Watching Those Calories

The year has definitely been strange for all of us. The major lockdowns have meant that many shops, pubs, cafes and indoor activity areas were closed for long periods of time.

This in turn has meant that for most of us we have been indoors and stuck at home for long stretches of time.

A major downside of being stuck at home is you can, if you are not careful, become a couch potato. Watching too much television means we tend to eat and drink far too much comfort food and drinks. Let’s be honest. That is absolutely no good for the waistline and before you know it you have piled on the pounds by consuming far too many calories.

Here are a few things I did when we were in lockdown that helped me keep my calorie intake to a minimum.

1. Meals

Eating a well-balanced diet is so important. The secret to a healthy diet is to cook your own meals. It’s important to have your five a day and have healthy options such as fish or chicken. How you cook your meals also makes a big difference. Instead of frying your food in a sea of fat, why not grill or steam your fish or maybe boil your chicken? These methods of cooking are a perfect way to reduce your calorie intake, and instead of having french fries with your meal, why not have a green salad which is without a doubt much better for your health.

2. Drinking

This year has also seen the pubs closed for a very long time and this has meant that more people have been to the supermarket more often so they can have a drink at home to relax.

A lot of people like a glass of wine or a beer with their meals and this can increase your calorie intake quite dramatically.

Thankfully there are now many options to what type of drink we have with our meals. The perfect way to keep the weight down, but still enjoy a nice chilled beer with your meal is to have a Tennents Zero drink. It has all of the flavours of a good beer and you can dramatically reduce your calories and reduce your alcohol intake to zero, which will hopefully stop your waistline expanding too much.

3. Exercise

Of course, it’s all very well having a healthy and well-balanced diet and having zero drinks, but it could all be lost if you don’t exercise.

For long periods of time during this year the gyms and leisure centres have been closed so we have all had to think of other ways of keeping fit which would quite often mean exercising on your own. Here are a few things I did that helped me stay fit this year:

Cycling

Cycling has always been a big love of mine and this year especially during the summer I was out on my bike every day. It was blissful because of the huge reduction of traffic on the roads.

Running

Running was also a great way to stay fit and again it was something that you could do on your own.

Walking

One of the best exercises in the world is to go for a good, long walk and this was something that we often did as a family.

How do you watch your calories? I would love to hear in the comments below.