During this difficult time of not being able to go to work or do our usual day to day activities it’s very easy to become more sedentary and fall into some bad nutritional habits, like snacking through boredom. This can result in consuming more calories (energy) than we are burning, therefore leading to possible weight or fat gain.
This is known as the Energy Balance equation,
[Energy in] – [Energy out] = Changes in body stores
If you reduce “energy in” and increase “energy out,” you always get the same result: Bodyweight goes down.
A few factors that will influence ‘Energy In’ may be:
Your appetite
Food consumed
Calories absorbed
Psychological factors
A few factors that will influence your ‘Energy Out’ may be:
Energy burned at rest
Energy burned through exercise
Energy burned by non-exercise activity (NEAT)
Energy burned by metabolising food
So, what small things can you do today to help reduce your ‘calories in’, without having to worry too much on counting calories, which as we know can be inaccurate with the nutritional values listed on the foods.
More Fibre - Try and focus on eating food rich in fibre (e.g vegetables) which give you that fuller feeling which helps reduce the number of calories you then consume.
More Protein - By consuming more protein you will reduce your appetite and therefore overall energy intake.
Eat Slowly - Although this sounds easy a lot of people will actually eat too quickly therefore leading to overeating. Eat slowly in order to listen to your hunger and fullness cues to help you feel satisfied - not stuffed!
Hand Portions - Use your hand portions to help guide you on how much food you eat, e.g one palm size of protein or a thumb size of essential fats. This will help keep everything simple and specific to you!
Now let’s talk about some tips on how to increase your ‘calories out’ or what energy you are burning.
Strength/Resistance Training - Add resistance to build more muscle, boost your metabolism and burn more calories.
Increased Daily Activity - Choose alternatives in your day to day life that will encourage you to either take more steps or burn more energy e.g. standing at your desk when attending a virtual meeting.
Increased Protein - Increase your protein intake to help boost the thermic effect of digestion.
Practice Self Care - Self care may include improving your sleep pattern or introducing mechanisms to help reduce stress levels e.g. meditation for a few minutes a day. This will be great for healthy metabolism too!
In conclusion, most of us are moving less than ever right now BUT that doesn't mean we have to weigh more. Simply by being proactive about our energy expenditure we can leave this lockdown even healthier than when it started.
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We offer Personal Training, Group Training & Nutrition Coaching in Petersfield, Liphook, Liss, Rogate, Hampshire area in a boutique personal training training studio. We specialise in weight loss transformations with permanent results. Contact us to book in your consultation today. Very limited spaces available.