It's that time of year again when we start thinking about wearing our bikinis once more. And if you have repeatedly missed your bikini body workouts, you may need some last-minute diet tips to help you to lose those extra few pounds and be in beach-buff shape.
So look and feel great on the beach this summer by using some of these metabolism-boosting tips.
Swap your tea
Green tea is packed with health benefits. Because it contains caffeine, drinking it regularly will boost your metabolism and therefore aid weight loss – not to mention that it's packed with antioxidants, promotes heart health and has major anti-cancer benefits. In trials carried out at the Arizona Cancer Centre, US, catechins (antioxidant phytochemicals) found in green tea were shown to boost the production of liver enzymes that neutralise carcinogens.
What to do: swap your daily coffee and black tea for green tea. Drink one or two cups with breakfast and lunch.
Breakfast like a king
Then lunch like a prince and dine as a pauper. When you're trying to lose weight, it's important to eat a hearty healthy breakfast every day because it boosts your metabolism. Your metabolism will slow throughout the course of the day, so it's better to eat a greater percentage of your daily intake earlier in the day.
What to do: people who want to control their appetite should eat a protein-rich breakfast each morning, a study in Obesity journal has shown. So try: porridge with dried fruits, or two boiled eggs with a slice of wholemeal toast or a wholegrain bagel with smoked salmon and low-fat cream cheese.
Snack through the day
Make sure you eat healthy snacks throughout the day – there’s nothing wrong with snacking mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Studies show that savvy snackers save calories in the long run and it will keep hunger pangs away and prevent you from bingeing at meal times. Infrequent big meals cause a sudden increase in blood sugar, which encourages fat storage.
What to do: carry snacks such as unsalted almonds, walnuts or dried apricots in your bag so you're never temped to buy crisps or a chocolate bar. And fruit, such as berries and plums, can satisfy a sweet tooth and count towards your five-a-day.
Practise portion control
It's easy to overeat at meal times – so keep portions small and only have seconds if you're still genuinely hungry. You should wait 20 minutes before you convince yourself that you are still hungry because this is the time it takes for your stomach to tell your brain you're full.
What to do: when serving up your meals, your hand can be a great way to measure your food intake. Proteins, such as meat or fish, should be the size of your palm. A single serving of carbohydrates should be a slightly open palm and vegetables and salads should fit into two closely cupped hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment