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Food tip: Weight-loss
Use a smaller plate. Generally, to lose weight, one recommends having smaller portions. One of the biggest obstacles to losing weight, though, is the mental aspect of knowing that you are restricting yourself by eating less. To get around this, you can ‘trick’ yourself into thinking that you’re eating the same amount as before. Instead of using the same size plate as you normally would, dish your food onto a smaller plate. This way, instead of looking at a bigger plate that looks half-empty, you’re now looking at a smaller plate that looks fuller. This visual effect tricks your brain into thinking that you’re not really restricting yourself, and you feel full off of a smaller amount of food…
Exercise tip: Preparation
Streeeeetch! Whether you’re new to an exercise program, or are well into it, you should always stretch well, both before and after a workout, to help minimise the chance of injury. Stretching before helps to promote blood-flow to the muscles, and loosens them in preparation for use; while stretching after acts as a very effective cool-down, and also helps to minimise stiffness that may occur after a heavy session. When starting your stretching session, go slowly, and don’t lunge into the stretches. Stretch to the point where you just start to feel a little discomfort, and then hold it there. And remember, it’s not really an effective stretch unless it’s held for at least 20-30 seconds…
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