Improve Your Health 2

ISSUE 2

Conquer emotional eating now!

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YOUR BEST SHAPE

It’s fair to say that many of us are ready to embace new beginnings right now, and with a lot of us that starts with ways to make ourselves look and feel healthier. Top Santé’s surveys show the vast majority of readers want to lose weight. And we know it’s not just about losing numbers on a scale; it’s about being confident in the body you’ve lived in for years and want to look after; whilst honing your individual shape. And we know that you know the answer isn’t a strict bootcamp and a life of calorie culling.

So, we start off with the cornerstone of getting any plan to stick; the right mindset (p6). From there are several articles dedicated to addressing why some of us aren’t happy with our weight, and ways to tackle the underlying issues of emotional eating and a lack of motivation. We also prefer to trust in natural solutions. For example did you know that a decent night’s sleep doesn’t just leave you rested – it ensures a number of metabolism-boosting hormones stay balanced (p22)? Plus, things as simple as essential oils (p24) and natural supplements (p39) were sent from Mother Nature herself to help us keep a healthy weight!

We’re not all meant to look the same; Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn were revered for their beauty yet were polar opposites in terms of physical attributes. So make the most of your unique shape by toning your body with exercise, whether that’s with short but effective ten-minute workouts (p50), or hours of fun playground-style activities (p55).

No guide on weight would be complete without covering nutrition. But we don’t believe in fad diets, so the last section features the best science-backed ways of eating for permanent, positive changes – that won’t leave you feeling hungry, deprived or irritable. So, enjoy transforming your health from the inside out so you start the year looking and feeling great!

Managing Editor

Katherine Watt x x

Learn what your cravings really mean p16

Take our two-pronged approach to a flat tum p42

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The team

Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL Managing Editor, Women’s Health and Fitness Bookazines Katherine Watt Art Director Jennifer Ratcliff ADVERTISEMENT SALES Tandem Media Business Development Director Richard Rowe, 01233 228750, richard.rowe@tandemmedia.co.uk Account Managers Jennie Wood: jennie@tandemmedia.co.uk Hannah Lees: hannah@tandemmedia.co.uk PRODUCTION Tandem Media, topsante@tandemmedia.co.uk Production Manager Andy Welch 01233 220245 MANAGEMENT Chief Executive Steve Wright Managing Director Kevin McCormick Finance Director Julia Mould Retail Director Steve Brown HR and Operations Manager Paul Borsberry Print Production Manager Georgina Harris Print Production Controller Kelly Orriss Audience Development Manager Andy Cotton Subscription Marketing Manager Nicholas McIntosh Find current subscription and other product offers go to: shop.kelsey.co.uk/topsante Customer services: 01959 543747 DISTRIBUTION Great Britain: Marketforce, 161 Marsh Wall, London, UK, E14 9AP, tel: 0330 390 6555 Distribution in Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland: Newspread, tel: +353 23 886 3850 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons Ltd

Kelsey Media 2020 Š all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editors or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties.

While every care was taken during the process of this publication, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information or any consequences arising from it. All prices & website are correct at the time of publishing. Kelsey Publishing Ltd takes no responsibility for the companies advertising in this publication. The paper used is produced from sustainable fibre, manufactured by mills with a valid chain of custody.

The health and fitness information in this publication is an educational resource and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Always ask your doctor before taking herbal supplements or other products mentioned to check for interactions with any prescription medicines, health conditions and allergies., and before performing any of the exercises described, particularly if you are pregnant, or if you are elderly or have chronic or recurring medical conditions.

All prices and contact info correct at time of going to press.

All sources and references available on request.

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Your smoother, trimmer, fla tter, stronger tum! p42

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The new slimming secret Understand how the enneagram test addresses emotional eating.

Don’t worry; be happy!

Manage your stress levels and maintain a healthy weight.

Conquer your cravings Find the right mindset and hack hunger habits.

9 ways to ace your shape Simple lifestyle tips to keep trim.

Sleep yourself slimmer How quality kip resets your metabolism boosting mode.

Scents to boost weight loss Discover how the power of essential oil triggers fat burning.

Liver SOS Look after your liver and improve your weight-loss potential.

Can you think yourself slim?

Tame your thoughts to trim your waistline.

Hack your metabolism Discover your body’s unique way of burning fat to tweak your diet.

Nature’s slimming secret Critical compounds for calorie burn.

Smoother, trimmer...

Address diet with our twopronged way to a defined waist. ... flatter, stronger!

The second segment of our slim stomach spread covers exercise.

FRONT COVER ARTWORK: GETTY / SHUTTERSTOCK

Enter the world of online fitness.

See page 58

Try the keto diet with a healthier twist.

See page 84

50 20 minutes to a toned you Embrace short but sweet exercise to keep getting slimmer.

55 Time to play Get fitter with nostalgic playground activities.

58 No gym required Tap into the world of online fitness to keep motivated.

62 Five ways to shape your bottom The main moves that will give your buttocks a boost.

64 Sharpen your silhouette Moves to get your shape honed.

68 ... and breathe Harness your breath to power your weight loss potential.

69 The thigh’s the limit!

Tips and treatments to tone your thighs: tested.

74 What’s your carb type?

Discover the way your body processes carbohydrates.

78 One diet doesn’t fit all...

Get to know your metabolic type to eat what’s right for you.

84 The new Keto diet Try the revamped version of this high protein, low-carb plan 88 Feel in your prime with Paleo Torch calories with caveman inspired eating.

93 Make friends with funghi!

Shift more lbs from your midriff.

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THE

NEW

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F YOU’VE PICKED UP THIS GUIDE, YOU’LL know feelings toward food and weight can sometimes be tricky. Market research from Mintel showed that around 55 per cent of people in the UK are on a diet at any one time, yet it’s estimated that 80-95 per cent of them put the weight back on. So clearly, what works for some people doesn’t work for others.

With that in mind, what if the secret to success wasn’t about following any one ‘diet’ but in understanding your personality type? That’s what Ann Gadd concluded after more than 20 years of studying the enneagram – a system that identifies nine personality archetypes.

Ann realised that authors of diet books were all different personality types, and that what went right for them wasn’t necessarily going to be right for everyone else. She turned her findings into The Enneagram of Eating (Findhorn Press).

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HARNESS THE WISDOM

‘The enneagram is a tool that can help you become aware of all aspects of yourself; many of which you could previously have been blind to,’ says Ann. ‘The system consists of nine basic personality types, which can be divided further into various sub-types. You are born as one type, which remains constant throughout your life.’

Ann wrote her book to explore the myriad reasons behind why different personality types are more likely to put on weight – having struggled herself with weight gain after the birth of her children.

‘The reason many diets are unsuccessful is that while they help you lose weight, the causes of why you put it on in the first place are unaddressed,’ says Ann. ‘This is why the weight comes back on for most people. It’s not enough to simply diet; you also need to think about your emotional

WORDS: EVA GIZOWSKA. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY AND SHUTTERSTOCK

SLIMMING SECRET

Forget strict diets and foods fads – keeping weight off for good could simply be down to your personality type...

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WELLBEING | FOOD PERSONALIT Y

TYPE 1

The reformer

KEY TRAITS: Idealistic, principled, rational, purposeful, perfectionist.

You want to do the right thing. For you, everything is black and white; right or wrong. You want to make the world a better place. You have a strong feeling about how things ‘should’ be done and can get frustrated with others who don’t share the same ideology. You’re a perfectionist with high standards.

Your mind rules your heart and you have a tendency to repress your instinctual nature. You’re good at organising, administration and doing detailed work.

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU… Cut yourself some slack Your need to be perfect means you’re harshly critical of yourself if you put on a few pounds.

You can become obsessive about eating only organic, ‘clean’, vegan or vegetarian foods.

The problem is that if you’re too rigid you can easily go the other way, where you end up bingeing then feeling guilty.

Eat-well advice A far healthier approach for you would be to follow an 80/20 eating plan, where you eat well 80 per cent of the time and eat ‘treats’ for 20 per cent of the time. Try The 8 Hour Diet by David Zinczenko (St Martin’s Press) where you eat what you want for eight hours and fast for 16 hours (including sleep).

make up and the recurring patterns that cause you to overeat or go off the rails. These factors are important if you want to fi nd a way of eating that’s right for you,’ ‘If you can become more aware of these factors – for example that you fi nd it easier to stay motivated if you diet with a friend or join a weight-loss group, or that you eat more when you’re feeling lonely, inadequate, or fearful – this can make a huge difference.’

While the enneagram may date back centuries, you can harness its wisdom today to help you get happier and slimmer – and stay that way!

FINDING THE RIGHT ADVICE FOR YOU...

To follow are nine descriptions. Read each to identify which best describes your personality type, then check out the accompanying ‘eat-well advice’ section for practical tips.

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TYPE 3

The achiever

KEY TRAITS: Ambitious, driven, image-conscious, adaptive, competitive.

You mask your true self under layers of charm and diplomacy. You have an enormous drive to succeed but underneath, you worry that if people saw the ‘real’ you they might reject you. You’re a natural chameleon who adapts depending on who you’re with. You love networking and can talk to people from all walks of life. You have a winning attitude and can’t understand others who are less driven.

You hate to fail and tend to push yourself too hard.

TYPE 2

The helper

KEY TRAITS: Caring, demonstrative, generous, people-pleasing, possessive.

Warm, kind and nurturing, you’re the type who rushes across the room to greet people. You like to please and have an uncanny ability to know exactly what people want.

You will do anything to help a friend. You’re the most people-oriented of all the enneagram types. You generally give with no expectation but there’s also a side of you that can be emotionally quite manipulative. Your need to be appreciated can lead to martyr-like behaviour.

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU…

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU… Embrace your inner go-getter You’re highly efficient and can be very disciplined when you want to achieve something. You mainly put on weight as a result of stress, lack of time, and eating junk food on the go. You also enjoy trying new restaurants and bars. But, all those meals out and glasses of wine add up to weight gain.

Eat-well advice You love goals and when you put your mind to it, you’re very good at losing weight. Your most effective diet plans are ones involving things like charts, logs, bootcamps, personal trainers, dietitians, coaches and goal plans.

Try a Fitbit Versa Health & Fitness Smartwatch (from £149, fitbit.com).

Try a little tenderness You comfort eat – chocolate, sweets, carbs – when you feel lonely, neglected and unappreciated. On a subconscious level you try to replace love with food. As part of any long-term weight loss strategy, learn to love and care for yourself first.

Eat-well advice You do best with a support system: a friend who is dieting with you, or a weight-loss group.

Counselling, hypnotherapy or CBT can help you break the link between emotions and eating. Try Bach’s Original Flower Remedies Cherry Plum (£7.79, hollandandbarrett.com) for more selfcontrol around food.

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WELLBEING | FOOD PERSONALIT Y

TYPE 5

The investigator

KEY TRAITS: Intense, innovative, cerebral, secretive, independent, inquisitive.

Of all the personality types, you’re happiest to be alone. Even when in a relationship, you will want to have a private space where you can retreat to pursue your interests. You are very cerebral and will spend hours on subjects that interest you. You’re an observer and aren’t comfortable expressing emotions. You’re most likely in a career that requires a high level of expertise such as engineering, academia, computer science, or research.

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU…

TYPE 4

The individualist

KEY TRAITS: Creative, dramatic, temperamental, moody, spontaneous.

You’re the archetypal artist, whatever form that takes: art, music, painting, design, fashion, poetry, etc. You’re also drawn to alternative careers such as healing, yoga and Reiki. You genuinely seek connection with people who ‘get you’. At your best, you’re original, experimental, inspired, highly creative and unique. But you can be moody, temperamental and self-absorbed at times. You hate anything mediocre and strive to be different and unique.

Take it slow and steady You’re an erratic eater who’s not overly fussed with food. If you’re engrossed in a project, you may forget to eat all day and then just grab whatever is around, for example leftover pizza, instant noodles, chips, or a bag of crisps. If you’re carrying extra weight, it’s usually from making the wrong food choices.

Eat-well advice You do best on a slow, steady eating plan where you can learn how to make positive, permanent changes. Approach your diet as you would any project, gaining knowledge about certain foods so you can make informed choices. Read Real Food: What To Eat and Why,

by Nina Planck (Bloomsbury).

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU… Tune in to your gut If you’re sad, you comfort eat. If you’re upbeat, you eat well. Your food choices are an expression of how you feel and are also linked to your identity.

You’re drawn to unusual foods and beautiful packaging. You’re also aware how certain foods make you feel – for example irritated, or sleepy.

Eat-well advice You’d do best with a personalised plan. See a nutritionist and keep a journal to log emotional triggers that prompt binges. Dancing, yoga and Tai Chi can work for you. Read Intuitive Living by Pandora Paloma (Orion Publishing), a six-week guide to reclaiming your mind-body connection.

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TYPE 7

The enthusiast

KEY TRAITS: Optimistic, extrovert, charming, engaging, fun-loving, thrill seeking.

You’re energetic, fun and full of energy. You like to live life to the full and are always looking for the next adventure. You find it hard to be in the present and are constantly projecting into the future. This desire to experience life in the fast lane can be a way to escape inner pain. You’re often found working in PR, marketing, estate agency, travel, filmmaking, music or food. You always have lots of great ideas and like to keep your options open.

TYPE 6

The loyalist

KEY TRAITS: Committed, loyal, anxious, responsible, dutiful, organised.

You’re the glue that holds a family or organisation together.

You’re hard-working, loyal and dependable. You like to feel secure. But, you have a tendency to worry about what can go wrong. This can make you quite fearful and anxious.

You’re very compassionate and have a wonderful ability to understand others. You’re often found working in health care, social work, teaching, the police, or as a trouble-shooter in IT.

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU…

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU… Try to eat mindfully You love eating and want to try everything. For you, shopping, dining out and trying new foods is an adventure. Faced with a buffet, you’ll pile a bit of everything on your plate. Lots of choice is your idea of heaven. At your most extreme, you’re a glutton; it can be the way you avoid dealing with emotional pain.

Eat-well advice You find it hard saying no to anything, including food, yet slowing down and eating mindfully is your key to staying slim and safeguarding your health. Talking therapies would also help. Read The Mindful Eating Workbook by Vincci Tsui RD (Althea Press) and visit bps.org.uk to find a good therapist.

Relax and seek support You overeat to suppress fear. When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, you stuff food down to try and calm yourself. For example, if you’re feeling nervous at a social function, you’ll work your way through the snacks. For weight loss to succeed, address your underlying fears and anxieties.

Eat-well advice You’ll do best on a traditional, sensible eating plan where you eat healthy food at set intervals. You would do well joining a weight loss group. Try relaxing therapies, meditation and yogic breathing to help you feel calmer. Read The Anti Anxiety Diet

by Ali Miller (Headline Press).

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WELLBEING | FOOD PERSONALIT Y

TYPE 9

The peace maker

KEY TRAITS: Easy-going, self-effacing, agreeable, receptive, reassuring.

You have a natural calming, healing presence.

People feel relaxed around you. You listen, you’re supportive, you’re modest, and you’re happy for others to shine. Basically, you want everyone to feel good. But in over-accommodating others, you don’t acknowledge your own needs. You’re imaginative and often highly creative. You prefer to work on your own as a writer, musician or alternative therapist; you hate office politics.

TYPE 8

The challenger

KEY TRAITS: Powerful, self-confident, willful, decisive, at times confrontational.

You have a larger-than-life personality and a ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude. When you walk into a room, everyone is aware of your commanding presence. You’re a risk taker and you enjoy a challenge. Big-hearted and protective of your inner circle, you can be intimidating and vengeful towards anyone you perceive as a threat. You hate to feel vulnerable and your tough persona can be used to hide your soft side.

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU…

SLIMMING TO SUIT YOU… Make small, simple changes You often suppress emotions because you don’t want to create disharmony. You can also go into a daydream state where you eat or drink too much without even realising you’re doing so. Another stumbling block when it comes to dieting is your tendency to put things off until tomorrow (then the next day...)

Eat-well advice It’s easier to stick to a healthy eating plan with encouragement and support from a friend or group. Choose a programme with a simple routine that’s easy to follow. Also, take small steps to begin with rather than setting unrealistic goals. Try acupuncture or other bodywork to help release stuck emotions.

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Balance your blood sugar Just as you’re lusty in life, the same goes for your eating. You don’t do guilt and you rarely worry about long-term health. When it comes to food, you’re very much a ‘I want it and I want it now!’ type. If you’re in a restaurant, you’ll probably order the flashiest meal or biggest steak on the menu.

Eat-well advice Admitting you need to eat more healthily isn’t easy, but focusing on the benefits will give you impetus to succeed. Try Dr Michael Mosley’s Blood Sugar Diet (thebloodsugardiet.com), which can help you avoid crashes in blood sugar and reduce cravings, making it easier to lose weight.

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DON’T worry;

BE HAPPY Getting a handle on stress and embracing relaxation can go a long way to keeping you at your ideal weight – here’s why...

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WELLBEING | STRESS

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E CAN ALL agree it’s been a bit stressful recently. And stress – plus periods of indulgence – means many of us want a health reset, including weight loss.

As the articles in the start of this guide explore, weight and mood go hand in hand; with chronic worry making it hard to stabilise weight.

‘Although we’re beyond caveman surroundings, our bodies respond to stress in the same physical way that it would react to a huge predator,’ says Uxshely Chotai, founder of the Food Therapy Clinic (thefoodtherapyclinic. co.uk). ‘Your blood sugar increases and your heart beats faster as your body gets ready to fight or flee.’

This would help if you needed to scarper from a sabre-toothed tiger, but is less useful when you’re fretting about finances or deadlines. Stress produces the hormone cortisol, which stimulates glucose release to give your muscles an immediate supply of energy, whilst suppressing glucoseregulating insulin. If not used, excess glucose coursing around your blood ends up stored as fat.

‘Even if you’re eating healthy, increased cortisol from excess stress can raise insulin resistance, which adds to the risk of diseases such as diabetes,’ says Dr Sally Norton (vavistalife.com), an NHS consultant and weight-loss specialist.

WORDS: AMY DAWSON. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY & SHUTTERSTOCK.

ROUND THE MIDDLE

What’s more, cortisol has been shown to have an impact on where you put on weight, as well as how much. It tends to encourage the storage of visceral fat, or belly fat in the abdominal area (see p42), which wraps around major organs such as the liver and kidneys.

This type of fat is particularly bad for you, with links to increased risks of cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Many of us also ‘stress eat’ in times of anxiety, reaching for sugary foods as a coping mechanism. While there’s no harm in an occasional treat, it’s not a good plan in the long run. So, read on for some ideas that will help.

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WELLBEING | STRESS

STRESS-BUSTING SOLUTIONS SMELL A LOVED ONE

Next time you borrow your other half’s snuggly jumper, there’s extra comfort in the fact that it forms part of a stressbusting weight loss plan! A romantic partner’s scent is proven to help lower stress levels, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia.

If you don’t have a partner (or don’t fancy sniffing dirty laundry!), fragrances of lavender, jasmine and green apple are also said to alleviate stress. A perfect reason to stock up on scented candles and de-stressing bath soak! See p24 for more on slimming scents.

SCHEDULE YOUR STRESS

It might sound counterintuitive, but scheduling a specific ‘worry session’ into your day could reduce overall stress levels, according to a study published in the Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. Using a diary planner to organise and structure your days should help you to feel less rushed and flustered. Plus, if you feel panic rising, you can use the CBT technique of alloting worries a specific half-hour window. This helps you control your stress, instead of it controlling you.

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Pet a puppy

There are good reasons for pet adoptions increasing recently, with the most compelling being that it’s great for reducing stress. Playing with a dog not only gets you moving around outside, rain or shine, but petting a dog – or other animal – has been shown to reduce levels of cortisol, according to a study at the University of Missouri-Columbia. If you don’t have a dog, local shelters or sites like borrowmydoggy.com can connect you with pets in need of cuddles, walks, or dog-sitting.

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BLOW UP BALLOONS!

We associate balloons with happy memories, but they can also help us stay relaxed and healthy every day of the year. By slowly inflating and deflating a balloon, you naturally force yourself to start taking deep, soothing breaths. Your body needs oxygen to feel calm, but when you’re worrying, you tend to take quick, shallow breaths, so this technique can help. See p68 for more info.

Tune in to nature Getting out into the fresh air, surrounded by nature, is a brilliant mood booster and stress reliever.

In fact even watching wildlife videos will help you harness similar mental health benefits, according to a study by the University of California. There

are wildlife webcams all over the world that you can access online.

Take a visit to The Wildlife Trust’s website (wildlifetrusts.org/ webcams) where you can see live footage of peregrines nesting in Derby Cathedral, Scottish red squirrels, and much more.

JOIN A CHOIR Choirs are soaring in popularity, and no

wonder – they’re fun, sociable, and might just be your ultimate stress-buster. Singing with others triggers the release of oxytocin, a ‘happy hormone’ that helps lower stress levels and blood pressure, according to Swedish research. Popchoir (popchoir.com) holds community choirs, which belt out anything from Lady Gaga to Coldplay. There’s no audition process so every voice is welcome, and Zoom now means you could sing with people all over the world!

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The previous pages touched on how imbalances in your life and mind – rather than a lack of willpower – could cause you to reach for unhealthy food.

Discover what could be missing and fix hunger habits for good...

CONQUER YOUR

cravings 16

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WELLBEING | CRAVINGS

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E’RE ALL GUILTY of succumbing to a less-than-healthy foodie treat every now and then – after all, there’s a reason for the phrase ‘comfort food’. But if you regularly respond to life’s ups and downs by turning to a tub of ice cream or a bottle of wine, it could mean that you’re putting your head in the sand(wich) when it comes to your emotions.

‘Emotional eating affects so many of us,’ says Mel Wells, health and eating coach and author of Hungry For More (Hay House.)

‘It’s fascinating what leads us to do this. We think it’s our body telling us to eat, but often it’s our mind creating cravings, and telling us to avoid something that makes us feel uncomfortable or sad.’

Mel’s philosophy – in the same vein as Enneagram Eating on p6 – is that unhealthy eating habits are a symptom of a problem elsewhere, and that you need to explore to identify what it is you’re using food to replace or avoid.

with the most in day-to-day life. It’s often the easiest pleasure to indulge in.’ But good news is that once you are ready to tackle these behaviours, it’s completely possible to change.

After all, Mel, who herself struggled with disordered eating including bulimia for many years, made the change. Then subsequently used that to help countless clients. But, as with anything worth doing, there’s no quick fix.

WHAT ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR?

It may be that as a child, you learned from your family that food makes you feel better.

Pre-school children whose mothers eat emotionally ate more snacks than other children, according to a significant study. And habits you’ve had for many years take time to relearn.

There’s nothing wrong with emotional eating in itself, but if it’s a pattern that’s causing distress and ill health, it’s best to get to the root of it rather than trying another diet. So, get curious about yourself!

Start to look at patterns around your emotional eating and you’ll unearth some clues. If you’re wolfing down chocolate every day during your lunch break without really tasting it, perhaps you’re feeling stressed about your job.

Or maybe you’re turning to wine every evening because you’re arguing with your partner and it relaxes you.

You might reach for crisps when you’re lonely because you don’t see your friends as often as you’d like, or you munch on biscuits when you’re frustrated about problems.

‘It’s not a case of needing more willpower, even though that’s what we’re constantly taught,’ says Mel. ‘It’s about a particular area or areas in your life where you aren’t feeling fulfilled. It’s the romantic relationship, family issue, or job that needs to change.’ Improve areas of your life where needed, and your relationship with food will naturally improve.

Be kind to yourself when observing these behaviours – this in itself could help you cut cravings. In a US study, when women were given donuts to taste test, those who were given a lesson in self-compassion beforehand

21%

WORDS: LIZZY DENING. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES.

TUNE IN TO YOU

Of British people who saw their GP about their weight were asked about emotional health, according to a survey by Beat.

There are of course times in your life when you’ll eat even though you’re not hungry (birthday cake, anyone?) but it’s worth tuning in to the reason if you’re regularly over-eating.

Emotional eating has been linked to weight gain, binge eating and low self-esteem in various scientific studies, and it can be caused by a range of feelings. Stress in particular is linked to a change in eating patterns, and more tendency to eat high fat, high sugar foods, according to one American study.

Exhaustion is often a factor too – the reward centres of the brain in sleep-deprived people are much more likely to react to photos of unhealthy food than in those who are well-rested, according to one study from Columbia University.

‘As humans, we instinctively want to move away from pain and towards pleasure,’ says Mel. ‘Food is one of the things we engage

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WELLBEING | CRAVINGS

ended up eating less. So don’t judge yourself for your eating habits, you’re trying to learn from them, not beat yourself up about them.

MAKING CHANGES

When you start to examine the feelings behind your eating, you might discover that really allowing yourself to feel your emotions by having a good cry, or having a proper talk with a loved-one will do the trick.

Or, it could be that you’re eating out of boredom and need to inject some fun back into your life by trying a hobby or catching up with friends more often.

It could even be that your life is too full and busy because you’re caring for others or working too much, and by carving out some

regular ‘me-time’ for yourself, your eating habits will start to calm down.

Whether it’s finding a purpose that makes your heart sing, expressing your creative side, exploring spirituality, or just experiencing more joy and pleasure in your life, finding ‘the gap’ that you’re filling with food doesn’t have to be scary – it can make your life happier and richer.

‘We often look to food to heal us,’ says Mel. ‘But of course things that make us truly happy include love, relationships, adventures, creativity and a feeling of belonging.’ Starting to identify which areas of your life are out of balance can be challenging, but it’s a rewarding journey that helps put emotional eating at the bottom of your worries.

MEL’S TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO FIGURE OUT YOUR CRAVINGS Become more aware of the feelings that drive you to eat. Write down some observations about yourself to help identify eating habits.

1 HOW TO IDENTIFY EMOTIONAL HUNGER l Comes on suddenly; physical hunger is more gradual. l Cravings for specific (usually unhealthy) foods, whereas physical hunger can be satisfied more easily. l It’s never satiated: you won’t feel full even when your stomach is. l It often results in mindless, fast eating without really tasting it.

Write down what you feel when you turn to food – it might be one thing, or several. Ask: ‘Am I craving in my body, or in my mind?’

2

Try to trace back what caused the feeling, whether it’s being bored at work, arguing with a friend, or something else.

See if it links back to the types on p7.

3

Ask: ‘Is there a way I can treat what’s at the root of this feeling without food?’ It could be something small like going for a walk, or five minutes daydreaming.

Or, try some of the tips from p14.

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WELLBEING | SHAPE

S

OMETIMES THE SEA OF knowledge on weight loss is overwhelming. Whilst longer reads contain vital info, they’re easier to digest when mixed with bite-sized info (puns intended!).

With that in mind, here are some simple lifestyle tweaks to prime your body for getting in your best shape ever.

SNACK ON SEA VEG Wave hi to a popular healthy treat: sea veg crisps! Seawee’s properties can prevent fat absorbtion, according to a study from the University of Newcastle.

Tuck in to Itsu’s seaweed crisps (from £1, itsu.com/ grocery) – a satisfying umami snack that’s only 24 calories per pack.

WORDS: JENNA FARMER. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES AND SHUTTERSTOCK.

9 WAY S T O. . .

ACE YOUR SHAPE Whatever your natural figure, simple diet, lifestyle or beauty tweaks can help keep your limbs lithe, tummy trim and skin smooth.

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WELLBEING | SHAPE

GET YOUR EIGHT HOURS 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 (thewhatifplan.co.uk).

‘When you miss sleep, your leptin levels can drop, triggering your brain into thinking you need food when really you don’t.’ See over the page for more sleep tips.

Boost your beverage with some turmeric to keep you trim

UPGRADE YOUR MORNING LATTE

Add some character to your cuppa 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 Natyura Turmeric Blend, a mix of energising maca plus turmeric, lucuma, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and black pepper (£9.99, hollandandbarrett.com).

UP YOUR WATER INTAKE 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 (£13, hydratem8.co.uk) is one way to ensure you drink enough. If you’re in hotter climes or exercising a lot, try Hydro Melon (£14.95, hellenia.co.uk), which contains a mix of electrolytes to support rehydration and deal with fluid retention.

BOOST BERRY BEAUTIFUL 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. The key might be to look for potent ingredient bayberry, which has been found to reduce fresh fat deposits in existing cells by up to 64 per cent. Green People Age Defy+Contour (£36, greenpeople.co.uk) promises to increase the firmness and elasticity of your skin through the inclusion of this berry; plus ginger extract, shea butter and pineapple.

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HAVE A PIZZA THIS… That’s right – with a few hacks, this comfort food fave can stay on the menu. Lo-Dough (£3.25, lodough.co) 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 causing pizza bloat.

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. Healthy cheese choices include partskimmed mozarella, ricotta, parmesan or goat’s cheese.

CHOOSE THE BEST BREWS Swapping your afternoon cuppa for a herbal variety can be a great help for digestion and reduced bloating.

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 matcha of course. This type of green tea leaf contains high levels of EGCG, a plant-based compound that boosts energy and metabolism.

It also contains triphala, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger, which all support digestion as well as metabolism.

FREEZE FAT CELLS Colder weather isn’t all bad – feeling the chill activates ‘brown fat’ cells in your body, which speed up calorie burn. If you don’t fancy shivering at home, you can speed up the process with a new treatment. ‘Coolsculpting is a noninvasive procedure that works by cooling fat cells,’ explains Dr Selena Langdon from body contouring specialists Berkshire Aesthetics.

‘The cells dissipate, then they’re naturally expelled from the body over a period of 12 to 20 weeks.’

Treatments start from £3,000.

SOAK IN THE TUB

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 bloat, 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 £14, islaapothecary.com), which contains added dried lavender and bergamot for ultra-relaxation.

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Sleep yourself

SLIMMER

What if we said you could stay slim just by having enough sleep? Here’s how – plus pre-bed tips to boost the benefits.

I

T’S EASY TO BURN THE candle at both ends at the moment. But if you’re finding it hard to stick to a proper sleep pattern, it might hinder your efforts to lose weight. Sleep is vital for body and brain repair, as well as the balancing of weightrelated hormones. ‘Research has found that those who get more

sleep have decreased levels of ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, and increased levels of leptin, which controls satiety,’ says wellness expert Jeannie DiBon (jeanniedibon.com).

Here’s how to keep these and otherprocesses in check so your body can use your slumber to stay slender.

CUT CORTISOL

Lack of sleep has a big impact on the hormone cortisol. ‘Too much cortisol leads to weight gain around your middle and increased food cravings,’ says Jeannie.

A calming bedtime routine is key to keeping cortisol down, so keep tech use – which emits brain-exciting blue light – to a minimum; soak in a bath with muscle relaxing magnesium salts; and try some mind-clearing journaling. We love The Anxiety Journal: Exercises to soothe stress and eliminate worry (£9.99, Oliver Bonas), which has simple exercises to help you feel calm.

BREATHE DEEPLY

SNACK SMART

The most natural way to increase leptin is through food.

Have a little snack 30 minutes before bed so you don’t wake reaching for quick-fix unhealthy breakasts. Fructose in fruit or sugary carbs can inhibit leptin, whereas zinc-rich protein increases it.

A handful of pumpkin seeds is a good choice. Or try a supplement such as new Phenergan Night Time, from pharmacies, priced £7.99.

Your vagus nerve – the longest nerve in your body – transmits messages from your stomach to your brain. If ghrelin is being triggered, the message being sent is to eat, but you can override it. ‘Stimulating this nerve has been linked to weight loss, because doing so can transmit messages of feeling full,’ says Jeannie. ‘Practising deep breathing exercises before bed will activate the nerve to shift your metabolism from fat storage to fat burning.’

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HEALTH | SLEEP

SIP A DIURETIC

MEND MUSCLES

‘Growth hormone surges while you sleep, converting exercise you’ve done that day into muscle growth and tone,’ says Jeannie.

It’s highest when your body has cooled down in REM sleep, so bedding is important. Wool helps you get up to 25 per cent more regenerative sleep because it can wick away moisture so you don’t overheat. The Wool Room stocks wool mattress protectors, pillows and duvets (from £99, thewoolroom.com).

Diuretic drinks help your body flush out waste, so if you have one around an hour before bed, your digestive system won’t be under stress overnight. This means a slimmer stomach due to less bloating.

Try Yogi Bedtime Tea (£2.59, hollandandbarrett.com), which contains diuretic liquorice and cardamom, plus sleep-inducing valerian and chamomile.

TONE UP OVERNIGHT

REGULATE INSULIN

Something called the ‘dawn phenomenon’ means you have an increase of hormones, particularly insulin, in the early hours as your body prepares to wake. This can lead to increased cravings, particularly for sugar or carbs. However, studies have shown a brisk walk after dinner, around 2-3 hours before bed, helps stabilise insulin so you avoid spikes the next morning.

As well as optimising what’s going on within your body, you can also give yourself a helping hand on the outside if you want to wake up looking trimmer.

Certain topical ingredients can help dissipate fat and cellulite under your skin. Try the combination of red algae and menthol in Dr Ceuticals Overnight Sculpt Treatment (£14.99, boots.com).

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SCENT TO BOOST

WEIGHT LOSS Essential oils can make so much difference to the atmosphere of your home – but did you know they also help regulate blood sugar and help you burn fat?

E

SSENTIAL OILS ARE nature’s gift. They can help you feel more relaxed, improve your mood and enhance your health and wellbeing in so many ways – including supporting healthy weight loss.

‘Alone or in combination, essential oils offer restoring, appetite curbing benefits that can be used when cravings hit,’ says Dr Eric Zielinski, author of The Essential Oils Diet (Harmony). ‘Certain oils can also help you burn fat more effectively.

The top four to support weight loss

are grapefruit, lime, peppermint and cinnamon, while other beneficial oils include orange, lemon, tangerine, clementine, mandarin and neroli.’

The way these wonder oils work is by promoting your body’s ability to burn fat, as well as helping you on a psychological level. ‘Inhaling essential oils has a direct effect on both body and brain,’ says Dr Zielinski.

‘If you are an emotional eater or you use food to help you deal with stress, essential oils can assist by helping improve your mindset. For example, orange oil can help alleviate low mood, making you less likely to reach

for comfort food to cheer yourself up.’

Another good oil is peppermint, which has natural energising properties. Inhaling the aroma relaxes the smooth muscles in your lungs, effectively increasing lung capacity so you take in more oxygen and feel pepped up, according to a study in the Journal of International Sports Nutrition. Once you’re feeling more relaxed, you’ll be more inclined to take πcare of yourself with nutrition and movement.

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HEALTH | AROMATHERAPY

CINNAMON

This essential oil can be extracted from the bark or leaves of the plant.

‘Cinnamon leaf oil contains more of the chemical compound eugenol, which has a natural anti-inflammatory effect so is often used to relieve pain,’ says Dr Zielinski.

‘Cinnamon bark oil on the other hand contains more camphor and cinnamaldehyde, which are both potent antioxidants.’ Several studies show cinnamon bark oil helps to reduce fasting blood sugar levels, including amongst adults with Type 2 diabetes.

Both cinnamon bark oil and cinnamon leaf oil – often just called cinnamon oil – contain the active ingredients cinnamaldehyde and eugenol. Cinnamaldehyde has the potential to help stimulate healthy insulin production, which is important for maintaining a healthy weight.

Cinnamon bark oil contains the most cinnamaldehyde of the two, and is also more potent and expensive.

WORDS: EVA GIZOWSKA. PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK.

GRAPEFRUIT

‘Grapefruit essential oil contains the phytochemical d-limonene (also found in other citrus oils). A Japanese study found that inhaling the oil reduces appetite and stimulates the breakdown of fat by encouraging thermogenesis, which is the burning of calories to produce body heat,’ says Dr Zielinski. ‘In one study, it was shown that inhaling grapefruit oil for 15 minutes, three times a week, helped control food cravings and hunger, so participants ate less and lost weight. Furthermore, a Korean study found that when postmenopausal women massaged their abdomens daily for six weeks with a mix of grapefruit and cypress essential oils (diluted in carrier oil) it reduced belly fat, waist size and cellulite.’

LIME Zesty lime essential oil contains d-limonene, which has been shown to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. Dr Zielinski recommends adding a drop to 250ml coconut yogurt – but bear in mind UK aromatherapists caution against ingesting essential oils. Try Jarrow Formulas D-Limonene softgels (£9.76, bigvits. co.uk) PEPPERMINT

As one of the world’s oldest medicinal herbs, peppermint is well known for its ability to aid digestion. It also has a soothing, anti-spasmodic effect on the gut. Some studies have also shown it may alleviate symptoms of IBS. ‘In terms of weight management, inhaling peppermint oil can reduce or eliminate food cravings and help you feel full faster,’ says Dr Zielinski. ‘It’s particularly effective when you get PMS cravings for chocolate and other sweets. Peppermint oil also has a natural energising effect that may encourage you to exercise.’

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7

SIMPLE DIY FAT BURNERS

Try Dr Zielinski’s tips and recipes for using these powerful oils to slim down. It’s important to use good-quality oils. We love Puressentiel (amazon.co.uk), doTerra (uk.do-essential-oils.com) and Tisserand (tisserand.com).

Note: each ingredient mentioned here refers to the essential oil, not the actual fruit, plant or spice in its whole form.

ROLL ON

This powerful blend boosts your body’s metabolic function to help you break down fat. When you blend certain combinations, the healing properties of each oil become even more potent. ● 4 drops lime ● 3 drops grapefruit ● 2 drops cypress ● 1 drop eucalyptus ● 1 drop cinnamon bark ● 10ml carrier oil: apricot kernel, sweet almond, grapeseed, coconut, olive, jojoba or avocado ● 10ml dark glass roller bottle.

Try Baldwins Amber Glass 10ml Roll On Bottle (65p, baldwins.co.uk)

BUST CRAVINGS ON THE GO Keep a bottle of grapefruit essential oil in your bag at all times. If you feel like grabbing a pastry or bag of crisps, dab a couple of drops on a tissue and inhale the scent.

1. Drop the oils into the bottle.

2. Fill the bottle up with your chosen carrier oil.

3. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

4. Do a patch test on your inner elbow to see how your skin reacts. Leave it on for 24 hours and if your skin hasn’t gone red or any other adverse reactions are noted, you’re good to use it over larger areas.

5. Apply the oil where you most want to reduce fat, such as over your stomach, thighs or upper arms. Do this 3-4 times a week after you shower.

the cloth to keep it tight.

3. In the morning, unwrap each area and shower.

BODY WRAP

1. Mix the essential oils with the jojoba oil in the glass container.

2. Rub the mixture into the back of your neck and abdomen (where it’s best absorbed) 3-4 times a week.

● Fat-burning roll on (see above). ● Muslin cloth, cut to size to cover each area you want to treat. ● Cling film.

DIFFUSER BLENDS

Zap fat while you sleep with this super-easy body wrap – you might want to lay towels in your bed though to avoid making a mess!

1. Before bed, apply the fat burning roll-on to the area you want to treat.

2. Wrap each area treated with a strip of muslin, then wrap about three layers of cling film over

MASSAGE OIL

Try using this fat burning combination of oils straight after a shower. ● 3 drops cinnamon ● 3 drops grapefruit ● 3 drops lime ● 3 drops peppermint ● 30ml jojoba ● 1 small glass container

If you have a problem with portion control, these appetite-suppressing blends will help prevent you from over eating at meal times. You’ll need a diffuser – try the Puressentiel Gentle Heat Diffuser for Essential Oils (£29.99, boots.com) Blend 1 ● 1 drop cinnamon ● 2 drops black pepper ● 3 drops peppermint

CURB HUNGER Add 20 drops of peppermint oil to an inhaler – try the Shirley Price Nasal Aromatherapy Inhaler (£1.83 for two, shirleyprice.co.uk). Use it between meals – taking deep breaths in. The scent will pep you up if you’re flagging and help reduce food cravings.

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HEALTH | AROMATHERAPY

Inhaling grapefruit essential oil stimulates your body’s breakdown of fat by encouraging it to burn more calories to produce heat.

Blend 2 ● 3 drops lime ● 3 drops grapefruit ● 3 drops peppermint ● 1 drop cinnamon 1. Fill the diffuser with water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Add essential oils to the water and turn it on 20-30 minutes before meals.

3. Take slow, deep breaths to inhale the aroma.

MAKE ‘QUIT STICKS’

This recipe was originally formulated to help smokers quit but it works equally well for food addiction. ● 20 drops black pepper ● 10 drops grapefruit ● 5 drops peppermint ● 5 drops orange ● 5 drops cinnamon

● 30ml glass, such as a shot glass or a measuring container ● Edible carrier oil that won’t harden, i.e. extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil or avocado oil ● 50 toothpicks (enough to fill up your glass) ● 1 clean plate or baking sheet ● Glass toothpick container 1. Drop the essential oils into the 30ml glass.

2. Fill the glass ¾ full with the carrier oil and stir.

3. Place the toothpicks in the glass and leave them to soak overnight.

4. Remove toothpicks and let them dry on the plate or baking sheet.

5. Suck on a toothpick whenever you feel a craving for unhealthy food.

6. Store the toothpicks in a glass container.

ESSENTIAL OIL SAFETY NOTES ● Don’t apply undiluted essential oils directly to skin.

The exception is lavender. ● If using on skin or in a bath, always dilute in carrier oil: 1 drop of essential oil in 5ml (1tsp) of carrier oil. ● Always do a patch test on the skin (diluted with carrier oil) before using any essential oils. Leave for 24 hours, so you know it’s safe. ● Always use pure, high quality essential oils. Look for a reputable company. ● Oils are best stored in a cool, dark place, in an opaque, glass container.

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HEALTH | LIVER

LIVER

S S Discover how keeping your liver healthy helps you slim.

I

F YOU ARE GIVING YOUR health an overhaul, then it’s likely you’ve thought about alcohol intake. Alcohol is high in sugar and empty calories, so cutting down or having a break completely is a great step towards losing weight. And of course, your liver will love you for it too – bringing even more fat-burning benefits.

‘Your liver fi lters toxins from your blood, helps regulate blood sugar levels, metabolises fat, proteins and carbohydrates, and produces bile and other enzymes,’ says physician Dr Chidi Ngwaba, who specialises in lifestyle medicine.

‘When your liver is healthy, it’s easy to maintain a healthy weight. But, if you are experiencing weight gain, feeling bloated, tired and lacking in energy, these may be signs your liver is not functioning well. If your liver

has had an overabundance of sugar, alcohol, and any other pollutants – which it may have done after a period of low energy or indulgence – it can lead to inflammation and damage and, eventually, a fatty liver, which causes even more sluggishness.

‘If it no longer fi lters and eliminates properly, all metabolic processes slow down and you’re more likely to put on weight and also retain more fluid.’

LOVE YOUR LIVER

The good news is, you can improve liver health with a few easy tweaks to your diet and lifestyle, meaning you’ll be better able to feel good on the inside – and look slim on the outside.

Help your liver by eating leafy greens

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EAT TO BEAT INFLAMMATION Oily fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds all contain Omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower inflammation in your body and improve your liver function while also reducing the amount of fat stored in your liver.

2

PICK THE BEST VEG

‘Eating foods that support healthy liver function is crucial,’ says Kristin Kirpatrick, nutritionist and co-author of Skinny Liver: Lose The Fat and Lose the Toxins for Increased Energy, Health and Longevity (Vermilion).

To keep your liver healthy, she recommends eating lots of leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, lettuce, Swiss chard, dandelion greens, rocket, and watercress.

These vegetables are very detoxifying thanks to their plant-based chlorophylls, which help remove toxins from your blood.

3

FILL UP ON FIBRE Your liver loves fibre, so veg will help, as will oats, beans, lentils, nuts, and fruits that are low in sugar, such as apples and berries. They encourage a regular, healthy bowel movement, so that toxins are eliminated from the body. If there is not enough fibre in the diet, waste ferments and sits in the colon for too long, raising toxin levels, which creates an extra burden for the liver.

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KEEP ON MOVING

4 5

BIG UP YOUR GOOD BUGS

‘A little-known factor that affects your liver is the type of bacteria that colonise your gut,’ says Kristin. ‘An unhealthy balance of bacteria there is thought to harm your liver by promoting fat deposits and reducing insulin sensitivity, which could eventually lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFL), and spark inflammation that can cause damage.’

Populate your gut with healthy bacteria by eating prebiotic foods: Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus, leeks, onion, bananas, dandelion greens, garlic and chicory root.

‘These contain non-digestible prebiotic fibre that “feeds” healthy bacteria. Also, eat foods that contain friendly bacteria such as live yogurt and kefir, and fermented vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut.’

‘Regular exercise is crucial for keeping your liver healthy,’ says Kristin.

‘A recent Australian study showed exercising aerobically for 60 minutes, at low-tomoderate intensity, four times a week, or, exercising for 45 minutes at high intensity three times a week, helped reduce liver fat.

In another study, participants who did four weeks of cycling reduced liver fat by 12 per cent.

Further still, a Japanese study showed that just over four hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week significantly reduced inflammation, oxidative stress and liver fat. Even two-and-a-half hours led to an improvement.’

6

SAY NO TO SUGAR

‘Too much sugar has the same damaging effect on your liver as too much alcohol,’ says Dr Chidi.

‘A healthy liver should contain little or no fat. Alcoholic fatty liver is caused by consuming too much alcohol and leads to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis. But, consuming too much sugar can also lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver. It’s estimated one in three people has early-stage NAFL. The liver is unable to properly metabolise too much sugar and this ends up damaging liver cells, so they start to build up fat. This puts you at risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and you’ll find it hard to lose weight.’

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STAY REGULAR If your bowels are sluggish this hinders elimination of toxins and puts stress on the liver.

A gentle combo of cleansing herbs can help. Try Potter’s Cleansing Herb Tablets, (£4.59, hollandandbarrett.com), which contain senna – a mild natural laxative, from the dried pods of the cassia tree. Or, A Vogel Linoforce (£13.99, avogel.co.uk), which is formulated with linseed, senna and buckthorn.

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MEDITATE TO REJUVENATE

You can also visualise healing your liver during a walking meditation.

‘Walk at any pace that feels comfortable. Each time you inhale, imagine you’re directing oxygen straight to your liver,’ says Anthony Williams, author of Liver Rescue (Hay House).

‘Focus on how energising and healing this feels. Do it for a few minutes two or three times a week, or even every day if you think your liver needs it.’

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HEALTH | LIVER

CHOOSE HEALING PLANTS, HERBS AND SPICES

Although a good diet is vital for the health of your liver, you can also support it with herbal remedies and supplements. Nutritional therapist, naturopath and herbalist Maira Silva at the College of Naturopathic Medicine, London, recommends the following: ● DANDELION. The root of this bitter herb encourages the release of bile, while the leaves have a gentle diuretic effect that helps support the excretion of toxins.

Try Dandelion (Taraxacum) Drops (£10.50 for 50ml, avogel.co.uk). ● MILK THISTLE. This herb contains the active ingredient silymarin, a powerful antioxidant with a cleansing effect. Try Pharmanord’s HRI Milk Thistle Tablets (£8.70, pharmanord.co.uk). You can also find milk thistle, along with the previously mentioned dandelion plus peppermint, licorice root and boldo leaves (a South American herbal liver remedy) in Dr Stuart’s Liver Detox Tea (£2.49 for 15 teabags, drstuarts.com). ● ARTICHOKE. The extract of this root veg stimulates bile production, alleviates bloating and can help to protect against fatty liver. Try Healthspan Artichoke (£10.49 for 120 tablets, healthspan.co.uk). ● SCHISANDRA. This adaptogenic herb is used in Chinese medicine to cleanse the liver, reduce inflammation and improve digestive health. Try Baldwins Shisandra Berry Extract (£11.49 for 30ml, baldwins. co.uk). ● AMLA. (Indian Gooseberry). This medicinal plant is rich in protective antioxidants and is popular in Ayurvedic medicine to support liver health. Try Pukka Triphala Plus (£15.95 for 60 capsules, pukkaherbs.com), which contains amla along with fibre-rich psylium husk and linseed.

TURMERIC. Used as a potent liver purifier in Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric stimulates bile flow to get rid of fat-soluble waste from the liver. The active component, curcumin, may also help to reduce fibrosis (scarring) in the liver, helping to keep it healthy. Try Pukka Wholistic Turmeric (£16.96 for 30 capsules, pukkaherbs.com).

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Can you

THINK YOURSELF SLIM? Discover how a new brain training technique is proving to help people shift five times more weight than regular dieting alone

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EOPLE CONSULT ALL KINDS of dietitians, trainers, therapists and doctors in a bit to lose weight. But, the answer may just have been hiding right inside you! It’s a new mind-based technique called Functional Imagery Training (shortened to FIT, which seems, well, fitting!).

FIIT is achieving radical results when it comes to quashing cravings and helping people commit to getting fit. The technique works by motivating you to make changes by employing all your senses.

If course, it’s not magic - you don’t simply think a different way and the weight falls off without any change on your part. But, what FIT does aim to do is to help you make

POSITIVE PHONE PHOTOS Set an alarm on your phone that goes off about an hour before you have to go to the gym or 10 minutes before lunch. Have your lock screen set as a picture of your favourite running route or a tasty salad so you see it when the alarm goes off.

positive changes more easily. It shifts your mind to focusing on the good feelings you’ll get from making healthy choices, so you’ll actually want to order a salad or go for a walk rather than desiring pizza or to stay slobbing on the sofa.

The technique was created by scientists at Plymouth University and Australia’s Queensland University of Technology, and it involves spending a few minutes, a couple of times a day, imagining yourself achieving a goal and carrying out a step that will help you reach it. This might be eating a healthier meal, saying no to an extra glass of wine, or going for a run or walk. However, rather than using visualisation alone, you bring in all your other senses, too: hearing what’s going

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HEALTH | BRAIN HACKS

WORDS: HELEN FOSTER. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES AND SHUTTERSTOCK.

on around you, conjuring up tastes and smells and thinking about how you’ll feel while completing your aims.

USE ALL YOUR SENSES

This multi-sensory effect is the secret to FIT’s success and also what makes it different from normal visualisation-based techniques that only involve seeing yourself in a situation.

‘We discovered that desire is highly sensory,’ explains professor David Kavanagh, one of the technique’s creators in Australia. ‘When people crave a drink, for example, three senses come into play: the taste of the drink, the smell of the drink and the sensation that occurs when swallowing the drink. At first we were trying to work out how to use this to

4.3cm ...that’s how much extra those using the FIT technique lost from their waistline, compared to those who only received counselling about getting healthier and slimmer.

stop people making unhealthy decisions, but then we decided to focus on using it to augment healthy desires instead.’

And, they discovered, it worked really well.

So much so that in one recent trial, people using the FIT technique to help them control snacking lost on average 4.11kg in six months, compared to 0.74kg in the group using motivational techniques alone. Other trials showed that practising FIT for 30 minutes a day reduced people’s snacking in as little as two weeks, increased the number of times people went to the gym, and also how long they spent when there.

One big reason FIT works so well is because the input from all your senses creates immediate positive feelings in your body.

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‘This can be a big issue with change,’ says Professor Kavanagh. ‘You’re always trying to balance the immediate gratification of a possibly unhealthy choice with the long-term results you might get from making a different, more healthy one. When you use imagery though, you can actually create how good you’re going to feel now – in your mind.’

Say, for example, you’re resisting going for a run; now spend 2-3 minutes thinking about the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, the feeling of exhilaration when you go down the hill overlooking countryside and the endorphin buzz afterwards. How do you feel now? We’re doing up our trainers already!

PRACTISE LITTLE AND OFTEN

You can use FIT when you’re trying to motivate yourself to do something such as go for a walk, or stop yourself from eating a snack you don’t need. Though admittedly, it might seem a bit trickier to conjure up the same feelings for, say, choosing a salad over chips. ‘Looking for the positives is part of the challenge,’ says Professor Kavanagh.

He advises you try to come up with these when you’re in what he calls ‘Sunday morning mode’ – i.e. after you’ve overdone the chocolate or wine the night before and you’re swearing you’re never going to do it again. Think about all the ways you could feel better and use those in your imagery.

Regularity is also a key: it’s better to practise FIT every day for a few minutes, a couple of times a day, than to do it just once a week. ‘We suggest setting a time to practise your imagery alongside something you do regularly, such as washing your hands, making a cup of tea or walking up stairs,’ says Professor Kavanagh. ‘Every time you do that activity, you visualise yourself making that positive change just for a minute or two. The more you do it, the stronger the imagery grows and the more motivating it becomes.’

Next thing you know you won’t need to visualise your choices – you’ll be making them without even thinking!

Looking for positives is all part of the challenge when it comes to re-training your brain to choose healthy things.

TIME TO TRY THE FIT METHOD You’ll need your whole brain engaged for this exercise, so turn off the television and social media, and give yourself the gift of quiet time...

1

Sit and focus. ‘First, think about what you’d like to change and why this is important to you,’ says Dr Linda Solbrig, who works with FIT at Plymouth University.

‘Then, visualise an action you want to take to achieve that change. In your mind you can create a mini movie of how you might get there.’

2

Imagine all the benefits of making healthy choices. Think of all the positive things that will happen when you achieve whatever you’re trying to do.

Imagine things that might happen straight away, or in the next few days – not at some far-off point.

3

Now, focus on the future you. Think about how you’d look and feel and what you’ll be wearing six months from now if you make that healthy choice today – and continue to keep making it. It’s important you view the scene from your own eyes, not as an image of you looking in

at yourself. You have to be present in your body and in the experience.

4

Engage all your senses. While you are viewing your life in the future, make every thought and feeling as vivid as possible and engage all your senses: what can you hear, taste, feel and smell? Also, how do you feel inside? For example, if you’re trying to motivate yourself to go the gym more often, see yourself getting changed into your kit, hear yourself switching on your favourite workout tunes, imagine yourself running/ cycling/lifting a weight, feel the sweat trickling down your brow as you power through your workout – whatever works for you to bring to mind the benefits of working out.

5

Flash forward to a year’s time. This is when you’re feeling strong, fit, healthy, thinner or whatever your goal may be. Focus on how amazing that feels.

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05/10/2020 18:05:03 08/10/2020 12:38 09/12/2020 11:14

HACK YOUR METABOLISM Writer Sarah Sellens talks about the cutting-edge smart devices that are promising to help you boost fat loss through a simple breath test.

I

T’S NO GREAT SECRET that metabolic rate – the rate at which you burn nutrients and therefore calories – plays a role in weight loss. Just think of how many times you’ve heard someone blame a few extra pounds on their sluggish metabolism, or seen a slim person seemingly eat everything and gain nothing – “She’s got a fast metabolism” we say.

You can get a rather rough estimate of your resting metabolic rate by calculating your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the rate at which your body burns calories to stay alive. But, what’s even better is you can now accurately measure your metabolism

at home. Enter Lumen: a pocket-sized device that syncs with an app to monitor your metabolic rate. It works as a breathalyser for your metabolism – you breathe into the gadget and it measures the carbon dioxide concentration in your breath.

Why does this matter? Because the results can be used to indicate whether your body is burning carbs or fat for energy. Shifting to a fatburning state will maximise your weight loss strategies, hence why the ketogenic diet has taken off.

The Lumen works out whether you are burning fat or carbs as fuel.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Interestingly, the premise of the Lumen device isn’t anything new.

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WORDS: SARAH SELLENS. PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK

HEALTH | NEW TREATMENT

Indeed, scientists already take breath measurements to calculate RQ (respiratory quotient), or the ratio of carbon dioxide produced by the body to oxygen consumed by the body.This value, presented as a decimal, is used to indicate which macro-nutrients the body is metabolising, with 1.0 indicating it’s mostly metabolising carbohydrates and 0.7 indicating it’s mostly metabolising fats.

What is new, is that the Lumen device garners an RQ value in double-quick time. ‘The only way to test metabolism before was through a restrictive, hours-long laboratory process,’ explains Michal Mor, co-founder and head of science for

The accompanying Lumen app contains recipes.

Lumen. ‘With Lumen, we are bringing scientifically rigorous insight into personal metabolism for the very fi rst time.’ Basically, it enables you to measure your metabolic rate from the comfort of your home, and all within a matter of minutes!

IS IT EASY TO USE?

If you’re feeling a little bit confused by the science, it ultimately doesn’t matter so long as you trust the Lumen device. Handily, Lumen handles all of the scientific jargon for you and then presents the data on a user-friendly scale – ranging from one to five, with one indicating that you’re burning more than 84 per cent fat, and five IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

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indicating that you’re burning more than 80 per cent carbs. Teamed with daily dietary plans, the Lumen gadget can help you to optimise your unique metabolic rate swiftly and easily.

So far, so innovative, but how simple is the gadget to use? Actually, it’s pretty straightforward. Initially, you’ll need to allocate some time to setting up your app by adding profi le data such as age, height and weight.

Next, you’ll have to get to grips with how to breathe into the device: you inhale, hold your breath, and then you exhale gently. This is done through a start-up procedure of five practice breaths. From thereon, it’s more a matter of remembering to use the device at the right times of day: before meals, and also before and after exercise.

While I often remembered my pre-breakfast checks I’ll admit I often struggled to remember to do it again before lunch. However, the number of breaths you take is up to you, but the more breath measurements you do, the more accurate your CO2 range will end up being.

TIME AND DEDICATION

While using the device is easy, what is more difficult is following the accompanying diet plan. In the same way that following any nutrition plan can be tricky at times, it takes some dedication and can be inconvenient if you’re cooking for others.

The Lumen app provides a daily breakdown of your macronutrient intake – 45g of carbohydrates, 154g of fat and 100g of protein as an example from my own data. Macro breakdown is the result of your metabolic profi le and aims to improve what’s called your “metabolic flexibility”, or your body’s ability to switch between burning fats or carbohydrates depending on their availability.

The net result of metabolic flexibility

is easier weight loss, better immunity, improved sleep, wellbeing and more – but you’ll need to be committed, as it involves learning about portion sizes and overhauling your diet a bit.

Fortunately, the app has a handy recipe section, which suggests meals – many of which are rather yummy, having tried them – that roughly fit your diet plan.

FUTURE OF WEIGHT LOSS?

It could be, but it does cost a bit to try at the moment. Pioneering what could be breakthrough technology, the Lumen currently retails at £249 (lumen.me) but, if it really does provide the scientific data of labs and large machines in the way it promises, it’s a worthy investment for those who struggle to lose weight and keep it off, as it reveals in real time how your body is using energy.

The Lumen provides a daily breakdown of your macronutrient intake, which is determined by your metabolic profile.

I imagine it will be popular among the keto and general low-carb brigade as it does away with the need to do fi nger prick glucose blood tests or urine strips to workout ketone levels, as it tells you whether you are burning fat or not. However, the makers say it’s not simply about following a low-carb diet all the time but a matter of that “metabolic flexibility” i.e. being able to transition between fat-burning and carb-burning modes.

SARAH’S VERDICT

The interesting thing for me, from a sports nutrition and women’s health perspective, was that it said I needed more carbs when on my period.

A woman’s resting metabolic rate increases during this time of the month, which is why you crave carbs and should have a good intake of healthy ones. I followed the app’s guidance and experienced so much more energy than I normally do. I also had fewer energy slumps. While I didn’t lose weight, this was probably because I didn’t use it for long enough (about four weeks) but I’m certain I would have with more time.

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HEALTH | SUPPLEMENTS

NATURE’S

slimming secret Regain control over your body shape – and the future of your health – by undoing recent overindulgence with natural nutrients

N

O ONE CAN BE judged for eating a little too much food recently, but if you’re reading this it shows you’re intending to get back on track. This is great news – not just because you’ll get back in your fave jeans – but you’ll avoid lifestylelinked health nasties too. Namely, metabolic syndrome (a combo of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity), which one in four people in the UK reportedly has.

People who binge on sugar and carbs long term get increased blood sugar levels, which means a prediabetic state could well turn into Type 2 diabetes. But the good news is, that two supplements – berberine and choline – may be the key to bringing blood sugar levels back in balance.

Brilliant berberine Berberine is a naturally occurring compound found in many plants, such as the berberis shrub. Studies show berberine works in a similar way to the prescription drug Metformin, which is used for lowering insulin-resistant blood sugar levels.

Berberine halts insulin resistance by aiding the breakdown of sugar that the cells and liver need. ‘There is good research suggesting strong effects of berberine for reducing biomarkers of Type 2 diabetes,’ says Aleasha Kiddle (YourHealthBasket.co.uk). ‘Daily values aren’t established for this supplement yet, but up to 900mg was found to be a safe amount.’

Nutritionist Gilly Pantlin agrees with the benefits, and also says it would be

tricky’ to give a ‘one-size-fits-all’ recommendation: ‘Caution should be applied for people diagnosed with diabetes and on medication, because of the way berberine lowers blood sugar,’ she says.

A study of 37 obese people with metabolic syndrome supported the beneficial effects of berberine on weight control. It found that 300mg of berberine given three times daily resulted in a BMI reduction from 31.5 to 27.4 within three months. This meant the participants dropped from the obese to overweight category.

Part of this reduction in body fat was found to be due to an increase in the appetite-suppressing hormone, leptin (see p22 for more on this).

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Combat carbs with choline Although supplements should not be a substitute for a healthy diet, there are times they’re useful, such as after a period of indulgence – especially the carb variety. This is where choline comes in, so how does it work?

‘Choline is an essential nutrient required for many functions in the body, including maintaining normal liver function,’ says Dr Stacey Lockyer, senior nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation (nutrition.org.uk).

‘It is found in a variety of foods including eggs, meat, wholegrains, fruit and vegetables, fats and oils.’

A deficiency is common, which is all the more important when you’re either

trying to lose weight or not put on any further weight.

‘Choline aids weight loss on a number of levels,’ says Sandy Firth.

‘It is needed for phosphatidylcholine synthesis, which is a substance that prevents accumulation of fats in the liver. Choline helps the body to use fat as a fuel by bringing fats out of the liver to be used for energy. What’s more, it helps remove excess fat from the blood. When fat is used as a fuel then hunger does not occur.’

A recommended daily allowance has not yet been established for choline, but an adequate intake has been accepted, according to Sandy. ‘This is 425mg for women and 550mg for men,’ she says.

Studies on the effect of choline supplementation on rapid weight loss in female taekwondo and judo athletes have shown its weightreducing effects. Many athletes are required to lose weight before important matches, hence they often

try a number of nutritional aids. The athletes took two doses of 1g choline daily for a week. The results were a 10 per cent change in loss of body fat.

These results supported the idea that choline could be used to lose weight rapidly without the loss of muscle mass, which often occurs during calorie-reducing diets.

However, it’s worth noting that this study looked at a number of nutritional substances, of which choline was just one.

Other studies have shown that supplementing with choline actually increases muscle mass, while a deficiency has been found to cause muscle damage. This is important, as retaining or increasing your muscle mass is vital for sustained weight loss.

The reason being, is that muscle tissue burns two-and-a-half times more calories at rest than fat does. Studies have also shown that choline decreases plasma glucose levels and the need for insulin.

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The right stuff

Buying good-quality supplements is key to successful weight control, so what should you be looking for on the label? A decent supplement has minimum fillers and additives. Ingredients that have therapeutic value are labelled as “active ingredients”.

Constituents without any beneficial value are described as “other ingredients”. Labels should also state the dosage and recommended daily intake.

Where an ingredient is labelled as an “extract”, this indicates it has not been artificially made in a laboratory. An extract refers to parts of a plant that have been refined and dehydrated. This means that more of the active ingredient can be included in the product.

Finally, the label should state what the supplement is free from. This is important information for those with food intolerances and preferences, such as being vegan friendly.

BUYERS’ GUIDE BERBERINE ● British Supplements Berberine (£14.28 for 30 capsules, british-supplements.net) capsules contain 422.5mg and 48mg of uptake. It consists of extracts of black pepper, ginger and cumin to improve absorption. One a day is recommended. ● Vytox Berberine (£14.75 for 120 capsules, amazon.co.uk) capsules contain a high dose of 1,000mg berberine. Take one a day on an empty stomach. ● Klaire Labs Berberine (£36.96 for 120 capsules, purenaturals.co.uk) capsules contain 500mg and it is recommended that one to two are taken daily.

CHOLINE ● British Supplements Clean CDP Choline Citicoline (£22.46 for 30 capsules, british-supplements.net) capsules contain 305mg choline and you should take one a day. ● Solgar Choline (£14.25 for 100 capsules, solgar.co.uk) capsules contain 350mg choline. Take one to three daily, with meals. ● Simply Supplements L-Choline (£9.99 for 120 capsules, simply supplements.co.uk) capsules contain 500mg of choline. It’s advised you should take one a day.

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SECTION 1

SMOOTHER, TRIMMER...

In the first of our two-part feature for achieving a flatter tum, we’re looking at the foods to help you beat the bloat and keep trim.

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HEALTH | WAISTLINE

I

T’S OFTEN SAID A flat stomach is made in the kitchen; no amount of exercise can hone your abs if what you’re eating isn’t optimal. So if your aim is having a flatter tum, it’s a two-pronged approach and that the right exercise can complement your diet for great results. We’ll be covering the fitness side, including the absolute best moves for a trimmer waist in the next section. But right now, let’s explore easy and tasty diet tweaks to help minimise abdominal fat…

THE SUGAR ✔ BREAK AND CARB HABIT

Cutting back on refi ned sugars and carbohydrates such as bread, biscuits and cake is key to a flatter stomach. Yes, we know you’ve probably heard this message a thousand times before so it’s nothing new, but when you understand the reason why it’s so effective in terms of trimming belly fat, declining that second, or even fi rst, slice of gateaux becomes much easier.

When you consume sugar, it’s broken down into glucose molecules that end up in your bloodstream. Insulin is released from your pancreas to reduce the blood sugar and direct it into your muscles, because when levels in the blood are too high it creates inflammation throughout your body. ‘The more sugar in your blood, the more insulin is needed,’ says nutrition coach Fran McElwaine.

You do need some glucose to fuel your brain and to have energy, but you can get enough from natural foods without adding processed sugars.

Regularly consuming lots of refi ned sugar, and therefore pumping out lots of the insulin hormone, can lead to what’s called ‘metabolic syndrome’, which is a pre-diabetic state. This is where your body becomes resistant to insulin as it’s had too much exposure. The hormone becomes ineffective and instead of sugar being diverted into your muscles, it remains in your blood causing inflammation and belly fat. All extra blood sugar gets

converted into belly fat, whether or not you have metabolic syndrome, and irrespective of how fit you are. Metabolic syndrome is serious, but it can be relatively easily tackled with the right dietary approach.

And, of course, the more exercise you take, the more energy you burn and the less excess sugar is left in your blood.

If all the sugar you eat isn’t properly directed into your muscles, what also happens is that some of it ends up in your liver where it’s converted to fat. ‘If this happens too often or over a sustained period, the fat itself starts producing hormones that pre-dispose you to further weight gain,’ says Fran. ‘Ultimately, fat gets laid down around the organs. This type of visceral fat is a lot more harmful than the subcutaneous fat directly under your skin.’

The gel-like substance can surround your liver, pancreas and kidneys, not only leading to a thicker waistline but potentially dementia, cancer, diabetes and strokes.

YOUR INTAKE ✔ WATCH OF FRUIT SUGARS

As for fructose, found in fruits, this is always processed in your liver. There’s some debate in the health community as to whether fructose is good or bad, but the general consensus is that eating whole fruits shouldn’t cause a problem – after all, they provide plenty of beneficial antioxidants and fibre. However, when they are juiced, which removes fibre and many other beneficial parts, it leads to a massive sugar hit for your body, not dissimilar to eating a chocolate bar. And most of this sugar ends up in your liver. ‘That’s why it’s best to have smoothies where the whole fruit is used rather than just the juice or, even better, to have a higher proportion of vegetables than fruit in your smoothie.

‘Another blood sugar balancer is to add good fats such as avocados or nut butters to slow the speed of the sugar reaching the blood stream,’ says Fran.

So, when it comes to sugar, remove as many refi ned types as you can from meals and snacks, and eat your fruit whole rather than drinking it to keep your blood sugar more stable. Once you've gone for a few

WORDS: LARISSA CHAPMAN, PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK

Add good fats such as nut butters to smoothies to slow the speed sugar reaches the blood stream.

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weeks sugar-free, you’ll find your taste starts to change anyway and things like carrots or red peppers, taste a lot sweeter, so you’ll naturally reduce your cravings for what were previously seen as ‘treats’.

✔ SAY NO TO SWEETENERS

While on the subject of sweet things it’s worth a mention of artificial sweeteners.

These have recently come under the spotlight as being bad for your health.

Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia have found that artificial sweeteners can actually make you eat more. This is the first study to identify how artificial sweeteners can stimulate appetite.

It’s been found that a complex neuronal network in the brain responds to artificially sweetened food by telling you you haven’t consumed enough energy.

When this happens over a period of time, your brain recalibrates and leads you to increase your total calorie consumption.

Drizzle salad with apple cider vinegar dressing to boost your weight loss

✔ ENJOY GOOD FATS

High-fat foods that were once unfairly shunned for being fattening, such as avocados, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, are great for reducing inflammation in your body, thereby helping keep you slim. This is thanks to their high omega-3 content, especially oleic acid, which is a potent anti-inflammatory.

If you consume a diet that is high in these good fats, it also has a calming effect on your immune system and this helps you feel full so you actually end up eating less and it slows down the rate at which glucose enters your bloodstream.

✔

BOOST YOUR FIBRE INTAKE

Tuck in to plenty of non-starchy vegetables such as lettuce, spring greens, asparagus and courgettes this summer.

The fibre in them acts as a prebiotic, meaning it helps feed the good bacteria in your gut.

This is crucial for weight loss, as you need more beneficial bacteria over the harmful ones to maintain good digestion and a healthy weight.

Good bacteria thrive on vegetables, fermented foods, and fibre and they are killed off by sugar, coffee and alcohol, which are the prime foods for pathogenic fungi and yeasts such as candida, which can take over in your gut. When this happens you can start to crave

sugar because that is what candida likes to eat most. The by-product of candida creates a toxic overload that can keep your immune system on high alert, which leads us back to that harmful inflammation.

✔ TRY CIDER VINEGAR

EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY Lemon juice has a similar alkalising effect to that of apple cider vinegar.

Try squeezing the juice of half a fruit into a pint glass of spring water and drinking first thing each morning to kick-start your metabolism.

Surprisingly, even though vinegar is acidic, which helps digestion, its overall effect is to alkalise your body, which is good for lowering inflammation – and that is crucial if you want to lose weight.

Adding a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar to a glass of water and drinking it before each meal can kick-start your digestion, helping you process your food more effectively. It’s best to ‘shoot’ it back or use a straw though, as the acid in vinegar is damaging to tooth enamel.

If you don’t fancy drinking diluted vinegar, you can always make a dressing by mixing three parts oil to one part raw organic apple cider vinegar, a squeeze of lemon and a few herbs, then drizzling over salads.

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HEALTH | WAISTLINE

YOUR SLIMMER STOMACH MENU Try Fran’s meal plan to kick-start your path to a flatter stomach.

B R E A K FA S T

ALKALISING GREEN SMOOTHIE

This will keep you hydrated and your energy levels high until lunch.

Blitz half an avocado, half a banana, one fresh ginger root, 150g of chopped cucumber, 225g of spinach leaves, the juice of one lime and 230ml coconut water in a

blender until it is nice and smooth.

If you’re feeling inventive, why not play with flavours by using some fresh pineapple, green apple, lettuce or parsley.

LUNCH

ULTRA-MEGA-SUPERFOOD SALAD

FOR MORE ABOUT FRAN MCELWAINE, VISIT PRUV.CO.UK RECIPES BY PRUV WELLNESS

This is easy to digest because of the combination of ingredients.

Steam 150g green beans until tender. Add a large bunch of chopped Swiss chard and steam until wilted. Finely chop four leaves of raw curly kale, half a punnet of mushrooms and a bunch of radishes. To make the dressing, muddle 30g blueberries with 2tbsp apple cider vinegar, then combine

with 80ml olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour some of the dressing onto the kale and massage it to break down some of the fibres.

Pour a little more dressing onto the steamed veggies to allow them to absorb the flavours. Finally, dry roast 25g pumpkin seeds and 25g almonds in a frying pan until toasty.

DINNER

HIGH PROTEIN AZTEC VEGGIE BOWL This packed veggie bowl will keep you fuller all evening.

Wash and chop 1 small sweet potato, 1 red pepper, 1 red onion and a couple of broccoli spears. Cut a lime in half and place in a roasting tin with 2 large, whole chillies and 1tbsp of olive oil plus salt and pepper and the other ingredients.

Roast in a hot oven for 30 mins until just starting to char on the edges.

Next, rinse 100g of quinoa and bring to the boil in fresh, salted water. When cooked (around 10

mins) drain but keep the water and use it to warm up 200g black-eyed beans. Steam broccoli for 5 mins until tender but still bright green.

Arrange all cooked vegetables on top of quinoa and beans and squeeze juice from the roasted limes, which should have caramelised. Finely chop 1 roasted chilli and mix with the remaining oil. Dress with the lime, chilli and oil dressing.

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I

N THE PREVIOUS PAGES we covered how to eat right for a toned tum, and these pages are focused on the next vital component: exercise. Our experts, Healthspan wellbeing adviser Nicola Addison, and personal trainer and nutritional adviser Nolan Sunnassee, share their best tips for honing a slimmer physique.

‘Many people think sit-ups are the key to a flatter stomach,’ says Nicola, ‘But, no matter how strong your abdominals are, sit-ups will not directly reduce fat from that area.’

So how can you achieve a flatter midriff? With resistance training. It’s been proven that regular resistance training two or three times a week can boost your basal metabolic rate by 15 per cent. There are moves you can do either at home with or without equipment, or in the gym.

SECTION 2

FLATTER, STRONGER.

Now you’ve got a smoother, trimmer tum, discover the best toning moves you can do at home and in the gym

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FITNESS | WAISTLINE

This high plank position is a great starting point for more challenging moves.

EXERCISES AT

NICOLA ADDISON AT EQVVS.COM & HEALTHSPAN.CO.UK. NOLAN SUNNASSEE AT EVO-FIT.CO.UK

home ‘Let’s talk about crawling,’ says Nicola.

‘It’s not just for babies – this massively underrated, fantastic compound movement challenges numerous muscle groups and multiple joints, plus uses up lots of calories. It requires bending, extending and twisting your torso, in turn, working those muscles hard and ramping up your heart rate.

‘Another fantastic move, which helps to work and build all-over muscle, and particularly strengthen your core, is the plank. Combining the two moves is a winner when it comes to getting slimmer! Nicola’s four-step resistance workout can be done at home and incorporates both of the above. Start with a warm-up then do four of each move. As the moves get easier, aim to do more reps – up to 10 of each and maybe 2-3 sets. Have as little rest between moves as possible.

1

CRAWL TO PRESS

Stand tall, bend at your hips so your hands come to the floor and crawl your hands out into a high plank or press-up position.

Lower onto your elbows one at a time.

Then, push back up into a high plank, walk your hands back in towards your feet and return to standing.

2

STEP-PLANK-STEP

Have your feet set wide, around one-and-a-half hip width apart, bend down from the hip and place your hands on the floor in between your legs. Step one foot back, followed by your second foot so you’re in a high plank. Hold

Crawling-type moves are great for your muscles and joints and they burn calories too!

From this position, step one foot back, then the other into a plank.

for a couple of seconds then bring your feet, one at a time, back to the starting position and slowly stand up.

3

ALTERNATE LIFTS

Start again in a high plank position; bring your right knee towards you and touch your left hand to your right toe. Return back to the plank position and repeat with the other hand and foot. Brace your abdominals during the move so your hips don’t dip or twist.

4

THE SIMPLE PLANK

Finish off by holding the traditional plank (on your elbows) for 10 seconds, and build b uild up a second longer each time.

Make sure your back is straight and you’re in a perfect line; don’t let your hips drop or come up too high. Static contractions such as planks will really help strengthen your abdominal wall.

To make it harder, try side-stepping left and right then going forwards and backwards while in the position.

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EXERCISES IN THE

When it comes to strengthening and toning your core, the deeper you go, the better the results.

‘However, in most people, their rectus abdominis – the outermost layer of your abdominal muscle that runs from where your ribs meet in the front of your chest down to your pubic bone – is more active than deeper transverse abdominis muscles,’ says Nolan. ‘The transverse abdominis is a thin, corset-like sheet of muscle that wraps round your pelvis. Strengthening this will best help pull your stomach in and improve core stability.’

Lots of Pilates moves focus on the transverse abdominis, and you can also work it with the following moves, which are designed for the gym but you might be able to do some at home, depending on equipment.

Warm up before you start and aim to do them 2-3 times a week.

1

GARHAMMER RAISE

Start by hanging from a chin bar in the gym with your arms straight as you dangle down.

Tip your head down so your chin is on your chest and raise your thighs parallel to the floor. Flex your feet and gently pull your knees towards your chest, then lower them back down.

Do as many as you feel comfortable with – it’s better to do four or five well, than to do more with poor form.

2

RUSSIAN TWIST

Lie on your back on a mat with your legs up off the floor, knees bent at a 45-degree angle, arms out so you form a cross shape.

Keep your head still and slowly lower

Lowering your legs side-to-side works your lower and side abs.

WORDS LARISSA CHAPMAN. PICTURES: GETTY IMAGES, ISTOCK, JUMP & SHUTTERSTOCK.

gym

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FITNESS | WAISTLINE

You can do garhammer raises in the park too, by using the play equipment both legs to one side as far as you can while still being able to hold them up.

Slowly bring them back to centre and lower them to the other side. Repeat 10 times on each side.

3

FORWARD BALL ROLL

Kneel down on a padded mat and place a Swiss ball under your forearms. Slowly roll the ball away from you with your forearms, so your body straightens out from knee to shoulder. Do it in a controlled manner, then gradually roll back to the starting position. Try 10 initially and build up each time.

4

SIT-UPS WITH A SWISS BALL

Lie on your back over a Swiss ball with legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Gently sit up as if doing a normal sit-up, then lower back down.

Your core will have to work harder to keep you balanced on the ball while you complete the sit-ups. Try 10 at first and build on this.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSCLE

Most calories are burned in your muscles, specifically the mitochondria – energy powerhouses of each cell. So, the greater the amount of muscle that’s active in your body, the more calories you will use. When you strength train you are essentially breaking down your muscles. Then over the next 24-48 hours, your body works hard to rebuild the damaged tissue, using up energy in the process. More energy used equals more calories burnt!

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10 minutes to a

TONED NEW YOU! When it comes to getting and staying fit, it pays to know your posture type. Here’s why, plus the 10-minute workout to suit you.

A

S WITH ANY NEW fitness resolutions you’re probably raring to go with a full-on new routine. And it’s great to start out as you mean to go on, but before you get started, it’s important to understand where your body is at right now, and to consider what foundations you’ll be building upon.

No matter what your current level of fitness, your body’s posture will determine which types of exercise will best suit you. ‘Your posture is the foundation of your movement. If it’s bad, you’ll have pressure in different areas of your body,’ says Nolan Sunnassee, founder of Online Personal Training (onlinepersonal training.tv).

‘Think of it like a motorway: if lanes are blocked off, the cars have fewer lanes to flow along so traffic builds up, just as in your body, if areas are under tension or pinched off, fluids such as blood and lymph can’t flow around as well. Having good posture helps everything flow.’

Exercising involves your muscles, bones and nervous system. ‘The nervous system fires signals to the

muscles to tell them to move, and they in turn pull on the bones to move your body. But if there is too much tension in a muscle it creates interference in the signal being sent.

Imagine your nervous system as a mobile phone signal: the stronger the signal, the better response you’ll get from your body,’ says Nolan.

‘When some muscles are tight, it interferes with the signal, blocking part of it from the weaker muscles.

Over time, this leads to even more pronounced imbalances with some muscles stronger and others weaker.’

This is why it’s good to have balance and alignment throughout your body before you embark on any strenuous exercise programme. ‘When your body is in balance, it’s more effective at moving. It dissipates natural forces more evenly,’ he says.

The main benefits of having well-aligned posture are that you’re not only stronger, but you’re less likely to pick up injuries. You can also progress further in your workouts.

There are at least half a dozen misaligned posture types but two of the most common, as well as the ideal, neutral spine, posture, are explained on the page opposite…

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FITNESS | 10-MIN WORKOUT

Lower cross syndrome (L-Plan) This posture type is where you have got a noticeable curve in your lower back – more than the natural S shape of the spine. ‘It can mean your hip flexors and lower back are tight and your abs and glutes are likely to be weak,’ says Nolan.

‘With this sort of posture it’s best to do glutestrengthening exercises.

Begin on the floor, to build up strength, before moving on to standing exercise.

Begin with glute bridges, one leg at a time, as well as the clam (p63), where you lay on your side and, with heels together, open your knees wide. Then, move on to standing lunges and single leg reaches, where you stand on one leg and reach forward.

WORDS: NOLAN SUNNASSEE. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES. ILLUSTRATIONS: MELISSA BAILEY.

Upper Cross Syndrome (U-Plan) This is where you have rounded shoulders leading to more strain on your neck, which will be pulled forward by your chin protruding, even if slightly.

‘For every inch your chin goes forward, it doubles the weight of your head on your neck muscles,’ says Nolan. This increased strain can lead to headaches and dysfunction in the shoulder girdle where it doesn’t sit properly in the socket.

Also, rounded shoulders can make your breathing shallower, affecting your

energy and mood. If you are texting, or sitting for long periods you’re being pulled forward and over time this changes the length of your muscles, shortening some and lengthening others.

Moves that retract your shoulder blades and create external rotation in your arms and hands are good, such as seated rows, body rows (like a reverse press up), bent-over rows, and anything where you pull your arms and shoulder blades back and down.

Neutral spine (N-Plan) Neutral spine is where the curves are not pronounced.

Looking from the side on, your ankle, knee, hip, shoulder and ear would all pretty much stack on top of each other in a line. The spine is completely flat. It’s

not meant to be – there should be a gentle S-shape, which is the ideal posture.

It means you can do most exercises, although you still have to learn how to do them with correct form, and with good posture.

WHAT’S YOUR TYPE?

Here’s how to determine your posture type…

1 2

Ask someone to take a picture of you, standing upright from sideways on. Analyse how your posture looks.

Compare your posture to the ilustrations shown on the left.

Which one most resembles how you stand? Look in particular at the upper back and neck area, and the lumbar spine.

3

Identify your posture type then perform the beginner’s training plan for that type.

You can find longer workouts with even more exercises at onlinepersonaltraining.tv

... Now, turn the page to choose the workout for your type, which will take you no more than 10 minutes a day!

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UPLAN EXERCISES

Step-ups on a stair ● Standing in front of the step, plant your right leg on it, ensuring your heel lands first ● Drive through the heel and propel yourself up onto the step. ● Step down on the opposite foot, repeat on the same leg for 10 reps then switch legs.

Table position with elbow rotations ● Go onto your hands and knees and keep your back flat. ● Rotate your head and one arm/ elbow up towards the ceiling. ● Lower your arm down again then repeat on the other side.

Prevent further curvature in your upper back with these moves.

Exercise

Reps

Sets

Tempo Rest

Step up on stairs

20

2

Slow

None

Prone cobra

20

2

Slow

None None

Jog on the spot

30secs 2

Fast

Single leg toe touches

20

2

Medium None

Table position

20

2

Slow

None

Quick step touches

30secs 2

Fast

None

Prone cobra ● Lying face down, keep your chin tucked in, ● Pull your shoulders towards each other, so your arms and shoulders come off the mat, thumbs towards the ceiling. Don’t go too high as you want to avoid engaging your lower back.

Keep the movement focused in your upper back. ● Hold at the top for a second, then slowly lower.

Jog on the spot ● Jog on the spot as fast as you can, alternating legs and touching the other toe down as lightly as possible.

Single-leg toe touches ● Put a foam roller or other similar object in front of you. Stand on one leg and focus on the object. ● Maintain good posture and reach your leg out to touch the object – it must be far enough away to be challenging, so your leg is straight. ● Repeat for 10 reps then change and do it on the other leg.

Quick step touches ● Stand next to a step or stairs. ● Raise your knees alternately and quickly to touch the step with one foot, then the other. ● As you are removing one foot, jump to replace it straight away with the other one.

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FITNESS | 10-MIN WORKOUT

LPLAN EXERCISES

Step-ups (on stairs) ● Ensure your heel is fully on the step. ● Drive through the leg on the step to bring your other foot up too. ● Step down with one leg at a time then repeat. Change the leading leg after 10 reps.

Exercise

Reps

Sets

Tempo Rest

Hip extension

20

2

Slow

Push-ups

20

2

Slow

None

Jog on the spot

30secs 2

Fast

None

Step-ups (on stairs)

20

2

Medium None

Single arm rows

20

2

Slow

None

Jumping jacks

30s

2

Fast

None

None

Push-ups (neutral hand position) ● Keep your chest forward and hips in line. Don’t let your bum stick up. ● Press away from the floor fast as you can. ● If you can’t do it on your toes, go onto your knees.

Jog on the spot ● Jog on the spot as fast as you can, alternating legs and touching the other toe down as lightly as possible.

Hip extension ● Have your feet shoulder-width apart. ● Squeeze from your buttocks and lift your hips. ● Stop when your hips make a straight line from shoulders to knees.

Single arm rows ● Keep your back flat with a neutral spine. ● Draw the weight up with your elbow going towards your hip. ● Pause at the top before slowly lowering the weight.

Simply figure out your posture type, then set aside just ten minutes to perform the best workout to suit you. You’ll look more slender, feel more confident – and with no more creaky knees or achey back!

Jumping jacks ● Standing with feet slightly apart. ● Jump your feet wide and at the same time take your arms up and above your head, touching your fingers together. ● Jump back in and lower your arms – do it as fast as you can.

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NPLAN EXERCISES

Exercise

These workouts are from the Physical section of the FiTPLAN, the full version of which has 54 workouts from 10 to 30 minutes each, for all fitness levels. It also gives you lifestyle, mindset and nutrition tips for a holistic approach to wellbeing.

Visit: onlinepersonal training.tv

Sets

Tempo Rest

Hip extension

20

2

Slow

None

Pullovers

20

2

Slow

None None

Vertical jumps

30secs 2

Fast

Steps-ups

20

2

Medium None

Lying prone cobra

20

2

Slow

None

Jog on the spot

30secs 2

Fast

None

Pullovers ● Lie on a bench or step, and hold a weight above your head with both of your hands. ● Keeping arms straight, lower the weight behind your head as far as you can, but not so far that it causes strain. ● Pause, then slowly move the weight back up again.

Prone cobra ● Lying face down, keep your chin tucked in, ● Pull your shoulders towards each other, so your arms and shoulders come off the mat, thumbs towards the ceiling. Don’t go too high as you want to avoid engaging your lower back.

Keep the movement focused in your upper back. ● Hold at the top for a second, then slowly lower.

Reps

Hip extension ● Have your feet shoulder-width apart. ● Squeeze from your buttocks and lift your hips. ● Stop when you hips make a straight line from shoulders to knees.

Vertical jumps ● Stand with good posture ● Jump as high as you can go and land softly then repeat for the duration.

Jog on the spot ● Stand with good posture to start, and your head up. ● Jog with high knees for the duration ● If your knees are sore, you can step on the spot instead.

Step-ups (on stairs) ● Ensure your heel is fully on the step. ● Drive through the leg on the step to bring your other foot up too. ● Step down with one leg at a time then repeat. Change the leading leg after 10 reps.

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Play!

WELLBEING FITNESS | PL| AYGROUND REL ATIONSHIPS FUN

TIME TO

Feel the benefits of being outdoors by channeling your inner child with nostalgic outdoor exercises

F

EELING DEMOTIVATED WITH your exercise routine?

Mix it up by taking a trip down memory lane. Doing the same exercises again and again can lead to a fitness plateau, so try hopscotch, hula hooping and other nostalgic activities to reboot your regime and ensure you keep on smiling as you shape up.

‘Exercising outside in uplifting surroundings gives you a greater sense of space and freedom,’ says PE teacher and lifestyle coach Johanna Green. ‘There’s a wide variety of outdoor resources, such as hills, benches, posts and wooded areas, plus the added benefit of exposure to sunlight so your body produces vitamin D, which is vital for strong bones and immunity.’

Winter days can have fewer than 8 hours of sunlight, rising to around 13 in spring, so get outside and make the most of those rays. With minimal equipment needed and maximum ways to get loved ones involved, these activities will have you laughing like a kid in the playground in no time!

Do the hula Hula hooping is one of those playground pastimes with total-body workout credentials.

It works your abs, obliques and boosts heart rate.

‘Hula hooping also improves motor skills by getting your brain thinking about controlling different muscle groups,’ says personal trainer Jacqui Smith.

‘And it never gets boring!’

With a little practice, hula hoop fans can switch to a weighted hoop, which burns up to 10

calories a minute. Or, add arm hoops to further hone triceps and biceps. Smaller hoops mean faster rotation. ‘Start off with a few minutes per day and you’ll soon find it easy to hoop for 20 minutes at a time,’ says Jacqui.

‘I recommend a dance hoop to start with, as it’s lighter and thinner.’ If you want to learn nifty tricks that can tone specific problem areas, find your nearest outdoor hula hooping class at: facebook.com/leapintohoops.

How to do ‘The Orbit’

This move is great for toning your arms. Stand with your feet together and hold your arm out in front of you with the hoop balanced on your outstretched hand. Start spinning the hoop gently by moving your arm round and round. Once it’s spinning consistently, slowly lift your outstretched arm up above your head without bending your elbow, and keep the hoop ‘orbiting’ your head.

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Jump to it Remember skipping in the playground with your friends? The simple skipping rope has been around fitness spheres for years – for good reason. It burns around 140 calories in just 10 minutes!

A classic game of double Dutch is a fun way to get moving with fitness buddies.

You’ll need two people each side to swing the ropes, while the jumper in the middle displays their fancy footwork. It has less impact on knee and ankle joints than jogging. It also burns an impressive 140 calories in 10 minutes and helps tone your arms, shoulders and chest as you swing the rope. If you’re skipping solo, try working up to the criss-cross method, which boosts hand-eye coordination.

Learn the criss-cross skip

Hold the handles, one in each hand, with the rope behind you. As you swing the rope over your head, cross your arms and jump over the rope, keeping your arms crossed while the rope swings back up behind you.

As it travels forward in front of your body again, uncross your arms back out to the sides – and jump – keep going!

Hop to health Who would have thought that something as simple as hopping was all you need for effective high-intensity interval training (HIIT)?

It raises your heart rate, giving greater health benefits from shorter bursts of action.

Jumping in and out of numbered hopscotch boxes also improves balance and spatial awareness through foot-eye coordination, linking left (maths/logic) and right (visual/ spatial) hemispheres of the brain.

‘Hopping and jumping adds strength to bones and tones major leg muscles, such as glutes and calves, in the same way as squats,’ says personal trainer Pete Harris.

Hopscotch rules

Draw your 10-square design, throw a flat stone into square one, then hop and jump your way down the line, one foot in each square, missing out the square with the stone in, until you reach 10. Then, hop back, pausing on one foot to pick up the stone.

Pass the stone to the next player. On your next turn, throw the stone into square two, and so on.

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XXX | X X X

Get your game on Field games such as tag, relays, Frisbee and rounders are funfilled group activities that boost agility and concentration without you even realising.

These playground favourites can burn more than 150 calories in 30 minutes,’ says personal trainer Pete Harris.

They boost emotional fitness too: ‘Being part of a group or team helps build a more social environment, which encourages people to train more frequently and intensely,’ says British Military Fitness’s Garry Kerr.

‘We regularly play games in our classes where people work in teams or with a partner. This can be anything from stuck in the mud to British bulldog.

They’re fun and motivating as teammates egg each other on.’

WORDS KATHERINE WATT. PHOTOGRAPHS SHUTTERSTOCK, MASTERFILE. JACQUI-SMITH.NET, BRITMILFIT.COM, BOOTCAMPLONDON.ORG.UK

British bulldog rules Create two ‘home’ areas either side of the area of play.

Have one or two ‘bulldogs’ in the middle, while the other players run from one side to the other without being caught by the bulldogs.

If they’re caught, they turn to bulldogs. If not, they must try and run back across the area again until all the players are caught and turned. The winner is the last one not to be caught.

Spring into action Trampolining is super popular with kids, but adults can benefit too. A 20-minute trampolining session can burn 100 calories and is a great way to get active with children. Bouncing on even the smallest trampoline can help activate your deep core muscles. ‘The benefits of a strong core are more than just abs,’ says personal trainer Pete Harris.

‘Your core – the muscles around your trunk and pelvis – works as your centre of gravity. It tones your pelvic floor, stabilises the lower back and improves breathing because your front and side abs connect to your diaphragm.’

Perform a gymnast-style tuck Start jumping with your arms in the air, then jump extra high whilst tucking your knees to your chest, wrapping your arms around your knees for a moment with your toes pointed

downward. As you descend, bring your legs down and land with a slight bend in the knee, your arms by your sides. This is a great move for toning quadriceps and glutes.

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NO GYM REQUIRED! We’re all finding new ways to get some exercise at the moment, so check out our round-up of apps and websites where you can get your fitness fix online.

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FITNESS | ONLINE WORKOUTS

D

UE TO ALL the uncertainty of the past year, many people have had to adapt their workouts, with home exercise surging in popularity Of course, staying active is crucial for boosting your metabolism and keeping you slim – and that’s not all. ‘Any exercise you do will be good at improving your mood, lowering stress and boosting your immunuty,’ says Nolan Sunnassee, founder of Online Personal Training (onlinepersonaltraining.tv).

In fact, regular exercise can lessen anxiety symptoms by as much as 20 per cent, according to data published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

What’s more, keeping fit

reduces severity of upper respiratory tract infections, according to a report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Still, you may not feel like exercising without your gym class, trainer, or workout buddies nearby. That’s where the multitude of online options available now come in handy.

‘What exercises you choose to do now should connect to what you’ve done in the past,’ says Nolan. ‘If you’re used to lifting heavy weights, for example, bodyweight workouts probably won’t cut it. Overall, remember the key to your success is a consistent quality of exercise.’

Here, we’ve found a selection of virtual classes and trainers so that you can get fit in a variety of ways using the power of your own phone.

IF YOU LOVE

HIIT…

TRY LOVE RESULTS WELLNESS LIFESTYLE (From £9.99 per month; resultswellnesslifestyle.com) Previously called Results with Lucy, this app created by power duo Cecilia Harris and Lucy Mecklenburgh boasts a community of more than 10,000 women, united in their bid for healthy lifestyles. Expect to find 50 HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts among the 1,000 videos available, which also include Ballet Fit, Hula Hoop, Yoga, Pilates and Dance.

When you’re not exercising, cook up a storm by following one of the 600 in-app recipes, or unwind with one of the four mindfulness courses. All that’s left to do right now is sign up for their seven day free trial.

IF YOU LOVE

dance…

WORDS: SARAH SELLENS. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES.

TRY ZUMBA VIRTUAL (@zumbavirtual on Instagram) If you’re looking for something niche, or for one-to-one instruction, many personal trainers, dancers and studios are turning to online platforms such as Zoom and Instagram to offer fitness experiences. One such option is Zumba, and you can find a plethora of instructors hosting live workouts via the official @zumbavirtual page on Instagram. Look out for Zoom sessions that enable you to work out with friends and family remotely.

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IF YOU LOVE

spin...

TRY... DIGME AT HOME (£9.99 per month; digmefitness.com) If you’ve got any kind of exercise bike at home, whether that’s a Spin bike, an upright bike or even a turbo trainer attached to your road bike, you can enjoy the online virtual indoor cycling channel from popular London studio Digme. Classes are 30 minutes long and follow the studio’s signature RIDE class format, which is a challenging bike workout set to an upbeat playlist.

New classes are being uploaded every other day and there will be 3-4 live 45-minute sessions to log onto as well.

IF YOU LOVE

yoga…

TRY... MOVEMENT FOR MODERN LIFE (£10.99/month, movementfor modernlife.com) It can be tough to find the right yogic fix, so why not try the ‘Netflix of Yoga’, aka Movement for Modern Life?

Join world-class yoga, meditation, mindfulness and movement teachers from the UK and beyond, at a time to suit you. They offer more than 1,200 classes, challenges and courses to energise you, or calm you before bedtime. There’s a free, no-commitment, 14-day trial too.

IF YOU LOVE

rebounding…

TRY... ((B)) @HOME (£25 for six classes; bouncefitbody.com) Looking for something a bit different? Then ((B)) @Home could be for you. Created by popular trampolining fitness franchise ((BOUNCE)), this new online offering brings low-impact exercise classes to your lounge. Expect 45 minutes of high-intensity but carefully choreographed trampolining. Of course, you’ll need a mini trampoline to take part – these can be purchased from Amazon, Argos, or bouncefitbody.com.

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FITNESS | ONLINE WORKOUTS

IF YOU LOVE

weights…

TRY... PELOTON DIGITAL (£12.99. month; one peloton.co.uk) Peloton is one of the brands pioneering smart machines, with its at-home exercise bike and treadmill that come with in-built TV screens.

But you don’t need the Peloton equipment to enjoy its services. Instead, try the Peloton app, which boasts the full Peloton class offering, including daily live classes and thousands of on-demand sessions We love the Strength and Bootcamp classes for keeping muscles in shape, and there is also yoga, running, stretching, cardio and more to enjoy.

IF YOU LOVE

Bodypump…

IF YOU LOVE

step…

TRY... LES MILLS ON DEMAND (£11.95 per month; lesmillsondemand.com)

TRY… LOVE TRANSFORM:20 (£59 for six months; beachbodyondemand.com)

Missing your regular gym classes? There’s good news: a lot of popular gym chains – including David Lloyd, Virgin, Everyone Active, Bannatynes and Nuffield Health centres – run Les Mills workouts as a part of their regular timetable. Bodycombat, Bodypump and Bodybalance are just a few of the classes created by the global groupexercise juggernaut. The site runs a free trial, and is currently offering free subscription if your gym operator uses Les Mills programming.

Created by US trainer Shaun T, who was the brains behind the popular Insanity workout, this step-inspired class is aerobics as you’ve never seen it before. Using HIIT protocols, Transform:20 gives Beach Body On Demand subscribers a 20-min workout daily as part of a six-week body transformation programme. Get the app and there’s access to more than 1,000 workouts, including P90X, Cize and Core de Force. Plus, there are even delicious slimming recipes to support your weight loss.

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A

CURVACEOUS CELEBRITY bottom is coveted by many for its sexy shape. But it’s not just about looking good; recent research has shown a bigger bottom is healthy to boot, helping to protect your heart and prevent diabetes.

While you can’t instantly conjure a celeb-style “bubble butt”, you can make your bottom much rounder, fuller and firmer. The buttocks have three major muscles: the gluteus maximum, the gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus. These muscles respond really well to a targeted cardio and weights programme. By targeting the glutes, you’ll tone and firm your hips and thighs too.

‘If you want a toned bottom, you do have to work hard,’ says personal trainer Jacqui Porjes (jacquiporjes.com).

We all know the basics, such as take the stairs not the lift, and cycle or walk rather than hop on a bus. But, we also need to keep upright as much as possible. ‘Only sit down when you absolutely have to,’ says Jacqui. ‘Stand up to work at a computer, do squats while you’re watching the TV, and whilst cooking or waiting for the kettle, lunge the length of your hall or kitchen.’

For the best results, you need to up the resistance on the cross-trainer and bicycle at the gym and don’t be afraid to use weights. Adding kettlebells or a weighted bar to squats really powers up the buttocks and thighs.

5 easy ways to

SHAPE YOUR BOTTOM Target your bum and you’ll tone your hips and thighs too!

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FITNESS | BOTTOM

TONE AND TIGHTEN YOUR TUSH Use this workout three times a week, with a day’s rest in-between to allow your muscles to recover. Aim for three sets of 10-15 repetitions. If you’re using weights, try one set with the heaviest you can manage.

WORDS JANE ALEXANDER. PHOTOGRAPHS SHUTTERSTOCK, JACQUES PORTAL

3 Lunges

1 Air squats

2 Glute bridge

Go really low to work the whole of the buttock region.

Strengthen your back as you build your butt.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your back straight, slowly bend your knees and lower your bottom down as if you were going to sit on a chair. Make sure your knees don’t push out over your toes and go as low as you can. Push your arms forward to help balance. Push up firmly with control back to the start.

Work your butt harder: Singleleg squats. As before, but keep one leg out in front of you. This is tough, but effective, as it works muscle not fired up by normal squats. Start by holding the wall for balance, or hold a weight in front for counterbalance.

Lie on your back. Keep your arms in line with your shoulders for stability.

Bring your feet to your bottom so your knees are over your feet. Slowly raise your buttocks and back off the floor.

Squeeze your butt firm; your pelvis should be a height that creates a straight line between your knees, hips and shoulders. Slowly lower down.

Work your butt harder: Place a weight plate or loaded barbell over your hips to increase resistance. Or, keep one leg raised. Your leg should be straight and your thighs in line with one another.

4 Donkey kicks

5 Squats & leg raises

Works all gluteals, plus your hamstrings, quads and calves.

Improves your balance as you sculpt your bottom.

Fires up the gluteals, hip flexors, and abdominal muscles.

Make sure your technique is precise if you have weak knees. Keep your feet close so you don’t splay your knees.

Take a big step with your right foot, bending both knees – ensuring your right knee stays behind your toes.

Your left knee can go as deep as feels comfortable. Keep your back straight, your core engaged, and squeeze those buttocks. Push back to the start, still squeezing your buttocks, then repeat on the other side.

Work your butt harder: Add weights or a kettlebell, or wear a weighted rucksack.

You could also up the tempo, as long as your technique is top.

Kneel on all fours in a square shape, with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees below hips.

Keeping your right knee bent to 90 degrees, flex your foot and lift your knee to hip level. Focus on your buttocks, squeezing your gluteals as hard as you can. Lower, without your right foot touching the ground and repeat for 10-15 reps. Then repeat on the left.

Work your butt harder: Slide a hand weight behind your knee to increase the resistance. You can pause at the top of the move and pulse your leg before lowering.

This exercise targets slightly different muscle fibres than normal squats. The added leg raise really works gluteals.

Stand with your feet more than hip width apart, toes turned out. Squat as low as you can, dropping your butt towards the ground as you did with the air squat. As you come up, raise your right leg up and out as if you were a dog having a pee! Return the right leg slowly to the ground and repeat on the other side.

Work your butt harder: Hold a kettlebell, hand weights or barbell to increase the resistance.

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Sharpen your SILHOUETTE Being nipped in and curved out in all the right places boosts your confidence no end, and the good news is it only takes a few simple moves to help get you there.

WORDS: KATHERINE WATT. PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK AND GETTY IMAGES.

A

S WELL AS making you feel healthier, when you know that you look good too, it does wonders for your confidence. Your posture will improve, you’ll walk taller, your clothes will fit better – and so goes the moodboosting, motivational cycle of being in your best shape.

‘To hone your figure – including getting more slender legs, a trim torso and toned arms – there are a few simple shape-defi ning exercises you could try,’ says Nicola Addison, Healthspan’s resident personal trainer (healthspan.co.uk). ‘What’s more, exercises that are focused on strengthening and toning help to bolster your back and activate glute muscles in your bottom, which gives you a prouder body posture. This in itself instantly removes pounds and helps you appear taller and slimmer.’

So, spend a little time each day on the following six moves, and you’ll be admiring the shape of your silhouette for years to come.

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FITNESS | CURVES

SHAPE DEFINING MOVES Nicola recommends building up to 20 repetitions of each of the following exercises, once a day.

T Bird for an ELEGANT UPPER BACK This move has benefits for your whole postural chain, keeping your spine strong and body tall. It also targets your upper back, helping to decrease the ‘bra-strap bulge’ that sometimes makes an unwelcome appearance, as well as targeting the upper arms. Keep your core and glute muscles engaged the whole time, and once you’ve mastered the move, you could try holding some hand weights while you do it to increase the intensity. ● Stand with feet hip-width apart, a slight bend in your knees. Bend forward at your hips, keeping your back flat, torso parallel to the floor and arms by your side. ● Then, slowly raise your arms out to the side to create a T shape, with your palms facing forward. ● Squeeze between your shoulder blades as you raise your arms as far back as they’ll go, before slowly lowering them and raising your torso to standing.

Start with 10 reps and build up.

Clamshells for a CURVED BOTTOM This Jane Fonda-style move is an oldie but a goodie, especially when it comes to making your bum perkier.

Specifically, it targets your gluteus medius, the muscle at the top and sides of your bum, which if strengthened, helps to lift the surrounding muscle groups. To boost this move, strap a resistance band around your legs, just above your knees.

● Lie on your side, with your knees bent around 90 degrees, one leg stacked on top of the other. ● Keep your heels pinned together, then slowly and under control, raise your top knee up towards the ceiling. ● Gently return to the start position and repeat 10 times on each side, building to 20 each side.

Towel raise for a TONED TORSO This move tones the muscles around your back and sides, elongating your midsection and adding definition. It also sneaks in activation of the biceps and triceps to tone your upper arms. ● Grab a towel with both hands, around 1m apart and stand tall with one foot slightly in front of the other. Keep tension in the towel at all times. ● Start with it at your thighs, then slowly lift the towel up and out in front of you, core muscles engaged the whole time, gradually bringing it over your head and as far back as your muscles will allow. ● Slowly return the towel to back above your head, then back to your thighs. Breathe steadily throughout.

Start with 10 reps and build up.

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Superman moves for a SLENDER STOMACH

Oblique dips for an HOURGLASS WAIST This move targets those long muscles that run up and down the sides and front of your torso, giving shape and definition to your midsection.

As an added bonus, it gives the muscles all along your arms a good toning workout.

Before you do this move, practise keeping your core engaged by imagining you’re ‘zipping up’ the entire muscle group – tensing from your pelvis, right up to where your ribs start – without forgetting to breathe! ● Start in a press-up position with your hands directly under your shoulders. ● Bring your feet close together, keep those core

muscles tight and your spine long so that you’ve got a flat back, and slowly twist at your hips to dip one hip towards the floor. Either keep your hands on the floor or do the move on your forearms if it’s easier. As an option, you could choose to raise the opposite arm to the dipped hip up in the air, perhaps with hand weights if you want to give yourself an extra challenge. ● Return your hips back to the start press-up position, then dip down to the other side until you’ve done 10 on each side.

While this is a whole body exercise that will tone your bottom and back, most of the work is done by your core muscles, including your abdominals and obliques. This will help to carve out the muscles at the front of your stomach, as well as tapering in the muscles either side of your waist. For more of a challenge, wear strap-on wrist and ankle weights (from £7.49, physioroom.com). ● Start on the floor with knees bent, directly under your hips. Place your hands on the floor in front of you, hands directly under your shoulders. ● Keeping your core braced, slowly push your right leg behind you, at the same time lift your left arm out in front. Focus on really stretching them out as far away from each other as possible, while tensing your abdominals to keep your balance. Ensure your lower back doesn’t arch. ● Slowly and under control, lower both back to the start position, then do the other side. Start with 10 each side.

Heel press for SHAPELY THIGHS This move helps to create a nice smooth curve tapering out from your hip and down your outer thigh. It also tones the inner thighs, and sneaks in a little bum workout too. Add ankle weights, or strap a resistance band around both ankles to up the ante. ● Start on your left side, left forearm on the ground and left leg straight out, torso off the ground, and your right leg bent so your right foot is flat on the floor. ● Then, lift your left leg around 5cm off the ground, while flexing your foot. ● Draw your left knee towards your chest, engaging those all-important core

muscles, then press the heel away so your left leg is fully extended again. Try not to let it touch the ground. ● After 10 repetitions, do the same on the other side.

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FITNESS | CURVES

EVERYDAY WAYS TO FINE-TUNE YOUR FIGURE

1

Use daily activities to ‘hack’ your health, to burn extra calories and add more definition. This could be cycling instead of driving when you can, washing the car yourself instead of taking it to a car wash, or wearing wrist and ankle weights while you are doing jobs around the house.

2 You can keep track of the balance between ‘food in’ and ‘energy out’ with an app.

THE NEED FOR NUTRITION You may have heard the fitness adage ‘abs are made in the kitchen’, and although Instagram-worthy stomach muscles may not be the aim, the saying still applies if you simply want a more slender silhouette.

If you regularly eat more calories than you burn off, then your body holds on to that unspent energy as fat deposits. An easy way to work out how many calories you need for your age, weight, height and activity levels, is to sign up to the free app or website

myfitnesspal.com. It lets you balance what you’ve eaten against the activities you’ve done, and tells you how many calories you have left to ‘spend’.

For even better results – particularly if you are near or post menopause age, when your body’s tendency to hold on to fat increases – try to set your total sugars intake to around 30g per day or less.

Sugar is linked to visceral fat, which is the particularly unhealthy type stored around the abdomen.

When it comes to workouts, little and often is key. Set yourself tangible goals such as feeling great in a certain outfit – so you can feel a sense of accomplishment once achieved.

Make sure you don’t overdo it if you’re getting back into exercise after a break though – sore muscles or achey joints aren’t good motivators the next day!

3

Walk, walk and then do more walking. ‘Everyone should be walking for 30 minutes every single day – this is a non-negotiable baseline for health in my opinion,’ says Nicola. As well as burning off stubborn fat stores, walking is a surefire route to developing shapely calves and bottom muscles!

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BREATHE FOR A FLATTER STOMACH

Fitness trainer and author James Duigan explains that breathing plays an important part in keeping fit, and in particular, transforming In terms of fitness, breathing correctly and deeply can be the key to getting better results every time we work out. The reason is simple. Oxygen is the body’s fuel and the better intake we have, the more efficiently we can move. The more we move the more fat we burn and the healthier we become.

Breathing correctly delivers the right amount of oxygen to our organs and muscles, fuelling them to move. It can be the difference between running faster, further or doing one more or 10 more reps and therefore getting better results when we exercise.

helps reduce levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, which increases the amount of fat we store on the belly.

Deep breathing not only helps to reduce cortisol, but it also massages your digestive system getting everything moving, reducing bloating and flattening your tummy in the process.

BANISH THE BLOAT

TOP TUMMY TIPS

As well as helping to improve your fitness, one of the most noticeable benefits of breathing deeply is a flatter stomach. This is because it

The plank is the best exercise to flatten your tummy

1 If you are prone to bloating, do this exercise each morning. Lie on your back, completely relaxed, and breathe deeply into your tummy 10 times.

2 Often people think that sit-ups are the best way to flatten your tummy, but if I could recommend only one exercise, it would be the plank. It’s much easier to strengthen the tummy this way and focus on your breathing to get plenty of oxygen to your

muscles.

Prop yourself up on your elbows and toes, with your body parallel to the floor. Pull your belly button in gently and hold this position from anything between 10 seconds and one minute.

Take deep breaths into your tummy and out for the duration of the exercise.

For more information on James Duigan, visit bodyism.com

60-second secret I tell my clients to start the day standing by their bed and breathing deeply for one minute.

That means in through the nose, filling up the stomach so that it expands up and out, moving the diaphragm and filling up the lungs before you breathe out through the mouth, letting all the air out. It’s easy to do but the benefits include relaxation, reducing stress, oxygenating the body and, more importantly, it becomes a daily habit. Do the same exercise before bed to wind down and sleep well too.

Did you know?

Magnesium is a calming mineral and an effective way to help soothe the body, including your belly, so try to incorporate lots of magnesium-rich foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, Brazil nuts and seeds into your daily diet.

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WORDS: RACHEL TOMPKINS. PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK AND GETTY IMAGES

FITNESS | SLIM THIGHS

THE THIGHS THE LIMIT! Whether you want to lose inches, gain muscle, tone up or reduce cellulite, our writer Rachel Tompkins puts various thigh-slimming treatments to the test…

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The RESET28 weight loss plan

Best for losing cm

Cost: £195 for 28-day programme.

Website: kim-pearson.com Expected results: People on RESET28 can typically expect to lose 7lbs to 1st over 28 days, although some lose more.

This nutritionally balanced weight-loss plan can be followed for the full 28 days or for two lots of two weeks with a break in between. It promotes fat loss while also re-establishing healthy habits. It’s not a meal-delivery service – you do make your own food – but you get full dietary guidelines and recipes. There are also nutritional supplements, lifestyle recommendations and mindfulness suggestions, with optional, additional group support on Facebook.

It’s based on intermittent fasting, so all food must be eaten within a 10-hour period, giving you a 14-hour fasting period, which is mainly overnight. A typical day involves a cup of Morning Tea upon waking, a shake (vanilla, berry or chocolate) and two konjac fibre capsules at 10am; lunch at 1pm with an omega capsule (fish or vegan); a 4pm shake and two more fibre capsules; dinner no later than 7pm with another omega capsule, then a cup of Night Time Tea before bed.

Included in the package are the shakes and teas, supplements, a wellness journal, daily mindfulness practices, weekly weight/ measurements record and a tape measure.

Meals are structured to include a source of protein (either fish, meat or veggie/vegan source), healthy fats and plenty of vegetables and salad.

The plan eliminates highly processed and

refined foods, sugars and starchy carbohydrates. A typical day provides between 1,000-1,200 calories depending on the meal options chosen.

In addition to weight loss, other reported benefits include reduced cellulite, improved energy, better sleep, clearer skin and a better relationship with food.

EXPERT OPINION ‘Although there’s no one dietary strategy that can specifically target fat on thighs, elevated oestrogen levels have been linked to fat storage on this area. Fibre binds to oestrogen in the intestine, increasing its faecal excretion, therefore a nutrition plan high in fibre will support your body to effectively eliminate unwanted oestrogen,’ explains nutritionist Kim Pearson, who devised the programme.

VERDICT ‘There was a huge array of recipe ideas for each meal. It was also suggested I set reminders on my phone for the protein shakes and supplements during the day, which was useful as to begin with it was easy to forget. Being able to eat as many vegetables as I wanted at mealtimes felt like I wasn’t restricting myself at all and I felt really healthy.

‘Although Kim explained that it’s impossible to target the thigh area specifically, at the end of just two weeks I had lost nearly 2cm from the widest part of each thigh. I had also lost 4lbs in weight. My skinny jeans felt looser around the thighs and my shorts didn’t cling as much. I felt like I had more energy, too. I’ll definitely return to it every few months to help get back into a healthy habit of eating well and not snacking on sugary foods.’

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FITNESS | SLIM THIGHS

Best for toning inner thighs

The Leg Master

Cost: £89.95 Website: legmaster.co.uk Expected results: A study showed people using the Leg Master for 60 seconds a day can typically expect to lose more fat around the inner thighs than weight training at the gym – all within two weeks.

The Leg Master promises a full-body workout in less than 60 seconds, focussing on strengthening and tightening your pelvic floor, inner thighs and buttocks. Through the movement, more than 200 muscles in your lower and upper body are worked to raise your body weight up against gravity to the top of the specifically designed curved ramp.

Studies have shown that the metabolic effects of using the Leg Master are equivalent to fast jogging, and it creates a higher muscle activity on the inside and the back of the thigh, while being lower impact than walking or jogging.

One study compared the Leg Master to traditional strength training over a six-week period and found the reduction in body fat on the thighs was greater for those using the Leg Master, while muscle mass gain was similar to weight training in the gym.

Those using it also lost fat off their upper bodies, even though it’s designed for the lower body.

It’s recommended to use it for a minute a day, 2-3 times a week.

EXPERT OPINION ‘After using the device for just one minute per day, all my patients noticed an improved level of strength in their legs, especially muscles on the inside section of the upper leg muscles and also the pelvic floor,’ says obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Margit Oepen, who recommends the device to her patients. ‘This increased strength helps them feel more mobile, stronger, and more balanced on their feet. The strength also helped them reduce symptoms of incontinence so they have higher levels of confidence and security.’

VERDICT ‘The Leg Master was easy to assemble, taking just a few minutes from delivery to use. It’s compact and light enough to lift, meaning you can move it around the house and use it while watching TV if you want. I didn’t think that just 60 seconds of using it would have any effect, so I was surprised when I quickly began to feel the burn in my inner thighs. My heart rate also increased so that after just one minute I had worked up a sweat. It was convenient and easy to fit in a few minutes a day around my schedule. Within a matter of days I noticed that my inside thighs felt stronger and more toned. After just two weeks, they looked slimmer and less wobbly at the top. Although they hadn’t reduced in terms of centimetres, the firmness of my inner thighs suggests the excess fat there had been replaced with muscle. I’ll definitely continue to use this.’

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Best for reducing cellulite

Thermage FLX Treatment

Cost: From approximately £1,600, depending on the size of the area that you need treated.

Website: cosmetic-solutions. co.uk Expected results: More than 90 per cent of patients should see visible results.

The Thermage FLX is a non-invasive, high-powered radio frequency that targets tissue under the skin, called the dermis. It’s a one-off treatment that takes 30-90 minutes, depending on the treatment area needed, and helps tighten skin by encouraging new collagen to start growing, thus removing irregularities and cellulite.

What makes this treatment different to the many other radio frequency devices on the market is that the output is high, so you only need one treatment to see results, which improve over time.

EXPERT OPINION: ‘I treat a lot of patients who have lost weight and exercise regularly but can’t do anything to shift the orange-peel effect of the cellulite or loose skin, and often this is because it’s genetic,’ says Dr Angelica Kavouni, who carries out the treatment. ‘This is where the Thermage FLX is a good solution, because it helps skin to regain some of the tightness it’s lost. It can be applied to any skin type, including

Asian and black and, apart from some minor redness, swelling or sensitivity for 24-48 hours afterwards, there are no side effects.’

Clients may notice a difference to the skin immediately after, but over a few weeks there will be a gradual improvement. The treatment lasts for approximately one to two years.

VERDICT ‘Laying on my front, with my thigh area exposed, a Thermage Return Pad was attached to my back in order to neutralise the electrical current.

Then some gel was applied to the thigh area. Using the hand-held device, the doctor targeted the specific areas, and I felt a succession of warm bursts on my skin. This heat can be turned up or down according to the individual – the hotter it is, the more effective it is. There can be a sharp pinging feeling if it gets too hot. Immediately afterwards, the skin was slightly pink and a bit sensitive, so it’s advisable not to do rigorous exercise or come into contact with extreme heat for 48 hours.

My skin felt noticeably tighter and smoother, and in the weeks that followed, this feeling of tautness continued. Although I didn’t have much cellulite before, the areas that were dimply were smoother, too.’

Walking

Best low-cost option

Cost: Free!

Expected results: By walking briskly every day for approx 60 mins, you can expect to build lean muscle in your legs. Muscle burns up to four times more calories than fat, so you’ll see more muscle tone in your legs within a month or so.

The NHS recommends we all take 150 minutes of active exercise a week, which can include brisk walking. Doing 10,000 steps a day is likely to ensure you reach this goal. For most people, it equates to about 8km, or approximately an hour and a half of walking.

Walking is safe, low-impact and can be incorporated into your daily routine. It’s said that if you walk at a fast pace for 75 minutes a week, you will add two years to your life.

EXPERT OPINION: ‘Walking is a really good form of exercise,’ says fitness expert and trainer Emma Obayuvana. ‘It helps with overall weight loss, but is also great for toning thighs. Brisk walking improves heart health, burns calories, boosts your metabolism and immune system, not to mention helping lift your mood.’

VERDICT ‘Anyone can go for a walk, whether it’s on a treadmill or to the shops. I started going for a daily walk and keeping track of how many steps I had done on the health app on my iPhone. If I walked briskly I could get 10,000 steps done in about an hour and 20 minutes.

‘After two weeks, I noticed my thighs felt firmer and they felt less wobbly.’

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FITNESS | SLIM THIGHS

Best for all-round fitness

Rachael Attard’s Lean Legs Program Cost: Around £60 Website: rachaelattard.com Expected results: Leaner, more toned legs without bulk.

This eight-week programme designed by personal trainer and nutritionist Rachael Attard is based on following an exercise and diet plan tailored to your specific body type.

The programme includes a PDF of a workout plan and diet, and there is also a premium plan that includes the Lean Legs Video Course. The body types are ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph – it’s said each one responds best to different diets and workouts. The online programme that accompanies it gives you weekly cardio and resistance exercises, with diagrams and videos to demonstrate, as well as a diet plan with ingredients and recipes (including a vegan plan).

This programme includes workouts for six days a week for the first four weeks, then every day for the last four.

EXPERT OPINION: ‘I know there are a lot of women with great bodies who don’t do any cardio and just lift weights, but this will usually only work for people who are the ectomorph body type, ie naturally slim and who find it hard to gain muscle,’ says Rachael. ‘For the other types, cardio is essential. I recommend any running and walking on a flat surface as hills will contribute to bulkiness, because your quads do more of the work.

‘To avoid building bulky muscles, I advise not doing squats, lunges, deadlifts, Crossfit, HIIT classes or cycle classes. If you’re trying to get lean legs, in particular, I advise doing HIIT only once a week. And for best results, do this exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach – known as fasted cardio.’

VERDICT ‘The online quiz suggested I’m a mesomorph – a naturally athletic body type that responds quickly to exercise. It said I have a medium-sized bone structure and broad shoulders with a narrow waist, which was pretty spot-on.

Apparently, I can lose weight quite quickly, but can also pack on muscle mass fast.

‘Rachel advises mesomorphs who want to get a leaner look do well on a higher protein diet with 30-35 per cent carbs, 30-40 per cent protein and 30 per cent fat. The majority of my carbs should be eaten at breakfast and post-workout, and must come from veg, fruits, quinoa, oats and brown rice.

‘I began with a banana protein smoothie for breakfast, raw nuts as a snack, dhal curry for lunch, nuts as an afternoon snack, and San Choy Bow [Chinese lettuce wraps] for dinner. The recipes were delicious, but I had to be organised and do a big food shop at the start of the week.

‘It was suggested I do a 60-minute power walk first thing, followed by an afternoon circuit. The circuit was described in pictures and videos, so it was easy to follow and the first day included knee-to-elbow donkey kick extensions, push-ups and crunches. The exercises would suit any level, but after 20 reps and three rounds, I could definitely feel the burn.

‘On other days I had a 60-min morning power walk then an afternoon circuit, run or HIIT workout. Sunday was a rest day.

‘It was a challenge to fit in the walks and exercises, and some days I only managed to achieve one or the other. But after two weeks I felt that my thighs were more toned and they had decreased in circumference by half a centimetre.’

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D

O YOU HAVE ONE OF those friends who can wolf down bagels, cake and pasta and never gain a pound?

Scientists have recently discovered that this may be down to more than just luck. They’ve found that people have huge variations in their levels of a gene that controls production of amylase.

‘This enzyme is produced in your mouth when you start chewing food, and it breaks down carbohydrates into their digestible form of simple sugars,’ says nutritionist Nathalie Winn.

‘If you think of your slim, carb-loving friend, she may have more of the genes that produce 74

amylase. When she starts eating her bagel, more of this enzyme is produced, and more carbohydrate is digested in her mouth. This results in a sweeter flavour, so she feels more satisfied and eats less overall.’

Researchers also found, people who produce more amylase are better able to handle sugar once it’s digested. Therefore, they’re less likely to store sugar as fat. A study found that people with the lowest levels were eight times more likely to be obese than those with the highest.

But, if this isn’t you, read on to discover where you lie on the carb sensitivity scale.

Then, you can start optimising your carbs to get your body in shape!

WORDS: RUTH TONGUE. DR SHARON MOALEM IS AUTHOR OF THE DNA RESTART (£19.99, RODALE BOOKS). PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK.

Staying slim can be as simple as knowing how and when to eat the most suitable carbohydrates for your body.

Take our test to see the optimum carbs to suit you.

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NUTRITION | CARBS

STEP 1 THE QUIZ

1

STEP 2 THE CRACKER TEST

Do you feel sleepy or ‘foggy’ within two hours of eating a high carbohydrate meal or snack such as pasta, sandwiches, baked potatoes, pizza, sweets and chocolate or breakfast cereals?

This genetic ‘self-test’ devised by Canadian scientist Dr Sharon Moalem measures the amount of amylase you produce, and therefore your ability to break down carbs.

Yes

● Place a plain, unsalted cracker in your mouth and start timing and chewing. You will need to pay close attention, as the starch in the cracker may already be starting to be digested by amylase in your saliva. Don’t swallow. ● As soon as you detect a change in taste to slightly sweeter — it can be quite subtle — or if you reach 30 seconds while timing, stop chewing and note the time. ● Rerun the test twice more for accuracy. Take an average to get your carb type.

No

2

Do you frequently crave sweets or starchy foods such as pasta, rice, cereals, potatoes and fruit?

Yes

No

3

Do you have a hard time controlling how much sugar or starch you eat?

Yes

4

No

Do you often find you don’t feel satisfied even after a large meal?

Yes

5

No

Do you tend to gain weight around your middle rather than around your hips?

Yes

Time it takes for the taste to change: 0-14 seconds – score 0 15-30 seconds – score 3 More than 30 seconds – score 6 Now, add your cracker test score to the number of ‘yes’ responses you had in the quiz to find your carb type.

No

WORDS: RUTH TONGUE. DR SHARON MOALEM IS AUTHOR OF THE DNA RESTART (£19.99, RODALE BOOKS). PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK.

Rather than committing to a low-carb diet, try optimising your carbs instead.

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TOTAL SCORES

0-3 4-8 9+

Low carbohydrate sensitivity

Moderate carbohydrate sensitivity

High carbohydrate sensitivity

Low sensitivity Lucky you! Because you naturally process carbs more quickly and efficiently, at least half of your diet could come from starchy foods.

Choose unprocessed carbs such as oats, brown rice, fruit, quinoa, whole-grain bread and starchy veg such as root vegetables, peas and sweetcorn. These carbs release sugar more slowly so they will help to keep your energy levels steady, as will serving your carbs with a little lean protein, healthy fat – for example, olive oil, oily fish, avocado, nuts or seeds – and a small amount of green or brightly coloured veggies.

IF YOU ARE DIABETIC, FOLLOW GUIDELINES FROM YOUR HEALTH PRACTITIONER TO ENSURE THAT YOU’RE MEETING THE CORRECT AND SAFE REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR CARB INTAKE. *IF YOU’RE VERY ACTIVE, YOU’LL BENEFIT FROM 50-60 PER CENT CARBS.

BREAKFAST Try adding amaranth or barley with chia seeds to your porridge.

LUNCH Avocado on rye or wild rice mixed with salmon and edamame peas are nice options.

DINNER Why not try making your own pizza base from spelt or buckwheat flour and topping with veggies and a tomato and pesto sauce?

If you struggle to maintain weight, TOP you may benefit from eating smaller TIP high-energy meals more frequently, rather than three square meals per day, and choosing energy dense foods such as unsalted nuts, dried fruit and avocados in-between meals. These keep your energy levels topped up so your body doesn’t use fat – or muscle – stores instead.

Once you know your carb type, you can prepare food that helps you be your happiest, healthiest self.

Moderate sensitivity You have some flexibility when it comes to carbs, but you’ll likely benefit from having no more than 40 per cent of your diet as carbohydrate*.

Opt for lower starch, low glycaemic index (GI) carbohydrates most of the time.

The glycaemic index looks at how quickly foods release sugar into the blood stream. Low GI foods include grains, such as quinoa and buckwheat, that are naturally higher in protein and have fewer carbs.

Choose less starchy veg such as broccoli, green leaves, peppers, mushrooms and courgettes, and lower-sugar fruits such as berries, plums, green apples and pears.

BREAKFAST Choose something with a good amount of protein, a little slow-releasing carbohydrate and some fibre to prevent a

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NUTRITION | CARBS

High sensitivity You’re a sensitive type when it comes to carbs. It’s likely you have low levels of the gene that makes amylase. The good news is, now you know this, you can eat to be your happiest, healthiest self.

Choosing low GI carbs, such as oats, barley and quinoa, will help to keep your blood sugar levels steady. And go for lower-sugar fruits that are on the sour side, such as berries and green apples.

Vegetables are great to fill up on, but choose lower starch vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli and courgette. Also, check out p84 to see if a Keto style of eating suits you better.

You can also reduce the impact that carbohydrates have on you by always combining with some lean protein such as fish, meat or dairy and a portion of a high-fibre food such as nuts, veggies or seeds. These foods help slow down the release of sugar from the carbohydrates and reduce sugar and insulin spikes.

BREAKFAST A perfect energising breakfast would be avocado or egg and smoked salmon with pumpkin seeds and a buckwheat blini.

LUNCH For a sugar-stabilising lunch choose a protein-rich tuna Nicoise salad.

DINNER For a nutritious dinner, a courgette and leek frittata would be perfect.

blood sugar rollercoaster throughout the day. The perfect combination would be a slice of rye toast with eggs, a portion of mushrooms or spinach and a little butter or avocado.

LUNCH Sweet potatoes or quinoa are good choices with a serving of lean protein such as chicken, tuna or beans. As an afternoon snack, choose things such as houmous with veggie crudités or kale crisps.

A simple way to increase the amylase you produce – to break down more carbohydrate in your mouth – is to chew for longer! That old diet trick of chewing at least 20 times now starts to make more scientific sense! Therefore, avoid any soup or juice diets and instead, choose raw, highfibre foods that you have to take time eating instead.

You could also try Zuccarin (£21, newnordic.co.uk), a natural supplement that helps you metabolise carbs.

TOP TIP

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DINNER Don’t be tempted to cut carbs out completely as they help you to sleep by stimulating the release of the snoozy neurotransmitter serotonin. Instead, choose a palm-size portion of brown rice, buckwheat or starchy vegetables.

Minimise sugar spikes by cooling potatoes and pasta after cooking before eating as this increases the amount of ‘resistant starch’, which your body digests more slowly.

TOP TIP

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ONE DIET

doesn’t

FIT ALL Eating according to their particular bodily make-up is helping thousands of people reduce stress and improve digestion. Read on to find out how Metabolic Typing could help you.

E WORDS: NICOLA JOYCE

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VERYTHING SEEMS to be becoming more bespoke these days.

There are customised beauty products that change to suit your skin tone, or personalised running shoes to improve performance – so it’s no wonder the world of nutrition is becoming individualised. After all, no two bodies are the same!

Metabolic Typing is an approach to eating that is not influenced by dietary trends or weight loss ‘wonder products’ because it’s dictated by your body and brain. It accepts that a diet which works for one person, could have opposing biochemical effects on someone else. This is because we all digest and metabolise food differently.

This holistic approach to health and nutrition was given widescale prominence in the late 70s and early 80s by William L. Wolcott, who wrote The Metabolic Typing Diet (Doubleday) having discovered the interrelationship between the autonomic

nervous system (ANS) and the oxidative system. With regard to the latter, in Metabolic Typing, you are categorised as ‘fast’, ‘mixed’ or ‘slow’ in terms of food oxidisation, meaning how quickly your body converts food into energy (similar to fi nding out your carb type on the previous pages).

Your ANS, which regulates metabolism and controls involuntary bodily activity, including heartbeat, digestion, cell turnover and the immune system, is divided into two parts: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (PNS). The fi rst system speeds up aforementioned functions and is often called the ‘fight or fl ight’ branch (mentioned on p12). The PNS controls functions that pertain to energy conservation and is often called the ‘rest and digest’ branch.

In Metabolic Typing, you’re classified as being parasympathetic or sympathetic dominant, or balanced between the two. In most people, one branch tends to be stronger than the other, which creates metabolic imbalance.

However, certain foods and

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NUTRITION | METABOLIC T YPE

nutrients can strengthen whichever side is weaker, therefore helping people balance their ANS. Your metabolic type is not only dictated by your bodily response to food but also medical history, skin and organ health, responses to stress, digestive function and even your personality traits (see p6).

A bespoke profile is created for you by a Metabolic Typing practitioner using a sophisticated computerised system that takes into consideration your metabolism, nervous system, how quickly your body converts food to energy and even your behaviour around food and any emotional eating triggers. It’s not a quick-fix solution – lasting changes rarely are. It also requires patience at times, as you work out which foods suit your nutritional needs, daily schedule, personality and digestion.

Although your type might alter slightly as life presents new stresses and challenges at various stages, your basic rate of digestion and responses to emotions will always be part of your unique make-up.

A Metabolic Typing profiling

session and follow up costs around £250 or less depending on laboratory testing fees.

EATING FOR YOUR METABOLIC TYPE

Certified Metabolic Typing advisor Hannah Richards, director at London’s Move Three Sixty Clinic, has been using Metabolic Typing as part of her diagnostic nutrition work with clients for more than a decade.

‘Most of us have become a little disconnected from food because we eat out of habit and emotion, often when we’re not even hungry, rather than listening to our body’s cues for hunger,’ she explains. ‘We’ve forgotten how to listen to our bodies’ needs and many of us are eating too much or too little, or the wrong things at the wrong times. So it’s no wonder we can feel exhausted,

bloated and struggle to maintain an ideal weight.

‘Metabolic Typing allows you to get back to the basics of eating well, seeing food as a physical but also emotional, chemical and spiritual part of wellbeing. It provides greater understanding of how your body works and what to eat to look after yourself. It’s not about comparing yourself to your best friend or someone at the gym. And it’s never about copying anyone else’s diet.’

A certified Metabolic Typing advisor will assess potential stressors such as your finances, job, studying and family life, which might affect your physiological load. The effects can present themselves chemically, physically, mentally or emotionally, for example ulcerative colitis or IBS, and the more stress you have the higher your physiological load is

Metabolic typing is not about comparing yourself to your best friend, and it’s never about copying anyone else’s diet.

WORDS: NICOLA JOYCE. PHOTOGRAPHS: CORBIS, GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK, ALAMY

Most restaurants are helpful with dietary requests and food allergies, so ask for what works with your Metabolic Typing diet.

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BEAUT Y | PERFUME

CONSCIOUS EATING Try Hannah’s tips to tune in to your way of digesting.

energy g in t s a l r e g n o Get l iet of d a m o r f y t and satie tein lean, light pro

CHEW YOUR FOOD The majority of digestion happens in your mouth. It starts when you choose the food you want to eat, then salivary glands produce enzymes during chewing, which break down food into smaller particles to be swallowed. Get the process started properly here so your digestive system can process food more easily.

DRINK MORE WATER We’re advised to have eight glasses of water a day. You should drink one of these as soon as you wake up, when your body is dehydrated from the night, and always have a glass after a bowel movement.

likely to be. Metabolic Typing then helps you adapt by altering your diet to suit your individual dietary make-up and lifestyle.

‘This process leads to an amazing understanding of your body, including how to have better health, lower stress levels and – yes – reach your ideal weight. It teaches you to be in balance for the rest of your life,’ says Hannah.

‘Following a Metabolic Typing diet can improve your energy, conquer your negative emotions and show you how to harness the most powerful aspects of your personality, all by learning to feed your body with food it was truly designed to eat.’

If you want to know your Metabolic Type then it is best to seek out a qualified practitioner. But you can get some idea yourself by using the following guidance from Hannah: ‘Metabolic Typing lists around 300 foods, although most people only eat around eight food types every week

with no variation,’ she says.

‘This can lead to food intolerances and gut issues, because if you always eat the same foods, especially ones containing sugar and gluten, it can go on to cause microscopic tears in your intestines. This means that larger food particles can get through to your bloodstream – known as “leaky gut” – and may cause allergic reactions as your body sees them as invaders.

Rotate food – especially proteins – that you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for three days. This will mix up your diet. Keep a food diary and note how you feel after each meal.

Did it renew your energy or make you tired or crave sugar?

‘Use your diary as a way to learn about what your body likes and dislikes, as food affects you physically, emotionally, chemically and spiritually. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Small steps in the right direction are always worthwhile.’

KEEP A JOURNAL Note down how you feel after eating. You’ll learn to see a connection between how emotions you experience affect the food you are drawn to, and conversely, how some foods make you feel. Sugar for example is often linked to feelings of depression.

TAKE TIME TO THINK Consider what you want to eat. Don’t eat just because food is there or because it’s a set ‘mealtime’. If you really crave something unhealthy, tune in to what that might mean. Maybe you want instant gratification from chocolate because you’re sad, stressed or anxious (see p16 for more on cravings). Give yourself at least a minute to think about whether the food is actually going to be good for your energy, digestion and mood.

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‘Metabolic Typing brought back my energy’ Lisa Carrodus lives in Kensington, London. She used Metabolic Typing after traditional dieting left her feeling run-down.

‘I’d always been fit and rarely ill, but in 2012 I started feeling lethargic all the time. I didn’t know what was wrong. I had a hectic schedule but exercised most days.

‘A friend recommended I get tested for adrenal fatigue. This is when your adrenal glands have been overworked for years due to high levels of cortisol in the blood, so they function less effectively. It turned out I did have the condition, which accounts for why I felt as if the wind had been taken out of my sails.

with it, so thought I’d give it a go.

‘Before the assessment, I’d been eating foods most health bods recommend: oats for breakfast, egg white omelettes and lots of green veg. But, I was relying way too much on caffeine to fuel my busy lifestyle.

‘Through the assessment process I discovered I’m a fast oxidiser, meaning I burn calories quickly. So, I need meals containing high levels of healthy fats, which I wasn’t doing, as well as a variety of proteins to keep me full. I discovered I can also eat much larger quantities of food than I had been. Despite making what I thought were healthy choices,

I’m a fast oxidiser so I need to eat lots of healthy fats and a variety of proteins.

‘I understood how nutrition could affect body composition, but I clearly had more to learn about how food could make me feel, not just how it made me look. I found out about Metabolic Typing from a friend who’d had amazing success

THE SIX METABOLIC TYPES

Here, Metabolic Typing advisor Hannah Richards gives her insights into the six basic metabolic types. Take our quiz overleaf to discover your metabolic profile.

I wasn’t feeding my body with the right energy for my type.

‘Now, rather than eating out of habit or because I thought I had to, I eat purely for the outcome of feeling better. I have a much greater awareness of the food types my body likes. I eat a wider variety of foods and therefore get a greater range of micronutrients.

‘Most days I have a green smoothie: avocado, cucumber, kale, parsley, pear, ginger, coconut water, collagen powder, chia seeds and a few berries whizzed together. I also

1

FAST OXIDISERS Have addictive personality traits and an all-out approach to life.

4

2

5

MIXED OXIDISERS Feel better when they eat a wide variety of food.

3

SLOW OXIDISERS Can be uninterested in food and eat very little.

eat whole eggs, scrambled, poached or as an omelette, with added mixed veg. Lunch might be a big salad of green leaves, avocado, pomegranate, cucumber, chopped nuts and peppers, with goat’s cheese, tuna or chicken, and hemp oil drizzled over.

‘For dinner I’ll have organic steak or buffalo burgers with steamed vegetables. Fats feature in a big way and I use a variety of oils such as hemp, flax, olive and avocado on my meals, and coconut oil to cook with.

‘My health is now back on track.

I’m exercising consistently with no issues, my digestive tract works more efficiently and I tend not to gain weight.

‘Through understanding how to properly feed my body what it needs, I’ve improved my energy and maintain a healthy body fat ratio.’

PARASYMPATHETIC PNS-dominant people are laid back and do well on mainly protein and fat.

BALANCED No dominance of a particular nervous system and as such, need a variety of macronutrients – fat, carbs and protein – to feel in balance.

6

SYMPATHETIC People whose sympathetic nervous systems tend to dominate their profile are those who often talk quickly, can be nervy and get easily stressed out or intolerant to certain foods.

They do better with a diet high in vegetables.

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ical m e h c d to digest e t c e j b is su fficult to d oo f di sed Proces s, making it our type y e process – whatever

HOW THE DIET DEVELOPED The Metabolic Typing diet came about after research in 1930s by Dr Weston Price, who studied the health of 14 indigenous cultures. These cultures were, at the time, untouched by modern society. Each group exhibited amazing health, yet their diets were totally different. Some were high in protein and fat, some high in carbs and some not, and some contained lots of dairy while others had none.

The one similarity was that illness in each group was infrequent. But, when members of a culture left to live elsewhere and assumed the diet of a different country, they often ended up with degenerative conditions.

In the 1940s Metabolic Typing was developed further by Dr Roger Williams, who studied multiple images of stomachs – varying in size and shape – in The Atlas of Human Anatomy. He also discovered there was an enormous variation in the range of gastric juice

composition among normal, healthy adults. He explored this phenomena and more ways humans can vary, in his 1956 book Biochemical Individuality, in which he proposed there be ‘metabolic profiles’ devised to evaluate and treat patients with nutrition, individually.

Dentist William Donald Kelley developed the theory further in the mid 60s when he treated his own pancreatic cancer by following a strict vegetarian diet along with added nutritients, enzymes and detoxification techniques. When his wife became bedbound due to toxic paint fumes, William first tried to cure her with the same vegetarian diet he thrived upon years earlier, but to no avail.

As a last resort, he gave her some beef broth and her energy levels improved. He gave her some more small pieces of meat and within 24 hours she could sit up in bed. This proved to William that different people thrive on different diets.

Metabolic Balance is another method devised by a German doctor, Dr Wolf Funfack. It looks at patients’ blood haematology and biochemistry to determine effective diets for them. It’s not to be confused with Metabolic Typing, as there are no categories in Metabolic Balance – it’s bespoke for the individual. The plans reduce cravings, balance blood sugar and reduce inflammation, the latter of which is the cause of many chronic conditions.

Metabolic Balance is now available in London from Gerry Gajadharsingh*, an osteopath who has spent the past 27 years investigating alternative approaches to healing. He is also one of only two Metabolic Balance lecturers in the UK. He says patients have improvements in musculoskeletal pain and reduced need for continued manual treatment when following the protocols.

*THEHEALTHEQUATION.CO.UK

THE NEXT STEP IN BESPOKE EATING

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NUTRITION | METABOLIC T YPE

DISCOVER YOUR METABOLIC TYPE Although you’d need a computerised assessment provided by a certified Metabolic Typing coach to properly work out your profile, you can answer the following questions to get a few clues...

1 What type of weather makes you the happiest?

4 What breakfast do you get the most energy from?

7 What is your appetite like at dinnertime?

A Warm or hot B Mild and temperate C Cooler or cold

A Nothing B Toast and fruit C Eggs and bacon

2 Which types of foods have a negative effect on your concentration?

5 What is your appetite like at breakfast time?

A I’m never that hungry in the evening B I’m ready to eat a reasonable sized meal C I have a strong appetite in the evening

A Fatty foods or meat B Nothing that I’ve noticed C Bread, grains, carbs and fruit 3 What’s your general attitude towards food?

A I eat to live B I don’t have any strong feelings about food C I live to eat!

A Pretty low, I can do without eating first thing B I have an appetite but I’m not too hungry C Ravenous – I love to eat breakfast 6 What would you choose at a buffet?

A Ligh, low-fat dishes B A bit of everything C Heavier, richer dishes

8 You’re out for dinner and the dessert menu arrives.

What do you think?

A Great, I love something sweet after my meal B I’ll have dessert if there’s something I really fancy C I’d rather have cheese and crackers

WHAT YOUR ANSWERS SAY ABOUT YOU Mostly A: Sympathetic or slow oxidiser. You can be disinterested in food and could get by without eating for long periods of time. Get longerlasting energy from a diet of lean, light protein, a little amount of the essential fats such as Omega-3 and avoiding all trans fats found in margarine and some biscuits and pastry. Eat plenty of healthy carbohydrates including wholegrains.

Enjoy a selection of vegetables, fruits, squashes, root vegetables and potatoes, and monitor how these foods make you feel. If any make you feel sluggish and tired 30 minutes after consuming them, cut them out of your diet for at least a week and see whether that helps.

Mostly B: Balanced or mixed type.

Ensure to eat a wide variety of foods daily. Aim for 35 per cent protein, 45 per cent carbs and 20 per cent fat.

Note down which foods make you feel energised after eating and which cause fatigue. Avoid any that make you tired and lethargic or that cause bloating and gas.

FURTHER INFORMATION Find out more about metabolic typing at: movethreesixty.com or precisionmovement. co.uk

Mostly C: Parasympathetic or fast oxidiser/protein type. You tend to have a strong appetite and burn food quickly, particularly carbs. More fats and protein will provide satiety.

Rotate your food choices to avoid intolerances. These can occur if you have a permeable gut – caused from eating too much gluten – so the large particles of foods you regularly eat get through the gut wall causing an autoimmune response. It can also happen when specific enzymes in your intestines, produced to breakdown specific foods, wear down from overuse. Eat a variety of proteins, mainly heavier, fattier meats such as lamb and pork, as well as fish, seafood and pulses, at every meal.

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THE NEW

KETO DIET

With this high-fat, reduced-carb plan you can expect to lose pounds as well as staying healthy and feeling more energised – what’s not to love?

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NUTRITION | KETO

W

ITH THE PROMISE of rapid weight loss, increased energy and a dramatic reduction in food cravings, it’s easy to see why the ketogenic diet has been at the forefront of eating trends for the last few years.

But recently, questions have been asked about how safe it is. A study in the Lancet reported that consuming large amounts of fat and very low amounts of carbohydrate – typical of the traditional keto diet – were associated with increased mortality.

So, we have found a new, healthier take on keto that keeps the weight loss and health benefits, without the potential health damage.

WORDS: EVA GIZOWSKA. FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS DANIELA FISCHER @ WILDSOULLIVING AND GETTY IMAGES.

TRADITIONAL KETO

However, it found that if you replace some of your carbohydrate intake with plant-based proteins and fats instead of animal varieties, you should reduce your risk of potentially serious health problems.

‘If you chose to follow a low-carbohydrate diet, then exchanging carbohydrates for more plant-based fats and proteins might actually promote healthy ageing in the long-term,’ says Dr Sara Seidelman, a specialist in cardiovascular medicine at Brigham Hospital, Boston, US, who led the research.

This is backed up by another recent study of 130,000 people, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, which reported that people who ate more plant-based protein had a lower risk of early death than those who favoured more animal protein. ‘The problem with the classic keto diet is that people are eating a lot of unhealthy, processed fats such as bacon, salami and ham,’ says Rick Hay, a nutritional therapist who lectures on sustainable weight management at London’s College of Naturopathic medicine (rickhay.co.uk).

‘These may help with weight loss but they aren’t healthy. While you need a certain amount of saturated fat to maintain immunity, hormonal balance, and good liver and brain health, you do need to choose the right sources of that fat,’ he adds. ‘Go for plant-based fats such as nuts, avocado and coconut oil.

‘Plant foods rich in protein include quinoa, lentils, tempeh, beans, nuts and nut butters, coconut flour and plant-based protein powders such as hemp,’ says Rick. ‘These not only contain healthy nutrients but also much-needed fibre, which promotes good gut bacteria. This in turn helps with weight loss and reduces bloating, as well as enhancing digestion.’

It’s not that all animal-based foods are out; it’s about choosing quality over quantity.

‘When buying meat, always go for grass-fed organic meats and sustainably sourced oily fish, rather than highly processed items such as hot dogs or pepperoni,’ says Rick.

DID YOU KNOW? The classic ketogenic diet was developed in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy.

Scientists found that it could help to control seizures.

If you’re not familiar with the principles of keto, the diet usually involves eating around 70 per cent fats, 25 per cent protein and five per cent carbs. This eventually leads your body into a state called ‘ketosis’ – not to be confused with ketoacidosis, is a dangerous condition that can occur in people with Type 1 diabetes.

Being in harmless ketosis means you burn fat for fuel instead of glucose. Fat is a cleaner form of energy and results in fewer metabolic ‘waste products’ such as free radicals, which can damage your cells.

Supporters argue that it promotes balanced blood sugar, which may be helpful for people with Type 2 diabetes, and leads to weight loss, improved mental clarity and energy, better appetite control and fewer cravings.

CHOOSE YOUR FATS WISELY

So what’s not to like about keto? Well, many experts aren’t convinced. The Lancet study analysed the diets of 15,400 people in the US over 25 years. Scientists compared low-carb diets that were high in animal proteins and fats, with diets that contained a lot of plantbased proteins and fats.

The results showed that eating more animal proteins and fats in place of carbs increased the risk of premature death by four years.

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YOUR KETO MEAL PLAN

Lose weight with Rick Hay’s new version of the keto diet ‘This is a healthier version of the classic keto diet, where usually you’d eat only five per cent carbs per day.

This is unsustainable for most people,’ says Rick. ‘This plan is more relaxed because you can eat around 20-30 per cent carbs a day. You can also eat about 20-30 per cent protein and around 40-50 per cent healthy fats. You can easily expect to lose half a stone if you carried the diet on for at least two weeks.’

‘You’ll also have more energy, a better mood and mental clarity.

Food cravings will go and you’ll feel less bloated. The weight loss benefits are the same as on the classic keto diet but you shouldn’t get any of the side effects, such as constipation or “keto flu”, which usually starts a few days after cutting out carbs and can include cramps, nausea, dizziness, headache and irritability. On this more plant-based plan, you’ll lose weight and get all the health benefits without putting pressure on your body.’

✔WHAT TO EAT:

PROTEIN: Eat good quality protein with every meal to help keep your blood sugar levels balanced. Protein also helps to speed up your metabolism so you burn fat more efficiently.

VEGETABLES: Eat vegetables that grow above the ground such as asparagus, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, aubergine, avocado, kale, courgette, olives and avocado. These are lower in carbs and have a lower glycaemic index so won’t cause your blood sugar to spike, which can happen with root vegetables as they are more starchy and rich in natural sugars.

HEALTHY FATS: You’ll find these in olive oil, coconut milk, nuts, seeds, oily fish, yogurt, avocados and vegetable oils, which are sources of slow-burn energy that help to stabilise blood sugar.

DRINKS: Have mineral water, herbal teas such as green tea, fennel, ginger, dandelion, matcha and fresh mint. You can have one cup of regular tea or coffee per day.

THERMOGENIC SPICES: These are fat-burning spices and include chilli, turmeric and cayenne pepper.

Studies show these help to speed up your metabolism and increase fat burning.

ORGANIC: When shopping, go for good-quality, organic meat, sustainable sources of fish and seafood, and organic vegetables whenever possible.

FRUIT: Only eat low-carb and low-glycaemic fruits such as raspberries and blackberries.

Lemons and limes are OK too.

✗

WHAT TO AVOID:

ALCOHOL, SUGAR, PROCESSED FOODS: Steer clear of bread, cakes, pasta and rice. Avoid sugary fruits such as papaya, mango, banana, pineapple, and most apples (green Granny Smiths are better as they are less sweet).

BAD FATS: Avoid margarine, fried foods and processed meats. Also, ditch the trans fats – also called hydrogenated fats – which go through a process that makes vegetable oils semi-solid, and are often found in crisps, fast food, palm oil, corn oil and safflower oil.

BELOW-GROUND VEGETABLES: These include beetroot, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips and onions. These are higher in carbs and have a higher glycaemic load than above-the-ground vegetables.

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HERE’S A TASTE OF RICK’S KETO PLAN. FOR TOP RESULTS FOLLOW FOR TWO WEEKS:

MONDAY

BREAKFAST: Avocado Breakfast Booster – Blend ½ avocado, 2 cups spinach, 5 cashews, 1tsp linseed, 200ml coconut water or almond milk.

MID-MORNING SNACK: 1 sliced Granny Smith with 2tsp almond butter.

LUNCH: Serve 1 poached egg with 95g canned sardines and spinach.

Season with paprika, chilli and tamari.

MID-PM SNACK: 1tbsp sunflower seeds and two squares of dark chocolate (70 per cent cacao).

DINNER: Stir fry tofu, pak choi, mange tout, spring onions and bean sprouts with garlic, fresh ginger and soy sauce.

Sprinkle with 20g toasted cashews.

TUESDAY

BREAKFAST: Coconut Quinoa Porridge – 85g quinoa and 2tsp cinnamon simmered in 1 can coconut milk for 15 mins. Scatter with few cashews or blueberries to serve.

MID-MORNING SNACK: 12 almonds.

LUNCH: Serve 1 smoked mackerel fillet with steamed tenderstem broccoli and green beans.

MID-PM SNACK: 6 Brazil nuts.

DINNER: Top courgetti with cooked prawns. Drizzle with olive oil and season with cayenne and fresh chillies.

WEDNESDAY

BREAKFAST: Scramble 2 eggs with 50g smoked salmon and parsley.

MID-MORNING SNACK: 1 sliced apple with 2tbsp cashew butter.

LUNCH: Spiralise 1 large courgette.

Heat in a pan with a dollop of pesto.

Garnish with basil & 20g pine nuts.

MID-PM SNACK: 4 walnut halves.

DINNER: Stir fry 100g chicken strips with green chillis, green beans, pak choi, spring onions, ½tbsp Thai fish sauce and some coconut milk.

MID-MORNING SNACK: 5 Brazil nuts.

LUNCH: Greek Salad – toss together lettuce, 6 Kalamata olives, 4 cherry tomatoes, some red onion and 20g feta.

MID-PM SNACK: 125g pot unsweetened coconut yogurt.

DINNER: Grilled salmon fillet drizzled with olive oil and lemon, and spinach.

FRIDAY

BREAKFAST: Mix 2tbsp almond butter with 2tsp mixed seeds and goji berries. Use apple wedges to dip.

MID-MORNING SNACK: 1-2tbsp pumpkin seeds.

LUNCH: Top 100g tinned mackerel with baby spinach, chopped red onion, 2 spring onions and a boiled egg.

MID-PM SNACK: Apple with 2tbsp almond butter.

DINNER: Cauli Curry – in 1tbsp oil fry 1 diced onion, ¼tsp each cardamom and turmeric, plus ½tsp each garam masala & cumin for 2 mins. Stir in 1 tin tomatoes, ½ cup stock then 450g cauliflower florets. When the cauli is cooked and seasoned to taste, serve topped with coriander.

with 50g salmon and 30g asparagus.

MID-MORNING SNACK: Granny Smith apple with 3 walnuts.

LUNCH: 2 slices (25g) grilled halloumi and Portobello mushroom with salad.

MID-PM SNACK: 1tbsp mixed seeds.

DINNER: Season 100g cubed chicken with paprika. Skewer with chopped peppers, aubergine and courgette, then grill.

SUNDAY

BREAKFAST: Serve 125g coconut yogurt with 20g of nuts and seeds.

MID-MORNING SNACK: Boiled egg.

LUNCH: Serve ½ tin sardines in tomato sauce on mashed avocado.

MID-PM SNACK: 1 cup matcha green tea with 3 squares of dark chocolate.

DINNER: Mix 200ml coconut milk with 1-2tsp Thai green curry paste in a pan.

Add courgette, broccoli florets, mange tout and green pepper. Simmer until done. Add 100g cooked chicken, tofu or prawns.

SATURDAY

BREAKFAST: 2 egg omelette

THURSDAY

BREAKFAST: Blend a handful of blueberries, 200ml unsweetened coconut milk, handful baby spinach 1tsp flaxseed, 1tsp sunflower seeds and 1 scoop plant protein powder.

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PALEO The scientifically-proven diet secrets that will help you lose inches, improve your heart health and keep the weight off!

WORDS: REBECCA SPEECHLEY. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES AND SHUTTERSTOCK. * PLEASE CONSULT YOUR GP OR DIETICIAN BEFORE ELIMINATING ANY FOOD GROUPS.

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NUTRITION | PALEO

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HILST NEWER diets such as Keto have great success, another popular way of eating harks back to how our ancestors ate – a diet popularly known as Paleo. Filling up on foods similar to what your Stone Age predecessors may have eaten, packed with vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, healthy fats and nuts and seeds, could be an effective and healthy way to lose weight and keep it off long term – especially for women around menopausal age, according to a study at Umeå University in Sweden.

After six months eating in a Paleolithicallyinspired way, women participating in the study lost more weight than women eating a more traditional diet – 9kg vs 6kg on average.

What’s more, a larger percentage of that weight came from around their middles, slimming down their waistlines and reducing levels of the harmful abdominal fat that has been linked to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

They also saw a significant drop in triglycerides and other fatty acids in their blood, which are linked to a higher risk of disease. The best news though, is two years later, the women in the study maintained their weight loss and hung on to other health benefits of their new way of eating too.

‘The results are remarkable,’ says Dr Caroline Blomquist, who carried out the research into the Paleo way of eating. ‘Despite giving the women free rein to have unlimited intake of

BLAST BELLY FAT

The women following the Paleo-style diet in the Swedish study lost significantly more belly fat than those eating a more traditional, carb-heavy diet.

‘Your body dumps fat wherever your immune system is most busy,’ says Dr Myhill. ‘If you have a “spare tyre” the chances are your immune system is active in your gut trying to deal with fermenting sugars and the inflammation they cause. Many women find that reducing the carbs and sugar in their diet stops the fermentation in their stomach that causes bloating and discomfort, so their body doesn’t need to store fat there anymore.’

those foods, the weight loss was stable after two years. A more significant element than weight loss was clearly improved levels of fat in the blood, as well as reduced inflammation.’

WHAT IS PALEO IN A NUTSHELL?

‘The Paleolithic style of diet consists of lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds,’ says Dr Blomquist. ‘These food sources supply just 25 per cent of the total energy in the modern Western diet. The remaining energy in your diet originates from cereals, dairy, refined fat, sugar, and legumes.’

A strict Paleo diet doesn’t include any cereals, grains, breads, dairy, sugar, or any processed foods. But the study shows you don’t have to go hardcore to get most of the health benefits. ‘The women in our study followed principles of a Paleo diet and still achieved great results,’ says Dr Blomquist.

‘The main snacks recommended to women taking part in the study were nuts or slices of lean meat. Breakfast could be a smoothie based on avocado and bananas topped with berries and nuts. For lunch and dinner we recommended lean fish or meat with vegetables, and/or fruits and berries.’

One of the most appealing things is that you don’t need to count calories or restrict your food intake when you follow a Paleostyle diet. It’s this aspect of the diet that Dr Blomquist credits for the women in her study keeping the weight off long term.

‘If you don’t feel that your food is being restricted, and you don’t feel hungry because you’re eating foods that leave you satieted and energised, then you’re more likely to stick to that way of eating,’ she says.

Read on to discover how this Paleo-inspired eating plan could work for you!

STRIKING A BALANCE

Eating this way could make the menopause easier to cope with. ‘Fluctuating blood sugar triggered by a carbohydrate-rich diet could make hormonal problems worse,’ says Dr Sarah Myhill, author of The PK Cookbook (Hammersmith Books). ‘Hot flushes for example can be triggered by low blood sugar. The clue here is that diabetics who don’t control their blood sugar levels very well often experience hot flushes when they drink alcohol. It is very similar clinically to the menopausal flush.’ Hence why balancing blood sugar can help.

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WHICH FOODS DO MOST PALEO DIETS AVOID?

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CEREALS AND GRAINS: People following a strict Paleo diet exclude all cereals, grains and legumes, including wholegrain foods, plus starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots.

But it’s up to you to find the right balance. Refined carbs and sugar – essentially typical ‘beige’ foods and those with lots of strange words on the ingredients list – are definitely out on this plan, but when it comes to brown rice, starchy veg, lentils and legumes listen to your body. If they make you bloat it’s probably a good idea to cut down – it might help you to lose some belly fat too.

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Nutrient-dense veg and quality protein will help trim your waist WHAT FOODS CAN I FOCUS ON?

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LEAN MEAT, FISH AND EGGS: Try to include an unprocessed source of protein at every meal. It’s thought that up to 60 per cent of Stone Age protein intake came from fish, according to experts from Lund University. The women in Dr Blomquist’s study significantly increased their intake of fish during the research. Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel are great sources of essential fatty acids.

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VEGETABLES AND SOME FRUITS: Aim for at least five portions a day. ‘Lightly cooked green vegetables such as kale, spinach and broccoli and salad vegetables such as avocado, lettuce, tomato, celery, cucumber, peppers, onion, cress,

bamboo shoots and mushrooms are all good sources of important antioxidant vitamins and minerals,’ says Dr Myhill. Fruit is important too, but choose the lower-sugar varieties such as raspberries and strawberries rather than grapes or mangoes.

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PLANT-BASED FATS, NUTS AND SEEDS: Eat walnuts, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, as well as some healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados and organic nut butters. Plant-based monounsaturated fats could significantly reduce your risk of heart disease according to a study from Harvard University. They are thought to help reduce levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in your blood.

DAIRY PRODUCTS: Milk-based products generally don’t feature in a Paleo-style diet and Dr Myhill and Dr Blomquist agree that the high vegetable content of a Paleo-style diet more than makes up for any loss of the calcium and magnesium found in milk.

It’s a good idea to make sure you include calcium-rich foods such as sardines, white beans and kale to keep your intake up. However, current government guidelines suggest that if you’re avoiding dairy you should have three portions of a calcium-enriched, unsweetened, plant-based dairy alternative, such as soya, or almond milk each day.

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SUGAR AND PROCESSED FOOD: Of course, there were no cakes, biscuits or ready meals in the Stone Age – so save them for an occasional treat.

A diet that’s higher in protein and unsaturated fats helps you feel more satisfied, which can help you to eat less.

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NUTRITION | PALEO

YOUR 7-DAY PALEO-STYLE PLAN Monday

Tuesday

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with pan-fried mushrooms, tomatoes and kale.

Lunch: Chicken salad with walnuts and a lemon and olive oil dressing.

Dinner: Grilled salmon served with stir-fried vegetables.

Wednesday

Breakfast: Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with pan-fried kale.

Lunch: Homemade chicken and vegetable soup.

Dinner: Grilled cod with vegetables dressed with olive oil.

Breakfast: Vegetable omelette.

Lunch: Tuna nicoise salad (potatoes are optional).

Dinner: Beef Bolognese with salad.

Thursday

Breakfast: A bowl of plant-based yogurt such as soya topped with some berries, nuts and seeds.

Lunch: Mackerel salad.

Dinner: Lamb kebabs served with roasted vegetables.

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Friday

Saturday

Breakfast: Bacon and eggs with grilled tomatoes.

Breakfast: Boiled eggs with asparagus dippers.

Lunch: Chicken and avocado salad.

Dinner: Prawn and vegetable stir fry.

Sunday

Breakfast: Baked eggs with smoked salmon and spinach.

Lunch: Roast chicken with broccoli, carrots and Brussels sprouts.

Dinner: Vegetable frittata and salad.

Lunch: Spicy satay beef lettuce wraps with avocado.

Dinner: Chicken and vegetable balti with roasted cauliflower.

SNACKS AND TREATS

Enjoying a diet higher in protein and fats means naturally feeling fuller and eating less. And according to Dr Blomquist’s plan, you can also include nuts, berries and fruits to snack on or enjoy as part of your meal. If you really feel in need of a treat, Dr Myhill recommends a couple of squares of dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa) to help to satisfy you. High cocoa solid chocolate is low in carbs so it won’t cause fermentation in your gut, or throw your sugar levels off course. Flexibility is the key to success!

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NUTRITION | MYCOBIOME

Make friends WITH FUNGI

Beat the bloat and fast track your way to good gut health by making the most of your mycobiome

WORDS: CATHY STRUTHERS. PHOTOGRAPHS: XXXXXXXXX

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IDDLE AGE spread. Belly fat. Bloating.

Whatever you call it, we now know why so many of us are prone to a seemingly everexpanding tum as we get older.

Cutting edge science revealed that the rate at which fats are stored and removed – our ‘lipid turnover’ – decreases as we age, regardless of whether we lose or gain weight. This makes it easier to pile on pounds, even if your diet and exercise stays the same, according to research published in Nature Medicine.

The good news is that you can do something about it – and you can yield results fast. By taking control of what you eat to balance the fungi in your gut, you can makeover your “mycobiome” in just 24 hours.

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NUTRITION | MYCOBIOME

And no that’s not a typo... we’re talking about the gut’s fungi-based mycobiome, which is different to the bacteria-based microbiome.

Most people understand the importance of a healthy gut bacteria balance for good digestive health and overall wellbeing. But the lesser-known mycobiome refers to the community of fungi that live on and inside your body. Scientists are now beginning to understand that a poor balance of this fungi can lead to weight gain, bloating and low energy, and can even worsen symptoms of IBS and Crohn’s disease.

‘The mycobiome is dynamic, shifting significantly with every meal,’ explains Dr Mahmoud Ghannoum, the fungus specialist who coined the term mycobiome and who authored a new book about it, called Total Gut Balance (Countryman Press).

‘We know that your diet and lifestyle directly influences your gut fungi, and that your gut fungi, in turn, can directly influence what you weigh, how you feel emotionally, how well your immune system works, how much inflammation you have and more,’ he says. ‘Within 24 hours you can remake your mycobiome for better or for worse based what you decide to eat, as well as with and other factors within your control.’

When you choose to make fungi-friendly food choices, you can set yourself on a fast track to rebalancing your gut, which in turn makes it easier to stay slim – and in good health – for life.

FOCUS ON FUNGI

Our understanding of the importance of cultivating good gut flora by balancing ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria has exploded in recent years. Science is continually revealing new information about how important your microbiome (the collection of microbes that live inside the body) is to your health and wellbeing. But now we are learning that there is more to this system than just bacteria.

‘Fungi are a little like the black sheep of the microbiome,’ says Dr Ghannoum. ‘They are part of the microbiome – a subcommunity – but they can cause big trouble by going against the current of what is most beneficial for the microbiome’s human host (AKA you).’

Fungi are thought to contribute to all sorts gut disorders and can also spark digestive problems and inflammation in healthy people, leading to blood sugar imbalance and making it more difficult to lose weight.

Just like bacteria, there are ‘good’ fungi and 94

‘bad’ fungi. One of the most famous friendly fungi is Penicillium chrysogenum, used to make penicillin, which gets rid of pathogenic bacteria. In the gut this fungus seems to be present in larger numbers among vegetarians.

On the bad side, one of the most notorious fungi is Candida albicans – unproblematic when its numbers are low, but harmful at higher levels, leading to weight loss resistance, infections and IBS. This yeast has been found to grow more quickly in people who eat high-sugar diets.

Of course, there are millions of fungal species, and many still to be discovered. And it isn’t as simple as upping the good and eliminating the bad. A healthy mycobiome depends on the relative levels of each. Some are helpful in small amounts, but not if they become too numerous. It’s all about balance.

REGAINING EQUILIBRIUM

All sorts of factors can affect the balance in your gut. Stress, poor diet, illness or a course of antibiotics or antifungals can all knock your gut fungi and flora off kilter.

‘Gut imbalance, known as dysbiosis, can seriously interfere with your life, causing everything from bad breath to bloating, constipation to concentration problems, diarrhoea to depression,’ explains Dr Ghannoum. ‘And when fungi are involved – such as candida overgrowing – you’ve got something akin to gastrointestinal anarchy going on.’

One of the big problems an imbalance of fungi can lead to is the formation of sticky biofilms that are a bit like plaque on your teeth. They coat the lining of your digestive tract and, in doing so, protect harmful fungal and bacterial microbes from the body’s immune system.

Certain foods help break down these dangerous biofilms, according to emerging research. Compounds called polyphenols found in plants, for example, can dissolve or break through biofilms. Green tea, garlic, turmeric and berries are all thought to be biofilm-busters, as is apple cider vinegar.

An imbalance in the gut has also been linked to chronic inflammation, which is a risk factor for certain diseases (see p39) and for slowing down lipid turnover which can lead to middle-age spread.

Fortunately, getting your fungi back in balance is a quick fix, but one that can lead to long-term changes to your gut health. ‘Once you begin the Mycobiome Diet, you are likely

Getting fungi into balance is a quick fix but one that leads to longterm gut health.

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Stress, poor diet, illness or a course of antibiotics or antifungals can upset your gut’s mycobiome.

HOW TO TAKE CONTROL

Clearly there’s more reason to max your mycobiome than just trimming belly fat, but Dr Ghannoum believes that it can certainly help you lose weight if you need to. With chronic inflammation suspected as a prime cause of weight gain, eating for your mycobiome can help as it encourages the growth of anti-inflammatory microbes thanks to upping your intake of anti-inflammatory cruciferous vegetables.

By avoiding the saturated trans fats and refined sugars linked with increased belly fat and emphasising lean protein from vegetables, fish, and beans, shedding excess weight around your middle should follow.

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LIPID TURNOVER DECREASES AS WE AGE HTTPS://WWW.SCIENCEDAILY.COM/RELEASES/2019/09/190909193211.HTM

to begin noticing positive changes in your energy level and gastrointestinal symptoms within the first 24 hours,’ says Dr Ghannoum, who details the diet in his book.

After four weeks of eating to control your mycobiome, you are likely to notice changes in your weight – if you have excess weight to lose – and the longer you sustain this more balanced way of eating, the more lasting the complementary shifts to your entire microbiome will be.

‘The result is that you will enjoy bolstered immunity, reduced inflammation, fewer digestive problems, easier weight loss, more energy, less fatigue and a brightened mood,’ says Dr Ghannoum.

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The Mycobiome Diet

basic rules

The diet is uncomplicated and easy to follow, with a pick and mix approach of foods to eat daily, those to eat a few times a week and details of foods to avoid (such as candida-loving sugars). You’ll include plenty of mycobiome-friendly vegetables (the wider the variety, the better), starchresistant legumes, as well as a daily dose of biofilm-busting apple cider vinegar (but sip it through a straw to protect your teeth enamel).

The diet comes with four rules: ● Eat mostly whole foods (nothing processed). ● Have protein from the list below with every meal. ● Have an oil/fat or fatty food from the list below with every meal/snack. ● Have a resistant starch food from the list with every meal.

FOODS TO EAT EVERY DAY ● Coconut or extra-virgin olive oil. ● Resistant starch foods. ● Cruciferous vegetables. ● Mycobiome-friendly vegetables, such as broccoli, leeks and onions. ● Apple cider vinegar (at least 1tbsp). ● Optional: 2 eggs, poultry, low-fat dairy products, tofu and tempeh, edamame.

4 Good Gut Meals Try these simple recipes from Dr Ghannoum’s Total Gut Balance to help you stay full, beat bloating and feed friendly fungi!

SWEET POTATO ‘TOAST’ Time: 30 mins; serves 2 Swap out bread for nutrient-rich sweet potatoes. They contain fibre, resistant starch and magnesium, making them an excellent facilitator for healthy gut balance.

Top them off with eggs or avocado (or both), sprinkle with low-fat or fat-free cheese, and you have a nicely balanced breakfast.

■ Sweet potato 2, large ■ Olive oil 1tbsp, divided ■ Sea salt ½tsp ■ Black pepper ¼tsp ■ Eggs 3, and/or 1 large avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced ■ Crumbly cheese – non-fat or low-fat, to sprinkle ■ Fresh dill, chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5.

Cut the sweet potato lengthwise into 2.5cm thick slices.

2 Brush the potatoes with some of the olive oil and salt and pepper then cook on a baking sheet for 15-20 mins or until they are soft.

3 In a pan over low heat, add the rest of the oil and fry the eggs (if using) until the white is cooked through. Top each sweet potato slice with eggs and/or avocado slices. Sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper, and dill.

Plant-based variations Leave out the egg and just use avocado, or use three 25g slices of extra-firm tofu instead of eggs. You can use nutritional yeast in place of cheese.

Foods to eat 3-7 times a week ● Fish/seafood, ground turmeric, ginger, garlic, pistachios and/or walnuts, green tea, fermented foods.

Foods to limit ● Alcohol, maple syrup, raw honey, coffee and tea.

Foods to exclude completely ● Sweeteners, refined grains, processed meat, processed/ packaged food with more than three ingredients, full-fat dairy products.

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NUTRITION | MYCOBIOME

CACAO OATMEAL BOWLS Time: 5 mins prep (8+ hours soak); serves 2 Overnight oats are perfect for busy mornings because you do almost all the work (and there isn’t much) the night before. Let it sit in a jar overnight and in the morning you’ve got a creamy, delicious breakfast. This recipe adds more flavour and gut-friendliness to your oats by using raw cacao powder.

GRAIN-FREE VARIATION Rather than using oats, use two sweet potatoes. Cut them open and sprinkle with cacao and cinnamon powder, drizzle the honey over then add remaining toppings. Serve almond milk as a beverage or omit.

■ Rolled oats 140g ■ Almond milk 225ml, unsweetened ■ Cacao powder 1tbsp ■ Honey or maple syrup 1tbsp max, optional ■ Cinnamon 1tsp ■ Goji berries as many as you want ■ Cacao nibs as many as you want ■ Strawberry 1, sliced 1 In a large jar with a lid, add the rolled oats, almond milk, cacao powder, honey, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

2 The next morning, pour the oats into two bowls and top with goji berries, cacao nibs, and strawberry slices. Or, add the toppings and eat it right out of the jar!

SWEET & SOUR PRAWN BOWL Time: 30 mins; serves 4 Honey, paprika, and red onion come together to make the tastiest flavour-packed prawn you’ve ever tried! If you’re avoiding honey, just leave it out.

It won’t exactly be “sweet and sour” but it will still be delicious.

GRAIN-FREE VARIATION In place of the rice, steam frozen butternut squash cubes (or purée cooked squash cubes) and serve the prawns over the squash.

PLANT-BASED VARIATION Slice 453g oyster mushrooms (remove tough stems) and prep as you would the shrimp.

■ Brown rice 200g ■ Raw prawns 453g, tails removed ■ Red onion 34g, minced ■ Honey (optional) 1tbsp max

■ Lime juice 1tbsp ■ Paprika 1tsp ■ Coconut / grapeseed oil 1tsp ■ Cabbage 60g, chopped ■ Mung bean sprouts handful ■ Green onion 1, chopped ■ Lime wedges 4, to garnish 1 Cook brown rice according to directions and set aside.

2 In a bag or bowl with a lid, add the prawns, red onion, optional honey, lime juice, and paprika.

Toss to coat.

3 Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil. Add the prawn mixture and sauté, stirring frequently, until the prawns turn pink.

4 Divide the brown rice between four bowls. Top each with the prawns, cabbage, mung bean sprouts, and green onions, and garnish each bowl with a juicy lime wedge.

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BROCCOLI BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS Time: 35 mins; serves 2 Take this Mexican favourite to a healthier level by filling it with broccoli, black beans, and melted mozzarella. Heat it with coconut oil and serve with a yummy spicy yogurt sauce that’s perfect for dipping.

■ Broccoli 1 head, washed and cut into florets ■ Sea salt 1tsp ■ Black beans 1 can ■ Coconut oil 1tbsp ■ Tortillas 2, whole wheat, sprouted grain, gluten-free or grain- free ■ Non-fat mozzarella 115g, shredded (or use 60g hummus) ■ Feta cheese, optional ■ Spicy Yogurt Dipping Sauce (see above)

1 Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the broccoli and salt. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the broccoli is tender and bright green (about 5 mins). Drain and chop the florets coarsely. Set aside.

2 Drain and rinse the beans. Set aside.

3 In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add one tortilla. Quickly add half the cheese (or hummus), broccoli pieces, and black beans to one side of a tortilla. Fold over the other side. Repeat with the other tortilla and fillings.

4 When one side is golden-brown (about 3 mins) carefully flip the quesadillas over and brown the other side, then remove them to a plate to cool slightly.

5 Top with the feta cheese, if you are using it.

Serve with the Spicy Yogurt Dipping Sauce.

Spicy Yogurt Dipping Sauce Time: 2 mins; makes about ½ a cup ■ Yogurt 120g, unsweetened, non-fat, low-fat or plant-based ■ Chipotle powder 1tsp ■ Lime juice 1tbsp ■ Sea salt 1tsp In a small bowl, add all ingredients and mix until fully combined. Serve it with the quesadillas, for dipping.

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