Weight and Healthy Living Advice
Being unfit and overweight is
detrimental to your long term
health. People who are overweight
are more likely to have diabetes,
heart disease, joint problems and
some form of cancers.
Healthy living is not just about
being the right weight but also
about changing your eating patterns
and exercise habits. Here are a few
tips for improving you overall
fitness and loose some weight.
What and How to eat
1. The foods that increase your
weight are:
- Fatty foods;
pastry, cheese, butter, fried
food, crisps, chips
- Sugary foods;
sweets, chocolate, puddings,
biscuits, cakes, ice cream
- Large amounts
of carbohydrate; Rice, bread,
pasta, potatoes
2. Vegetables are
healthy and can be eaten in any
quantity. Fruit has natural sugar in
it; if you are trying to lose weight
eat no more than three pieces a day.
The recommendations are for 5
portions of fruit and vegetables a
day.
3. Meat & fish are healthy but the
meat is better with the fat removed.
White meat i.e. poultry is better
than red meat.
4. A weight reducing balanced diet
therefore consists of plenty of
vegetables, meat, fish and small
portions of carbohydrate. Fatty &
sweet foods should be reserved for
treats.
5. If possible eat your main meal in
the middle of the day or early
evening. Food eaten late goes to fat
more readily.
6. Don't snack. Almost invariably
snack foods are high in Fat & sugar.
When thinking about what we eat we
often disregard the snacks which
account for the bulk of the
calories.
7. Drink as little alcohol as
possible. Alcohol is full of sugar &
significantly adds to your calorie
intake. When a bit merry you also
tend to eat high calorie food.
8. Drink 4-5 pints of liquid a day.
Don't drink fizzy drinks and
squashes with sugar in them, drink
the diet ones or preferably water.
9. Plan your meals ahead. This
enables you to plan healthy meals
and not have to resort to high
calorie food from the cupboard.
10. All pre-packed, prepared food
and takeaways are almost invariably
full of fat, sugar and high in salt.
Check the labels of all pre-packed
food including tins.
11. Trendy diets are ok for weight
loss in the short term. In order to
loose the weight and keep it off you
need to change your overall approach
to food with regards to meal times
and planning. A lot of the trendy
diets do not change your eating
habits long term & the weight
therefore goes back on.
12. If you are trying to loose
weight you are more likely to
succeed if you find a friend & weigh
each other and exercise together
regularly. Diets always start
tomorrow if you do them on your own.
13. Feeling hungry is a habit. If
you eat good meals regularly you
will be hungry to begin with but
this will settle in a few days.
Overcome the hunger with water,
chewing gum or fruit & vegetables.
Exercise
Exercising regularly not only helps
you loose weight but also helps keep
it off. It will also improve your
energy and stress levels, reduce PMT
and improve your health in the long
term, reducing your chances of heart
attacks and general ill health.
You do not need to spend hours in
the gym! Suggestions are:
- Aerobic
classes.
- Swimming.
- Dancing
regularly
- Brisk Dog
walking. To be really effective
in keeping you fit and lose some
weight walking must be fast
enough to make you sweat and
raise your heart rate.
- A regular
sport, cycling, Badminton,
football, tennis or squash.
Anything that makes you sweat.
- Walk to work
or taking the children to
school, take the stairs rather
than the lift. Small increases
in activity can have a
significant effect.
The
recommendations are 20 minutes 3 x a
week with your heart rate about 120.
Buying a pedometer can help you
assess your exercise levels from
your day to day activities. The
recommendations are 10,000 steps per
day.
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