If any of you know me, you will know that I have a keen passion for healthy eating and lifestyle.
With the current situation, it can be very challenging to eat well or exercise or in fact do a bit of both!
As a member of Slimming World for over 3 years I have learnt a few trick along the way, that said, the last couple of weeks have really been difficult for me too so I have had to re-evaluate my own lifestyle.
Eating
When you go to work every day, you will have a routine of when you will eat and when you will eat it. Some people will have breakfast before leaving home, others will take it with them. Lunch is usually something you made the night before or a quick run to Tesco in your lunch break. What ever it is, you had a structure and with the exception of the work biscuit tin, you had it all under control.
Now you are working from home, suddenly everything has changed. Not least because the supermarket shopping has been a bit like playing bingo. It is times of change like this that can have a dramatic impact on our eating habits. This in turn can impact our health and well being. So what can we do about it? Here are a few tips that I find work for me:-
Plan – Even though you are at home, still plan when you are going to eat and what you are going to eat. If possible, keep to a structure – eating at specific times. The night before plan all your meals for the next day. If you can, why not prepare them then too. It will stop you deviating from what you planned. Just because you are at home, doesn’t mean you can’t still make up your pack lunch!
Stop – It is a known fact that people who sit at the table with no distractions such as computers or TV eat less. Use mealtimes as family time, or time to relax. You will find you will enjoy your food a lot more.
Water – Water is vital throughout the day. Sometimes hunger is actually thirst. Have a glass of water with your meals. You will feel full quicker.
Creative – Be creative with your cooking. I know that with the limited fresh food available recently I’ve really had to be creative with some of my meals. It is a great way to bring new ingredients to your table. Don’t be afraid to try different things. Ask friends and family for ideas. I have a little book that I keep and when something springs into my mind I write it down. I then work on that to come up with new recipes. It doesn’t have to be complicated or take a long time to prepare. If it fails there is always beans on toast!
One of my favourite programmes was Ready Steady Cook. I watched every episode and have all their recipe magazines – and there were lots. This is what gave me the inspiration to cook. If you haven’t seen the programme it is on again now, or try and get it on catch up. It might inspire you too.
Snacking – I’m not going to say don’t do it because that would be unrealistic. However, I will ask you to carefully think about why you are snacking? Is it boredom? Are you lonely? Sometimes, snacking is to replace something that we are missing. If you fancy a snack give yourself 15 minutes. Try to distract yourself with something. If you still want it then, then have it, but in moderation. If you want chocolate only have a square then wait another 15 minutes! Better still, don’t have it in the house or choose healthy snacks such as fruit. Boring I know but you will be glad of it after a few weeks of working at home!
Exercise
The next thing to consider is exercise. With the current restrictions of only being about to go out for an hour once a day, I am sure many of you have suddenly found your steps have dramatically reduced.
Exercise not only helps us regulate our weight it is also good for our health especially our lungs and heart.
Plan into your day 1 hour of exercise. It can be just walking the dog, or taking the kids for a stroll around the estate. It doesn’t matter what it is, just getting outside will make you feel a whole lot better.
When you are back at home, try and be active as much as possible. Have a little jig when cooking dinner or brushing your teeth. Put some music on and dance around the room! Instead of going up and down the stairs with your hands full, take one item at a time. You will be amazed at how many more steps you will get in that way.
We don’t know how long these restrictions will go on for. However long they last, make sure you are looking after yourself inside and out.
If you want some help with ideas for recipes I am more than happy to help.