All bodies are beach bodies – period. However, if you decide you want to lose a little weight and improve your health and wellbeing this summer, we’ve got some simple diet and lifestyle changes that could help you on your healthy weight-loss journey.
Summer is here, which means beach days and holidays are just around the corner. You’ve booked the tickets, planned the itinerary and started packing. But there’s one thing which can make a holiday better: a good feeling about your figure. While ‘eat less, move more’ is a common refrain, with our busy lives, sometimes we lack the time or energy to always stick to this.
Even with the best intentions, life’s too short to deny yourself all the time, so try these tips to prime your body – inside and out – for upcoming adventures.
1. Snack on sea veg crisps
Wave hi to a new healthy snack: sea veg crisps! Properties in seaweed can prevent fat absorption, according to a study from the University of Newcastle. Tuck into Itsu’s seaweed crisps (from £1) for a salty snack that’s only 24 calories per pack.
2. Try turmeric lattes for healthy weight loss
Add some character to your caffeine by including the wonder spice turmeric. It contains a component called curcumin, which is a potent anti-inflammatory that studies suggest shifts body fat deposits. We love the Rude Health Turmeric Latte (£3.50), which features a blend of turmeric, cinnamon and black pepper.
3. Get your eight hours’ sleep
The importance of quality sleep when it comes to the health of your body and brain is increasingly evident, and did you know a lack of it can even make a difference to your shape? People who sleep for fewer than six hours each night are 50 per cent less likely to succeed in following a healthy diet, according to a study in Portland, USA. It’s all to do with what your hormones do while you sleep. ‘Leptin is the hormone that lets your brain know you’re full after you’ve finished eating,’ says nutritionist Kate Llewellyn-Waters. ‘When you miss out on sleep, your leptin levels can drop, triggering your brain into thinking you need food when really you don’t!’
4. Up your water intake for healthy weight loss
Try to drink around two litres of water a day – it boosts metabolism and reduces snacking to keep weight under control. It also keeps things moving through your system so you don’t look or feel bloated! A water bottle with a daily tracker like the one from Hydrate M8 (£12) is a great way to ensure you drink enough. If you’re travelling to hotter climes or exercising a lot, try Hydro Melon (£14.95), which contains a mix of electrolytes to support rehydration and deal with fluid retention.
5. Try bayberry or quince leaf for toned, firmer skin
There are so many different toning creams on the market but it’s hard to tell fact from fiction when it comes to the claims they make. Try looking for potent ingredients like bayberry, which has been found to reduce fresh fat deposits in existing cells by up to 64 per cent, or quince leaf, which similarly reduces fat storage. Try Clarins New Body Fit (£39.90), which uses quince leaf to target the three types of Adipocytes that store energy as fat. It also leaves skin feeling super soft and hydrated.
6. Try a healthy pizza
That’s right – with a few hacks, this summer fave can stay on the menu. Lo-Dough (£4.99) is a gluten-free, low-carb pizza base, made from both fibre-rich psyllium husk to keep your gut healthy, and konjac flour, which is filling without being bloating. Whizz up fresh tomatoes with a clove of garlic as a sauce, then top with plenty of veg, plus lean protein such as chicken or tinned fish. Healthier cheese choices include part-skimmed mozarella, ricotta, parmesan or goat’s cheese.
7. Try herbal tea to reduce bloating
Swapping your afternoon cuppa for a herbal variety may well help with bloating and digestion. Those containing ingredients with natural digestive properties, such as fennel and dandelion are good choices. Pukka’s Lean Matcha Tea (£2.79, tesco.com) contains fennel, as well as – you may have guessed by the name – matcha. This type of green tea leaf contains high levels of EGCG, a plant-based compound that boosts energy and metabolism. It also contains ginger, turmeric, triphala and cinnamon, which all support digestion and metabolism.
- Suffering from IBS? Try the low FODMAP diet
8. Freeze away fat cells
The latest way to shape up involves chilling your skin to shift fat deposits – better than sweating it out in the sauna on a hot day! ‘Coolsculpting is a new non-invasive treatment that works by cooling fat cells,’ explains Dr Selena Langdon, founder of body contouring specialists Berkshire Aesthetics. ‘This makes the cells dissipate, then they’re naturally expelled from the body over a period of 12 to 20 weeks.’ Ab treatments start from £3,000.
9. Soak in the tub to stop water retention
An indulgent soak in the bath is just the thing after a long day, and adding some Epsom salts tops up your magnesium levels. This mineral helps your body avoid water retention, plus it enables your muscles to contract and repair after any shape-defining exercises. As if that wasn’t enough it also encourages you to doze off into all-important restorative sleep later. Try Isla’s Apothecary Relax+ Recover Bath Salts (from £20), which contains added dried lavender and bergamot for ultra-relaxation.
- Try the paleo diet for easy weight loss
10. Be kind to yourself
Making small diet and lifestyle changes for healthy weight loss can be a great choice for many. However, try to avoid putting yourself under excess pressure, as this can lead to a negative perception of your body. Instead of thinking, ‘I will love my body WHEN I lose weight,’ tell yourself ‘I’m making healthy weight-loss choices BECAUSE I love my body’!
