Six secrets to ensure your clothes are the only extra layers you wear this season!
By Zoe Bingley-Pullin
Endless excuses to avoid exercise coupled with cravings for high-fat comfort foods have most of us gaining that extra dreaded ‘winter coat’. In fact, statistics reveal the average Australian adult gains over 0.5 kilograms during winter.
Autumn and winter are infamous for weight gain, however there is no valid reason to justify putting your body through these unhealthy fluctuations, particularly in Australia where our weather is relatively mild.
One of the main reasons people fall victim to weight gain is because they make excuses to move less and eat more. It is vital that you don’t give yourself psychological permission to compromise your body’s health and wellness in the cooler months.
Zoe Bingley-Pullin shares her six secrets to avoiding the extra kilos during the Autumn months:
1. Choose comfort foods wisely – a healthy lamb or beef stew is a wonderful comfort food that is both warm and nourishing. Make extra quantities and freeze for future meals.
2. Keep hydrated – homemade herbal teas are quick and easy to prepare and will keep your body warm and well hydrated over winter.
3. Maintain a regular exercise routine – get your body’s temperature soaring with some great winter exercise alternatives such as Bikram or Power Yoga.
4. Recruit a support team – a recent study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine found dramatic improvements to weight loss when people had access to professional intervention2.
5. Get some sunlight – a brief lunchtime walk can work wonders for energy levels and weight, as well as your all-important vitamin D status. Sunlight is also vital to optimise your mood. 6. Set challenges and celebrate successes – make a realistic plan, get excited and if you achieve your goals, why not reward yourself with a non-food related reward such as a massage?
Lamb and Bean Soup
Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 35 minutes, Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 onions, chopped
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
500g diced lamb
¾ tsp of group cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika
3 celery sticks, chopped
2 carrots, diced
400g tinned organic chickpeas, drained and washed
½ cup of red lentil (soaked for 1 hour)
1½L of vegetable, chicken or beef stock
400g tinned of crushed tomatoes
½ tsp of sea salt
½ cup of parsley
Method:
Sauté the onions in olive oil, add the lamb and stir on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Add the cinnamon, paprika, ginger and pepper, cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the celery, carrots, chickpeas, lentils, stock and sea salt. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour.
Add the parsley and tomatoes and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Serve with hot bowls with a wedge of lemon.
Utensils:
Large saucepan
Sharp knife
Serving bowls
Zoe Bingley-Pullin Cooking Classes @ About Life Health Food Rozelle
These dynamic and practical classes include instructions to create three delicious meals, a take-home apron, recipes, a celebratory dinner party at the end, and lots of great cooking and nutrition tips, along the way. Classes are held from 6pm to 8pm, the second Wednesday of every month.
https://www.nutritionaledge.com.au/nutritionist-services/cooking-classes/
Or call About Life on (02) 8755 1311
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