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Nutrition tip: Meal planning
Try and eat smaller meals throughout the day, rather than a few big ones. Most of us are programmed into thinking that having ‘three squares’ a day is the healthiest approach to take. There are actually more benefits, though, to having five or six smaller ‘meals’ instead, spaced throughout the day. Firstly, by ‘grazing’ instead of ‘gorging’, you’re stimulating your metabolism more often during the day
– and the more that works, the more kilojoules you burn passively. Secondly, eating more regularly prevents you from getting starving between meals – which then stops you from overeating at the next meal, or reaching for an unhealthy snack to keep you going.Thirdly, it helps to regulate your energy levels. You know that late afternoon slump you always have in the late afternoon? Well, you’d push right through it if you had a healthy snack or meal 2-3 hours after lunch. So try switching to eating smaller amounts throughout the day, and see the difference it makes…
Exercise tip: Heart rate
Track your heart rate for maximum benefits. Depending on what your exercise goals are should dictate the levels you should be aiming to get your heart rate up to. The different ‘zones’ are generally calculated as a percentage of your maximum heart rate (the rough rule to calculate this is to minus your age from 220). If you’re wanting to burn fat, the optimal heart rate zone is 60-80% of your maximum, over a reasonably sustained period (say, 20 minutes). Over 80%, though, and you’re still burning fat, but you’re working more on building your cardiovascular strength…
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