Author: info@wellnesslincs.com

When you’re hungry it’s all too easy to grab something quick from the vending machine or office canteen. But if you plan ahead you can make much better and more fulfilling choices.
Here’s a quick, easy and very delicious lunch recipe which can be prepared in under ten minutes, thanks to our friends at Fitpro Recipes.
It’s also high in protein to help keep your appetite satisfied.

Asian Inspired Fish Salad

120g white fish, eg coley
half a red pepper, diced
half a yellow pepper diced
half a green pepper, diced
few handfuls of lettuce (optional), torn up into small pieces
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper to season

Serves 1

Per serving: 198 calories, 12 carbs, 6g fat, 24g protein

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil (just a few inches deep or enough to cover the fish).

Reduce to a gentle simmer and place the fish in the water. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turning halfway. When cooked through, remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In a salad bowl, mix together the peppers, lettuce (if using) rice vinegar and sesame oil.

Break the fish into small pieces, and mix into the salad.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Reports say that many of us have been having trouble with our sleep during the COVID pandemic and lockdown.
Sleep Awareness Week, run by the National Sleep Foundation, is from March 14-20 and aims to promote better ways of sleeping.

The Federation of Holistic Therapists also has lots of useful information to help you get a better night’s sleep here.

It covers the importance of sticking to a routine, exercise, keeping a journal to help sort your thoughts and many other tips.

Mental health is so important to all of us and we have been reminded of that during Children’s Mental Health Week from February 1-7.

Children’s Mental Health Charity Place2Be launched the first ever Children’s Mental Health Week back in 2015 to ‘shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health.’

This year’s theme has been all about ‘expressing yourself’ – encouraging children and young people to find ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas through creativity – perhaps through art, music, writing and poetry, dance and drama, photography and film, and doing activities that make them feel good.

There is more information about the charity here and information on how to support a child or young person who may be struggling with their mental health.

If you’ve decided you want to become healthier this year and perhaps are looking to lose some weight, well done on making that first step. Here are some of our top tips to help you stay on track:
Try not to weigh yourself every day
Your weight can fluctuate throughout the day for a number of reasons and for women it’s normal to put on a few pounds when it’s the time of the month! Stick to weighing yourself once a week and remember that how you feel in your clothes is one of the best ways of measuring your progress.
Watch your portions
It’s easy to overload your plate without realising it! A smaller plate is a good trick to make sure you don’t overdo it.
There’s no ‘magic potion’ to vanish away the pounds
It’s all about balancing your calorie intake with your physical activity and not eating or drinking more calories than your body needs in order to lose weight.
Track your progress
There are some great apps out there with calorie trackers which are a brilliant way to get an idea of how many calories are in different types of food and portion sizes. MyFitnessPal or the NHS calorie checker are among these.
Meal prep
When preparing your evening meal, freeze any leftovers in ready-to-go portions that’ll make a quick meal for another day.
Keep exercising
It’ll help keep your metabolism in tip-top condition as well as boosting your mental and physical health.
Don’t give up!
If you have a ‘bad day’ it’s not the end of the world. Start again tomorrow, and remember why you are working to make a change.

Did you know that, according to research*, we could potentially eat our way through around 6,000 calories on Christmas Day? That works out to nearly three times more than an average person needs!
Add to that the extra calories in the run-up to Christmas and the days afterwards and it’s easy to put weight on over the festive season.
Try these tips to keep your weight on track over the holiday:

• Avoid having too many boxes of chocolates around and instead of having chocolates on the tree, why not hang some personal mini gifts instead for the family? The children could make their own decorations that are fun to make but aren’t chocolate!
• Start the day with a healthy breakfast – smoked salmon on a sliced bagel with some light cream cheese or mashed avocado; or a fresh fruit salad with a little natural yoghurt will keep you going until lunchtime. You could even make some posh beans on wholegrain toast or a fancy omelette!
• For your Christmas lunch, fill up on vegetables and think about using less oil for your potatoes. Go for a lean meat such as turkey which is low in fat and high in protein.
• Enjoy your Christmas pudding but think about switching the brandy butter or cream for a low-fat custard, crème fraiche, or natural yoghurt.
• Alcohol contains a lot of calories so alternate your drinks with non-alcoholic ones to save on calories – or go alcohol-free.
• Try satsumas, healthy plain popcorn, raw veg and low fat dips, plain pretzels or dried fruit as nutritious snacks instead of biscuits and chocolate.
  Have a little of what you fancy – but keep it balanced!
  You can help to work off those calories with a bit of dancing in the living room or going out for a brisk walk or cycle.
  * The research study can be found here via the British Medical Journal.

Now we’re out of lockdown and we can look ahead to the Christmas season (although things will be slightly different this year). To keep you motivated and looking after your fitness, Zoe has put together 12 days of ab and core workouts called ’12 Days of Abs.’ These workouts are no more than 4 minutes each and are completely free of charge. Join in via our You Tube page or at our Instagram or Facebook page.

So from Thursday, November 5, we will be entering a second lockdown in England. This is very sad news, but vital to help save lives and reduce pressure on the NHS.

It is a time to try to keep positive, however. Keep doing your exercise as much as possible. Go out for a walk if you can and enjoy the fresh air and changing scenery. Nothing beats the sound of autumn leaves crunching under your feet on a crisp day! Pick up the phone and chat to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, or simply curl up with a good book – or perhaps try a new hobby if you have time.

Doing these sorts of activities are just as important for our mental health as looking after our physical health. We will be continuing to offer fitness and wellness classes online for those of you who are able to join us. Most importantly, everyone, please stay safe.