How to get in shape for Summer
Are you dreaming about getting back into your bikini now that Summer is here? Then remember that there is no miracle cure. To achieve sustainable weight loss you must look at it as a lifestyle change. Quick fix diets may be successful to begin with, but they lead to yo-yo weight gain which lowers metabolism and makes it even harder for you to lose weight next time round. Follow the following guidelines for achievable & sustainable weight loss:
1. Plan your meals.
When going grocery shopping plan what you will be eating for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Have a prep day at the weekend where you prepare meals for the week. This keeps you on track and stops you making bad choices when hungry.
2. Eat when hungry & stop when full.
This may seem obvious but you have to listen to your body. There is no one size fits all eating plan. Some do well on six small meals a day and others feel better with 3 square meals.
3. Cut down on refined carbohydrates.
Foods such as cakes, pastries, biscuits, white rice & bread all spike blood sugar and can cause weight gain. Leave the bread and have more protein & salad for lunch, or switch white rice for quinoa or sweet potatoes at dinner.
4. Eat more fibre.
The best sources of fibre are vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. Fibre delays the emptying of the stomach which gives a feeling of satiety and reduces the liklihood of excessive snacking
5. Drop the empty calories.
Sodas, sweets and other junk food are high in calories but contain no nutritional value. They provide very little satiety which makes them very easy to over consume. You could easily eat 1,000 calories of biscuits but try doing the same with brocolli or hard boiled eggs. Chose foods that will keep you full and give you sustained energy for hours.
6. Try high intensity interval training (HIIT).
We all know how important exercise is for staying in shape & general health but did you know that interval training has been proven as being more effective & more efficient than steady state cardio when it comes to burning fat? Our bodies adapt very quickly to steady state cardio which means you'll have to walk or jog for longer and longer to get the same effect. It can also decrease muscle mass which lowers metabolism. HIIT uses periods of low intensity followed by short bursts of high intensity exercise. Walk or jog for a minute then full out sprint for 30 seconds. Repeat 6 times. This boosts metabolism for up to 36 hours after exercising.
7. Keep the blood sugar under control.
Your blood sugar is affected by your diet and exercise habits. Remember that when your blood sugar is high, so is insulin (our fat storing hormone). High insulin levels keep fat locked up in fat cells. Chromium helps control blood sugar & insulin levels in the body. ChromoPrecise is the only effective chromium yeast product in Europe for the maintenance of normal blood sugar levels.
Blood sugar control
Blood sugar is the term for the amount of sugar in the blood. When you consume a meal, the blood sugar level will often be close to 7 mmol/L, and when you 're hungry, it will be about 3 mmol/L. Anything in between these values would be considered normal blood sugar levels. So it is only natural that there is an increase of blood sugar after a meal. Digestion converts the carbohydrates in our food into a sugar called glucose, which is then carried with the blood around the body. The hormone insulin ensures that glucose can be transported into the cells of the body, where it becomes fuel for our energy production.
The mineral Chromium is part of this process and can help to keep your blood sugar at a normal level. ChromoPrecise has undergone an assessment by the EU Commission on Food Safety, EFSA. Here ChromoPrecise is assessed to be a very safe chromium source with an absorbability that is up to 10 times higher than other chromium compounds, such as chromium picolinate or Chromium chloride.
