My Week - 12th June Week 24

Winter Tweak and Eats

Modify your favorite winter meals to make them satisfying winter warmers.

A salad or sandwich might be great for lunch in summer, but as the weather cools down; its nice to warm up main meals.  With a little planning, learn how you can bring a little winter warmth to each meal time

Breakfast-  Try warm porridge drizzled with honey or heat milk before adding it to your wheat biscuits.  If you have the time, sit down for hearty poached eggs on grainy toast or if you're in a hurry grab some raisin toast with WW Canola Spread on the way

Lunch- Grill vegies like pumpkin, sweet potato and carrots with a spray of olive oil, or add some warm chicken or boiled egg to usual tossed salad.  Grill or toast sandwiches with warm ingredients like, chicken, roast beef or bacon for a filling edge.  

Dinner- Go for your favorite winter warmers, but tweak the ingredients to make them healthier.  Chicken stock or low fat sour cream are great in mashed potatoes instead of cream and butter.  Roast or bake meats meats instead of grilling and bake or puree vegetables into a hearty soup.  

Whats your trigger?
We all have trigger foods- the snacks and treats that challenge our willpower.  One solution is to remove the temptation by clearing them out of your kitchen cupboards and replace them with Propoints value friendlier options.  

- Low fat hot chocolate for regular hot chocolate
- Maple syrup to drizzle over warm popcorn
- Weight Watchers cookies to dunk in your tea or coffee
- Instant soups for a hot mid meal snack
- SPC fruit snack tub with a dollop of warm custard

June is a great month for beetroot, broccoli, Brussel spouts, cabbage, carroys, cauliflower, celery, fennel, leeks, onion, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, silverbeet, spinach, sweet potato and turnips

Natural Winter Sweeteners
Weight Watchers dietitian Emma Stirling shows us how to make the most of the winter fruits on offer

In the nutrition stakes fruit is way up at the top of the list.  It's one of the most nutrient dense food groups packed with an array of essential vitamins and minerals for glowing good health.  

As a food group fruit makes a significant contribution to our vitamin C, beta carotene folate and potassium intakes.  However, it's the dietary fibre content that fills us up and can boost weight loss efforts, that's one of the reasons why all fresh fruit and most vegetables now have a Propoints value of zero.  

Winter Wonderland

We tend to eat more fruit as dessert in the winter- think pies, crumbled and stewed apples.  Just keep in mind that when fruit is juice, dried, processed or cooked often the skin, seeds and dietary fibre are left behind with some essential nutrients and antioxidents.  At the same time the natural sugar content becomes concentrated and the water is removed.  If you add sugar or honey remember to count the Propoints value.  

Fast Indoor Fitness
Weight Watchers exercise consultant Allan Bolton shows us how to get the most from a 15 minute indoor workout

With shorter days and less daylight, it can be hard to find 45 minutes of straight exercise time outdoors.  Home exercise can be a good alternative to keep your fitness ticking over during winter.  It requires little equipment and you can exercise when you want to.  

The key to optimising a 15 minute workout is to turn the intensity you.  The best way to do this at home is to include the principals of interval and circuit training.  Include hula hooping, exercise DVD segments, box jumps / step ups, skipping etc.  But getting in possibly 2 15 minute workouts each day will help you stay ontop of your fitness and weight loss.  

All you need to do is warm up at a moderate pace, then as you feel comfortable up the intensity to a peak and then ease the intensity down for a few minutes at the end.  Of course if you choose to, you can extend your workout for 20 minutes, 30 minutes or however long you have

Here's an example 15 minute workout plan:
1 minute step ups / box jumps ( lead with the right leg)- easy pace- 1 minute each leg
2 minutes of Zumba DVD- pick a favorite track - moderate pace
2 minutes hula - hoop- moderate pace
2 minutes rope skipping- higher intensity- double unders if you can do them
1 minute step ups - (lead with with the right leg)- lead with right leg - 1 minute each leg
1 minute rope skipping- higher intensity
2 minutes hula - hoop- moderate pace
2 minute of Zumba DVD- pick a favorite track- moderate to easy pace