8 tips to get in shape for the summer

Trying to lose or maintain your weight for beach weather? Here are some great advice 

Did you have a few too many Easter eggs or overindulge a little more than you planned to over the past couple of months? The summer months are coming and maybe you feel it's time to start thinking of summer clothes and holidays. If you have been hiding away in your hoodies and tracksuit pants for the winter, it’s nearly time to dust off the bikinis, sunhats and start to shape up for the summer. Are you ready? If you need  a little help, Betty our family nutrition expertexpert  is here to share with you her  big tips for getting back into shape.
  • Cut out the rubbish, junk, sweets, biscuits, buns and cakes. Especially if it’s low fat, no fat or diet. The chances are they have more sugar in them to replace the fat and have added sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharine. Recent study’s show,  sweeteners have shown to promote growth of cancerous cells. 
  • Eat more thermogenic foods; certain foods contain a high Thermogenic effect. This means that they increase the heat in the body and in turn affect the body's metabolism and ability to burn fat. These foods are green tea, chillies, ginger, cayenne pepper and hot peppers. You want these in your diet.
  • Start to get active, join a gym, hire a personal trainer (they cost less than you might think), or join a class in your local area. You don’t even have to leave the house, they are some many programs online that you can join and workout when you have time to. Betty recommends to go circuit training, HIIT –High Intensity Interval Training is considered to be much more effective than normal cardio because the intensity is higher and you are able to increase both your aerobic and anaerobic endurance while burning more fat than ever before. Find a workout buddy, that way on a bad day you will have somebody giving you an extra push that you need.
  • Try to add one more vegetables at each meal. This is important for weight loss, by doing this you will be gaining more vitamin, minerals and fibre.  Fibre is critical as it will fill you up and makes you more satisfied and also helps to reduce our nasty sugar cravings.
  • Drink more water, sometimes we think that were hungry when in fact we are thirsty. It’s really important to drink water to help remove the fat toxins out of our body and help our metabolism run smoothly.
  • To avoid temptation it’s easier to remove all the naughty foods in your house and stock up on healthy, fresh, nutrient dense food. Be prepared for your week ahead. If it’s not there you can’t eat it.
  • Slow down eating your food, on average it takes about 20 minutes to feel full.  While you chew, your brain is processing that you are eating, and chewing releases enzymes for pre-digestion in your saliva to start the digestion process. So, chew slowly and enjoy the flavour of your food!  This also eases digestion and helps your brain to catch up with your body. If you have trouble eating slowly, try putting down your fork or spoon in between bites.
  • Change the size of your plate, our plate sizes have increased over the last few decades from 9” to a 12”…smaller plate –smaller portions.
  • Start to eat your good fats, and ditch the bad ones. Fats like avocado, nut, seeds and dark chocolate in moderation. Fats are essential in the body for brain health, absorption of fat soluble vitamins like A, D and E healthier skin and so much more.
These are Bettys top tips for weight loss, but if would like to join her SHAPE UP FOR SUMMER PROGRAM. Listen up I have created this program especially for you, a 30 day program with tasty meals and snacks, no pills or gimmicks, with even more vital advice and tips that will get you results and in that prefect summer dress!
You can get on her waiting list by clicking here and I will be in contact by very soon by email.
Find out more about Betty here

Betty O'Neill

Betty O'Neill is a qualified Nutritional Therapist and a registered member of the NTOI (Nutritional Therapies of Ireland). She is extremely passionate about all things to do with food and nutrition.

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