It’s Saturday! Let’s eat, drink and be merry! (sensibly please and without gaining extra lbs!)

Summer is upon us (could someone please tell the weather) and as the layers of clothes become less and less, the horror of what winter has done to our lovely tummies becomes more and more (because it blatantly was the seasons fault and not all those Christmas puddings, roast dinners, wine and cheese we indulged ourselves in).

Suddenly that fad diet you scoffed at yesterday is beginning to look pretty good and you find yourself impulse buying a gym membership (or a sit up machine that was used once) that you realistically won’t ever have either time or energy to use. But, all is not lost ladies. There is a way of toning up those chilled out tummy muscles that does not involve abstaining from your favourite foods, getting sweaty in a room full of strangers or paying a plastic surgeon ridiculous amounts of money.

Did you know that you can actually train your waist to be the shape you want it? Waist training was started in the Victorian era and is a practice that has carried through to this day.

Reducing those dreaded love handles and making the area between the hips and the ribcage smaller by a combination of healthier eating, more movement and wearing a waist-cinching corset like those found in our Everyday Cinch range is actually very easy and boils down to three simple steps.

Abdominal exercises are obviously going to help produce a more defined waist but it is important to lessen the residual body fat. If you had time to shop for fresh fruit and veg every day, count the calories on everything and had the will power to opt for salad over pizza then you would already be doing that, and whilst taking care of your body and paying attention to what you put in it is always going to be important, for many of us denying ourselves our favourite foods is just setting us up for a binge later.

Here’s a little bit of Saturday advice to get you through the day of temptations.

1. Get a takeaway if you must– but order smart. Have your pizza, but have two slices instead of six – order a side salad. Chow Mein is good, as is Chop Suey – and always opt for boiled rice – stick to the lighter dishes, not the sweet or sticky options. Same with delicious Indian dishes -Tandoori items are made in a traditional clay oven called a tandoor. Because of the method of cooking, the dishes tend to be lean. Look for tandoori chicken or prawn for a lower-calorie option. And a side salad adds a new texture and makes you feel incredibly will-powerish. Check out this great resource for further options and ideas: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/eating_out/chinese_food.htm
2. Shop smart – it’s Saturday, the majority of us haul ourselves to the supermarket for the weekly shop– my best advice – don’t go hungry – you will buy everything known to man-kind and scoff half of it in the car (is that just me?) Eat before you leave, plan your meals for the days ahead and stay away from impulse buys.
3. Don’t deny yourself treats (the minute you do, all you will be able to think about is chocolate & crisps)– but go easy! Everything in moderation – buy the small packets of crisps instead of the big ones (my husband brought home a huge packet of Sensations last night, after a swift telling off, I ate approximatly 2/3 of the bag – all his fault of course). Quavers and Wotsits are a good option, as they are baked and therefore lower in calories. Also, if you need a chocolate fix throughout the day, buy the small packet of children’s chocolate nibbles (Poundland is doing great snack-size Cadbury’s chocolate fingers at the moment http://www.poundland.co.uk/food-and-drink/cakes-biscuits-and-hot-drinks/biscuits/cadbury-mini-fingers-5-pack ).
4. Snacking: Try and get in the habit of eating fruit throughout the day, keep a healthy bag of nuts at your desk (not the delicious Dry Roasted KP nuts you understand – pop into Holland and Barret and see whats on offer http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/search?query=nuts&isSearch=true#totalNumRecs=264 NOT if you have a nut allergy, obviously)
5. Keep hydrated! A lot of the time when you feel hungry you are actually thirsty (no really). Your body has learnt that it gets liquid from food and so tells you you are hungry when it is not the energy it needs, it’s the water and believe it or not the mid-morning sugar dip that has you feeling lethargic and reaching for the biscuits can be averted by a nice tall, cold, glass of the stuff. (Cue two litre bottle you have to-hand) (Tesco do the giant 2 litre bottles for £2.10 for 6 bottles, why not keep a bottle at your desk or with you throughout the day and make it your goal to drink the whole lot http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=260487031 – reward yourself with a HEALTHY treat if you manage it).
6. A little bit goes a long way…You know the drill, take the stairs instead of the lift, walk/cycle instead of drive where you can, always take the movement option over the sitting/standing still option to burn off those calories and leave you feeling fitter. No one is going to do the exersise for you.
7. Drink Sensibly – well that goes without saying. Wine is often consumed on a Saturday night alongside a meal, but did you know that a large glass of wine (250ml) with 13% ABV can add 228 calories to that meal? This is similar to a Cornetto ice cream or two fish fingers. A standard glass of red or white wine (175ml) with 13% ABV could also contain up to 160 calories which is similar to a slice of Madeira cake! So no point in staying off the treats all week if you are going to drink them down in one swift half hour! If you do fancy a tipple, vodka and slimline tonic is great for cutting out oodles of calories, with a single measure equlaing just 58 kcals (source: http://www.nutracheck.co.uk/calories/calories_in_alcohol/calories_in_vodka__slimline_tonic.html#.VXK5uFyKzdk)

By combining all of the above with your Cinch waist training corset, you will be controlling what goes into your body, increasing your output and all the time controlling your curves to give you extra confidence and extra motivation.

Eat less, do more and wear a waist Cinch Corset – it is that simple. Order yours today: www.cinchfast30.com