Four fast health tips

Tired. Sluggish. Hungry. Packing on a few pounds. The winter blaws creep up on us and we tend to feel, well, just not up to par. But with a few tweaks of our diet, daily habits and fitness routine, we can go from sloth to super in a matter of days.

Strength train first

Make strength work part of your fitness regime before any cardiovascular work. Because it takes the body time to warm up, you’re better off opting for a short warm up, doing weights, then having an ignited body ready to run, swim or bike. Plus, you’ll put more effort into the weight lifting – and in the long run, that’s what is optimal for weight management and optimal health.

Go nuts

More and more research is showing that nuts and nut butters are great for weight loss. The combination of protein, fibre and fat keeps you full, helping you eat less overall. And because the unsaturated fat in peanuts and nuts burn faster than other fats, its great for calorie burning, too.

Load up on lettuce

We’re not talking just a salad here and there. We mean go for the good stuff. Arugula and watercress are chock-full of cancer-fighting agents. Spinach is rich in lutein, which fights cancer and blindness. Darker leaves like romaine and red leaf are a good source of beta-carotene, and kale, collards, and chard are great sources of iron and vitamin K.

Realize you can run

Try the Couch to 5km. You won’t be disappointed.

Image courtesy of fitnessandhealthsolutions.homestead.com