Wexford People

Not too late to get started on a new, healthier lifestyle

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NOT EVERYONE has the time or stamina to work out every day, but why not commit to a healthy lifestyle and let this year’s Hope & Dream 10 Mile and 10k be the perfect time to start. With only three weeks left to race day, most of you will have the healthy lifestyle on track but for those of you who don’t you can take one step at a time and start today, aim for the 10k, success is all about attitude and adopting to an overall healthy outlook. So don’t beat yourself up with unattainab­le goals, rather think about the feeling you will have when you cross that finish line either by walking, jogging or running. Don’t think big picture right away, think about what smaller healthy choices you can be making and the difference it will have on your overall health

The best thing you can do when it comes to healthy living is to start your day off on a healthy high note, that means having a good breakfast in the morning. If you start your day off with a doughnut your body is likely to crash that day, but if you start on the right foot, with a healthy breakfast, you’ ll be much more likely to continue making healthy choices the rest of the day. Giving yourself an excuse to crash is never a good idea, so do yourself a favour and make healthy living a morning must.

HEALTHY BREAKFAST OPTIONS

• Bowl of porridge with almond milk and banana, sprinkle some flaxseed for extra fibre which also helps lower cholestero­l (soaking porridge the night before aids digestion).

• Two eggs boiled, poached or scrambled with one slice of wholegrain toast. The more fibre, seeds and grains the lower the GI and slower energy release.

• Bio live yogurt with mixed berries and chia, hemp or flaxseeds

NUTRITIONA­L TIP – KEEP IT VARIED

Try to cover a good range of foods across the week including fish twice, red meat once or twice, chicken or turkey and some vegetarian meals also include a range of starches such as whole wheat pasta, rice and noodles, and a wide range of fruit and vegetables of all colours as the more colours the more nutrients

PLAN YOUR MEALS

If you train in the morning you can probably go up to 60 minutes on empty, especially if you have eaten enough carbohydra­tes the day before. However, if you are doing a longer session, as in training for the 10 mile, which would be longer, then you should try eating about an hour before you begin.

Porridge or a yogurt smoothie is great slow energy release options however don’t wait until race day to try this – try everything on training days. Your other two meals of the day should complement each other: i.e. if you’re having a lot of starch in the evening as in pasta, rice, potatoes etc, then base your lunch on protein and vegetables.

BEGINNERS’ GROUP

For anyone interested in joining a beginners’ group to help on their journey from zero to 10km, I am already involved in 2 beginner groups New Years Resolution 2.5k in Enniscorth­y running track Monday 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday 8pm to 9pm and also Fit-Nutz in shelmalier­s Gaa grounds in Castlebrid­ge every Tuesday 7.30 p.m. to 8.30pm and Fridays at 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

I will be there myself on all of the above nights or you can contact Mag 087 6366905 for New Years Resolution 2.5k or Darren 086 8563872 for Fit-Nutz.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK BREAKFAST FOR ALL THE FAMILY

This is a great sharing breakfast especially at weekends when you have more time to cook. With loads of flavours from the balsamic vinegar and Worcesters­hire sauce, it’s a great dish to kick-start your weekend.

Ingredient­s: six to eight lean back rashers; a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes; a green pepper, chopped; one tbsp Worcesters­hire sauce; one tbsp balsamic vinegar; salt and pepper; a 400g tin of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed; four eggs.

Preheat the grill. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the diced bacon. Cook for two minutes and then add the chopped tomatoes, green pepper, Worcesters­hire sauce and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat and leave for four minutes to let it reduce, stirring occasional­ly. Add the drained kidney beans and mix well.

Make four wells in the mixture and crack one egg into each well. Leave for another couple of minutes, until the bottom of the eggs turn white. Transfer to the grill and cook for another couple of minutes, until the eggs are cooked through.

(by Martina O’Sullivan)

 ??  ?? Martina O’Sullivan.
Martina O’Sullivan.

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