Happy July and welcome on in to Perth’s short winter.
Over the next 8 weeks we find ourselves battling that inner voice telling us how nice it is to stay in bed for that extra hour or curl up on the couch instead of getting out and moving or stretching. Now is the hardest time to stay on track with your health and fitness goals… It is dark, wet, cold and we tend to crave heavier and warmer meals… Here are a few tips to stay on track and committed to your health and fitness over the next few months…
- Control portion sizes. Allow yourselves to have the heavier warmer foods we tend to crave this time of year but watch your portion sizes. It is a great idea to serve up on smaller plates.
- Not all carbohydrates are equal. When making heavier meals make sure you use less refined carbohydrates such as brown rice, quinoa and root vegetables instead of the processed white carbohydrates. Make an almond meal based bread to go with the soup and fill you up rather than reaching for that processed white loaf or add cooked brown rice to your soups or other non processed grains or beans to make soups more filling.
- Drink herbal tea. If you struggle to keep your water intake up over winter try drinking herbal infusions. This will keep you warm and to keep you hydrated. Hydration is important for our kidneys, skin and body’s systems. Staying hydrated can help you eat less as sometimes our bodies mistake being thirsty for being hungry.
- Set a timer on your bedside lamp to help you wake up in the morning. If you find it really hard to get out of bed in these early mornings you are not alone!! I use a digital timer on a bedside lamp to go off 5 minutes before my alarm. This helps stimulate a release of hormones from the brain which helps you wake up and get going!
- Meet a friend or join a group. Having accountability is going to help you make your exercise session… not to mention the guilt you will feel if you are leaving your friend waiting outside in the wet windy weather!! We are more likely to commit and show to an exercise session if we are meeting a friend or group. Check out our timetable here if you want to find a group to join.
- Enter an event. If you have a fitness or health goal that your are working towards you will find you will be more motivated to train. Keep your end goal in sight an remind yourself how great you will feel when you accomplish your goal!
- Remember why you want to…
