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.
Bowl of chickpea salad. Courtesy of: https://www.aipt.edu.au/articles/2019/09/how-follow-healthy-vegan-diet
Is a Vegan or Vegetarian diet plan too complicated to follow? Too expensive?
Veganism and Vegetarianism have been on the rise for the past 10 years, and are currently the biggest trends in food and nutrition. So why are people giving up their chicken and eggs? And more importantly, where can Vegans and Vegetarians get the right nutrients to ensure that not only they’re healthy, but their wallet is healthy too. We’ve done some digging, and we’re gonna spill the kidney beans on all the details you need to know…
Veganism is a bit different from being a Vegetarian. Vegetarians = don’t eat fish, meat, or anything that contains it e.g. gelatine or animal fat. Vegans = don’t eat any products that come from animals, including eggs, dairy, and honey.
Some make the decision to switch for animal welfare, or for the environment, but some choose to ditch the drumsticks, sling the steak and cut the chicken for their own personal health, not to mention some of the cost benefits. Whatever your reason, we’ve included loads of helpful tips, tricks and titillating meal ideas to help keep you full of energy no matter your personal goals at the gym.
Gaining Muscle
Woman using Pulldown Machine. Courtesy of: https://www.theultimatealphaproject.com/gain-muscle-mass-naturally/
Gaining muscle requires resilience, determination, and of course, protein. So if you’re looking to get as hench as John Cena, you’re in luck! You can definitely still do that on a Vegan and Vegetarian diet.
Seitan is a meat-textured substance made of wheat, originating from Ancient China. It is easy to find in most supermarkets, but also comes in a lot of pre-made vegetarian and vegan meat-substitutes, so if making it from scratch isn’t your style, it won’t be a problem. It takes in flavour really well, which means you can easily personalise it to your favourite hoisin duck recipe, or maybe your favourite pulled pork bbq sauce. And the best thing – it’s PACKED full of protein! A really easy way to enjoy a tasty meal whilst getting all the protein you need to bulk up.
Chickpeas and beans are a super-easy way to get protein into your diet, whatever meal you’re cooking. Kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and chickpeas are all really easy to find in the supermarket, and really cheap too! They can be popped into a curry, chilli or soup for some extra flavour and texture or even mashed into a patty and cooked however you like to make a protein-packed delicious burger. Chickpeas can be roasted by themselves with paprika and garlic for a tasty snack you can take on-the-go, at Tesco, you can pick up a tin of chickpeas for just 55p. Why not give some of these ideas a try!?
Extra Tip: Here’s a great recipe for roasted chickpea wraps that have 4 of your 5 a day! I’m munching on one right now and can confirm – delicious!
Peas:
Peas in a decorative bowl. Courtesy of: https://foodtolive.com/healthy-blog/delicious-foods-green-peas/
Ah, the unassuming pea. Something your Mum or Dad always had to force you to eat, but now a great way to get pea-tein in your diet in an incredibly healthy way. Peas are bursting with protein to help you gain muscle, but are also known to boost weight-loss and aid digestion, so a great addition to your dinner regardless!
You can get peas into your diet in really creative ways, seeing as you can cook them however you like, or even eat them raw! Have them on their own, as an addition to your Sunday roast, in a curry, rice dish or soup, even mashed with your cheat-day chip shop takeaway. They’re cheap, easy to grab at any supermarket, and really versatile.
Extra Tip: Check out some of these reci-peas on BBC Goodfood to see all the creative ways you can get peas into your diet!
Weight Loss
Person weighing themselves. Courtesy of: https://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/a19536817/weight-loss-tips-1/
Losing weight is different for everyone, depending on your activity, metabolism and routine; but generally, cutting your calories, eating healthier, and exercising more will help aid in losing extra weight. If you’re counting calories and worried about how becoming Vegetarian or Vegan might affect you, we’re here to help.
Extra Tip: If you’re looking for some at-home cardio help, check out this indoor trampoline for the most fun you’ll ever have working out!
Carbs: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:
Bowl of plain white pasta. Courtesy of: http://vineelasiva.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-cook-pastabasic.html
Brown bread loaf, partially sliced. Courtesy of: https://www.happyfoodstube.com/irish-brown-soda-bread-blenerville-ireland/
Refined carbohydrates (‘bad carbs’) are mostly known as bread, pizza, pasta, tasty and convenient, but aren’t too great if you’re looking to shed some pounds. They tend to not have much fibre and don’t make you feel as full as complex carbohydrates (‘good carbs’). Chickpeas, beans, soya, and whole-grain foods such as brown pasta and brown bread are all complex carbs that will help make you feel full without having a negative effect on your diet.
So if your meals contain a lot of white bread and pasta, try switching them out for whole-grain substitutes, and try adding more chickpeas and beans to your meals to make you feel more full, reducing your portion size and curbing extra snacks.
Extra Tip: Here’s some great recipes that include whole grains!
Highly Processed Foods:
Examples of processed foods. Courtesy of: http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/healthy-eating/ultra-processed-food-could-raise-cancer-risk-5-of-the-worst-to-avoid-11364250651590
As with any diet, it’s really easy to reach for frozen foods that are easy to sling in the oven after a long day of work. If you’re not already veggie or vegan, meat is a common example of processed food to avoid when dieting, as its high in salt and fat, so might be worth dropping.
If you’re already vegan or vegetarian, foods like frozen veggie burgers, microwave meals, and cheese, are all going to make losing weight harder. A better alternative would be preparing meals ahead of time so you can reheat them throughout the week when you don’t have time to cook, for example, soup, curry or bolognese that can be packed full of your favourite vegetables.
Extra Tip: Check out this exercise bike that will make you feel like you’ve cycled for miles even with Boris telling us to stay inside.
So if you think that going vegan or vegetarian is right for you, know that it won’t get in the way of whatever your goals are at the gym, and that going meat-free won’t cost you an arm or a leg to do!
Does timely nutrition need to be coupled with exercise to escalate weight loss?
Are you worried that even though you are exercising regularly still your rate of weight loss is very low? Answer this simple question and all your worries will be over. Do you take correct nutrition rich diet at the correct time? It is not necessary that you have to cut down all forms of fat to reduce weight. A diet rich in protein is a nutritious diet and aids in weight loss. So it is essential that a diet which contains animal fat such as egg, cheese, extra virgin olive oil coupled with correct exercise elevate the rate of weight loss. Contrastingly we would like also argue on this point doe your sake that not only a proper diet but a nutrition rich diet at the correct time is also a major governing factor in case of weight loss.
Exercise.co.uk is always there to help you in this regard. Through our blogs and expert opinion we aim at guiding in you towards nutrition rich diet that is scheduled at par with your exercise regime to ensure effective weight loss. People opting for weigh loss tend to skip breakfast or tend to have too light breakfast. But all they need is timely nutrition. So as per recommendation of our top nutritionist a timelyprotein rich diet between 6 O’clock in the morning to 10 O’clock is recommended for less accumulation of fat and better loss of weight. It even gives a sense of fullness which prevents sedentary snacking. 2-4 hours followed by this timely protein richdiet a mid-morning snack at around 12pm is recommended. This can be any type of nuts or fruits which are low in fat and sugar.
The lunch is another essential component of your diet and needs to be taken within 3pm to ensure timely nutrition to enhance weight loss process. The lunch need to comprise of protein such as whole egg, and minimum 50 grams of green leafy vegetables and accompanies with minerals in the form of grilled salmon or tuna. This timely protein rich diet is essential to improve the fat burning process. Just 2-4 hours after the lunch evening snack is recommended to reduce the gap between the meals as it can cause overeating. The prevention of over eating is an indispensable part in weight lossand ensures that you get timely protein rich diet. Finally the dinner needs to be between 5-7pm and needs to be rich in protein such as chick pea along with very low carbs and fat but rich in vitamins and minerals such as green leafy vegetables. Such combinational timely protein rich diet is ideal for weight loss along with proper exercise.
.
So do not wait further our experts at Exercise.co.uk are 24*7 available to help regarding your diet and nutrition. We care for you and your health and would be happy to guide in taking a timely diet that can help in your weight loss.
The concept of a calorie deficit is thrown around repeatedly when people are trying to lose weight. People are constantly preaching to others on social media, or in the gym, about using this straightforward method to make weight loss easy .
But people don’t understand what a calorie deficit actually is.
Asking people what this is or how to create the perfect deficit is sometimes too embarrassing but truly this is as straightforward as some preach. Following these simple steps will enable you to understand and lose weight while still eating the foods that you love.
For women, this subject is up there with the list of taboos. Its a topic that many women may avoid due to feeling uncomfortable. Its invasive and maybe, a little too personal. But if we don’t talk about it and raise the profile of it, how many women will suffer without seeking medical treatment and carry on living a reduced quality of life thinking its just ‘that time of the month’?
What is Endometriosis?
March is Endometriosis month and for those of you unfamiliar with the disorder, it affects 1 in 10 women. It can be very painful as the tissue, which would normally line the inside of the Uterus, grows on other parts of your body. Imagine heavy period cramps…all over your body, ouch! It is a chronic disease that can cause infertility as well as life threating kidney and liver problems as tissue around these organs fuse together.
At the moment, around 1.5 million women are living with this condition, however it is certain that there are many more women out there who are undiagnosed due to the lack of research there is and how little it is recognised and spoken about.
What are the symptoms?
Back Pain
Chromic Fatigue
Pain during sex
Painful bowel movements
Painful, heavy, irregular periods
How can I manage it?
As of now, there is no cure, however here are ways to ease the discomfort of Endometriosis through exercise and nutrition:
Limiting saturated fats through plant based or a lean meat diet can help to ease flare ups
Eating more Omega 3 rich foods such as oily fish, walnuts or seeds.
Exercise is also a great way to help manage flare ups and its recommended that 60 minutes daily, of low impact exercise will help to relive pain and fatigue. Exercise also lowers Estrogen levels. Lowering Estrogen levels may help improve symptoms.
Yoga is a low intensity exercise that stretches out the muscles, opens up the pelvis and relives pain as well as lower abdominal and pelvic floor exercises.
Swimming can help to discourage Endo flare ups as it is worth mentioning, not moving around can worsen the pain. Swimming can offer low impact cardio as well as strength training at the same time.
The MELT method has also been designed to tackle chronic diseases and provides a self treatment method that alleviates stresses and strains, making the pain more manageable. It gives you treatment techniques that you can do at home, in sequence and support you in leading a healthy life.
It can be difficult to get a diagnosis for Endometriosis and will require surgery via a laparoscopy. There is an average of 7.5 years before receiving a diagnosis, therefore it is important that if you suffer from any of the symptoms, you book an appointment with your GP straight away and use the nutrition and exercise tips in this blog to elevate as much of the pain as you can in the meantime.
To encourage women to use exercise as a form of treatment, Endometriosis UK are trying to spread awareness and end the stigma by motivating people to take part in a 1 in 10 challenge. They also aim for more people to talk about the disease, creating a community for women alike to come together, get advice and share their experiences.
Click the link to take part and read more about how you can #Endothestigma.
Are Your Over 55? How Being More Active and Incorporating the “Eat the Rainbow” Philosophy into Your Diet will Help Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease and Help You Become a Healthier Version of Yourself
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a significant cause of death in the UK and worldwide. Statistics show that around 7.6 million people living with heart disease in the UK: 4 million men and 3.6 million women. Getting older increases your risk of heart disease, with over 65s significantly more at risk of suffering from a heart attack stroke or develop CHD in comparison with younger people. Very often, the risk factors that play in causing heart and circulatory conditions are spoken about. There are some risk factors you can control, and some you can’t. However, being more active and eating healthily can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Be More Active and Workout!
Firstly, being more active and working out will reduce your risk of heart disease. It has been proven that regular exercise enables your heart and blood circulatory system to become more efficient, lowering your cholesterol level and maintain a healthy blood pressure level. The NHS recommend that you aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity every week; equating to 30 minutes a day for at least 5 days a week. However, if you’ve been inactive for a while, we recommend that you ease your way back into it, and gradually build up your activity to reach recommended levels. After all slow progress is still progress!
Here are Some Workouts That You Can Try
1. Weight Training Workouts
It has been proven that through the proper use of weight training equipment, e.g. dumbbells and barbells can help you strengthen your heart and improve circulation. Weight training increases lean muscle mass, and gives your cardiovascular system places to send the blood being pumped. Resulting in less pressure on your arteries, which helps to reduce the chances of heart-related problems.
Click here to check out top 10 dumbbell weight lifting exercising that you can do from the comfort of your own home or in the gym. If you don’t have a pair of dumbbells, don’t worry we’ve got your back! Click here to visit our shop section and purchase.
2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is also great way to improve and develop aerobic fitness. These are often short exercise routines often lasting between 15-20 minutes but have numerous health benefits. As they are quick and convenient they are perfect for over 55s that may not have time to visit the gym for hours a day. Why not try the video below? This is from TC60 – an award winning class and trainer Luke Wilson, as seen in Mens Health 2019. It is a great beginner HIIT workout that anyone can do at home.
There are many other workouts you can do to raise your activity levels, click on the following links for more ideas.
Incorporating the “Eat the Rainbow” Philosophy into Your Diet
Another way you can become a healthier you and reduce your risk of CHD is through incorporating the “eat the rainbow” philosophy through eating a variety of nutrient-rich, plant-based foods. Through the visualisation of the rainbow as you eat throughout the week, this will help you to incorporate a range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants into your diet. The colours that we see in our fruits, vegetables, and other foods, actually represent phytonutrients – essentially the nutrients that help prevent disease and keep your body working properly. How each colours of the different foods we consume can reduce the risk of developing heart disease as well as the numerous health benefits will be mentioned below.
University is known to be difficult for any student. It is additionally challenging when you have to navigate university life with a chronic illness. This is how you can improve the way you manage your chronic illness while at university.
1. Find exercise that helps, not hinders.
Exercise has fantastic benefits, you don’t want to miss out by thinking it’s not for you. But, your chronic illness is unique to you, so you need to find ways to exercise that suit your body.
A common misconception is that exercise always wipes you out leaving you more fatigued, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Rather than pushing yourself to the max at the gym doing high-intensity workouts, work regular low-moderate exercise into your routine. Your body will find this easier to cope with, minimising the chance of feeling fatigued afterwards.
Even in a boxy university bedroom, you can start a low-moderate exercise plan. Student budget-friendly equipment, such as a yoga mat, resistance bands, and toning weights are all you need to get started. Youtube is a great tool to find free workouts that you can follow at your own pace.
Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash
Another excellent piece of equipment for those with a chronic illness is an exercise bike. The wide range of resistance settings allows for a personalised approach to exercise. Plus, exercising from the comfort of your own home empowers you to set the pace, making exercise work for you.
Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash
Top tip: Start your mornings right! Challenge yourself to a 10k on an exercise bike while you listen to music or catch up on a podcast. This will energise you for a day of university.
2. Check your nutrition.
Vitamins and minerals are nutrients your body needs in small amounts to work properly and stay healthy- NHS
Depending on which chronic illness you have, it may affect your nutrition. Whether you’re catching colds easily or feeling tired and run-down, you could have a nutritional deficiency.
If this sounds like you, the first step should be consulting your medical team. You can get simple blood tests and check your key nutrient levels, like iron and B12. If these are low, they can recommend a treatment such as tablets, intravenous infusions, or injections. This can set you back on the right track for living your best university life.
Photo by Katie Smith on Unsplash
If possible, also eat a balanced diet including a wide range of food groups and supplement this with nutrient-rich protein shakes. Top tip: When choosing one, check that the ingredients include the nutrients that you specifically need.
Photo by Derick McKinney on Unsplash
Once you have improved your nutritional levels, you will hopefully start feeling more energised and be able to say ‘yes’ to more opportunities at university!
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Please consult your medical team before making changes to your exercise routine or nutritional intake, they can provide you with bespoke advice.
Wondering how to reach fitness with less exercise whilst staying healthy and young always and forever? Then keep reading, because this blog has got you covered. But before we start slicing the cake, have you ever heard the saying prevention is better than cure? I bet you have. Keeping that in mind and as a Generation Z /millennial member, one of the smartest gifts you could give yourself is to personalize this saying in terms of your health and nurture your God-given healthy skin and body into your desired form and shape by practising the 4 tips below
1. Have a Life
Yes, it’s that simple; have a life. Life is too stressful to be serious at all times. So, whether you are a student or a worker, ensure you live a balanced life. How is this possible? Pick one or two healthy activities which are of interest to you and practice them at least once a week. In my case, I chose to dance Kizomba once every Thursday for about 3 hours in heels. By so doing, I ended up burning my calories, obtained a toned body and improved my body fitness. This obviously doesn’t require much exercise in comparison to other alternatives. In effect, I achieved an enviably toned body, mastered the art of walking and dancing in heels and overall, obtained improved mental wellbeing. The trick, however, is to begin practising this strategy whilst you are young and fresh.
2. Have a Workout Plan
Identify areas of your body which you would love to tone and then create a mild workout plan around them to undertake twice a week. Since our end goal is to remain healthy and fresh forever, It is advisable to get one or two workout equipment in your household as an alternative to the public gym. This will ensure you have 24/7 access to them in the face of any unforeseen circumstance in the future.
3. Be Conscious About Your Diet & Eating Habits
Pay attention to everything you consume daily: you can’t afford to be passive about this. Thus, control your nutrients intake. Especially, in this 21st century where myriad information exists regarding nutrition and how to go about it. Click here in case you aren’t sure where to start. You also might want to eat slowly by chewing all your meals thoroughly to expedite digestion as this process begins with the saliva in your mouth. Drinking more water also helps in keeping your body & skin healthy as it keeps you hydrated and flushes out toxic materials from your body. A rule of thumb is to drink eight glasses of water a day.
4. Get Enough Sleep
Sleeping is so vital to the body and your health such that, you cannot underperform it. Your brain depends on it to function properly and what I love most about sleeping is that it involves zero exercises, yet it helps your body and wellbeing in tremendous ways. Medical experts have posited an average of 6 to 10 hours.
Okay, there you have it. Your comments are welcomed.
Swimming can help to discourage Endo flare ups as it is worth mentioning, not moving around can worsen the pain. Swimming can offer low impact cardio as well as strength training at the same time.
