6 Simple ways to THINK SLIMMER
Try these hacks to change your habits for good
Constantly thinking about your weight can be exhausting, make you feel down and cause yo-yo dieting. Instead, focus on positive life changes, and you can easily get trimmer as a happy side effect.
1 Increase your energy levels
“So many of us feel tired all the time. But the cause of a lack of energy is multi- faceted, [and can include] not enough sleep, dehydration, not being active enough, too much alcohol, and caffeine and sugary foods, which can cause blood-sugar highs and lows,” says Joanna Dase, Fitness and Women’s Health Expert at Curves (Curves.eu). “All of these can cause weight problems, as tiredness can make you reach for sugary foods. So, if you aim to boost your energy levels, you will naturally help your body shape, too.” She recommends you get at least seven hours sleep a night and practice deep breathing to help you drift off. Rehydrate regularly with six to eight cups of fluid a day. Do more exercise (see tip 3). Reduce alcohol to no more than 14 units a week, with at least one day alcohol-free, and keep caffeinated drinks to the morning. To help balance your blood-sugar levels, have protein at every meal and eat slow-release carbohydrates like berries, vegetables, oats, and wholegrain bread.
2 Focus on your health
Dr Deborah Lee (Doctorfox.co.uk) says having goals to improve your health, linked to being trimmer, can be motivating. She recommends you think about how losing weight can help you live longer, lower your blood pressure, reduce your chance of diabetes and stop sore, achy knees. Having a BMI of 35-40 can shorten your life by around three years, and a BMI of 40 and above can shorten your life by around ten years
(the same as being a lifelong smoker). You can expect to lose one point off your systolic blood pressure for every two pounds you lose. An American study showed that losing 6.7 per cent of body weight reduced the risk of developing type-2 diabetes by an impressive 58 per cent. For each one pound you lose this equates to taking four pounds of weight off your knees! Other slimming health benefits are less sleep apnoea, improved libido, less acid reflux and indigestion, and reduced menopausal symptoms and depression.
3 Improve your fitness
“You will get better quality of life when you are fitter. It’ll make day to day activities easier, and will help alleviate pain, prevent injury, and improve your mental health to help make you feel more positive about life. It will also burn calories and improve muscle tone to help you lose the inches and get into better shape,” says Joanna. At the beginning, exercise may feel like a chore, but the trick is to do it little
and often. Joanna recommends you commit to ten minutes a day to get in touch with your body with simple movements like reaching high, touching your toes, alternate standing on one leg, roll your shoulder blades, and turn your neck from side to side. Also, do brisk walking for 30 minutes three days a week, then increase to five days, then seven days.
4 Learn to love yourself
“If you don’t feel self-love, you will find it hard to be motivated to care for your body properly. If you don’t feel worthy of eating well, exercising, and looking after your mental health, then trying to stay in shape can be difficult,” says Tallulah Tay, holistic therapist (visit Herefordshire Energy Healing on Facebook to book a Zoom 1:1 session with her, £30-£60 per hour). Tallulah recommends you use Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as tapping, and visualisation techniques to help increase your feelings of self-love and self-worth. For example, positive statements you can try, as you tap points on your body, are “I really care about my health and body. When I feel happier in my body, I take better care of myself. I am ready to take love and accept myself right now.” Each morning, aim to visualise a happier, healthier version of yourself and enjoy getting to know her. To learn the tapping points, go to Thetappingsolution.com.
5 Save the planet
A Climatarian diet, which is better for the planet, is really on trend, and is great for your waistline, too. “Weight loss is one of the benefits of eating a Climatarian diet based largely on whole plant-based foods. In general, plant foods have a lower carbon footprint and higher nutrients than animal foods. Specifically, fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and legumes are the foods richest in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals – ingredients that promote health and wellbeing and support healthy weight loss. These are also the foods that tell your body that you have had enough food, helping to maintain a trim weight,” says Dr Alona Pulde from Lifesum (Lifesum.com). He suggests you start by adding more plant-foods to your diet – fruits to breakfast, salad or soup to lunch, and flavourful veggies to dinner. Seasonal and local make for fresher and more eco-friendly choices. Try swapping lentils or beans in place of beef, make breakfasts 100 per cent plantbased and try meatless Mondays.
6 Get better flexibility and posture
“Pilates exercises are designed to build strong, lean muscles and create length in the body. By using the correct muscles, you will not only stand taller with better posture, but your abdominals will also become stronger and you can get more f lexible in your chest, shoulders and spine,” says Rebecca Convey, the owner of Kinetic Pilates in North London (Kptt.co.uk). She recommends you try push-ups against the wall for a narrower waist, and arm and upper-back toner. Here’s how: Stand at arms-length from a wall, with your heels together, and your hands on the wall.
Pull your abdominals in and up, and lengthen your spine to the ceiling.
Keeping this position, bend your elbows towards your waist and bring yourself as close to the wall to maintain this position. (If your back starts to arch, you’ve gone too far).
Keeping this position, straighten your arms.
Repeat five-ten times.
Do every day for best effect.
As you get stronger, you can move your feet further away from the wall for more of a challenge.