10 Healthy Eating Tips For Stronger Guns and Bums
Exercising is a great way to help strengthen and tone up these areas! But this should be accompanied by healthy eating habits to see the best results. Check out our top ten tips to help complement your workouts targeted at these areas.
Drink more water
Keep a water bottle on you to sip from throughout the day. Drink a cup of water before each meal or before reach for the cookie jar when cravings strike (dehydration can be mistaken for hunger). Keep well hydrated before and after exercise to get the most out of your workout.
Eat wholegrain bread and pasta (low GI carbs)
The fibre in wholegrains slows down digestion, keeping you fuller for longer and preventing sugar highs and lows! Make sure you chose wholegrain carbs like brown, grainy bread, brown rice, brown pasta and legumes. Fibre can also trap cholesterol from entering your body to help manage weight.
Fill your meals up mainly with fruit and veggies
Fruit and veggies are low in kilojoules/calories, plus the fibre keeps you nice and full. Veggies are helpful for weight management and should take up a big portion of your meal. Not to mention the millions of other benefits the vitamins and minerals are doing for your body.
Up your protein intake
Make sure all your meals and snacks have a protein source in them. Protien is absolutely essential after your gun and bum strengthening workouts to help build muscle. Protein will also help boost your metabolism and keep you feeling fuller for longer. You can find protein in meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, milk, yoghurt, cheese, lentils, beans, chickpeas, nuts and seeds.
Chew slowly
Get in the habit of slowing down your eating and trying to take notice of the flavours and textures. This will 1) make your food far more delicious and 2) fill you up and prevent overeating, especially in social settings where portions are large!
Avoid processed foods
Try and stay away from packeted foods with lots of ingredients. These foods usually have a lot of added sugars and unhealthy fats. These include chocolates, crackers, biscuits, chips, sweet cereals, muesli bars, muffins, cakes, frozen pre-made meals, flavoured yoghurts, some dips and some sauces. Make meals and snacks from scratch using simple, fresh and whole ingredients.
Don’t go supermarket shopping hungry
When you are hungry, your body naturally craves foods high in sugar, fat and salt. This can be dangerous when walking past the chocolate and cookie aisle in the supermarket! Instead, go to the supermarket with a full tummy and focus on purchasing foods your body needs to fuel it for your exercise and good health.
Stock up the kitchen and office with healthy snacks
If you have food high in fibre, protein and healthy fats that are quickly accessible, you will feel full and satisfied. They will also provide you with the proper energy and recovery benefits before and after your workouts. If you have snacks high in sugar, salt and bad fats within arm’s reach then you will probably continue to keep snacking! Keep loads of fruit, yoghurt, veggie sticks, hummus and nuts stocked up!
Avoid fizzy drinks and juice
Extremely high in sugar and kilojoules, these drinks will not be any help in strengthening your tums and bums nor will they have any other health benefit for your body! Get creative with adding fruit to still or soda water!
Eat smaller portions regularly throughout the day
If you spread breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks out over the day, eating every 2-3 hours, your body will feel fuelled, your metabolism will be higher, you will have more energy and fewer cravings. Just make sure they are healthy meals!
Need to make some healthy eating changes?
Download our Love Your Legumes recipe e-book. We make healthy versions of your favourite meals and boost their nutritional value by adding in legumes. Start feeling healthier now!
Love Your Legumes Recipe e-book
Download your very own food diary!
Keep a track of your food, mood and exercise. Start to make healthier changes, then start to see the changes in your mood, energy and body. This is a great place to start if you are wanting to make real change.
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Need some more inspiration?
Head to our RECIPE VIDEO HUB – we have lots of healthy snack ideas you might want to try!
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