 New Years Eve is just around the corner & I Know there are a few of us that like to celebrate with a drink or two. For those of you who’ve been training like demons & don’t want to ruin your hard work, here are the best low calorie alcoholic drinks to sip & enjoy! Vodka Lime & Soda – 64 calories A true favourite, especially among the ladies, the humble Vodka Lime & Soda only contains the calories from vodka, with the Australian standard “shot” being 30ml. Champagne or Sparkling Wine – 78 calories Now this is worth celebrating! A party favourite, bubbles contains 78 calories per 120ml - the standard Aussie size. Corona – 82 calories Feel like a cool beer on a hot day? Crack open a Corona & pop a lime wedge in. A regular 330ml bottle contains only 82 calories. Mojito – approx. 100 calories The average Mojito you buy at a bar can contain anywhere up to 200 calories, but yo can cut the calories down if you go easy on the sugar & amount of alcohol. If you use white rum, lime, mint, ice, soda, a 30ml shot of rum (64 calories), & only a dash of sugar (or even stevia) this drink can be brought down to the 100 calorie mark! White Wine – 102 calories The average150ml glass of white wine contains 102 calories, but keep in mind the sweeter the wine the more calories it contains. Make this drink go further by turning it into a spritzer with soda water, this will also help keep you hydrated! Red Wine – 117 calories While it’s not the lowest on the list, red wine does contain Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in the skin of the grapes. It is known to lower cholesterol, absorb free radicals & improve your sensitivity to insulin. All in moderation though! Here a a few favorites to be aware of... Espresso Martini – 283 calories Containing several different spirits, often something with a sugary or creamy factor, there’s no (tasty) way to lower the cals on this one. Best enjoyed as a dessert every once in a while. Gin & Tonic – up to 200 calories! A refreshing G&T can be deceiving as it looks a lot like a Vodka Soda, but with up to 3 times as many calories! A 30ml shot of gin contains 65 calories, so it’s the tonci water that’ll get you (it’s full of sugar!). To remedy this, opt for diet tonic or more ice & less tonic – 300ml of Schweppes Tonic Water contains 110 calories. Bourbon & Coke – 195 calories With 69 cals in a 30ml shot of Jim Beam, the rest of the calories in this drink is made up by the sugary Cola. Bourbon & Coke also varies, as you can buy pre-mixers which contain up to 248 cals. You could opt for a diet-cola version which would cut down the calories. So there are a few options for New Years Eve drinks if you want to watch the calorie content. Most importantly, everything in moderation & drink plenty of water in between to stay hydrated - HAPPY NEW YEAR!
0 Comments
 We know we need to make sure we gent enough protein everyday to build muscle, deliver oxygen to your body & keep your immune systems working , just to name a few functions, but although we know it's essential, it seems a lot of women find it difficult to ensure they are consuming enough protein on a daily basis. So, here is a list of veggies that can help boost your daily protein intake. Sugar Snap Peas - These sweet little morsels contain 5 grams of protein per cup. Try adding them to your salads, stir-frys, curries & even the plain old Meat & 3 Veg. Potatoes - A large baked potato has about 8 grams of protein. Yeah, I know, you've been told that carbs are the enemy, but a smaller sized potato with a yummy topping of lean ground beef chili with some kidney beans makes for a substantial meal with protein-a-plenty! Just go easy on the cheese & sour cream. Broccoli Rabe - One serve of broccoli rabe will add about 3 grams of protein to your plate. This is another veggie that is a great addition to salads, stir-frys or a side to a meat dish. White Mushrooms - One cup of cooked mushrooms has about 3.5 grams of protein. Mushrooms are so versatile, you can add them to curries, pasta, roast veggies, just about anything you make could benefit from a cup of mushrooms. Corn - A large ear of corn has almost 4 grams of protein, and is super yummy on it's own with a little dab of butter & a tiny sprinkle of salt, no need to get fancy! English Spinach - At around 3.7 grams of protein per 100g of spinach, this is a great addition to salads, stir-frys, hot-pots or just about anything you can think of. And because it shrinks down when cooked, it can be easy to hide in a dish. Brussels Sprouts - Containing 4 grams of protein per cup, it's time to re-think the brussles sprout. These tiny cabbages are no longer like they were when you were desperately trying to avoid them as a kid - there are some great recipes (and much better cooking techniques) available now. Soybeans, Lentils, Blackbeans, Quinoa & Chickpeas - yeah, I know they aren't technically Veggies, but these make a great addition to many salads & definitely boost the protein level. So try adding these veggies (and pretend veggies) to your usual meals to boost the protein in the dishes you eat everyday. Let's keep those muscles growing strong & your body functioning well - You Got This!  Christmas can be a difficult time if you're trying to manage your weight. It's all the parties, the mince pies, the chocolates & of course alcohol which make it so hard to stay on track. The usual response is to think "I'll just deal with my weight after Christmas". But do you really want to get to start the New Year's with a set-back? Of course you don't! You also don't want to start some 'diet' that leaves you feeling restricted & thinking about nothing except the food you're not getting to eat! This can be a recipe for a 'blow-out' disaster! What you need is a way to enjoy Christmas but still manage your weight, so here are some tips to help you enjoy Christmas & stay on track. Plan Ahead - Also known as Balanced Indulgence - It’s the time of year when it's so easy to indulge – a mince pie, a glass of wine, a handful of Quality Street – yes, it seems like a lot when you look at it from a calorie point of view. However, to counter this, all you need to do is take some time to think about things and plan ahead. If you know you’re going out for dinner, plan in healthy foods during the day and stick to your plan. If it’s a heavy weekend, eat well and exercise during the week.So many people beat themselves up over what they’ve eaten at this time of year when, in reality, as long as you’re eating in moderation overall, the odd bit of indulgence isn’t going to impact that much. One of the best tips I can give for maintaining a healthy regime over Christmas is that you don’t need to ‘start again’ – if you’re in a good place mentally about your diet and your health and fitness goals, you’re more likely to carry on and succeed, so one cheat meal, or day, isn’t going to ruin all your hard work. Have something before the party - You know what happens when you turn up to a party starving? You'll eat anything they give you! Hunger sabotages your resolve. To prevent yourself turning up hungry, have a light snack beforehand. Focus only on the things you like - Humans love variety, so when faced with endless canapes or a buffet situation, it's only natural to want to sample every single one. Don't do it! You will know from past experience, there's usually only a few things that you will really like. So, don't fill yourself up trying everything, just focus on eating the foods that you will really enjoy. Plate up - When you're in a buffet situation, instead of going back for seconds or thirds, put everything that you want to eat on a plate in the first instance...and stick to it. Don't go back! This will make it much easier to know how much you've eaten, and you won't leave the party feeling guilty or remorseful (or nauseated) that you ate too much. Cut down serving size - If you're given a slice of cake, you will typically tend to eat all of it. With this in mind, If you are having cake, it's best to ask for a smaller slice - savor it, enjoy it, and don't go back for more. Try and cut down your serving size of food and also alcohol (smaller glasses) and it will lead to you eating and drinking less. Have a "quality quota" - If you like a particular food, for example, mince pies, decide how many you're going to have for the entire Christmas period and stick to it. It could be three, five or even seven pies. You pick the number, but stick to it. And when you have a mince pie it has to be a good one, you have to eat it slowly and enjoy it without any guilt. If you are drinking alcohol, choose wisely! - My tip for the Christmas party season is to make wise alcohol swaps. Instead of creamy cocktails, I’ll drink vodka and soda with a dash of fruit juice, or choose a glass of wine topped up with a flavoured sugar-free sparkling water, such as apple and elderflower, or make a cocktail with a kombucha base. At Christmas time, I think a great incentive for me is to buy a gorgeous dress to wear over the party season. Promising myself I will wear it – and feel great in it! – gives me all the motivation I need to stay on plan. Don't buy Christmas food too early - You can still have a house brimming with food at Christmas, but just put off that "stocking up" for a few days. If you delay even a few days, it means less time that you're surrounded by temptation. Seems like a trivial step, but it does make a difference. Christmas is a time for sharing! - Sharing is the best way to sample foods you like without having to eat the whole thing, so get a buddy to help you out. Delay don't deny - We don't like hearing the word 'no'... even when it's from ourselves. As soon as you deny yourself something you feel an increased desire to have it. Get around this by "delaying not denying". You want that sweet treat? Sure. Just say you'll have it after you've checked your email, watched that TV show or gone for a walk. You'll be surprised by how many times you end up not eating it after the delay. According to a recent survey, diet is the most common trigger of everyday guilt for women - closely followed by fitness. The biggest problem with guilt is that it can make us feel hopeless and deflated. Guilt is a terrible motivator and will only lead to a pattern of bingeing and restricting - be that food or exercise. Instead, make some rules around food that involve things you should have rather than things you shouldn't. When it comes to nutrition, viewing food as 'harmful' can be incredibly dangerous, particularly when we often believe that a single or even a couple of bad meals are going to impede our health or appearance, which isn't necessarily the case - our guilt is often based on inaccurate assumptions. The truth is that a big delicious Christmas lunch or dinner should be something we look forward to and enjoy - remember it isn't going to impact our health in the long term, unless we start to eat this way every day! Make sure you move - Dance! Run! Jump! Whatever you do, just move! It's often easy to fall into reverse with exercise routines when diet goes out the window. However it's not only gym-based workouts that burn calories, or keep those extra kilos from showing up. Christmas is family time - have some fun with the kids, they'll keep you on your toes and that will be burning calories. Music will definitely be playing at most gatherings. Grab a spot on the floor and dance like no-one is watching. There are so many ways to keep that heart rate high, and most of them you can include others in. As long as your butt is anywhere but the couch, you're off to a good start. Don't let setbacks set you back - It's Christmas, you want to enjoy it with family & friend without feeling like you are restricted or missing out, so you'll most likely eat a l little more than usual, but it doesn't have to be a total blow out. If you over indulge, don't let one over-eating incident put you off or make you discouraged. The worst thing you can do is over-eat, feel discouraged and then over-eat more with the 'oh well, I've blown it now anyway' attitude. Just get right back on track - it will make all the difference.  THE HUNGER IS REAL – BUT YOU CAN BEAT IT. A recent study can help us understand why it can be so difficult to maintain a healthy weight after substantial weight loss. The study, just published in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology & Metabolism, studied appetite in patients who participated in a comprehensive 2-year weight loss program & found clues as to why maintaining weight loss long term is so difficult. After two years all the participants had lost weight, but everyone was also hungrier than when they started. The key appears to be in the balance between hunger & satiety hormones in people who have lost a lot of weight. Proper diet and exercise are the keys to maintaining weight loss. So, if you also realise that a you are on the right track, but a hormone is what’s making you feel hungry, it may be easier to cope with the hunger. On average, two out of ten people manage to keep weight down after participating in a weight loss program. Most people can lose weight, but research shows that only 20% manage to maintain their new lower weight without monitoring & assistance. There is a register in the US that follows people who have lost weight through lifestyle change. It looks at people who had lost at least 14 kilos and maintained the weight loss for a minimum of one year. On average, most people on the register had lost 32 kilos and maintained their weight loss for six years. The people who managed to maintain their weight loss had the following in common:
So why do you feel ravenous? From a purely biological perspective, this is due to human evolution and the body’s ability to survive by releasing hormones and conserving energy. It’s a phenomenon that goes back to when early humans had to survive bouts of famine. The body is trying to revert to the previous weight. When we lose weight, the stomach releases greater amounts of a hormone called ghrelin. This is the hormone that makes us feel hungry. Everyone has this hormone, but if you’ve been overweight and then lose weight, the hormone level increases. Studies have also shown that Leptin levels decrease. Leptin is the hormone that supresses our hunger. This means that people who have been overweight get the double whammy & deal with increased hunger. Basically, as weight goes down leptin levels also go down, while ghrelin levels go up & stay up. At the same time, due to weight loss, the energy needs for basic functions such as breathing, sleeping, walking & eating drop. In other words, people who have lost weight need less energy to maintain their new lighter bodies, yet they feel hungrier, because the body is trying to get their weight back - just to be on the safe side. On the up side, participants in the before mentioned study reported that the feeling of satiety after a meal had increased since losing weight, so let’s try to focus on that. So, what can we do to counteract the hunger? Slow & steady is the way to go. It may take six months or more of consistent daily exercise combined with mild calorie restriction to reach a lower hormonal set point, but it will help to maintain your new weight in the long term. Exercise every day. This doesn’t mean you have to ‘workout’ everyday, but you do need to be active every day. I recommend working out a minimum of 4 times per week & increasing incidental exercise to help keep ghrelin levels down. Optimise your meals. Protein & fibre are your best friends. Both slow down digestion & make you feel fuller for longer. When hunger strikes, increase your protein intake by about 10 grams at each meal & double the amount of non-starchy veg on your plate. Look for complex carbs like whole grains, veggies & small amounts of fruit containing plenty of fibre. Avoid foods that are high on the glycaemic index. These spike then plunge your blood sugar, leaving you ravenous. Avoid diet drinks. Because they are sweet, they lead your body to expect a burst of energy from the ‘sugar’. When the sugar doesn’t come, your brain instructs you to eat to provide the ‘missing’ calories. Eat every 3 hours to maintain your blood sugar levels. If you are actually hungry, not just craving, eat smaller meals every 2 hours. This can draw down the tummy rumbling ghrelin levels. Eat probiotic rich foods. These can help stimulate the release of the satiety hormone peptide YY about 20 minutes after a meal. Look for foods that support healthy micro-organisms in your gut. Try fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut & kombucha. Perhaps try a good quality probiotic supplement. Drink water to help you feel fuller, particularly before a meal. Weight maintenance can be difficult, if it wasn’t we would all look like bikini models. Evidence points to the need for long-term support & care, such as recording food & exercise to stay accountable & on track while forming new daily eating habits. Your new weight can be maintained – you just have to be vigilant & work at it. You know You Got This.  FOWO - fear of working out - it's a real thing... so let's see how we can overcome it. There can be any number of factors at play that stop you from exercising, even though you know you should. Let's take a look a few common barriers & ways we might be able to break them down. Problem - Fear of injury Solution: Start with less intense classes. The level of difficulty of some gym classes can feel too intense when you’re new. If you go too hard in an attempt to keep up with the class, you might hurt yourself. When scanning the group exercise schedule, look for “level 1″ or “beginner” classes & save any class labeled “extreme,” “high-intensity,” or “boot camp” for later in your fitness journey. Also, at the start of class, let the instructor know you’re new so they can offer support. Make sure you have the appropriate shoes for whatever workout you’re doing. This will provide the correct support for your joints & reduce the chances of injury. It’s also important to make sure your muscles are warmed up, so don't skip the warm-up before going full throttle. Good form is another component to avoiding injury. Many gyms offer introductory classes for things like boxing, that may require a new skill set. If it’s been quite a while since you’ve broken a sweat, easy into the workout - don't go like a bull at a gate. Be kind to your body & just get used to moving before you decide to break the world land speed record. Problem - Fear of looking bad in public Solution: Find a comfortable gym or studio with like minded people. If only we all had the coordination of Justin Timberlake, but alas, most of us exude awkwardness when it comes to nailing workout moves. N one really cares if you kick left instead of right, they are usually too busy trying to figure out which leg to kick themselves! Problem - Overwhelmed by the stimuli at the gym Solution: Tune it out. Gyms, especially at peak workout times, can be a multi-sensory experience — exciting to some & overstimulating to others. The bright lights & loud music are intended to get you pumped up, but that doesn’t work for everyone. If you find crowded gyms are too much for you to handle, find a gym or fitness studio with restricted small group sizes. You can also bring a long a work-out buddy, so you can focus on each other & block out some of what is going on around you. Problem - Working out is not fun, in fact, it’s miserable Solution: Find something you enjoy doing. One of the best parts about adulting is doing what you want (within reason). That applies to exercise too. Choosing an exercise that is fun for you will shift the focus from seeing your workout just as a way to burn calories, to seeing it as an enjoyable way to spend your time. Finding something you enjoy doing just for the benefit of moving your body can be a whole new way of thinking. Anything to bring happiness into your workout helps! Problem - Fear of failure Solution: Create a support group. This one’s a biggie. People may be afraid of failure & not even realise it. If you’re not on top of it, this underlying fear can lead to procrastination or not even trying at all. The best way to overcome this fear is to face it head on. Write out your fitness goals, have a plan & tell someone about your plan so that they can support you & hold you accountable. Again, a workout buddy is a good way of keeping each other on track. Problem - Extreme anxiety about exercise, in general Solution: Take mind-body classes. If your anxiety runs high, consider starting a mind-body exercise routine, such as Yoga or Pilates. Not only do these forms of exercise help us relax & get more comfortable in the body, they can help us understand our bodies & what they are currently capable of. Both Yoga & Pilates allow you to make choices about what feels good for you & your body at any given time, which is really important & empowering for people who are afraid of exercise. It is important to be active in any way you can manage, to keep your body & mind healthy. If you are suffering from anxiety, talk to your health care professional, & if you feel that you can, start to exercise in a way that makes you feel comfortable - You Got This.  So, it's that time of the month? For many, the natural reaction to Aunt Flo’s monthly visit is curling up in bed with Netflix & chocolate. But, ironically, it’s during our periods that our bodies are the most receptive to training & toning. In fact, some researchers have found that 30 minutes of aerobic exercise helps relieve cramps, bloating, mood swings & other symptoms associated with menstruation. The key is to not overdo it. Light to moderate exercise can reduce congestion in your pelvic area & increase the level of endorphins in your system,which results in a greater state of relaxation. Cramps, caused by contracting uterine muscles, can be eased by activities such as yoga, which increases the flow of blood to the pelvic area & simultaneously, stretches the muscles in the abdomen. Exercising also helps you sweat, which can reduce bloating. The best exercises to do during your period are those that stretch your lower back, abs & thighs. The most recommended exercises? Squats, planks, jumping jacks, lunges, sit-ups & rear deadlifts. The most recommended yoga positions are camel pose, fish pose, reclining big toe pose & reclining hero pose. Dr. Sims, an exercise physiologist at Stanford University & a leading researcher on the impact of menstruation on athletic performance, says that it’s during that time of the month that our bodies are most like men's. It’s during our period that our bodies have higher levels of pain tolerance & muscle recovery. During this time, your estrogen and progesterone levels are at their lowest, meaning an increase in energy! The toughest part of your workout will be getting out of bed & working through the initial cramps. So, this month when your period comes, don’t be afraid to jump out of bed & kick PMS in the butt by exercising! It’ll lighten your mood & help you feel even healthier & stronger than some of your regular workouts. You Got This!  YES... and NO. Confused? Well let me explain. In my view, regardless of what research says about how your body performs in the daylight hours as opposed to the dark, the best time for you to workout is any time you can make it to the gym! Life gets busy & finding time for a workout can sometimes be hard, even though you know it's in your best interest to make time because exercise enriches your life in so many ways. However, if you want to get technical, there is research that suggests that exercising at the same time each day can have added benefits, as your body anticipates the workout & knows to adapt, which could in turn generate more muscle. Now don't worry Ladies, we're not talking Arnie type muscle generation, we're talking 'wow, your arms look great! Have you been working out?' type muscle generation. And we want this...why? Because as you know, the more muscle you have, the more energy you burn - even when you are sleeping or indulging in a Netflix binge, which means managing your weight becomes less of a struggle. More muscle = GOOD. So in a nutshell the best time to exercise is: 1. When you can find time for a workout. 2. A regular time that you can stick to so your body anticipates & prepares. With consistency you can tailor your circadian rhythms (sleep/wake cycle) to your workout schedule so your body is primed & ready to go when you hit the gym. Yeah! You Got This!  It's a tricky question... & it's even harder to figure out when you first start working out, especially in the morning. Do I eat? I'm hungry & I need some fuel... but what if I feel icky when I exercise? Maybe I should wait & eat when I finish my workout? Sound familiar? Your body needs fuel to keep you going strong, but it needs the right fuel, in the right amount, at the right time. In an ideal world, it is best to eat 1 to 3 hours before exercise, so you have a chance to digest before your session. Otherwise your digestive system will be competing with the rest of your body for blood & oxygen, which can make exercising a little more uncomfortable than it otherwise should be. The best way to go is to have a snack that is a combination of carbs (for fuel) & protein (to build & repair muscle). This could be a banana & some peanut butter on a round of wholemeal toast if you have at least 60 minutes before your session to digest it, or if time is an issue, just a half a banana with a teaspoon of peanut butter, half an apple with a few nuts & raisins, or half a banana with half a hard boiled egg. I guess you can see that I am pushing the banana as an option? That's because it is a great source of carbs & is very easy on the digestive system, making it ideal pre workout. So should you eat before you workout? YES - just follow the guidelines above & don't eat too much!  Many things can trigger the urge to eat that have nothing to do with actual hunger & your body's need for fuel! So what else could be driving you to the fridge for a snack? And what could you do instead? Was it something you ate? Maybe the biscuit jar at work was too hard to resist, so you had a few with your cuppa, but now you are craving more... or something else... Although biscuits, pastries & sugary drinks might be what you think you need in the moment, they don't give you lasting energy, so you soon feel hungry again. That's because these types of 'sometimes foods' send a lot of sugar into your system all at once, causing your body to release insulin, which helps your cells use it as fuel or store it for later (which often never comes, so it stays stored as fat). Your body often releases more insulin than is needed, which can lower your blood sugar too much and make you hungry again. Are you feeling stressed out? At first you may not feel hungry because stress can cause a release of the hormone Adrenaline, but if your worries stick around for a while, your system cranks up the levels of another hormone called Cortisol. Unfortunately, Cortisol can make you want to devour everything in sight! The good news is that when Cortisol levels fall again, your appetite usually goes back to normal. Could it actually be thirst? Sometimes when you think you are hungry, you are actually thirsty, and could be a little dehydrated. Try drinking some water before you eat - still hungry? If it is hunger you are feeling, at least you've had some water & may be less likely to overeat. Do you eat too fast? If you wolf down your food, you might not give your body enough time to register that you're full. Slow down & enjoy your food. Take small bites & chew, then give it about 20 minutes & see if you are still hungry. You will probably notice that you consume less food in each meal. Is it food envy? Maybe you saw a Ad for ice-cream, you smelled freshly baked cookies as you walked past a bakery, or you left the gym & got a waft of the local KFC? Perhaps you weren't hungry until you saw your friend (who can eat anything & never gains a kilo) sit down with a large pizza? Any of these situations is enough to make you want to eat, even if you aren't hungry. What do you do? Recognise your triggers so you can avoid them, or come up with your own strategies to deal with them, like having a small healthy snack, waiting 5 minutes for the urge to pass, or repeating a mantra that works for you. Have you had enough sleep? Lack of sleep can change the balance of the hunger hormones Leptin & Ghrelin in a way that can make you want to eat more, & make it more likely for you to reach for calorie heavy snacks to satisfy the urge. So as you can see, there are many factors that can make you feel hungry when your body doesn't actually need more fuel. What to do? Get enough sleep, slow down when you eat, drink some water and try not to 'emotionally eat'... and if none of that works, and your body actually needs more fuel - EAT. Just choose healthy, fiber filled meals & snacks over sugary nutrient empty ones.  Do the words 'meal prep' make you think of hours of cooking & way too many little plastic containers? Do you think it's more trouble than it's worth? Well you're not alone there. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I don't think meal prep is a good idea... I'm just saying I'm busy... and lazy. So I've come up with meal prep for busy / lazy people - it takes less time & uses less little plastic containers. Prepare components of the meal - not the 'whole' meal. You don't have to cook 'whole' meals & pack them into identical little plastic containers when meal prepping. You can, in fact, cook up the 'meat' & 'veg' components separately so that they are available to add to a variety of different dishes. For example, sometimes I like to cook up roasted vegetables to keep in the fridge for a few days, ready to add to a steak or chicken breast, or perhaps to whip up a Roast Veg Salad. I also like to cook-up minced beef with a great tomato based sauce & mushrooms. This can be frozen & used later in dishes like Spaghetti Bolognese or Mexican Chilli served with rice or Tacos. Sometimes I cook up chicken thighs or breast & keep it in the fridge for a day or two, to add to stir-fry's, sandwiches & omelettes. Having good healthy food cooked & ready to go in the fridge or freezer means you have food on hand to throw together a great balanced meal quickly, meaning you are less likely to reach for a quick, less nutritious snack that doesn't support your health & fitness goals. It's a healthy time-saver. Cook extra at meal time. There is no need to have a 'special meal prep day' in order to have your meal components ready to go. Just get in the habit of cooking up a little extra at meal times so you have left overs for a quick lunch or dinner the next night - simple! If you are time poor & want to eat a little better, try meal prepping your lunch rather than buying take-away at work or going out for lunch - it will save you money & help you to make better food choices. Give it a try for a week or so & see the difference. |