These are my top tips to ensure an increase in metabolic rate and muscle mass, and a decrease in body fat!
1. Always start the day with breakfast! Yes okay you have heard it all before, but it is oh so true – EAT BREAKFAST!! Kickstart your day with a low GI foods such as egg on wholemeal bread, muesli or porridge, and avoid sugary cereals and white breads. Foods that are low in the Glycaemic Index are much better at releasing energy over longer periods, unlike high foods that fail to regulate blood sugar levels therefore leaving you feeling tired and sluggish.
2. Ditch the caffeine! Start you day with a cup of hot water and lemon This will aid the digestive system and makes the process of eliminating the waste products from the body easier. It prevents the problem of constipation and diarrhea from taking place, by ensuring smooth bowel functions. Aim for around 8 glasses a day to prevent dehydration, more if you are active. Some people who suffer from water retention, also known as bloating, are reluctant to drink extra water, on the assumption that it will make the bloating worse. This is not true; in fact, retaining water is often a sign that you are not getting enough water, causing the body to hoard what little water it has. Counter-intuitively, if you suffer from periodic ankle swellings or days when you can’t fit into your “fat pants,” drinking more water will actually help you shed the excess fluids in your tissues.
3. Snack attack! Eating in between meals, i.e. mid-morning and mid-afternoon, keeps the energy levels constant throughout the day and prevents over-eating at night. It depends what you snack on though, and no crisps, sweets and biscuits do not count, sorry! – try fruit, nuts (not the whole bag!), 5/6 olives, raw veg.
4. Try to avoid eating too late at night as your body does not need the energy the foods are providing. Instead eat plenty throughout the day and drink to hydrate.
5. Avoid sugary foods. Most people know that they can’t just have one or two biscuits, they have to have the whole pack! Well that’s because sugar is addictive, and once you have that one biscuit, your body craves more! So when you want to snack (see 3) choose fruits and berries instead of high calorie sweets.
6. Have a ‘free day’! Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to forget about ever eating anything high in calories again, but just limit it to one day a week. Be good in the week and have a treat on the weekend, that way you don’t feel as though your are missing out on all the fun. At the end of the day it is
