New Year New You

Make 2015 your year with Magic and Closer Online’s New Year diet and fitness tips!

Week Four - keeping your diet going

Here are some tips to help you put off cancelling that gym membership! Look at how well you’ve done so far In order to keep track of your goals just look at how far you’ve come! You made the choice to change your life for the better and so far you’ve done so well to stick to it, why give up now? Be aware of the weight loss plateau When you are shedding the pounds your weight loss will begin to plateau. This is not a sign of failure, but a sign of success! Your body is simply recovering and giving itself some time to repair and restore itself from all your hard work. Keep up your fitness and diet plan and pretty soon the results will deliver themselves once again. Treat yourself to a spa treatment or haircut Rather than seek out a chocolate cake to ‘reward’ yourself with, why not book yourself in for a hair appointment or a manicure to say ‘well done’? Zero calories and you’ll look and feel great. Try out a new fitness class Now you’re in the swing of the gym and keeping fit, try and shake things up by trying out a new fitness class/ Hula-hooping is great fun- and it helps tone your waist, things, EVERYTHING. Make some healthy treats Rather than stock up on biscuits again, make some yummy fruit pots or breakfast bars at home. Take them to work and tempt your colleagues into healthy eating too. Start a healthy eating blog Keep everyone updated on your progress with a fitness and diet blog. They’re free and you can write in whatever style you like. Share picures of your healthy food choices as well as before and after pictures. You never know, you might inspire someone else to make a positive change to their life, too. Buy a cookbook of healthy recipes Buy a new cookbook or research new recipes on Pinterest. Explore new foods and ingredients that you haven’t tried before. Broaden your mind!** **

Week three - metabolism** **

Six ways to boost your metabolism Starting to reach a diet plateau? Whilst your body recovers from all your hard work, you can still aid your weightloss with these metabolism boosting tips. Flat tummies- here we come! Drink plenty of water Most of us don’t drink enough water, which can lead to bloating and a general sluggish feeling. Give your body a kick start with a large glass of cold water first thing. This gives your metabolism a healthy wake-up call to get started in all that fat burning! Drink green tea before breakfast Green tea is reportedly a great way to boost your metabolism as it curbs your appetite but lifts your body out of it’s sleepy, night time state. It’s also a much healthier alternative to that calorie-loaded morning latte. Exercise first thing in the morning Set your alarm half an hour early and move around a bit. It doesn’t have to be a major workout, just a gentle jog or 20 minutes with your favourite exercise DVD is enough to help your body reach it’s ultimate fat burning potential. It will also leave you energised for the rest of the day! Eat complex carbohydrates and ditch the sugars Keep you metabolic rate steady throughout the day (and fend of hunger pangs) by eating complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat pasta, wholemeal bread and brown pasta. Try interval training Interval training has been proven to help boost your fat-burning by increasing your heart rate then decreasing it again, but on repeat. Whilst at the gym, try running on the treadmill for one minute followed by 30 seconds jogging, then repeat 5 times. There you have it- interval training! You can apply the same theory to almost all cardio equipment in the gym.** **

Week two - fitness tips

Diet and fitness tips to help you keep your New Year health promises Feel yourself falling off the fitness and diet bandwagon? Worry no more. We have some fail-safe tips to help you achieve your ‘New Year, New You’ goals! -Don’t get disheartened by set backs Just because you had a second slice of chocolate cake doesn’t mean you’ve ‘ruined’ your diet. Let these set backs make you ever more determined. Work harder in the gym the next day and next time your reach for the treats remember the disappointment you felt last time you ‘broke’ your healthy eating promise. - Try experimenting with new dishes The first two weeks are the hardest part of any new eating plan. Make it more fun by researching new recipes and finding out about nutrition. There are countless of blogs and websites that can help you along the way. - Treat yourself to some new fitness gear Now you’ve been to the gym a couple of times and learnt how to use all the complicated equipment, why not treat yourself to some new training shoes and gym wear? If you go to classes, buy a nice new water bottle to help spruce up your gym kit. - Download some work out music Motivate yourself with some new workout music. Spotify has some amazing gym playlists and iTunes has a selection of albums specifically mixed for workouts. Pick songs that are upbeat and that will help you get your heart racing. - Don’t worry if you haven’t lost any weight yet Sometimes it can take a couple of a weeks for the results of a new routine to take effect. Your weight will unlikely change straight away as you build muscle from gym sessions, and muscle weighs more than fat. Give yourself and your body time to adjust to the new, healthier you.

Week One - diet tips

Feel like you over indulged over the Christmas period? Snap back into shape with Closer Online’s 30 Day Challenge (insert link), and why not get started with out fail-safe New Year diet tips?

1: Think small for big changes

Rather than focus on one big life change such as losing weight, focus on several small changes to help you achieve a larger goal. For example, if you want to lose weight promise yourself you will join a gym and learn how to use the equipment, then start slowly and build up your confidence and try out a class as well as cutting back on unhealthy foods. This means you won’t get overwhelmed and will make your goal far more achievable

2. Tell friends what you’re planning

The support of loved ones is crucial when it comes to changing your life for the better. Tell friends and family that you’re focusing on your health, and if they try to tempt you remind them of what you’re trying to achieve

3. Buddy up

Even better, why not buddy up with a friend? You can spot each other to make sure you’re both on track to achieve your goals.

4. Think positive

If you have one bad day or a weak moment don’t let this allow you to give up. They say when you fall of a horse you need to get back on, the same goes with maintaining your New Year’s resolution.

5. Keep a visual reminder

Keep a picture of yourself at your slimmest/healthiest as a reminder of what you are trying to achieve

6. When you’re feeling too tired for the gym, make it your goal simply to go

We all have days when all we want to do is curl under the duvet, but rather than skipping the gym simply focus on the physical act of getting there. This makes you less likely to ditch your workout completely.

7. Focus on cutting sugar rather than calories

Think about where your calories come from and how to get the most out of your food. Swap unhealthy snacks for more wholesome foods. Even if they have more calories on the outset, chances are they have far less sugar and lower fat content.

8. ALWAYS eat breakfast!

Studies have shown that those who eat breakfast are slimmer than those who don’t. Start the day off right and rev up your metabolism with a healthy bowl of porridge and berries or yogurt and fruit. Easy-peasy!

9. Cut back on alcohol

Alcohol is FULL of sugar and hidden calories. Start the year off by lowering your alcohol intake and you’ll notice the health benefits almost immediately (and so will your waistline!)

10. Get physical

Make simple changes- like getting off the bus a stop earlier or taking the stairs- to help improve your fitness and burn calories.

For more diet and fitness news, recipes, health tips, and relationship advice visit www.closeronline.co.uk

Get in shape this New Year with the Closer 30-day Flat Tummy Challenge. Pick up every issue in January for your weekly diet and exercise plan. Plus, visit www.closeronline.co.uk for more recipes, tips and exercise tutorials.