dishing out food for women and children are often the most guilty of this as they don’t always realise that women on the whole require far less calories a day than themselves, so often they make the portions equal, if this sounds familiar, take charge and point it out.
Plan ahead
The last of my tips for this article relates to the importance of proper planning. To start with the changes you make may be strange, and as a result of this people often lose track of what they are doing and may have a tendency to ‘come off the rails’ a bit.
For the first couple of weeks spend some time planning what changes you are going to make to your lifestyle, by putting them down on paper you can clearly see what needs to be done to move towards your goals. Try pinning notes to your fridge, such as tick sheets for eating more fruit and vegetables or reminders to encourage you to drink more water. Try to decide what you are going to eat on each day of the week before you go shopping, you might be surprised how many times a ‘convenience’ meal is bought because of a lack of forward planning, after all the last thing you want to do when you get back from a tiring day is to try and think, prepare and cook something in a hurry.
One of the biggest problems with today’s modern world lies in the automation of everything, gone are the days of everyone having to toil all day to make a living, now more and more jobs have been ‘enhanced’ by the use of machines. Of course this has had some positive impacts, but in the process of this advancement we have become less and less active. There are hundreds of things we could do each day to boost the amount of activity we do, it just takes a little imagination, some examples could be walking to work, cycling more, taking the stairs rather than escalators or lifts, getting off the bus a few stops earlier or even leaving the house 10 minutes early so you can walk around the block before leaving, any which would have a positive effect on your health.
Portion control
A sizable mistake a lot of people have made is that as they increase their activity, they also increase their calorie intake. Most of the time this goes undetected as the extra ‘fuel’ comes from larger portions put onto the plate. Other people serving up your food can also have a disastrous effect on your portion control, after all, nobody wants to be seen as mean or tight fisted, so they often put more onto your plate without really thinking of the consequences. Men dishing out food for women and children are often the most guilty of this as they don’t always realise that women on the whole require far less calories a day than themselves, so often they make the portions equal, if this sounds familiar, take charge and point it out.
Plan ahead
The last of my tips for this article relates to the importance of proper planning. To start with the changes you make may be strange, and as a result of this people often lose track of what they are doing and may have a tendency to ‘come off the rails’ a bit.
For the first couple of weeks spend some time planning what changes you are going to make to your lifestyle, by putting them down on paper you can clearly see what needs to be done to move towards your goals. Try pinning notes to your fridge, such as tick sheets for eating more fruit and vegetables or reminders to encourage you to drink more water. Try to decide what you are going to eat on each day of the week before you go shopping, you might be surprised how many times a ‘convenience’ meal is bought because of a lack of forward planning, after all the last thing you want to do when you get back from a tiring day is to try and think, prepare and cook something in a hurry.
