Stay on track during lockdown with these six wellbeing tips
Posted by Ben Disseldorp in Immune Support
Estimated reading time: 7mins
1. Make yourself accountable for your goals
Keep yourself accountable every day of the week. Too often I see us restrict calories, meal prep and diet down on very little food from Monday-Thursday and then as the weekend begins it all falls apart.
By all means, you can treat yourself on the weekend to some fish and chips or pizza and it doesn’t have to ruin your week. Enjoy your meal and stop there. Avoid consuming excess calories from alcoholic beverages and or a dessert that can rack up your calorie intake in one sitting. Today it's much easier to find alcoholic beverages lower in calories if you are going to drink opt for a low carb beer or Vodka with lime. At the end of the week, all that matters is you are under your weekly total calorie expenditure if your goal is weight loss.
You can quickly calculate your individual calories requirements with our calorie calculators:
2. Fit in a cheat meal without sacrificing your goals or restricting yourself
Here’s a clever way to fit in a cheat meal on the weekend. Simply drop 100 calories from each day of the week. Six days will leave you with 600 calories to spare for a weekend treat. This way you don’t have to feel the guilt trip and can treat yourself to pretty much anything whether it's your favourite savoury or sweet foods. I believe cheat meals are essential to make your diet easy to adhere to.
3. Make your exercise fun and refrain from just ‘going through the motions’
A well-structured routine is something we all strive for as consistency is a great tactic for reaching goals, but due to COVID19 restrictions, our routines have been turned upside down.
So while you may not be able to hit the gym or train with your team, you can set yourself an achievable goal each day such as reaching a step goal. I find a good step goal target is between 8000-10000 steps a day. If your outdoor exercise time is restricted, you can meet this target quite comfortably within an hour.
Struggling to meet your step target? Make your exercise fun with these hacks
- Get out in the garden – sun and steps are both great for your physical and mental health.
- Park at the furthest park in your local shopping centre and use staircases where you can (This is my favourite way to rack up extra steps!).
- Household cleaning such as vacuuming.
- Change up the location of your walks – explore somewhere new.
- Use your iPhone or Smart Fitness Watch to keep you accountable.
4. Consider investing your money into a fitness tracker
These devices are amazing and I can’t recommend them enough! We all have a friend that MUST close their rings on the Apple Watch otherwise the day is a disaster :) These fitness trackers have so many cool features including tracking sleep, calories and workouts. They even buzz on your wrist to remind you to stand up and get moving. My favourite is the Apple Watch but there are lots of options on the market. You can pick up a tracker from $120 for one with very basic functions to $500+ for all the bells and whistles.
5. No gym doesn’t mean no supplements
Now more than ever you should be getting in your protein supplements to maintain that hard-earned physique/muscle. In fact, some of you may be making more progress from the comfort of home than at the gym so keep up your protein shakes to boost recovery and maintain muscle mass. Protein is also a useful tool against the hungry, it keeps you feeling more satisfied for longer so you can keep out of the cookie jar!
Vitamin based supplements are essential to keep on top of too. Prioritise getting the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy and keep your immunity strong through a wide range of fruits and vegetables as well as supplements such as Green Fusion and Red Fusion.
6. Make smart food choices wherever possible
If your goal is fat loss and you’re eating at a calorie deficit, make smart choices with your food so you have greater volume foods that keep you satisfied longer. Over my time I've come across some great food tips and tricks, I can share with you to help you stay on track with your goals. Make these food alternatives your friends:
Carbohydrate Food Sources for more volume on low carb days
- Lower carb potatoes – choose Carisma Potatoes or Spud Light, both can be purchased from Coles, Woolworths and Aldi and provide greater volume.
- Low Carb Bread – Helgas Digestive Wellbeing Series is my favourite.
- Low Carb Pasta - Vetta Smart Brand is my go-to.
- Slender Rice/Noodles.
- Zucchini Spirals and Caulifower/Broccoli Rice.
- Pumpkin – for ultimate volume! Pumpkin has one of the lowest-calorie counts for vegetables.
- Bulk Nutrients Quick Protein Pancakes - These contain 40 grams of protein per serve and are a lower carb alternative to regular pancakes.
Boost your protein intake with these handy protein sources
- Greek Yoghurt - Chobani Fit and YoPro are my favourites.
- Whey Protein - WPI and Thermowhey are low in carbs and fats.
- BCAA Recovery for protein during the day and at the gym - Wild Berry and Lemonade are my favourites.
Options for lower-calorie sweet treats
For those times when you're desperate for a sweet treat, satisfy the craving with one of these healthier hacks:
- Bulk Nutrients Protein Hot – for all the hot chocolate fiends, this really hits the spot and is a great way to get your nighttime protein.
- For the chocolate lovers opt for a few squares of dark chocolate (70% or higher). Don’t be fooled by ‘low sugar’ chocolates, these are higher in fat and calories.
- Lower calorie ice cream – options like Halo Top offer your fave icy treat for fewer calories and more protein. My fave is Kenny’s Ice Cream from Aldi as it's only $5 a tub!
- If the low-calorie ice cream just doesn’t cut it for you grab a Magnum Mini. They’re half the calories of a normal Magnum but you get the same thrill and less guilt :)
Tips for healthier cooking
- Get on the Air Fryer bandwagon - If you don’t have one you’re missing out. The air fryer is a quick and easy cooking method and a way to get crispy tasty meals without using lots of oil.
- Steam your veggies – this method of cooking helps preserve vitamins and brings out the flavour too.
- Lightly fry foods with olive oil spray and make sure you use a good quality non-stick pan – this will give you crispiness without excess calories from oil.
References:
- Medicine, N., 2020.Health Benefits Of Having A Routine. [online] Northwestern Medicine. Available at: https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/health-benefits-of-having-a-routine
