Summer Shape Up...

Lisa Burn © Natural Lifestyle June 2005 in connection with Natural Health Week

Longer days, shorter nights, sunshine and warmth - what could be nicer? Summer makes you feel good. It lifts your spirits after the depressingly cold months of winter, makes you feel lighter and more carefree...

For many of us it's also the time of our annual holiday, the break we've saved for and looked forward to since... well, since... we came back from the last one. It's also a time to shed the extra layers of winter - off come the jumpers and scarves, out come the little tops, t-shirts, swimsuits and bikinis that signal fun in the sun. They also take no prisoners - if you're carrying a few pounds extra weight, if your skin is dull or spotty, it shows. Don't wait until you're sipping sangria by the pool to do something about it, prepare to look good now.

Slim down

It's easy to put on weight in the winter - who wants to eat salad when it's snowing outside? Hot comfort food, puddings, snacks in front of the TV all pile up while exercise and the gym on cold, dark nights have as much appeal as sticking your finger in your eye. Happily, the mind shift that seems to accompany summer means salads are once again on the menu as we opt for lighter foods and less of them. Heat has a great way of dulling your appetite and a cool drink, fruit and salad will often suffice where before only a three-course meal would do. Hopefully excess pounds will start to drop off naturally as your activity levels also increase, but you can give a helping hand and opt for a sensible weight-loss plan to suit your lifestyle. Supplements could also have a role to play here with lots of products available in-store. Some contain herbs designed to curb appetite or increase metabolism, others contain substances said to cling to fat, stopping its absorption by the body, such as chitosan. There's also conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown to reduce body fat and increase lean muscle; lecithin, which promotes the breakdown rather than storage of fat; chromium, which helps with blood sugar regulation and to reduce cravings; hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which could reduce the storage of carbs as fat; essential fatty acids, which could reduce bloating and help burn fat and B vitamins for efficient energy conversion.

Shape up

Even exercise becomes more of a pleasure in summer and it's easier to fit into your schedule with the extended hours of daylight, especially if you're into outdoor sports. The benefits that come from increased activity levels will stretch far beyond your holiday, improving your health long-term as you lay down more bone and muscle mass, increase and improve muscle tone and lose fat. Your metabolism will increase and you'll find you have more energy for life as well as a renewed vigour and mental alertness. You don't suddenly have to become superwoman to benefit either - even brisk walking will bring benefits. If you're unused to regular exercise then start off slowly, speak to your GP before starting any new activity and work at a pace to suit you, don't overdo it. Many people start off with the best of intentions only to give up once the novelty has worn off. One way to avoid this is to do something you enjoy then you're more likely to stick with it - there's no shame in hating the gym. If you were great at hockey or netball at school find a local club and sign up, if you were a pony-mad youngster then have a go at riding lessons, if you've always wondered what it's like to sail a boat then find out. There's no rule anywhere that says exercise has to be a chore, think back to being a child when running around and playing outside was fun and get that feeling back in the activity you choose now. Just being outside will blow away the cobwebs and you'll use extra energy in related activities that don't feel like exercise - with horse riding for example, you'll also burn calories when grooming and mucking out.

Hydrate

Before reaching for a snack next time you're hungry try drinking a glass of water first. It could be that you're confusing hunger with thirst and you don't really need those extra calories. The dieter's friend, water is calorie-free and curbs appetite, it can also help if you're feeling tired and run down, making you feel more alert and energetic. Try drinking water in preference to anything else - warm and cool - adding lemon juice or herbal tea if you get bored with the taste (or lack of it). Ideally, you should aim to drink one and a half to two litres a day, with more during and after exercise to keep you hydrated.

If you suffer from bloating then perhaps surprisingly, drinking more water can help rather than hinder fluid removal from body tissue. It can also help with cellulite, flushing toxins from fat cells and improving the look of your skin, not just on your hips and arms, but all over your body including your face.

Regulate

Aid weight loss and health by watching your diet and eating well. What you eat affects your weight as much as quantity - cakes, biscuits, crisps all provide saturated fat, sugar and not a lot else in the way of nutrients, while nuts and seeds provide fat but in a form the body can use rather than store. Similarly, fruit provides sugar but in a more natural form along with fibre, which means it's absorbed more slowly into the blood. It's this blood sugar balancing act that's so important as when your blood sugar's okay then you feel okay and you are able to lose weight more easily. When your blood sugar's out of sync then not only is it harder to lose weight but cravings, shakiness, headaches, sweating and bad moods can result. Switch to brown rather than white rice and pasta, eat more fresh vegetables for their fibre as well as nutrients, increase fibre in your diet from other sources, such as beans, lentils and cereals like oats. All of these release sugar slowly (low glycaemic index - Gl - foods). Eating carbs with protein also helps keep blood sugar even but cut down on dairy and saturated fat from meat and try to eat oily fish at least a couple of times a week. Look for low Gl foods when shopping, some are nowlabelled as such and consider supplements such as chromium for cravings, omega 3 essential fatty acids (especially if you don't like fish) as well as a good multi vitamin and mineral to help keep blood sugar levels stable.

Kick start-detox

Other items of interest

Upping the amount of water you drink and improving your eating habits mean you're already well on the way to ridding your body of toxins while increased activity levels through exercise can only help this. Look past your holiday and into the future, sticking with the healthy habits adopted now mean your long-term health will benefit.

Consider what else you can do to improve the way you feel and look - after all, what you do on the inside affects how you look on the outside. If you smoke then take steps to stop and cut down on alcohol to reduce your risk of serious illness such as coronary heart disease and cancer. Your skin will also be better for it and you could end up looking as well as feeling younger.

Speaking of skin, body brushing for a few minutes each day helps get rid of dry cells, stimulates lymph flow and even reduces the appearance of cellulite. You can also fight that orange peel menace with the help of specially-formulated massage oils, creams and supplements all purporting to help reduce cellulite. If you suffer from pimples, oily or greasy skin then essential fatty acids could help, regulating and moisturising from the inside; while for varicose veins or tired, heavy legs creams and supplements containing herbs such as horse chestnut, comfrey and butcher's broom may bring relief.

Go on, dare to bare and have a very happy summer! Ž