Get Fit in February!
10 Tips to Keep Blissfully Fit this Valentine’s Day and Beyond
Choose complex carbohydrates over simple carbohydrates, especially if you’re vegging out all day on your own or with your special someone. Complex carbs are fibrous and slow-burning, eg. cruciferous vegetables—kale, broccoli, bok choy, and the like—and legumes such as soybeans, chickpeas, and lentils.
Breakfast foods like whole eggs and egg whites will prevent cravings later in the day due to the high protein they contain. Sugary breakfast items are hardly the place to find lots of protein, if any at all.
If you’re dining at a restaurant, don’t assume you'll be stuck making bad food choices: even steakhouses have multiple veggie sides to choose from. For meat-eaters, choose roasted meats over fried meats for a happier stomach. Lean protein meats like chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, and filet steaks have the same amount of protein as the fattier meats. Salads, like cruciferous veggies, digest slowly leaving you feeling satiated for a longer time than other foods. Don’t be afraid to combine a simple house salad with sides of various roasted veggies.
Beware of salad dressings however! These ubiquitous salad flavor enhancers are an excellent source of fat and empty calories. In this case, excellence is not rewarded so please treat with care—order dressings on the side instead.
Opt for drinking a glass of water before your meal instead of during it to avoid diluting the digestive process. This will help create a better fullness feel.
On Valentine’s Day, plan a workout date with your friend or significant other. Challenge each other to reach a common goal of 14,000 steps to commemorate the day using a wearable fitness tracker, or your own phone.
Discover the heart-opening and relaxing power of real chocolate through cacao tasting, and forgo the store-bought milk chocolate variety. Cacao is so earthy and distinctive that it will retrain your taste buds to appreciate natural sources of nutrition. You’ll be ever mindful of what you choose to put into your body for weeks after.
If you’re drinking alcohol, have a full meal beforehand to avoid drinking most of your carbohydrates and calories.
Share healthy entrees, side dishes, and desserts with your partner to maintain portion control and add a bit of intimacy and romance into the mix.
Since coffee is an appetite suppressant, try to drink it after a hearty breakfast, instead of before, to prevent you from skipping on breakfast and receiving insufficient serotonin levels. As for after dinner, plain coffee in place of a sugary treat for dessert would be a wise alternative.