Tag Archives: Healthy Food

Mental Wellbeing and Motivation, Nutrition, Time Saving, Weight loss

Healthy Plate, Healthy Weight

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Changing your lifestyle and workout routine is always the main focus when trying to become a healthier version of yourself.  How about looking at what’s on your plate, if you want a healthy weight you need to change your plate. 

When, What, Why

When to eat and Why

Timing your meals is as important as what you are eating, you need to make sure you start the day off with a healthy breakfast to get your digestive system working.  This will help to speed up your metabolism, which will result in you burning your maximum amount of calories without doing exercise. Do you eat late at night? Maybe this is why you struggle to fall straight to sleep and you aren’t giving your body the time to break down the nutrients. This will mean the body doesn’t use the nutrients and end up storing them as fats, remember whatever you eat is fuel for the body and it needs to have time to use this fuel or store in correctly.  

Timing your meal around a busy life can be hard but you need to make sure you do this, your body can’t run on nothing and you need to make sure you give your body what it needs to function as normal, this is not just food but water as well.  If you simply don’t have time to make a healthy meal then snacks can be used keep the body functioning, keep your strong with some great ideas here or for some healthy snacks take a look at this and make these in 5 minutes. 

What to eat and Why

Start the day off with a colourful plate, or even maybe a smoothie. This is all about giving your body vitamins it needs to allow your brain to function at its highest level, this will make you feel energised and refreshed.  For some breakfast ideas following the link here.

12pm hits you need to top up your fuel supply, it is a good idea to continue with the light meal theme as this will ensure that you don’t feel like you have over eaten and resulting in you feeling unmotivated for the rest of the working day.  Look here for foods that you can use to keep you energised for the hard afternoon ahead.

its the end of the working day you have been working hard all day and enjoying some light healthy food to get you through the day, now its time to reward yourself with one of your favourite meals. This meal should be a nice balanced out plate, you want to use all the nutritional groups. find out more about how to balance out your diet with the NHS Eat Well guide. 

What’s the Difference

It is easy to eat foods that you might think are healthy for you without knowing what you are putting into your body, follow these links to understand how you can effect you diet, understand carbohydrates, understand fats and understand nutrients.

 

Exercises, Mental Wellbeing and Motivation

Keeping Fit and Healthy as a Busy Student on a Budget

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Being a student it can be hard to get into a routine of healthy exercise, even more so when balancing University work alongside. A look online will bring up a wide range of articles and fitness classes to read and take part in. In this blog I want to offer some guidance as to how you can keep fit and healthy as a busy student on a budget.

My housemates have been trying to get me participating in workouts with them however, I have always had the same feelings when asked. There has always been a high financial commitment attached to joining the gym which has always been off putting for me. Even with the more competitive price of the University gym, I still find the gym as too high of a financial commitment. However, the gym is not the only place to effectively participate in a work out, there are many low cost options of staying fit and healthy that can be considered.

With the introduction of lock down last year I soon found myself looking for ways that I could stay active during those times. Home workouts soon found themselves established into my daily routines. Here are a few of the best ways that I have found to start your health and fitness routine!

Stay Hydrated

Glass of Water by Manu Schwendener on Unsplash

Staying hydrated is an extremely important way of keeping healthy. The NHS recommends that we drink around 6-8 glasses of fluid per day.  The easiest way to do this is to just simply have a glass of water with you whilst you’re studying. I have found this to be an extremely easy way of keeping healthy whilst I am at University. If you are not a fan of water on it’s own you can always add no sugar fruit juice or even a slice of lemon.

Water can also be useful in other areas of fitness such as being used in weight loss treatments, more information can be found here.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Keeping a healthy diet has just as much of an impact on your body as exercise can. If you are exercising you need to maintain a healthy diet otherwise all the hard work being put in is being wasted with a poor diet. Here is a link to an article where there is more information about how eating a balanced diet complements exercise.

When looking to change my diet, I found that one of my favorite ways of satisfying my hunger was through snacking. Everyone loves a snack, I probably love them a bit too much if I am being completely honest. To incorporate more of a balanced diet into my lifestyle, I have tried to start swapping out my snacks for a piece of fruit instead.

It is also important for you to eat properly before and after a workout. Here is a short blog on what you should eat before and after a workout. I would recommend giving this a read before attempting any workouts to ensure that training is effective.

Head Out For a Walk

Walking by Arek Adeoye on Unsplash

Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest ways for keeping fit and healthy as a student. Going out for a quick walk has been one of the best ways I have used to stay fit and healthy as a student. A full walking routine does not even have to be implemented into your day, simply walking to the shops instead of driving has the potential for huge benefits to your well being.

I have personally seen improvements to my mood since walking to the shops rather than driving. Being out in open space for a small amount of time is a nice change of scenery which has been a real boost for my mental health. More information on walking and mental health can be found here.  There are other perks of walking too as you get to discover the local area, opening up potential to find new walking routes to try out in the future.

Do not worry if you do not get the chance to go out for a walk. In the next section we are going to look as home workouts as an alternative way to keeping fit and healthy.

Home workouts

Home workouts are another great way that you can stay fit and healthy in your own time. There are an abundance of products that you can try with various workouts that can be used in conjunction with the products. As this blog is more focused on sticking to a budget, products suggested will have multiple uses to maximize the costs of the products.

  • Resistance Bands are a cheap and versatile way of easing into home workouts. Prices start at £15.99 with different prices being found dependent on the resistance of the band. The bands can be used for a full-body workout which I will link here.
  • Dumbbells are another low cost way to start home workouts. Prices start at £13.75 for 2 x 1 kg Dumbbells with prices increasing as the weight increases. Dumbbells can be used for any level too so whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced gym goer, an effective workout can be achieved with dumbbells. I will link a 6 week beginners dumbbell workout here and I will link an arm and upper body workout here.

Dumbbells and Resistance Bands by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

So, here are some really easy and simple ways you can begin to get yourself into a really good healthy routine. Sticking to the new routine will be hard at first, but stick at it! The benefits in the long run are worth it over the initial breaking into the new routine period and you will begin to feel so much better.

Fitness, Nutrition, Time Saving, Weight loss

Ultimate Meal Prep Guide: Weight Loss, Maintenance & Bulking

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Did you know when following any type of healthy diet plan to fulfil a healthy lifestyle the 80-20 rule is an important rule to follow by? This rule consists of 80% nutrition and 20% fitness, both in which compliment each other and are not effective unless they are fulfilled together. This rule highlights to us how important nutrition and our diet is hence meal prepping being key to maintaining this rule of thumb. For more detailed, prep planned aimed at specific needs check out our up and coming blog explaining what macros are and how to implement them.

 What is Meal Prepping?

The answer is in the name …meal prepping literally means prepping your meals in advance, this could be through choosing a free afternoon to pre-cook and portion your food out for a few days or even for the week. The goal is to help you stay on track through controlling your nutrition and calories to meet desired dietary needs and goals.

Why Meal Prep?

The beauty of meal prep is that it allows you to be ahead of yourself for a few days or a week. This is perfect for people with busy lifestyles or if you just simply need a little motivation, structure and a plan to follow. It also allows you to reduce your time and food shopping cost whist reaching you desired goal such as losing weight, maintaining weight or bulking.

How to Meal Prep?

Firstly you need to determine your end  goal, this will allow you to start your meal prepping journey in terms of making your nutrition and training plan personal to your desired goal.

Tips when Meal Prepping:

There are several useful tips for meal prepping… our top three picks have to be:

  1. Making a meal plan (set a day to cook every week)
  2. Weekly shopping list
  3. Exercise at least three times a week (this will help you maximise your visual results and see the real benefits of your meal prep journey).

Remember.. consistency is KEY.

Food Ideas

We have you covered with our quick and easy meal prep ideas for three different goals:

  1. Weight loss
  2. Maintaining Weight
  3. Bulking

Here is an example day of Meal Prepping for three different goals: 

Who said you can’t have fun when Meal Prepping ?

Weight loss

Breakfast: Egg Muffins – Eggs,Courgette, Spinach, Turkey Rashers.    Lunch: Tropical Salad – Quinoa, Tuna, Papaya, Mixed Leaves, Peppers,Grated Carrot, Feta Cheese.                                                                       Dinner: Nando’s Fakeaway- Nando’s Sauce, Chicken Breast, Sweet Potato, Broccoli.                                                                                                                     Snacks: 2 Dark Chocolate Rice Cakes, 1 Protein Bar.

A days Weight loss Meal Prep:

  • This meal prep example is very high in protein. The benefits of protein being a big assistant in helping the process of changing your body’s composition resulting in overall weight loss.
  • The most suitable exercise to complement your weight loss journey is cardio,  also interval training  is a good fun way to incorporate into your fitness regime. This type of training is when you alternate periods of high and low intensity activity. An example of interval training could be alternating between  sprinting and walking on a treadmill.

Maintenance

Breakfast: Overnight Oats- Protein Powder, Oats, Water.                         Lunch: Skinny N Spicy Salad- Chicken Breast, Sweet Chili Sauce, Rice, Mixed Leaves, Peppers, Grated Carrots, Cabbage.                             Dinner: Bangers N Grains – 4 Beef Sausages, Rice, Green Beans           Snacks: Handful of Mixed Seeds & Nuts, 1 Protein Bar, 2 Dark Chocolate Rice cakes.

A days Maintenance Meal Prep:

  • This Meal Prep example day shows the importance of balancing protein, carbohydrates and fats when following a maintenance diet. Protein is used for both energy and building muscle, Carbohydrates are important for energy and fats are used for energy after been broken down into fatty acids.
  •  When following a Maintenance Meal Prep plan to maintain your overall body weight, a balance of both strength training and cardio is the best to do this, as it allows you to strengthen muscles as well as keeping your fitness levels up too. Exercises for both cardio and muscle strength, could be sprints using the rowing machine.

Need a little more inspo and motivation? why not take a look at our guide to 20 Minute HITT Rowing Machine Workout.

Bulking

Breakfast: Peanut Butter Overnight Oats- Protein Powder, Peanut Butter, Oats, Water.                                                                                                           Lunch: Power Plate- 2 Tins of Tuna in Olive oil, Quinoa, 1 Avocado.   Dinner: Omega Loaded- 2 Salmon Fillets, 2 Sweet Potatoes,Broccoli Snacks: 2 Chicken Breasts, 1 protein bar, Bagel with Peanut Butter & Banana

A days Bulking Meal Prep:

  • There are several  key factors when Bulking such as feeding your muscles with enough nutrition. It is important to include fatty foods, this is to ensure muscles can be repaired as quickly as possible after heavy training. It is essential when bulking  to radically increase the calories consumed beyond your bodies needs. This provides fats to be a good way of getting your calorie intake up, as they’re over double the amount of calories per gram than carbohydrates and protein. For more advice see our guide to Why a high-calorie breakfast is good for weight gain. 
  • To maximise your  results, you need to be doing intense weight training, bulking is all about packing in those heavy weighted workout routines. The bulking process acquires you to have a lot of dedication, patience and commitment with your training, even at home there are no excuses weight training can still be fulfilled…. check out our resistant band workout  guide.

Change in Mindset

Meal prepping allows you to have structure, as it sets you up for the week, changing your mindset from your old bad habits to new good ones. This therefore motivates you to reach your goals. Along with Meal Prepping and training,  meditating a few times a week will allow you to completely detox your body with any stress or worries. All of these factors can have a knock on affect in your new regime of meal prepping; getting into a new routine to better yourself.

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fitness, Mental Wellbeing and Motivation, Nutrition, Uncategorized

How to manage your weight in a healthy way

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Whether it is losing weight or gaining weight, managing ones weight is a hot topic in society today. And with the advent of the world wide web, the people in the society are more confused than ever before.

But why has managing ones body weight become such an important topic? NHS, WHO, CDC and almost all of the leading health organisations of the world are unanimously saying one thing, “Obesity is on the rise and more common now than ever”.

The majority of adults were overweight or obese; 67% of men and 60% of women – NHS UK

These never seen levels of obesity bring a whole host of health issues with them ranging from increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes to even cancer. The issues are not limited to the physical level, the mental wellbeing is also at risk. With teenagers having unrestricted access to social media, which has plenty of “fitness influencers” flaunting their perfect bodies, body image issues are becoming prevalent.

Content-

  • But how did it get so bad?
  • So, what can we do to manage our weight?
  • So, let us start by dispelling some common myths
    • There is no “best” diet
    • There are no “bad or good” foods
    • You can not “out-workout” a bad diet
  • Conclusion

But how did it get so bad?

The fundamental cause of obesity is an energy imbalance. There is disparity between the calories consumed and the calories expended. This can not be pinpointed to one single thing that we are doing different, rather this is a result of multiple things happening. With globalisation, there is an increase in the intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat and sugars, also there is a decrease in the physical activity of people due to the increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

So, what can we do to manage our weight?

It is really hard to navigate through the internet while trying to the diet or workout plan that will work for you. The internet really is full of advice from a range of individuals that you most probably have never met before. You will go through many blogs, much like this one, in the quest of finding the right diet or workout.

So, let us start by dispelling some common myths-

  • There is no “best” diet

This might come as a surprise after so many people claim that so and so diet was life changing for them. And the options really are limitless whether it is keto or carnivore or vegan or intermittent fasting. As we have mentioned before, the only thing we need to remember is the concept of energy balance. To successfully lose weight, we need to consume less calories than what we expend. You can do that with some extreme measure like cutting the carbs out of your diet (Keto), or just living on meat (carnivore) or you can have all the foods you like in limitation and just making sure the total calories are less than what you expend.

I know it sounds a bit too easy but it really is. It would be a bit of trial and error to find the calories you need to consume but once you start figuring things out, it becomes effortless.

  • There are no “bad or good” foods

Again, this might sound very controversial with the whole internet worshipping avocados and chia seeds. Can you still be healthy if you eat a meal from McDonald’s once a weak? Absolutely. Can you still be unhealthy if you eat avocadoes or those other “super foods” religiously? Absolutely. So, sugars and fats are not evil? Absolutely.

We should try and look at food and meals as pieces of a large puzzle (calorie that we need to consume). We should see what foods would fit our puzzle nicely, according to our dietary preferences, what we enjoy eating etc. We should definitely try and consume raw foods or cook them ourselves and eat less of the processed foods. But that it is not to say that processed foods are off limits even once in a while.

  • You can not “out-workout” a bad diet

The other way to lose weight can be by looking at the other side of the equation, the calories expended. Theoretically, if we can increase our calories expended and get them higher than our calories consumed then we should lose weight. That is where exercise comes in. Whether it is running, jogging, cycling, or swimming, it is some form of cardio (cardiovascular exercise) that comes to mind when we first think of weight loss. “I am going to start running as I have put some pounds on”, we have heard this very often.

But what we fail to realise is that workout or exercise can be a tool that can be used in tandem with caloric restriction to achieve superior results. But on its own, without any control over what we are eating, cardio will not be that effective. The calories people normally burn while working out will usually only account for about 5 % of the total calories expended in the whole day.

This is not to portray exercise as something negative. It is definitely encouraged, and a workout plan should be followed which will allow you to achieve your goals whether they are weight loss, muscle gain or anything else.

If you want to learn more then check out the blog post linked below

How to make a successful workout plan

Fitness Myths: Cardio will make you lose weight

Conclusion

I am hoping this would have cleared some of the common misconceptions with regards to approaching weight management or fitness goals.

Overall, our goal should be to eat or consume calories according to our goals. If we want to lose weight, then we need to consume less than what we expend or vice versa if we want to gain weight. No foods should be off limits unless you are allergic to them or if you do not like them!

Exercise can be a great supplement when used with a controlled diet. In fact, people should be encouraged to move more. Whether that is by going to the gym and working out for an hour or just making more movement conscious decisions during the day (taking the stairs rather than the escalator) etc.

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

Weight loss

Long sedentary office workers how to effectively lose weight

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When I first came to the UK to study, due to long hours of study, I had to sit all the time except for bedtime. I sit most of the time. Sitting and going out made me gain weight quickly. Due to long-term sedentary exercise and irregular take-out food, sedentary working people are prone to obesity, especially those who are not used to work at the beginning of 18-24. The term weight loss has become a long-term issue that people have been discussing. Weight loss is a behavior aimed at reducing excess body fat and weight.

You will find information in this article

  • The dangers of sedentary
  • Effective ways to lose weight for workers (exercise)
  • Effective ways to lose weight for workers (diet)

 

The dangers of sedentary

Nowadays, a fast-paced society and high work pressure have caused many people to be physically and mentally exhausted and suffer from metabolic disorders. Coupled with high-energy, unbalanced fast food, takeaway, milk tea and beverages, the working population will inevitably gain weight. Due to busy work, people have no extra time to exercise. They eat after touching things on hand, and sit and lie down after eating. Lack of exercise can cause body fat to accumulate over time. Causes the appearance of obesity. Many people are used to sitting down all day in the life. This bad habit will increase the risk of obesity. This is because sitting for a long time will slow down blood circulation, metabolism will also slow down, and the food eaten is not completely consumed. Instead, it will be stored in the body in the form of fat, leading to obesity. At this time, we need to solve the problem of how the working population lose weight.

If the worker controls sitting, due to long-term immobility and lack of exercise, the muscle strength of the lower limbs will be weakened, which will easily lead to slight accumulation. If the diet is not properly controlled, it will accumulate in disguise occasionally and easily lead to obesity. Obesity can indirectly lead to diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and other diseases.

Effective ways to lose weight for workers (exercise)

1. Long-term sitting for appropriate activities
If people who sit for a long time want to lose weight, they should improve by sitting for a long time. You can also do some exercise in the office. People have many opportunities to stand up and walk around during work breaks. For example, photocopying materials, meetings, going to the bathroom, and other opportunities to stand up and move around. When going up and downstairs, if time permits, please choose the stairs instead of elevators as much as possible.

2. Do some small exercises secretly
You can do many small exercises while sitting, such as secretly tightening the front. Tighten the front, then hold for 5 seconds, then relax, and then pull the hips. In this way, you can sit on a stool and raise your legs. Sit upright, raise your legs parallel to the ground, hold for 10 seconds, and then lower. Doing ten sets once a day is good for firming your legs.

3. Keep doing exercise after getting off work
Office workers lack computer exercise for a long time, which is not good for their health and tends to gain weight. The best way is to take a break to get off work or do more exercise. Exercise is one of the most important ways to lose weight. You can choose to ride a bicycle or walk. Drive or take public transportation. At the same time, doing housework is a good exercise that can help you burn calories.

4. Exercise at home
Workers are usually very busy. This is a good choice for us to exercise at home. Go to the gym to waste time driving, wait in line to use the equipment and pay expensive membership fees. Exercise.co.uk provides an APP for exercise at home. You can combine the APP to exercise for an hour at home, and can provide a personalized plan that best suits you until you reach your fitness goals such as weight loss and body shaping.

 

Effective ways to lose weight for workers (diet)

1. Try to stand for half an hour after dinner
Office workers often have lunch in the cafeteria or takeaway because of the tight noontime, and sitting after a meal can lead to fatter buttocks and buttocks. So no matter how tight the time, try to stand for half an hour after eating, effectively avoiding the appearance of fat in their waist and abdomen.

2. Drink plenty of water
A very important way to improve people’s metabolism is to drink plenty of water. Drinking at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day is very helpful for weight loss. In addition, when you are particularly hungry or want to eat snacks, you can also drink a glass of warm water, which can effectively reduce your appetite.

3. Healthy and reasonable eating habits
During exercise and weight loss, if you do not pay attention to your diet, it will be difficult to lose weight successfully. Whether your goal is to lose weight or stay in shape, a healthy diet is an important part of it. Intermittent fasting is a typical disruption of the diet (e.g. eating only a little fruit for dinner), which can lead to malnutrition. Blind dieting will reduce the body’s basal metabolic rate. After returning to a normal diet, the weight rebounded immediately, even heavier than before the diet. Repeated dieting can easily lead to overeating. The diet should follow the pattern of less oil, less salt and less sugar. During the weight-loss period, you must eat breakfast. A high-calorie breakfast will not affect your weight loss. If you do not eat breakfast, you will not be able to replenish energy in time. The human body will feel fatigued and affect work efficiency; skipping breakfast will increase hunger, which may make you eat more at noon, and even tend to eat some greasy food to satisfy hunger, which is not conducive to weight loss.

 

If you want to learn more about weight loss, please click on the link below:

https://www.exercise.co.uk/learn/best-exercises-for-weight-loss-and-calorie-burn/

https://www.exercise.co.uk/learn/when-how-often-should-you-eat-to-reach-your-goals/

https://www.exercise.co.uk/learn/6-ways-to-make-exercise-more-fun-without-trying/

https://www.exercise.co.uk/learn/10-tips-on-busting-through-your-weight-loss-plateau/

https://www.exercise.co.uk/learn/how-to-cut-down-workout-times/

 

Exercise and diet should follow reasonableness. Please avoid excessive exercise and dieting behaviour. If you feel any abnormal symptoms, immediately stop exercising and overeating to lose weight, and seek medical attention immediately.

Weight loss

How to lose weight in a healthy way

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Losing weight is a topic that most people are concerned about nowadays, how to lose weight healthily needs to be considered. Some people try to lose weight in an unhealthy way, which often affects their health. For example, people who lose weight through excessive dieting may lose weight quickly in the short term because of the use of muscle and water weight during this period. It’s an unhealthy way to lose weight. When you don’t control what you eat, you gain weight quickly. It also causes damage to your stomach.

You will find information in this article

  • What is a healthy way to lose weight?
  • HIIT
  • Cardio
  • What is a healthy way to lose weight?

A healthy way to lose weight is to control your diet and exercise more. Before you lose weight, you should know that fat and muscle are completely different tissues and have different functions. Fat is the accumulation of excess energy in the body, while the muscle is formed by the use of energy in the body. Exercise weight loss is a popular way to lose weight. The process, can not only help the dieters to convert the heat into muscle but also has a good shaping effect. Next are some of the most common exercises

  • HIIT

woman holding brown ropes

HIIT is a calorie-burning method that has become popular in recent years. The muscles burn a lot of calories during exercise. The effect will be seen in the short term, but the exercise is very tough. Due to the high training intensity, body load, and cardiopulmonary pressure are very high, HIIT stabbing training is under 30 minutes. But for new people is very difficult to really do it, perhaps in the first 5 minutes is in line with the standard of high-intensity training, the rest of the time due to fatigue, physical pain, subjective consciousness of depression, and other reasons can not achieve high-intensity exercise, thus affecting the effect of exercise. Similarly, most people will choose a fitness App or a training video that without the guidance of a professional coach. They will complete a set of training with non-standard movements and non-compact rhythm. So the newbies who decide to lose weight through this kind of exercise need to find a course with simple movements and short training time, and gradually increase the training intensity so that they may have better results. Continue reading How to lose weight in a healthy way →

Nutrition

A Basic Guide to Set A Suitable Diet for The Elderly

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“Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age.”

That is an interesting quote from Victor Hugo, a French author. While some people are afraid to get older and weaker as they turn fifty, it encourages people to stay optimistic and think positive. In fact, ageing will not really stop you from enjoying life, playing with your grandchildren, walking around the town, shopping needs, and meeting up with friends. Moreover, it would be best if you lived well, such as manage your dietary habit.

How to select the right diet will vary depending on each person’s condition and nutrient needs. Several individuals may be resistant or allergic to specific foods, while others are just fine. Therefore, the elderly should be more selective and wise in consuming daily food, while the body’s ability to process eaten food will slowly decrease.

In this post, you will find some useful information about diet for older people regarding:

  1. Quantity of food
  2. Quality of food
  3. Salt, sugar, and alcohol consumption

QUANTITY OF FOOD

The first idea is that you must recognise your daily portion serving. You should have the right amount of daily food supply to balance the calorie with your daily activities. Since your actions tend to be fewer and lighter in old age, avoiding overeat is crucial to stop the body stores excess calories as fat and leads to obesity problems. On the other way around, malnutrition also often happens when older people did not get enough nutrition in daily life. The estimated average requirements (EAR) for the elderly based on the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition Report 2011 as follows:

For the next step, you can calculate and arrange your menu based on each food calories content. Here are some examples of groceries with their calorie.

If you need to check the other food calories content, you can simply use the NHS calorie checker calculator.

QUALITY OF FOOD

Another factor that also crucial is your meal menu. To ensure the body gets enough nutrients, it should be  consist of these four ingredients.

Fruit and vegetables

It is widely known that fruit and vegetables are essential for healthy lifestyles.  World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of severe health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. It initiates a 5 A Day campaign that proposes a habit of 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. You can get one amount of fruit and vegetable from:

      • 80g of fresh, canned, or frozen fruit and vegetables.
      • 30g of dried fruit.

Starchy foods and fibre

Starchy foods can be the primary energy source since it has calcium, iron and B vitamins. Besides, it can also be your fibre supply by consuming whole grain varieties such as wheat, oats, barley, and brown rice. High fibre foods can help us to feel full longer and prevent indigestion, such as constipation. Potatoes also can good to be consumed. It contains less fibre but has high vitamin B. There are still many options of carb foods that can make your meal more diverse.

Milk and dairy foods

There are many essential nutrients that you could get from milk and dairy foods, such as calcium, vitamins A, D and B12, and protein. As you get older, calcium is needed to strengthen our bones with the help of vitamin D. To make a healthier diet, the elderly should choose low-fat milk or skimmed milk with lesser saturated fat than whole milk. However, you should be careful to select those who have less sugar ingredient.

Lean protein

It would be great if older people could consume at least two portions of fish every week. One of them should be oily, such as salmon or mackerel. Meat could also be a good source of protein, vitamin B12, and iron, but you should pick lean meat and reduce consuming processed meat with fewer nutrients, such as sausage, ham, and bacon. Beans and peas are excellent substitutes for beef because they have low fat but high fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Another option of high protein and mineral food is eggs, but you  should be careful with the yolks that contain more calories and fat than the whites. Vegan protein also could be an alternative.

SALT, SUGAR, AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Besides being a sodium source for the body, salt could also raise blood pressure which is a primary risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Older people should be prudent to look for food ingredients in the label packaging to avoid high salt consumption. Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt per day and be cautious with high salt foods.

According to the NHS, most sugars most adults and children in the UK overeat are “free sugars.” They come from any sugars added to food or drinks, also sugars in honey, syrups, or nectars. Sugars found naturally in milk, fruit, and vegetables do not count as free sugars. Too much sugar could take the lead to weight gain, increase heart disease and diabetes risk. However, a sugar-free diet is not always to be a healthy one.

Alcohol could be another problem for the elderly which not as intensive as the younger ones. Consuming much amount of alcohol could lead to several health problems, both physical and mental health. You can also read more about alcohol that is often connected with weight loss here.

ADDITIONAL TIPS

The elderly can get many benefits by doing a range of activities. Taking regular exercise will help to burn your calories, so they will not be accumulated and stored as fat. To maintain your fitness level, a lot of option is available,  whether by performing outdoor or home exercises.

For further information, you can read more the guidance from NHS, how to eat well and exercise as you get older.

Fitness, Nutrition

Bodybuilding On A Vegan Diet

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It is a common misconception that bodybuilding and following a vegan diet are mutually exclusive. This is false! Bodybuilding is all   about eating right and training hard, whether animal products are included or not.

Diet plays a huge part in building muscle. Traditionally, bodybuilders include eat a lot of meats, due to their high protein and calorie content.  As vegan diets exclude a lot of food groups, it is important to know which foods contain key nutrients to build muscle.

For muscle gain, protein intake should be around 0.7-1.0 grams per pound of body weight and a calorie surplus of around 10-20% is recommended. Vegan diets do tend to be lower in calories than those including animal products, so you will need to significantly increase your portion sizes to be successful and avoid unwanted muscle loss.

Attempting to lift heavy weights and carrying out intense workouts with insufficient calorie or protein intake can be dangerous, so careful meal planning is absolutely vital. If you are new to the vegan diet, start with low intensity workouts until you have fully adjusted to avoid injury! Click below to learn how to safely lift heavier weights.

https://www.exercise.co.uk/learn/why-and-when-to-lift-mote-weight/

What To Eat & When?

For the best results, it is critical to get the right balance of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and to schedule meals around your workouts. Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are also important to remember, as they are crucial for maintaining good health and aiding the muscle building process.

Proteins

Eating protein is key for bodybuilding, as it is responsible for maintaining nitrogen balance within the body. When the body has sufficient protein, it has a positive nitrogen balance, therefore is in an anabolic state. This means it uses proteins to build muscle tissue. However, if you have a negative nitrogen balance, your body will break down muscle tissue to use for energy and enter a catabolic state.

Proteins are made up of of amino acids. Most of these are made by the body, but there are nine essential amino acids that can only be obtained by consumption – foods containing all of these are “complete proteins”. Nutritional guides can tell you which amino acids are in various foods.

For bodybuilders, protein intake should occur every 2-3 hours. This is easily achieved by having 5-6 smaller meals a day or having plenty of snacks ready. High protein intake is recommended 1 hour pre-workout and within an hour post-workout. It is common to use protein shakes or other sports drinks for this, as they are not too heavy. The largest protein intake should occur approximately 1 hour before bed as the body will naturally enter a catabolic state during sleep. 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates can be a controversial topic for some, but the fact remains, that they are the primary source of energy for the body and the macronutrient that is most easily broken down for energy. Therefore, carbohydrates are essential for bodybuilding. Your body breaks carbohydrates down into glucose for immediate use or stores it as glycogen for later use. 

Some glycogen is stored in muscles. When those muscles are used, the glycogen is converted into energy to be used instead of breaking down muscle tissue. Glycogen stores are also essential for the muscle repair that happens post-workout.

Your biggest meal of the day is usually your highest carbohydrate intake, this should occur 3-4 hours before your workout. Many athletes also benefit from another smaller carbohydrate intake about 1 hour pre-workouts to ensure the body is energized. High carbohydrate intake is also essential post-workout to top up depleted glycogen stores.

Carbohydrates are made up of sugar, fiber and starch.  Simple carbs are higher in sugar and should be avoided – these include cakes, biscuits, sugary cereals and white bread. Instead, bodybuilders opt for complex carbs, high in fiber and / or starch, e.g. fruits, vegetables, whole grains and rice.

Fats

Contrary to popular opinion, fat is essential for a healthy lifestyle. As the third macronutrient, it is easily overlooked by bodybuilders and there is a heavier focus on protein and carbohydrates. 

Vegan diets are already lower in calories, so fats can help bodybuilders consume enough to stay in a calorie surplus as they are caloric dense. Many key vitamins are fat soluble, this means that they can only be absorbed in the presence of fat – some examples include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K.

There is no specific recommended time to consume fats, however it is important to remember that fats slow down the digestion process. This means they are great to consume before sleeping, to keep your body in an anabolic state for longer overnight.

Omega-3 fats are highly praised in the health community. This is great news for vegans as nuts and seeds are rich in omega-3.

Micronutrients

Vitamins and minerals are essential for maintaining good health. Most fresh fruit and vegetables are high in macronutrients anyway which is great news for vegans! 

When bulking, the most important micros to look out for are iron, vitamin C and calcium. Iron is vital for transporting oxygen to the muscles and vitamin C helps increase the amount of iron absorbed by the body. Calcium intake is closely linked to metabolism in that insufficient calcium levels will trigger the hormone responsible for storing fat.

Head to https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-vegan-diet/ for more information on vegan nutrition.

5 Staple Foods

1) Tofu & Tempeh

These soy derived products make for great meat substitutes as they are packed with protein and extremely versatile! Tofu provides 13g protein per 100g and tempeh provides 19g protein per 100g.

2) Legumes

Vegan essentials such as beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas all come under this category. They are rich in protein, fiber and are a great source of vitamin B. Chickpeas, black beans and lentils are also great sources of carbohydrates. 

3) Nuts

As a great source of fatty acids and protein, nuts are a staple for building muscle (even for non-vegans). Almonds and cashews are among the most popular as they are rich in iron, but all nuts provide great health benefits. Many are also available as nut butters or non-dairy milks.

4) Quinoa

As a complex carb and a complete protein, quinoa is a great addition to any vegan pantry. It is high in carbohydrates and protein, as well as packing in micronutrients such as zinc, magnesium and iron.

5) Fruit & Vegetables

This one seems obvious, but fruit and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals, essential for any vegan meal!

 

Now you have the diet nailed, check out some great exercises for full body workouts and muscle gain – good luck!

https://www.exercise.co.uk/learn/what-are-the-best-workout-splits/