1. Fill up at lunchtime
Whether you run a busy household or a huge company, making time for a decent lunch is essential. Along with the chance to relax and clear your head, having a proper lunch break to eat a nutritious meal could soon help you fit back into your skinny jeans. Spanish researchers found that people who ate their biggest meal at lunch lost 40% more weight than those who ate most at dinner, even though both groups ate the same food.
2. Share health goals online
Spending too much time on social media can be detrimental to your health, but using Twitter or Facebook to announce your goals can actually make them happen. A UK study found that telling people about your aim – especially when it’s easily measurable, like losing weight, giving up smoking or lowering your blood pressure – and what you’re doing about it, significantly improves your chance of succeeding. The trick is to stay accountable and keep people updated on your progress.
3. Know how to say no
When you’re flat out, it’s tricky to find time to look after yourself. Healthy women win back an hour each day by saying no to things they don’t want to do. If your first instinct is to turn down lunch with a friend who spends the whole time whining about their life, firmly but politely do so. “Putting yourself first isn’t a negative quality – it’s your job to take care of yourself and get what you need,” explains US-based psychiatrist Melissa Deuter. Whether you use that spare time in a bubble bath or with a nice book, do something that makes you feel good. It’s what healthy women do!
4. Eat more spice
Good news for curry lovers – turmeric, that distinctive yellow spice, contains the powerful antioxidant curcumin, which fights inflammation in your body. If you don’t like spicy food, you can now get curcumin capsules from health-food shops. While you’re at it, try adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to your breakfast too. Not only does this spice taste great on porridge, yoghurt or peanut- butter toast, but cinnamon has also been scientifically linked to helping curb food cravings, so you won’t be raiding the biscuit jar at 3pm.
5. Sit less
Sitting is the new smoking – and it’s time to give up. UK scientists found that women who do jobs where they sit for more than two hours a day have a greater risk of developing chronic diseases. And that’s not all. Standing up for an extra 20 minutes a day – on the bus or while watering the lawn – can burn an extra 84kJ. Five days a week, that’s an extra 420kJ (or a 150ml glass of white wine) gone from your future self’s waistline!
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