Lose Weight in Summer

Can you lose weight in Summer? You sure can!

In Australia, we're in the beginning of the second month of Summer. Some states have certainly been having hot summer weather, sending people inside where it's cool. That means people may not be doing their usual jogging or walking to keep fit. They're staying inside instead, and maybe they're raiding the fridge in their search for coolness.

This can lead to eating too many sweet and cool things. This, added to the lack of exercise and combined with the usual Christmas season partying and good food, all adds up to danger time if you're trying to lose weight. There are some ways you can stock the fridge though, that can help you.

Keep the fridge topped up with calorie free drinks - water is still the best thirst quencher there is, so make sure you always have a jug of water in the fridge. There are a great many diet soft drinks available if you want a change from water every now and then.

There are some great cooling foods available in summer, especially grapes. Crunchy sweet grapes are a lovely snack, and don't add too many calories. Other good food ideas are sandwiches - cheese with pickles says summer to me, and I love the sandwiches nice and cool, sometimes with some chicken or turkey slices, yum!

Nuts are also a good snack. Yes, nuts are high in fat, but the fat they have is a fat that's healthy for you body. This doesn't mean you should go overboard and eat nuts all day, the weight would pile on if you did that. Nuts are high in protein though, and they have fibre too, so they fill up your tummy, and your body shouldn't get hungry as it would if you were eating sweet foods.

In summer, salads come to mind, and they can be a great way to have a healthy and low calorie meal. Be careful with the dressing you use though. There are some excellent low cal mayonnaise products available in the shops, and of course lemon juice is a great way to give raw vegetables a zing. Another interesting and no fat dressing is balsamic vinegar - excellent with fresh mushrooms and baby spinach!

For people with Wii Fit games and good air conditioning, there are lots of fun ways to exercise, alone or with friends. And of course summer in Australia is synonymous with the beach or the pool. Go outside and play in the water, fun, fun, fun!

So there are some ideas to help you lose weight over summer, enjoy!

Pre News Years Eve Resolution

We all mean to do well over the Christmas period. We say or think we'll eat wisely and not have too much, and we'll do some exercises too. Sadly, for many, that doesn't happen.

Not meeting these goals though, doesn't mean all is lost. The best time to get back on track if you're trying to lose weight or get fitter isn't next week, or next month. The best time to get back on track is right now!

Right now, you can decide whether you're truly hungry, or simply bored. Right now you can walk up those steps instead of catching a lift. Right now you can eat a piece of fruit instead of the tasty but fat laden cake you've been thinking about.

The new year means party time for many, and party time often goes with lots of food, fattening food. Arm yourself if you go to a party with some low fat and calorie snacks, such as rice crackers. Either take them with you, or eat a meal before you go out, and stay firm when you tell others you're not hungry.

If it's too difficult to do, stick to the healthiest foods you can see at the party, and have lots of water to drink. The water will help you to feel full, and will be good for your body too.

Christmas time is often holiday time too. Get out, walk around your neighbourhood. You can often find interesting things quite close by if you travel by foot. Driving around means you can sometimes drive past things you would have enjoyed, if you'd been going slowly.

There are many things to do to lose weight that a free or at least cheap. Walking is always a good one, swimming is too. Most biggish towns have a heated indoor pool which is available to the public at a reasonable price.

If you've been a couch potato for many years and think you can't do anything, at least get up and walk a little bit. It doesn't have to be a 20 hike to do you good. Just walking to the letter box and back a couple of times can be a good start. Do it twice one day, then slowly increase the number of times every day. Before you know it, you might be going beyond your letterbox!

These small things can all add up. As you get fitter, you may feel more like getting out and about. Getting fitter isn't just about getting slimmer, it's about becoming more comfortable with your own body too. You may realise your body loves the new fitter you you've become!

Losing Weight is So, So Simple!

It's easy , right? Simple maths - use up more energy than you take in, then you'll lose weight.

But it doesn't quite work like that, for many reasons. Some people don't know enough about what a good diet actually is. Some people just can't resist that chocolate. Some people rarely move further than bed, to bathroom, to fridge, to sofa and then to bed again.

That is not enough work in one day to use up much food at all, and I bet if that person is you, the things you get from the fridge aren't healthy things.

You don't have to run marathons to lose weight, and you don't have to starve yourself either. You have to learn to be more aware of yourself and pay attention to what you are doing. Mindlessly chowing down on food, and barely realising you're doing it, is the way many of us became overweight in the first place.

Once you begin to pay attention to yourself though, you may begin to question whether you really need to eat those biscuits. You may begin to explore books about weight loss, and nutrition and so learn things that can help you on your new journey to a slimmer you.

You may begin to think about things you can do outside, walk a bit, go exploring in your nearest town or go down to the beach.

As I said, running wasn't how I lost the weight I wanted to lose, but I stopped being lazy and began doing more things during my day. I began asking my body what it wanted, and not letting my head do the deciding. Your tummy knows more about whether it's hungry than your head does.

I realised too, that being a little bit hungry wouldn't kill me, and also that being a tiny bit hungry still after a meal is much more comfortable than being stuffed full!

So give it a try, eat less, or at least eat better, and do a little bit more. Your body will thank you for it.

Shocking News about Australian Obesity

I've just read a new article that truly shocked me. I know there are lots of people who are bigger than they'd like to be or should be. This article though, from ABC News is shocking!

I'm sure I'm not the only Australian who has comforted themselves by saying, at least we're not as bad as the Americans. Now, it seems, we are at least as bad as the good folk in the USA or even worse!

Are you shocked? Are you worried? What can you do about not being one of the Aussie fatties?

Well, it's not difficult, but it will take you time. If you're overweight or obese, it probably took you years to get there. You have to realise it may take you years to get down to the healthy weight you want to attain.

It doesn't require lots of money, it doesn't require hard work, it doesn't require starvation. Your lifestyle is probably the main reason why you've become overweight, and simple changes to your lifestyle can help you lose weight. Weight loss at its most simple, if you're overweight, comes from eating less food and doing more work than you currently do.

Our western culture is squarely aimed at turning us into couch potatoes. Sitting in front of the TV and mindlessly scoffing fatty food that is advertised on the screen in front of you can numb you to the damage you're doing.

If you want to get to the shape your body needs to be you have to become more mindful about what you do and what you eat. Learn about nutrition, learn about exercise and you will learn what you need to know. It certainly won't happen overnight, but the rubbish ads you see on TV won't actually make you healthy. They quite often lead people to greater weight, not less.

The health benefits that go with a lower weight will make it all worthwhile. And turning the TV off and doing things with your family can lead to an even better relationship for you all.

Community Foodies, Week Four

For our fourth session we talked about making a plan and organising ourselves to do our work as Community Foodies, once we are all trained. The other participants and I have a good idea about what we are going to do for our presentation to the group, and that begins in week five.

I am going to do a short presentation about getting non-vegetable lovers to eat vegetables. I have been putting more vegetables into the food I serve up for our family. It has been very good because I have been made more aware about the importance of vegetables in our diet. I won't say I feel better physically for doing this, but I certainly feel I am being a better mother and wife for doing it. The physical benefits take a little long, but they are happening.

We also talked bout the importance of exercise. I am aware that I have been remiss about this one too, and I will aim at doing a lot more. It's difficult when it's winter and so cold outside!

No excuses. I have Wii Fit, and I can get my exercise inside where it's much, much warmer than outside. So, from now on, or soon, anyway, I will try very hard to get in the required thirty minutes of exercise that the health authorities recommend for adults.