How to prevent that annual Christmas weight gain https://t.co/jOmiXTuZE3

How to prevent that annual Christmas weight gain https://t.co/jOmiXTuZE3

— sosnicaragua (@sosnicaragua) December 21, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sosnicaragua

How to prevent that annual Christmas weight gain

THERE’S not much left of 2017 and then the New Year begins. So I’d like to wish you the BEST Christmas and all good wishes for a happy and healthy 2018.

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on what lifestyle habits have been holding you back and what strategies you’ll adopt in 2018 to help you succeed in your weight loss goals.

When the busy-ness of this next seven days is over, take 10 mins for yourself and have a time of reflection.

It really is SO important to do this and I would urge you to find the time – it will get 2018 off to a great start!

In the meantime, there are still 11 days of 2017 remaining and they’re probably the 11 days when people do the most overeating!

There’s a way you can prevent too much weight gain over the next couple of weeks, because it’s always easier to maintain momentum rather than undo damage.

Focus on finishing the year on an upbeat note so you can build on that strength going into 2018!

So how do you prevent weight gain during the festive period?

In several studies researchers intentionally overfed people and discovered that some people put on fat and some people didn’t. Further experiments were carried out to see what actually happens inside people’s bodies that determines whether they store excess food as fat or burned it off.

So what’s happening?

Well, the people who burn it off naturally increased their movement and those who put on fat did not. We’re not talking about going to the gym or doing intensive workouts.

We’re talking about natural everyday movement that seems to stop during the holiday season!

This type of movement is called NEAT. and it stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

This is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise. It ranges from the energy expended by walking, typing, performing physical work around the house/garden to running around after kids and general day-to-day activity.

So how do we put this into practice right now?

Well have a think about CONSCIOUSLY increasing your NEAT during this holiday season.  Make time for post-meal walks and stay ACTIVE during the day (even if it’s cold outside!)

This fascinating video explains why many experts believe that sitting is the new smoking. The message is: Keep your bum off seats as much as possible!

If you’re a member of our Slimpod Club we’ll be posting an activity thread so we can all motivate each other to continue with those Fitbit steps, or dog walking or even a few squats!

Have a great Christmas!

The post How to prevent that annual Christmas weight gain appeared first on Slimpod.

Keep calm and carry on is the new Xmas challenge!

WELL, the 30 day challenge is over and there’s less than four weeks to go until Christmas…the busiest and most stressful time of the year for a lot of us. Mums have enough on their plates throughout the year and then it gets 10 times busier.  So many people have been doing really well with their healthy habits during the past 30 days so don’t let it all go to the wall now!  Sustainable weight loss is about continuity and putting an end to the yo-yo dieting stuff!

However, because we’re heading into this ridiculously busy time of year, your mind and body will need a little extra help to stay on track and today I thought I’d give you some advice on how to deal with the effects that stress can have on your body.

It’s a scientific fact that the more stressed we are, the more sugary things we eat. And the more of them we eat, the more stressed we become. That’s the most vicious circle imaginable.

It’s a bit like the old riddle about the chicken and the egg: what comes first, the sugar or the stress?

Stress changes how you eat and the choices you make. It makes you reach for the comforting sugary foods and a recent study suggests this seems to affect women more than men.

Stress means our bodies are awash with  hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which makes our blood sugar level go up and down like a rollercoaster.

We’re surrounded on all sides by sugar-packed comfort food so it’s easy for us to reach for a quick fix. But the stress which makes us go for the sugar produces more cortisol and we can become resistant to the insulin which controls our blood-sugar levels.

One of the effects of excess cortisol is that far more sugar is then stored as fat than is burnt as energy. And cortisol makes us store the fat around our middles, so that it is closer to the vital organs which might need it.

Constant stress means cortisol levels are high all the time – and you put on more and more weight.

So here’s my tips for keeping calm and carrying on as Christmas approaches.

1. Avoid sugary breakfast cereals. They make your body react in such a way that the  the old cortisol/insulin battle starts up.
2. Too much caffeine raises your blood sugar level just like sugar does. So go for decaff tea and coffee. Tastes just the same, does you more good.
3. Exercise. Go for a walk, go to the gym, go swimming, talk the dog out, go for a jog. Whatever works for you will help reduce the stress hormones whizzing around inside you.
4. Things you can eat to lower stress include berries, which are full of vitamin C, green vegetables, which contain so many nutrients, and nuts to give you the B vitamins your immune system needs.
5. Sleep!  Make sure you’re getting enough of it! It’s been scientifically proven that lack of sleep is a huge contributor to weight gain and it’s one of the first things that suffers when we’re stressed. 

If you need a bit of extra help right now, our Chillpod is a fabulous stressbuster.  It calms everything down and people rave about it.  Here’s where to get one and use this code to get 20% off: CHILLSAVE

Let me know below if you notice that stress makes you eat more sugary stuff. How are you going to counteract Xmas stress by using your new healthy habits?

The post Keep calm and carry on is the new Xmas challenge! appeared first on Slimpod.

Keep calm and carry on is the new Xmas challenge! https://t.co/zBXbA7iyI0

Keep calm and carry on is the new Xmas challenge! https://t.co/zBXbA7iyI0

— sosnicaragua (@sosnicaragua) November 27, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sosnicaragua

Healthy and delicious Chicken Verona recipe https://t.co/4q1JW0Q8Ze

Healthy and delicious Chicken Verona recipe https://t.co/4q1JW0Q8Ze

— sosnicaragua (@sosnicaragua) November 24, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sosnicaragua

Healthy and delicious Chicken Verona recipe

OUR hospital superchef Simon Smith brings you a delicious healthy Italian dish this week, Chicken Verona, which is packed with goodness. Simon, head chef at Tameside NHS hospital in Manchester, knows that chicken is the perfect dish for a protein boost. Please let him know how much you enjoyed his Chicken Verona by leaving a comment below. He loves reading your feedback.

Chicken Verona

SERVES: 2

PREPARATION TIME: 10mins

COOKING TIME: 15 – 20mins

 

Ingredients:

2 x 130g Chicken supremes (skinless, boneless & butterflied breasts)

30g Garlic and Herb Cream Cheese

100g Smoked Pancetta

3 Shallot Onions (fine diced)

60g Button Mushrooms (sliced)

1tsp Basil Pesto

2clv Garlic (pureed)

10g Unsalted Butter (melted)

10g Olive Oil

80ml Red Wine

100ml Chicken Stock

150ml Passata

Seasoning

 

Equipment Needed

Medium Sauté Pan

4 small bowls

Small Veg knife

Chopping Board

Deep roasting tray

 

Preparation

Prepare the garlic, mushrooms and onions and set to the side in bowls.

Place the garlic and herb cream cheese into a bowl and soften with a spoon. Lay the butterflied chicken supremes on the chopping board with the skin side down.

Spread a tablespoon of cream cheese along the middle of the chicken supreme.  Fold over the chicken on either side to encase the cream cheese. Wrap strips of pancetta around the supremes until each fillet is encased. Place on to a plate and season with cracked pepper. Place in the fridge for 5mins to rest.

In a small bowl combine the melted butter, oil and garlic. Pre heat the oven to 180C / Gas mark 4.

Pre heat the sauté pan on a medium hob setting, add the garlic infused oil to the pan. Remove the Supremes from the fridge and place in the sauté pan. Allow the chicken to sauté on each side for approx. 3 min each side.  Cover with a lid while cooking so not to burn the chicken. When the pancetta is sealed place the supremes into the roasting tray and place into the oven for an approx. 5mins.

While the supremes are cooking in the oven, to prepare the Verona sauce add the shallots to the sauté pan and cook until onions have slightly soften. Add the mushroom and cook until the mushrooms have softened. Stir the onions and mushrooms often so not to burn them.

Add the pesto and stir into the vegetables then add the red wine. Increase the heat to high and allow the wine to boil and reduce the liquid by half. To this add the chicken stock and cook until this liquid has also reduced by half. Reduce the heat and stir in the passata. Simmer for a further 5 mins.

Remove the chicken from the oven and check it is cooked thoroughly (do this by piercing the thickest part of the fillet to the middle with a sharp knife. If the juices are clear then the chicken is cooked. If not return supremes to the oven for an additional 5 mins.

Place the supreme on to a plate and coat in a layer of the Verona sauce.  Serve with garlic bread. Enjoy !!!!

The post Healthy and delicious Chicken Verona recipe appeared first on Slimpod.

Turning an obstacle into a positive you can learn from https://t.co/Ag8uJnPtDq

Turning an obstacle into a positive you can learn from https://t.co/Ag8uJnPtDq

— sosnicaragua (@sosnicaragua) November 20, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/sosnicaragua