2010: Get healthy again!
Frozen raspberries. Picture courtesy of epSos.de on Flickr.com
Hands up if you’ve had too many mince pies, roast potatoes or helpings of Christmas pudding over the holidays. Or maybe, too much of all three. Is that first training session or netball match looming and you’re still feeling sloth-like after all that turkey and stuffing?
It’s time to give your tired and overworked digestive system a much-needed rest. Improve your general well-being by having simpler and lighter meals over the next few days at least.
To get back to a more healthy and balanced diet, try eating more of the following:
- Fruit (fresh or dried) and vegetables (the more raw vegetables the better)
- salads
- fish & lean meat
- bread, cereals, rice & pasta (try the wholemeal options sometimes)
- beans, pulses, nuts & seeds
- naturally low fat dairy products
You also need to drink plenty of water or herbal tea throughout the day and go easy on the caffeine drinks, if you can. Drink bottled water if you can’t stomach plain old tap water or add a squeeze of lemon to add some flavour. Stock up on healthy snacks, such as unsalted nuts and dried fruit rather than the usual junk food and sweet fizzy drinks. Flapjacks and muesli bars are also good snacks but try making your own occasionally instead of always buying ones from the supermarket.
Notice, I’m not suggesting you give up all your favourite foods or go on any extreme detox programme. Everyone is different; we’re not all elite athletes with access to expert nutritional advice so adjust your diet to fit your lifestyle and preferences. For example, in my experience, anything labelled low fat generally tastes disgusting so I avoid such things and always got for the full fat version, but I enjoy naturally low fat foods such as plain yogurt, especially when mixed with honey and fresh fruit.
Of course, eating more healthily takes discipline, effort and a bit of forward planning but your body will thank you for it. Plus, when netball training starts again you’ll be back to exercising regularly which will also aid digestion as well as boosting your metabolism.
Do you have any suggestions on maintaining a balanced diet? Do you have a structured diet for netball you’d like to share?
Themocracy
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