Prevent extra kilos and stay healthy
Working from home, closed the gym, snack box within reach all day long, but once a week to the supermarket… The corona measures have a significant impact on your normal routine. And therefore also on your health. Because be honest: are you still moving as much as before? And are you still eating healthy? With these 9 tips from dietician Mary Stottelaar you will get through this time healthy.
1. Take 10,000 steps a day
Working from home and staying at home as much as possible may also mean a lot less exercise for you. Your weekly sports hours expire, you don’t have to travel by public transport. In short: a significant reduction in the amount of exercise. Try to get as much exercise as possible at home. There are many gyms that are posting videos on YouTube now, for exercises that you can do at home. For example, schedule a time each day to do those exercises. And you can also take enough steps at home. Walking up and down the stairs a few times a day is a good idea, and get up a little more often to grab something or dance to your favorite music. You can also walk in the place, for example while watching the TV. If you take two water bottles in your hands and move them, you immediately turn it into a workout. Remember that vacuuming and washing windows is also extra exercise. And if you can (and you don’t have any symptoms) try to walk every day with sufficient distance from others.
2. Don’t Crash
As much as you’re worried about your weight after all those negative reports about obesity in the news, don’t suddenly go on a crash diet. Crash diets are never a good idea, especially not now. The great danger of a diet with very few calories is that it also by definition contains too few nutrients such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. And that undermines your resistance. Healthy and complete food is what you need now to keep your resistance up.
3. Breakfast, lunch and dinner
If you make sure you have a hearty breakfast and lunch and have a good hot meal, you will at least get less hungry in between. Because it is precisely in between snacking and sniffing (and extra kilos) lurking. Try to limit yourself to those three healthy, filling meals a day. Then you don’t really need anything in between. For breakfast, for example, think of yogurt with granola and fruit, bread with a fried egg or a bowl of oatmeal porridge with fruit. And at lunch with a well-filled salad or a bowl of soup with bread. In the evening, eat a full plate that is half filled with vegetables. That’s how you get through the day.
4. Give fruit and vegetables the lead role
Fruit and vegetables are tasty and packed with good nutrients such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber. And they are surprisingly low in calories. It fills the stomach well and the nutrients support your resistance. It is therefore a great idea to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables right now. Try to eat 2-3 pieces of fruit a day, for example at breakfast, lunch and as a dessert with a hot meal. As for vegetables: try to get 300-400 grams per day. You can think of extra tomato and cucumber on bread, salads or soups at lunch. Take a large portion of vegetables with a hot meal or take a boiled or stir-fried vegetable plus a salad.
5. Grab that sun
UV rays from the sun cause the skin to produce vitamin D. Sunlight is therefore the most important source of vitamin D for our body. And that vitamin D plays a role in keeping your immune system up to scratch. For sufficient vitamin D it is necessary to go outside for at least 15 to 30 minutes every day. So if you can, take a walk or sit on your balcony or in the garden. In the worst case, open a window and sit in the sun in front of the open window. Behind glass in the sun makes no sense because glass blocks UV radiation. Preferably go out into the sun between 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., because that’s when the sun is at its highest. Make sure that the sun can also reach your skin: at least leave your hands and head uncovered, but of course do not burn yourself. If you are unable to get out (enough), then take extra vitamin D: a tablet of 10 micrograms per day. Taking extra vitamin D is always recommended (even in the summer) for children up to 4 years old, for women over 50 and men over 70 years and for everyone with tinted skin.
6. Have flaxseeds, prunes or anything else full of fiber
Less exercise and a different morning routine can be disastrous for your bowel movements. Were you normally able to set the clock when you felt the urge to go to the toilet? There is a good chance that sleeping longer, having breakfast at a different time and other coffee habits will seriously upset your bowel movements. In addition, exercise is very important for the rhythm of your intestines. Less exercise can therefore also have a negative effect on your bowel movements. You can help your intestines by eating high-fiber foods and drinking plenty (2 liters per day). For example, take some flaxseeds with yogurt or granola every day or eat a few prunes or dried apricots. Whole wheat bread, nuts, seeds and legumes are also full of fiber. And of course vegetables!
7. Get enough sleep
If you get a good night’s sleep — that is, 7-8 hours a night — chances are you’ll snack less the next day. This is according to a study among people who normally only sleep 5 to 7 hours a night. If the participants went to sleep more, they consumed fewer sugars and carbohydrates the next day. Sleeping more can therefore ensure that your diet improves. Research also shows that too little sleep disrupts the hormone balance of the hormones that regulate your hunger and satiety. So go to bed on time!
8. Treat yourself
It’s all annoying enough so you want to spoil yourself every now and then. Of course you can do that with something tasty. But really treat yourself and get or order that expensive chocolate from the real pastry chef, that special piece of cheese or those expensive nuts. You can taste real good quality and enjoy it even more. The great thing is that you don’t need much of it to enjoy it and the price means you won’t be tempted to gobble it up either. Of course you can also spoil yourself in another way: it doesn’t have to be food. Think of a book, a nice magazine, a bunch of flowers or a new puzzle of 1000 pieces.
9. Enjoy cooking
Maybe you just now have the peace and time to cook a little more yourself? After all, there is no rush because you still have to leave in the evening. Therefore, exchange the less healthy ready-made meals and quick-ready meals for home-prepared meals from fresh ingredients. With this you also take a step for your health. Research shows that the purer the food is, the healthier it is. Find tasty recipes. The internet is full of them, try them out. There are also many useful videos of how to cook pure recipes, such as this one for example:
