I absolutely love seeing the success of dietitians on social media. And have been keeping a keen eye on dietitian and personal trainer Amy Giannotti since she attended our Social Media workshop at last years Sports Dietitians Conference. Amy has a fantastic motivational style and I knew she was just the person to bring us the Scoop on winter hibernation, health tactics.
About our expert:
Amy Giannotti is a dietitan, personal trainer, author and soon to be creator of her very own food product, ‘Amys Grains’. For daily health and fitness tips follow Amy on Instagram: @amyleegiannotti or Twitter: @giannotti_amy. Amy’s first ebook ‘Fit Fabulous Foodie’ can be purchased from www.amysgrains.com.au and for more info on her services www.eatingfit.com.au
As the temperature drops our summer dresses, bathers and figure showing outfits get put to the back of our cupboards as we pull forward our baggy long sleeve tops, track suit pants, hoodies, over sized jackets and comfy loose fitting pants.
The fridge is cleaned up from invitations to Summer celebrations and BBQ party’s and our calendars free us up for weekends spent at home in baggy clothes, thick socks, blankets, couch and TV.
The thought of going for a run might cross your mind but is then blown away with the gail winds and pouring rain you hear against the rattling windows. Its Saturday morning and you decide it’s a better day spent inside baking.
So it’s understandable how you can easily lose your mojo for regular exercise and healthy eating. But now is the time to face and embrace winter head on. Just fast forward to next Summer. How do you feel buying the size larger than last year? Or having to go hard to drop the kilos again? Wouldn’t it be simpler to plan smart? And simply feel fit, strong, healthy and confident all year round? Here are my top tips:
Set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound) goals for winter exercise.
This could be that you want to run a 5 or 10km fun run in under a specific time or to just complete the distance without stopping. Get a few friends or family members involved and sign up for early bird prices. You can then help motivate each other to train and enjoy the friendly rivalry. If running is not your thing do some baseline measures at home. Three easy tests to measure core, upper body strength and cardiovascular fitness can be done by performing 1) a maximal time plank hold, 2) maximal push ups and 3) testing your cardiovascular fitness by taking your resting pulse for one minute, then completing 5 minutes of step ups onto a block or bench and retesting straight after. Set a goal to improve these by a specific number and retest in 6 weeks time. Your plank time and number of push ups should increase and your recovery pulse post 5 minutes of step-ups should decrease.
Find a weather proof, sustainable and enjoyable form of exercise
And especially one you can maintain over the winter. Group fitness classes at the gym, indoor swimming or cycling, join a dance class or get lessons with a friend or partner, get a PT or halve the costs with a training buddy. Get organised, you know if you just rely on your morning walk or run you will have to battle the wind, rain and possible hail. Getting in the car driving with the heater on to an indoor cycling or aerobic class can be just as good of a workout, possibly safer and more enjoyable!
Always start the day with a Low GI and satisfying breakfast.
Of course I’m biased as I’m about to launch my very own cereal product, Amy’s Grains (a mix of 6 whole grains). But I also love wholegrain oats cooked with water or milk and topped with fresh fruit and yoghurt. This low GI, high fibre breakfast tricks those appetite hormones keeping you satisfied longer. In comparison to a more energy dense muesli, cooked oats increase in size 2-3 fold. This not only takes longer to eat giving your brain a chance to receive the signal that there is food coming in but also fills up more volume in the stomach, again sending messages to the brain letting it know that your filling up. The low GI property will also help prevent any mid morning sugar binges as your body is still utilising the slow releasing energy.
Plate it up, in the right portions
To help ensure you meet your recommended food groups, hence your nutrient requirements ,base you lunch and dinner plate on ‘The Healthy Plate Model’. This includes ¼ of the plate lean meat or protein, ¼ of the plate a low GI carbohydrate and ½ the plate filled with non-starchy vegetables or salads. For lunch, I love chicken baked with Moroccan spices, quinoa and vegetables and I often enjoy baked fish with pad Thai herbs, sweet potato and a variety of colourful steamed vegetables for dinner.
Following this model is great for those wanting to lose or manage their weight whilst feeling satisfied! Don’t be scared to bulk up that plate with your favourite non-starchy vegetables and remember they are mainly 90-95% plus water, high in fibre and essential vitamins and minerals and very low in kilojoules!
My Fit Fabulous Foodie eBook bases all the recipes on this model.
Cook in batches!
I always cook my low GI carbohydrates (quinoa, freekeh, faro, long grain brown rice, sweet potato etc.) and lean meat or protein (chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, lamb backstrap, egg, tofu, beans and lentils etc.) in batches to last a few days. Steamed vegetables is a staple at dinner so I always spend an extra minute cutting up extra and chucking them in the steamer for the next days lunch. A lunch box is packed in seconds in the morning when thing are ready to go!
Editor’s comment:
Thanks so much Amy. Your recipes look absolutely delicious. I’ve just got the flu shot and popped my vitamin D capsule bottle into my oats canister, so that I don’t forget to take them every morning. Love to hear your winter mojo tips lovely readers?
