Birthdays, holidays and long weekends are arguably the most indulgent times of the year and are full of temptations to distract you from your health and wellness goals. We spoke to Chloe Oliver, head trainer and owner of F45 St Ives, to get some insider advice on the best ways to keep your health goals on track!
Almond Breeze: What are your go-to tricks to keeping your health goals on target during holidays such as Easter and Christmas?
Chloe Oliver: The easiest way is to keep my goals top of mind. I write them down and remind myself of them, and why they are important to me, daily. I also keep track of my eating and if I know I have a social event coming up will plan for it. I drink a LOT of water, and will have a small meal before I head out.
AB: Do you have any fitness tips for the time poor?
CO: Plan to exercise at the start of your day. Make it a priority and get it done early. Any regular gym goer can profess they feel more energetic, confident and positive to take on the day after a great workout.
You can also incorporate your family into your workout – whether it’s a bush walk or a beach swim, get out and about and enjoy our backyard! If there is a community oval near you, take the cricket bat down for a swing or a friendly game of touch football.
Finally, you don’t need hours to get a great workout. A fast, effective method of training is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). HIIT gets your heart rate up, burns those calories and is great for boosting endorphins for a happy start to the day.
AB: Sometimes one unhealthy meal can turn into a week of unhealthy choices… do you have any advice to prevent this happening?
CO: Plan and prepare you meals ahead of time. When you are organized and ready for the week, you don’t have the temptation to grab on the go or make rushed unhealthy food choices. Doing this before you sit down to a meal will help you stay on track as you’ll know you’ve got some nutritious meals to look forward to.
Remember if you have slipped up, it’s not the end of the world. It is simply one meal it doesn’t have to continue for the rest of the day. Move on and make your other choices spot on. Remind yourself of your goals, reset and keep moving forward.
AB: What is your favourite smoothie?
CO: My favourite would have to be banana, oats, and honey, cinnamon and almond milk! Freezing the banana makes it extra creamy and the almond milk adds flavour without the fat or unwanted calories!
After workouts I also mix my protein with almond milk as it has less fat than milk and tastes much better than water!