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34 diet and fitness tips you need to know
Got this from another site and thought I would share it.
34 diet and fitness tips you need to know
We've picked 34 of the best tips from the world's top diet and fitness gurus, to help you get started on your weight loss and fitness plan, stay motivated and reach your goals
1. Diet for the season
'Get up earlier in summer and later in winter, in line with natural sunlight hours. Don't eat late at night or before you're fully awake.'
Nutritionist Patrick Holford, author of The New Optimum Nutrition Bible (£9.74 Piatkus)
Read: The best time to eat
Try: The breakfast makeover
Chat: Find friends on You Can Do It Diet Support
2. Stay hydrated at the gym
'Your gym may have drinking fountains but they won't help you keep an eye on how much you drink. Make sure you take a large bottle with you to the gym and keep it to hand whenever you are in class or on a machine.'
Steve Shipside, author of Win at the Gym (£9.74 Infinite Ideas)
Read: How to stay hydrated during your workout
Try: Lose weight with water
Chat: Meet iVillagers getting fit
3. Shake things up
'Though there's not much scientific proof that it works, some dieters find that changing some of their meal plan selections from week to week seems to help them break through a plateau. Simple changes like switching some of those chicken portions for fish or having a chicken salad instead of an egg salad at lunch could make a difference for you. Not to mention ensuring your taste buds stay interested.'
The Ediets nutrition team. Try out the iVillage Body Boost Diet
Read: Break through your weight-loss plateau
Try: Delicious, healthy recipes
Chat: Get ideas from others shaping up
4. Too much chocolate
'Every time you eat a chocolate biscuit instead of an apple you are choosing to be fat. One biscuit won't make you fat but it will certainly influence what you eat later and it reinforces for you, the choice is always the chocolate rather than the apple.'
Lee Janogly, author of Only Fat People Skip Breakfast (£5.99 Thorsons)
Read: 10 ways to cut back on sugar
Try: Does chocolate run your life?
Chat: Make friends on You Can Do It Diet Support
5. Work your stretch
'Some stretches may feel uncomfortable initially but try to stay in them, even if only for a short while. As long as you feel no pain, you should not be in danger of injuring yourself. Don't bounce your stretch. Breathe calmly and regularly through your nose.'
Tanya Wyatt, author of Stretch Routines; Health Through Flexibility (£11.24 New Holland)
Read: How to stretch properly
Try: Get supple with keyboard yoga
Chat: Meet iVillagers getting fit
6. Accept who you are
'The key to getting over your idea of a perfect body is to accept what you have. If you hate your body, it won't work with you. If you accept your body - and even learn to like it - you can achieve peace with your food.'
Janine Whiteson M.Sc, author of Get a Real Food Life, The Food Coach's Revolutionary 8-week Food Makeover Programme (£12.34, Pan Macmillan)
Read: 10 ways to boost your self-esteem
Try: 48 ways to look better naked
Chat: Learn to love your body
7. Fat-free? Not necessarily...
'Put the words "low-fat" or "fat-free" on the label and people will assume it won't make them fat. But it's worth knowing that "fat-free" or "low-fat" or "no added fat" usually means more sugar. Simple white refined sugar is the very stuff which converts to fat once in the body.'
Jason Vale, author of Chocolate Busters; The Easy Way to Kick it (£6.74 Thorsons/Element)
Read: The pros and cons of a low-fat diet
Try: Finding the hidden sugars in food
Chat: Share ideas and advice with others Shaping Up
8. Reward yourself with a massage
'Cool-downs are your first line of defence against lactic acid build up and muscle soreness, but you don't have to fight the fight on your own. Massage is a great way of helping your metabolism recover from the effort and trauma of your gym sessions. A good massage also helps reinforce the sense of reward.'
Steve Shipside, author of Win at the Gym (£9.74 Infinite Ideas)
Read: The benefits of massage
Try: Discover the spa life
Chat: Meet yoga and Pilates fans
9. Stay off the scales
'Don't assume that the scale is always a true measure of what is going on with the body. If exercise levels are adequate (5-7 days a week), you may be putting on muscle but losing fat, thus losing inches even if you are not losing pounds. It's always a good idea to do several body measurements to have a second objective way to monitor progress.'
The Ediets nutrition team. Try out the iVillage Body Boost Diet
Read: Working out and your weight
Try: Learn how to skip the scales
Chat: Find friends on You Can Do It Diet Support
10. Fill the freezer
'Frozen prawns are as good as fresh: in fact most of the "fresh" prawns you've bought in your life were actually defrosted before they were sold to you.'
Janine Whiteson M.Sc, author of Get a Real Food Life, The Food Coach's Revolutionary 8-week Food Makeover Programme (£12.34, Pan Macmillan)
Read: Healthy instant food inspiration
Try: Conquer your snack attacks
Chat: Get ideas for speedy simple suppers
11. Put your best foot forward
'When looking for a parking bay, try to find one further away from your destination and walk briskly. Walk when talking on your mobile phone. If you need to get a message or documents to a colleague at work, get up and do it yourself rather than sending an SMS, email or messenger.'
Tanya Wyatt, author of Be Your Own Personal Trainer (£11.24 New Holland)
Read: The sofa workout
Try: Walk off the weight in six weeks
Chat: Meet other iVillagers getting fit
12. Start drinking pints of water
'Drink eight glasses a day. Water is a natural appetite-suppressant. Nettle tea is a great weight-loss tea as it supports metabolism and has diuretic properties.'
Dr Gillian McKeith, author of You Are What You Eat (£7.69 Penguin)
Read: How to liven up your water intake
Try: Lose weight with water
Chat: Find friends on You Can Do It Diet Support
13. Play with your pinkies
'Try playing imaginary piano scales with your toes. Joseph Pilates was a great believer in body control and this is a great exercise for trying to re-establish the links between brain and body. It's not as easy as you might think.'
Steve Shipside, author of Power Up Pilates (£9.74 Infinite Ideas)
Read: The pros and cons of Pilates
Try: Relax your way to a better body
Chat: Meet yoga and Pilates fans
14. Keep your eye on GI
'Eat low GI foods. They result in lower insulin levels which makes fat easier to burn and less likely to be stored. Low GI foods include multigrain bread, rolled oats or muesli, biscuits made with dried fruit and whole grains, apples, citrus fruits, sweet potatoes and sweet corn.'
Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, The Pocket Guide to the Glucose Revolution with Kaye Foster-Powell, Dr Anthony Leeds (£3.74 Hodder and Stoughton)
Read: How does GI affect weight-loss?
Try: Your GI diet plan
Chat: Get advice and ideas about the GI diet
15. Less is more
'Frequency is almost always more beneficial than duration when working out. For example, although theoretically you are burning the same amount of calories, five 30-minute workouts are going to be more beneficial to your health than two 75-minute sessions.'
Nick Hudson, Holmes Place Academy
Read: What kind of exercise burns the most calories?
Try: Find your exercise quotient
Chat: Meet other iVillagers getting fit
16. Cut down on alcohol
'If you're trying to lose weight, remember to count the booze - a single gin and tonic has about 140 calories.'
Dr Annabel Bentley, assistant medical director, BUPA
Read: Are you drinking more than you realise?
Try: Alcohol calorie calculator
Chat: Get encouragement from other dieters
17. Write down your diet goals
'If you don't know why you want something, it won't be as important for you to get it. But be positive. Don't write down things like "I don't want to be this big or this fat". This is telling yourself what you don't want. Instead write down positive goals like, "I want to look great in my little black number on Valentine's Day". This is telling yourself exactly what you want.'
The Ediets nutrition team. Try out the iVillage Body Boost Diet
Read: Positive diet thinking
Try: What kind of eater are you?
Chat: Learn to love your body
18. Go tropical
'Tropical fruits, especially pineapples and paw paw are very good foods to protect you against cellulite. They're extremely rich sources of beta carotene, which is very important for healthy skin and contain natural enzymes that are extremely good for the digestions and help break down fat deposits.'
Naturopath and nutritionist Michael Van Straten
Read: The iVillage guide to exotic fruit & veg
Try: How to get your five a day
Chat: Meet others trying to eat healthily
19. Take the half hour challenge
'Exercise burns calories. A daily 30-minute brisk walk will burn around 1,500 calories every week. Over six months this totals a staggering 39,000 calories - the equivalent to over 11lb of fat.'
Diet guru Rosemary Conley
Read: Is there really a fat-burning zone?
Try: Rosemary Conley's hip and thigh diet
Chat: Meet others walking off the weight
20. It's in the can
'Canned rice pudding is great for lifting calcium levels, pilchards offer Omega-3 fatty acids and vegetables are full of vitamins. Adding beans, peas and lentils into a dish will make it go further and increase the protein and iron values of the meal.'
Personal Trainer to the stars Matt Roberts, is fronting the Canned Food, Ten Minute Tasters campaign
Read: All about vitamins
Try: Eight weeks to wellness
Chat: Meet others trying to eat healthily
21. Don't go exercise crazy
'Being a fitness junkie is probably more dangerous than not doing anything at all and even I don't exercise every day. But I am good more often than not. It's the 80/20 thing - if you're good for 80 per cent of the time, you can be bad for the other 20 per cent.'
Aerobics instructor and actress Beverley Callard, who plays Liz McDonald in Coronation Street. She's just released her fourth fitness video Lasting Results, (£9.99 VHS, £13.24 DVD)
Read: Which fitness video should I buy?
Try: Workouts to get you in shape
Chat: Find friends following fitness challenges
22. Avoid man-sized meals
'When cooking for two, don't just split meals into two equal portions. You don't need to eat as much as your partner.'
Nicola Wraight, spokesperson for Weight Watchers
Read: The pros and cons of Weight Watchers
Try: Weight Watchers recipe ideas
Chat: Join others following Weight Watchers
23. The great outdoors
'Central heating, open fires, poor ventilation and stress all cause havoc with our bodies. They can cause us to be listless, droopy-eyed and tired - not to mention what they do to our appearance. So combat this by getting out and about as much as possible. Try to fit in a walk, even just ten minutes, every day. It will be ten minutes well spent and will make you feel great and help you sleep better too.'
The Ediets nutrition team. Try the iVillage Body Boost Diet
Read: Great British walks
Try: Walk off the weight in six weeks
Chat: Meet other iVillagers getting fit
24. Be clever on holiday
'Don't crash diet before you go away on holiday, you'll be so hungry when you get to your destination you'll eat everything and anything. It's better to eat sensibly before and during your stay.'
Diet guru Rosemary Conley
Read: Your holiday doesn't have to be a diet disaster
Try: 105 ways to your best bikini body
Chat: Get encouragement from other dieters
25. Go nuts
'Pistachios are a good source of potassium and they provide a whole collection of heart friendly nutrients such as vitamin B6, magnesium and copper and are a useful source of antioxidants, including selenium and vitamin E. They are also cholesterol free and snacking on them regularly, within a healthy, balanced diet, may actually help to reduce blood cholesterol levels.'
The California Pistachio Commission Information Service
Read: All about vitamins
Try: Alternative snacks that satisfy
Chat: Meet others trying to eat healthily
26. Don't yo-yo diet
'Repeated weight loss and gain changes the structure and number of your fat cells, which ultimately make it much easier for you to regain weight you've worked hard to lose. Once created, fat cells never disappear, they can only shrink.'
Dr Diana Dell, author of Banish your Belly, Butt and Thighs Forever (£10.44 Pan)
Read: No more yo-yo diets
Try: Learn to master your metabolism
Chat: Share diet inspiration and support
27. Eat negative calories
'A portion of brussel sprouts is worth 50 calories; yet 75 calories are used in digestion and absorption, so burning 25 calories of body fat. Other negative calories foods include broccoli, carrots, celery, leeks, apples, kiwis, satsumas and strawberries.'
Dr Caroline Shreeve, author of Fat Burner Foods (£9.74 Hamlyn)
Read: Ten diet lessons to unlearn
Try: Learn to calorie-count sensibly
Chat: Get encouragement from other dieters
28. Up your fibre intake
'It is estimated that a third of cancers could be prevented by changes in diet. A diet which is high in fibre, and wholegrain cereal, and low in fat has the potential to prevent a number of cancers, including colon, stomach and breast cancers.'
Dr Gillian McKeith, author of You Are What You Eat (£7.69 Penguin)
Read: Fortify your diet with fibre
Try: Fill up on fibre
Chat: Meet others trying to eat healthily
29. Banish the D-word
'Don't say, "I can't eat that because I'm on a diet". Say "I choose not to eat that because I know it's bad for me."'
Lee Janogly, author of Only Fat People Skip Breakfast (£5.99 Thorsons)
Read: Does your idea of dieting cramp your style?
Try: Ten tips for a positive life
Chat: Meet fellow dieters
30. The two-day rule
'If you're trying to lose weight, don't let more than 48 hours go by without doing some form of exercise as it's important to keep your metabolic rate raised if you want to burn fat. Post exercise, your body burns calories at an elevated rate for at least four to five hours.'
Personal fitness trainer Chrissie Gallagher-Mundy author of Fat-Burner Workout: Fit and Fabulous in 30 Days (£12.34 Hamlin)
Read: What kind of exercise burns the most calories?
Try: Ten secrets of exercise motivation
Chat: Meet other iVillagers getting fit
31. The bin is not a sin
'It's your waist that is a waste. Try not to cook more food than you need or more than you can eat. However, if you do have leftover food, try to freeze it or store it safely to have another time.'
The Ediets nutrition team. Try out the iVillage Body Boost Diet
Read: What constitutes a portion?
Try: Ten tips to change your life in the kitchen
Chat: Share diet inspiration and support
32. Cut back on salt
'Don't add salt when you cook. If you can't avoid eating it, drink lots of water both during and after the meal. And the next day eat plenty of foods that have high water content such as fruit and vegetables to flush out your system.'
Janine Whiteson M.Sc, author of Get a Real Food Life, The Food Coach's Revolutionary 8-week Food Makeover Programme (£12.34, Pan Macmillan)
Read: How much salt is too much?
Try: Detox your life
Chat: Meet others trying to eat healthily
33. Do the right reps for you
'For muscle endurance training do up to 18 or 20 repetitions at a weight that starts to fatigue you at 14 or 15. To build strength or develop muscle size, up to 10-12 repetitions at a weight that starts to fatigue you at seven or eight. Hold stretches for between 30-90 seconds.'
Tanya Watt, Tanya Wyatt, author of Be Your Own Personal Trainer (£11.24 New Holland)
Read: Are your fitness goals realistic?
Try: The fitness finder
Chat: Meet other iVillagers getting fit
34. Don't pig out
'Eat when you are hungry, not out of habit. Graze rather than gorge. Eat little and often, with plenty of fruit as snacks in-between.'
Nutritionist Patrick Holford, author of The New Optimum Nutrition Bible (£9.74 Piatkus)
Read: Eight easy craving cures
Try: Conquer your snack attacks
Chat: Find friends on You Can Do It Diet Support
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