For many of us that means lots of bbq’s, beers and fire pits – so much fun. However, for some, it
can cause a lot of anxiety around food. What foods are allowed and which ones aren’t? Am I
eating too much oh to hell with it, i’ll start in September.
If this sounds like you …. Deep breaths, It does not have to be this way.
Summer is life. It happens every year and it will continue to happen. So how can you navigate
something in a way that makes you feel good and happy? Here are some things to consider and
incorporate into your daily routine to feel good about the choices you are making.
- Enjoy summer. Let’s not focus on the guilt you feel around food. If this is the only thing
you focus on and concur – SUCCESS! Eating is a social and cultural process not just a
physiological one. It is a time to connect with family and friends and enjoy that sunshine.
Let’s make this a guilt free summer. - Eat in season. Go strawberry picking, pick up fresh produce at your local market. The
recommended intake of fruit and veg for 19-50 yo females is 7-8, and for males 8-10. Fill
half your plate of veggies at lunch and dinner and you are almost there! Oh and eat
those veggies first!
According to the CDC only 1 in 10 American adults eat the recommended amount and in
Canada fruit and vegetable consumption has decreased from 2005 to 2015 and the
lower intake has been contributed to lower intake of fruit juice and potatoes. Get those
veggies in ya! - Enjoy the booze but be mindful. I am not going to be the one to tell you to stop drinking!!
However, It is really easy to over indulge especially if you have a full social calendar. The
drink recommendations according to Health Canada is 1 serving of alcohol for women
per day and 2 for men.
If you find that you are consistently overindulging try swapping out high calorie drinks for
lower ones or drinking water between your alcoholic drinks. Limit where you can. If you
find that you are opening a beer everytime you come home from work – I challenge you
to try and put some boundaries around your alcohol intake. - Get that Vitamin D – now that the sun is out we can make all the vitamin D we need.
Show your face to the sun and soak it up. Our Canadian sun window is short. In saying
that, too much sun is not a good thing for other reasons such as skin cancer so be
mindful, wear sunscreen or a hat. You will still get the vitamin D you need. - Move!!! I am not talking about your scheduled workout although that is great too. I am
talking about adding more movement into your day. This will increase your NEAT. NEAT
stands for Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Basically all the movement aside from
your scheduled workouts. NEAT is variable from person to person but low levels have
been linked to obesity. So just move. Go for a walk, or bike ride on your days off, park
further from your office – take a walk at lunch or walk to your favorite lunch spot instead
of ordering in. These small increases in activity make a bigger difference than you think.
Now I don’t want to talk about summer being over, but we’ve been working on something super
cool to get you back on track when school’s back in session.
Alchemy kickstart is an 8 week healthy lifestyle program that focuses on getting some of those
healthy habits back on track. From setting up our environment for success, to learning about
why protein is a must and everything in between, We have you covered.
More details to come soon!!
Chat soon,
Dee
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): a component of total daily energy
expenditure
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6058072/
Change in vegetable and fruit consumption in Canada between 2004 and 2015
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32644762/
Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations — United States, 2019
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7101a1.htm?s_cid=mm7101a1_w