Friday, October 7, 2011

Watching the world cup AND your waist line

So, the World Cup is just around the corner and we all want to be cheering on our team, (Come on England!) but how can we do it without it affecting our waist lines?

The Facts

• Full of ‘empty calories’ : Alcohol supplies almost twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrates

• “Make mine a large Donna and chips” : Alcohol can increase appetite, making the combination of alcohol and a fattening meal all the worse

• The morning (more like the afternoon) after the night before : alcohol has a negative impact on your body’s hydration so your body’s performance after a big night will also suffer However, alcohol is well-established as part of human culture, it plays a huge role in celebration so with the right choices; maintaining your fitness regime and enjoying a few drinks in moderation, there should be no problem in keeping your goals on track.

What are those right choices?

• Wine or treat yourself to some champagne

• Straight liquors such as scotch, vodka and gin have around 110 calories compared to 146 in a 12oz beer

• Mixers need to be sugarless; so no juice, tonic water or non-diet soda but seltzer and diet soda’s are appropriate

• If you are partial to a beer choose light beers over regular beers such as Amstel light and Beck’s Premier Light (just 64 calories) So, before you down that pint for every try New Zealand score just remember these top tips:

    1. Keep healthy food on hand when drinking i.e. almonds and dried fruit so we avoid compromising those nutritional habits
    2. Drink water between alcoholic drinks to increase the feeling of fullness
    3. Try lower calorie alternatives to significantly lower the calorie intake

Work out a couple of hours before a heavy night on the tiles and the chances are you will still be thinking about all that effort you have just put in at the gym and it would be a shame to let that to waste now wouldn’t it?

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