Tag: healthy foods

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Staying Healthy on Holiday

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Staying Healthy on Holiday🌴

We’re firmly in to the summer holidays now and many of my clients are going away and worrying about maintaining their fitness, so here are a few tips for staying healthy on hols.

#1 Workout anywhere

If you don’t have access to a gym or don’t want to spend your precious holiday time in one then no prob – take a resistance band with you and a skipping rope and you can do some cardio and resistance work wherever you are. 5 mins of skipping and a 5 – 10 min band workout is easily doable (crab walks, hip abductions, etc 2 – 3 sets of 10 -20 reps).

#2 See the sights

See the sights and get some activity in! Take walking tours around the city, guided treks in the countryside, hire a bike or a kayak, take a snorkelling trip etc. They are a fun way to get out, get active and see new places and make the most of your time away.

#3 Pack snacks

Finding healthy foods at airports and on planes/ferries etc can be tricky, so come prepared. Throw a few cereal bars in your luggage, pack fruit for the plane/ferry – this will hydrate you as well. If you’re out on day trips grab an extra apple or banana from brekkie and take that with you, or buy some local fruit and store it in your hotel mini fridge.

#4 Take time out

Emotional health is important too. Yes holidays are meant to be relaxing but they can bring their own stresses – especially if you’re herding small people around too! Try to take some time out to de-stress – try some yoga, meditation, even just a few mins of deep breathing.

#5 Try something new

What better time to try something new? If you’re at a hotel with outdoor activities give something new a go – paddle boarding, mountain biking, volley ball etc or perhaps they have classes etc so it’s a perfect time to try them.

#6 Explore

Don’t obsess about not finding somewhere to workout – just get out, have fun, explore and enjoy your holiday and you’ll probably find you’re more active than you realise anyway!

Happy holidays 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Downsize your weekend treats!

Dr Nancy P

Many of us do this – we’re spot on with our calories all week, with a sustainable calorie deficit and then come the weekend we over eat and blow the whole week’s deficit in one go. Many people don’t even realise the extent to which they’re doing this – they feel like they’ve been really ‘good’ all week and yeah they had a few treats at the weekend but they don’t understand why they’re not seeing results.

I understand – it’s the weekend, a chance to relax with family and friends. You buy yourself a bottle of wine, some crisps and chocolate to munch on while watching a movie etc. But very quickly you can rack up thousands of extra calories without even noticing.

I’m not suggesting that you cut out the weekend treats but maybe just consider going for smaller packs of those treats. If you buy the larger sized packs the chances are you’ll eat them all (I know I do!) because you’ve been ‘good all week so you feel you deserve them, because they taste good and because you’re in ‘relax mode’ so you’re less likely to go and weigh out an individual portion.

So maybe consider buying the smaller options. By simply swapping for smaller pack sizes you can save over 2,500 calories! If you buy these in advance, when your will power is stronger, you’ll be set up for an on track, but still enjoyable weekend! And those results will start to show!

🤗 xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Lemon water

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Lemon water 🍋

There are many claims on social media that lemon water aids digestion, detoxifies, rejuvenates skin, aids weight loss, boosts metabolism, balances pH, reduces inflammation, cures cancer, boosts the immune system.. etc. So is lemon water really an elixir of life? Nope!

# Weight loss

Lemon contains pectin (fibre) which aids the feeling of fullness, but a squeeze of lemon only leaves trace of pectin. It’s more likely that the water is filling you up and stopping you reaching for a snack. No magic from the lemon. 

# Detoxification

The only things in your body that are going to get rid of toxins are your liver and kidneys. They don’t need help, certainly not from lemon water. Nothing you eat or drink can ‘detox’ your body.

# Balancing pH

The idea is that our bodies are too acidic (causing issues from ill health to weight gain), and you must neutralize this with ‘alkaline’ foods. If your blood pH changes it is a physiological problem (which can result in death) and needs urgent medical attention. Nothing you eat or drink alters the body’s pH. Similarly countless studies show that cancer growth has nothing to do with alkalinity. Even if you could alkalise your body enough to kill cancer cells you’d be dead from the alkalinity!

# Boost metabolism

Lemon water has no impact on your metabolism. Most “metabolism boosting” foods actually do very little or create only a temporary effect – certainly a little squeeze of lemon won’t do it.

# Digestion

Staying hydrated is what benefits your digestive system, helping your body absorb nutrients. Adding lemon won’t make a difference. 

# Immune boost

A whole lemon contains 18.6mg of Vit C. The daily recommnded dose is around 80mg! Unless you’re seriously malnourished, it’s unlikely that you need the additional micronutrient benefit that lemon water might give you.

Lemon water can actually do you harm. It causes tooth enamel erosion and digestive issues e.g. gastroesophageal reflux disorder (heartburn, nausea, and vomiting) and recent studies have shown a link to migraines.

So drink it if you like the taste or the ritual of it, but don’t expect any health benefits from it!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Alcoholic drinks under 200 cals

Dr Nancy P

Alcoholic drinks under 200 cals! 🍸

If you are trying to lose weight/fat then alcohol is often one of the ‘easier’ things to cut down on to save calories. When I say easier I mean it’s an easily identifiable part of your diet which you can choose to either consume or avoid, not that it’s necessary an easy habit to change.

There’s no reason you have to give up alcohol to lose weight as it ultimately comes down to whether you’re in a calorie deficit. However it’s very easy to rack up several hundred calories in alcoholic drinks with little or no nutritional benefit. Meaning you will usually have the booze on top of whatever food you’re eating. In addition alcohol consumption can lead to poorer choices when it comes to food and you’re far more likely to end up eating more calories if you’re drinking or hung over.

So if you do want to still enjoy a drink but stay within your calories then here are a selection of lower calorie options. This list is by no means exhaustive – there are loads of other options out there but it’s a good overview of a range of different types of drink.

So you can still go out and enjoy yourself and have that drink without worrying it’s going to derail your progress!

Cheers! 🥂

Xx

(Nb the gin and tonic is a standard double bar serving – a single is around 60-90 cals)

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Why Weight Loss Plateaus

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Why weight loss plateaus 📈

Usually a few months into a new diet (or eating regime) we start to see plateaus – this is despite people claiming they are still eating the same amount (at a calorie deficit) and exercising the same. Why?

It could be that you’ve lost so much that your caloric requirements have dropped slightly and therefore you need to adjust your calorie goals, but there’s another more common reason.

A couple of recent studies found that as weight (fat) loss dropped participants subconsciously increased their calorie intake. For every 1kg of fat lost, they were consuming an extra 100 calories per day, without realising they were doing it. This is due to increased hunger in response to weight loss, and as the kgs drop, the extra calories sneak back in. So after losing 3-4kg that’s an extra 300-400 cals a day which puts you back at maintenance calories, stalling weight loss.

Another study also fund that for every 1kg lost participants expended 20 – 30 cals less energy per day. This is a subconscious reduction in NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) such as standing less, walking less etc and a decrease in bodily functions e.g. blinking less, breathing slower etc

Over the course of several months, with a fat loss of say 4kg you could be unknowingly consuming an extra 400 cals, and burning 120 cals less, that means a extra 520 cals a day which wipes out your deficit, can stall any fat loss and even cause weight regain.

So what can you do?

Usually a few months in, with fat loss going well, people go back to eyeballing portion sizes and that’s where those extra calories will sneak in from slightly larger portions, an extra 5g here and there etc so I encourage my clients to go back to basics and measure portions. Also be mindful of extra mouthfuls of things you’re not tracking (grabbing the odd handful of cereal, crisp, etc).

Focus on more filling foods to help combat the hunger too – foods high in fibre, protein and good fats.

In terms of energy expenditure – try to be as active as possible – add a few more steps to your day for example, be mindful of standing more than sitting etc.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx