By Lucy Andrews, Trainer at New River – Express Fitness for WomenIn order to succeed with your healthy eating and exercise regime, it is essential to plan ahead. Make space in your diary for your exercise session. Treat it as an appointment for something important-(it is!).

There is nothing more rewarding than taking control of your health, and knowing that the actions you are taking are going to improve your shape, energy levels, mood, and wellbeing. These changes are positive steps, and you should never feel that you are making too many sacrifices!

One of the major setbacks with eating well is eating on the run. I know I have had many occasions where I let myself get too hungry and ended up buying packets of processed junk from the nearest shop to ‘keep me going’. A great thing to do, is to work out the night before roughly what you want to take for lunch to work.

It may just be a bag of salad and a tin of tuna and a pitta bread, or maybe you work near a sushi place so you know you can eat well when you need too.

Make time in the morning for some breakfast. If you aren’t a morning kind of person, I find a protein shake sets you up very nicely! -But why not make time for yourself and manage your diet. It feels so good when you take these small steps!

Have in your mind what you think you might like for your dinner, once you make this decision it’s much easier not to snack on the way home! If you have something nice to look forward to, it’s much easier to wait for it.

I am aware of how difficult things are when you are busy, or have small children. Sometimes your last priority is yourself, and family and work obviously are so important. But if your health and wellbeing is good, you can offer loads more!

Remember, every step you take towards a healthier lifestyle is fantastic! If you want any advice just pop in to New River Women. We all love to talk here!

Lucy xxx

By Elizabeth McKenzie, Manager of New River – Express Fitness for WomenPutting on weight over the winter is something almost everyone can relate to. Transitioning back to spring / summer clothing can be an unpleasant surprise!

We may feel guilty for being lazy and greedy, but there are scientific reasons behind winter weight gain.

Firstly, there is evidence our bodies have evolved to store fat as the weather gets colder. Secondly, sunlight allows our bodies to produce Vitamin D, which in turn facilitates the production of serotonin (basically the stuff that makes us happy). This explains why in spring and summer we’re all more likely to feel great! Whereas in winter, when we’re low in Vitamin D, we feel lower, and when we feel lower, we crave carbohydrates, as this is another way our bodies are able to produce serotonin.

It can be hard to lose the extra weight in summer and this process contributes to us getting gradually bigger as the years go by.

Here are a few tips to help counteract this vicious cycle:

1. Minimise comfort eating and boost serotonin by doing just 30 minutes of physical activity at least three times a week. It’s a basic one… but it works!
2. Have better workouts by limiting the exercise you do when it’s dark. You workout better in daylight. Happily, it’s easy now we’re in summer, but in winter, try exercising before work or in your lunch break.
3. Make the most of summer! Safely soak up as much sunshine as you can to boost your Vitamin D levels. This will help regulate your cravings. In winter, although the desire to hibernate can be strong, make sure you get out as much as you can.
4. If you lust after pies, pizza and biscuits, try reaching for the wholegrain stuff first (i.e. wholegrain rice and bread). These low fat foods will satisfy your cravings for carbohydrates. You won’t feel like pizza afterwards. And you will digest slower because they are lower on the Glycemic Index.
5. It’s easy to forget what your body looks like under all those layers! Try wearing some summer clothes to keep yourself motivated.
6. Eat your protein first. This will fill you up quicker and you will eat less. Try to eat your carbohydrates last. You eat most in the first 20 minutes of a meal, so what you eat in that time is really important.
7. Be a bad girl… DON’T finish everything on your plate, regardless of how you were brought up. If you’re ready to stop eating, stop!

Make the most of the summer to be active, and when the winter comes, remember, we’re not bears and hibernating is not a good option! Don’t let the winter blues get you down. Get support, stay active and eat right.

Good luck!