Follow our top tips below on what to do, and what not to do, to kick those unhealthy habits in no time!
DO:
Have a clear, measured, achievable and sensible plan
As much as we’d all like it , you can’t just lose 10 kilograms in one night. Dramatic weight loss is as bad, if not worse than weight gain and should absolutely not be encouraged.Plan for small attainable goals, such as losing a kilogram every week and you’ll find hitting targets is much easier, keeping your motivation high.
Experiment with Different Foods
If you want to try and cut sugar out of your diet, why not give some substitutes a try? Stir a spoonful of honey into your morning oats rather than a sprinkling of sugar, substitute 3/4 honey and 1/4 extra virgin olive oil for sugar in baking and consider dried fruit like raisins or banana chips as a snack, rather than the midmorning biscuits. Experimenting with new foods shouldn’t be read as limiting your food choices, because life is all about balance. So instead of putting yourself on a new 'diet', simply try opening up your eyes to a wider variety of foods that you hadn’t previously considered.
Get enough sleep
It's not so much that if you sleep, you'll lose weight, but that too little sleep hampers your metabolism and contributes to weight gain. You will often find that you are hungrier if you haven’t had enough shut-eye. Honey can also help you lose weight while you sleep! Nutritionist Mike McInnes and author of The Honey Diet has researched honey and found that it can trigger changes to the metabolic rate helping our bodies burn more fat than usual while we sleep. Drink a spoonful of honey in warm water before bed and this will help the body burn fat faster during the first few hours of sleep.
Move Everyday
Health studies have shown that everyone should try and achieve at least 30 minutes of brisk activity every single day to keep your heart healthy and help stay in top form. Whilst you don’t need to do 30 minutes of intense running every day, consider alternative options like pilates, dancing, or even getting off the sofa and taking yourself outside to do some gardening, to help hit your targets. If you are going to go running, try and find a friend to go with you and work your way towards your goal in short, regular bursts. Remember you can always spread your 'movement' time throughout the day, for example:
- Morning: Walk to work
- Lunch: try a yoga class
- Evening: Walk home and try out our favorite 90s abs workout (trust us!)
Honey is an ideal natural source of energy for physical exercise. Fructose and glucose directly enter the bloodstream and deliver a quick boost of energy. The rise in blood sugar acts as a short-term energy source during a workout and during endurance exercises. Honey can boost athletic performance and recovery, maintain stable blood sugar levels, help muscle recovery after a workout and regulate the amount of insulin in the body.
DON’T:
Expect Instant Results
Weight loss, 'getting a booty' and feeling energised, take time. Don’t trick yourself into thinking that you will reap results within the first week of your new regime. Instead of beating yourself up because you don’t feel closer to your target, celebrate the little things and find ways to reward yourself that won’t harm your body- go see a friend, or treat yourself to a nice day out walking somewhere. Self love always wins and you’ll find that you feel better mentally about the whole experience and you’ll hit your goal in no time.
Burn Yourself Out
There is a difference between being committed to losing weight and being obsessed with it. The latter can often cause additional health issues and is something you should try and avoid wherever possible. If you try and cram too much into one day, you’ll end up tired and sluggish the next day. This will make it harder to motivate yourself for your exercises you have planned that day and disrupt your overall cycle. Plan to exercise little and often and you’ll see the effects much quicker.
Let Your Decision to Lose Weight Affect Your Personal Lifestyle
