Wednesday, 7th June 2017
As it is Men’s Health Week - 12th – 18th June, we thought it was important to write a blog specifically for all the men out there.
Even if you have a healthy weight and body mass index, carrying too much fat around your waist can increase your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Small changes in what you eat and how much you exercise can make a real difference to how you feel. Below we’ve compiled our top tips to trim your waist:
1. Eat slowly, chew each mouthful – Eating slowly is commonly known to decrease hunger, whilst the benefits of slow eating include better digestion, better hydration, easier weight loss and greater satisfaction from our meals.
2.Don’t watch TV, read or surf when eating - Paying more attention to what you eat could help keep you from overeating. Multi-tasking—like eating while watching TV or working can cause you to eat more. Slowing down and savouring your food can help you control your intake.
3. Learn to read food labels – Sounds simple, right? But often many of us are guilty of picking up the first convenient item we see on the shelf when we’re hungry. Reading food labels enables us to see what is actually in our food and in turn allows us to identify what is good for us and what isn’t.
4. Think about healthy snacks as well as healthy meals – There are plenty of healthy feel-good alternatives to snack on such as fruit, nuts (unsalted), baked rather than friend crisps or unsweetened yoghurt.
5. Think about portion size – This is an important element when thinking about trimming your waistline. Are you eating too much? Would you consume less if you had a smaller plate? Try using a smaller plate at dinner and tea times to see if you can adjust to having a smaller portion.
6. Drink water not sugary drinks – Drinking water helps boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of waste, and acts as an appetite suppressant. Also, drinking more water helps your body stop retaining water, leading you to drop those extra pounds of water weight.
7. Keep active – Really think about whether you could get to where you need to go on foot or by riding a bike, rather than driving or catching the bus; every little piece of exercise helps!
8. Watch how much booze you’re consuming - The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume, and reducing the amount you drink can help you lower your calorie intake. And it’s not just the calories you’ll cut out that could help you get in shape; cutting back on alcohol will mean you’ll get a better night’s sleep so you’ll feel refreshed and perhaps have a little more motivation to go for that morning run or swim.
Want to know more about how to trim your waistline? Take a look at Men’s Health Forum and their Toolbox Talk >> https://shop.menshealthforum.org.uk/collections/mens-health-week-2017/products/hazardous-waist-toolbox-talk
Interested in joining one of our gyms? We’re offering a FREE gym induction to those that join us this week, those that do will then also receive a 7 day fitness pass. This can be done across all of our centres, but must be booked in at reception in advance.