What tips do other people have?

Weekly Tips - Archive

March 2009

Katie - Adeaide SA

Exercise infront of the T.V during your favourite show. Then you won't feel as though you are missing out and inturn you won't notice that you are exercising. You'll also skip the chips as your hands are busy. You can do lunges, squats, situps and use arm weights (that you leave under the couch for easy access) to tone up. Even include your funiture as exercise equipment, e.g. push ups on the back of the couch, leg lifts higher then your coffee table when sitting etc, but most of all include it daily with each show you enjoy and also enjoy the benefits.

Jamien Sheen - Broadbeach Waters QLD

do eat more fruit more vegies from/by someone who knows how to cook combined with regular exercise is the key.

soph - cattai NSW

When tempted by bad foods full of fat and sugar, I make myself visualise them as little piles of butter, oil sugar, white flour etc and ask myself..."would you eat the ingredients in such a state (not combined and cooked)??" I find this turns me off the food and leads me to make a healthier less processed choice.

Janelle - Gold Coast QLD

Make sure the whole family eats a healthly well balanced diet .Those that need to loose weight just eat less food. That way you dont feel like your missing out.

Rachel - Wollongong NSW

I find that if I make big meals of soup/ rice/ pasta etc that I freeze before I eat it all for seconds. Home-made frozen meals are excellent for the busiest days when you don't have the energy to cook.

Courtney - Adelaide SA

Always carry a healthy snack with you such as a piece of fruit or a healthy muslie bar. This way you will be less likely to be put in a situation where you need to make an unhealthy food choice such as buying something from the shops; or go hungry until your next meal when you will be more likely to eat even more because you didn't have a snack and are now famished.

Chelsea - Pascoe Vale South VIC

I found that after my second child, I couldn't jog regularly because my pelvic floor wouldn't take the strain. Lap swimming took too much time away from my parental work, and was impossible while I had littlies to look after. And I couldn't use my bike to get around because I had two kids and only one bike seat. So I was just not getting my everyday exercise and put on weight quickly. So instead of getting a second car, I invested in a bike that could take both kids. We love it and take it everywhere, and it has lots of room for carrying baby bags and shopping and other stuff you find yourself carrying around with kids. We chose a bike with a long tail on the back, but you can equally use a trailer or a "cargo bike" with a box on the front.

Jen - Berowra NSW

Stop with the "I'll start tomorrow". We all know tomorrow never comes. If you really want to get fitter and healthier you need to start today and you don't need that final last indulgence.

Lee - Mount Lawley WA

I find if I always have a special event to look forward to (party, art exhibition, concert).. it helps me to keep my weight in check, especially if I want to treat myself to a new outfit.

Fruitbat - Clontarf QLD

Hate peak hour traffic? Public transport too crowded? I bought a 2nd hand mountain bike.Even though I live a long way from work, I throw it in the ute (or you could get a bike rack). On the way home, I detour and explore the local bike tracks, forest trails, whatever. (They don't have to be the macho, demanding ones) There are enough to provide different rides for weeks, and it's so much fun, I begin to hate missing out.

frog - Salisbury East SA

My kids love the xbox. In between turns they must take the dog for a walk.

frog - Salisbury East SA

When shopping I choose a further rather than a close car park. When bringing in the groceries I park my car in my front drive and carry the groceries in through the back door.

Andy - Nundah QLD

Keep your diet balanced if you want to lose some weight. I found that cutting back majorly on foods such as pasta, potato, and bread and increasing my intake of raw veges in salads did it for me.

Dayna - Victoria Park WA

Before leaving for work/school, remember to always make your own lunch so that you can avoid foods that are less healthy at the work/school canteen.

Angela - Calamvale QLD

Write down everything you put in your mouth for a week. This will help you eliminate the snacks you have without thinking. Also when exercising start out slowly as if it really hurts the first time you work out you may not come back for more.

Tim - Shailer Park QLD

Make a note of what you are eating and how much exercise you do on a daily basis, then try to improve where necessary.

georgie - pacific pines QLD

parents may be over weight, but when you go for a walk take the kids as they will appreciate it in the long term.

Ramsey Imam - Vermont South VIC

Stretching before and after physical activity helps recovery and so aids in improving your overall fitness.

Sarah - Dubbo NSW

Remember, fitness isn't stored body fat is. Each day, you need to work on your fitness and eat less in order to lose weight.

RNF - Canberra ACT

Do regular low impact exercise daily for at least 40min, or two thirty min sessions daily, condition your body to want to exercise.

Melissa - Mindarie WA

Take the emphasis off just wanting to "look good". Start thinking how important your health is to you and those around you. Think of looking good as the bonus you get when your fit and healthy.

Wendy - Belmont WA

Even if you don't feel like being active in the morning, put on your joggers, comfy clean exercise gear, wrap your hands with mrtial arts bandages and just tell yourself you are going to jog to the letterbox and back. Once you are out there, odds are you'll be able to keep going

K.M - Newcastle NSW

Keeping yourself busy when you feel the urge to eat something unhealthy between meals will help to keep your mind off wanting to snack. Do housework, go for a walk or something else to keep yourself busy will work.

Evie - Sussex Inlet NSW

PLAN YOUR MEALS. It starts from writing a shopping list to sorting it out in the freezer. For example Monday is Beef Chow, Tuesday is Chicken salad. Before work get out mince for Monday night and chicken for the next night. No thinking what are we going to eat, especially when you are really tired.

Kate - Brisbane QLD

Cut down on portion sizes and drink a glass of water 10 minutes before every meal, you'll find that your body soon adjusts to the smaller meals and you will feel satisfied :) also snack on things like nuts and dried fruit instead of chips and chocolate.. If you replace bad snacks with snacks dried fruit you still get some of the natural sugars when you have a sweet craving

Cody - Brisbane QLD

Eat a large breakfast to kickstart your metabolic rate for the day and instead of having a large meal at night, have a light snack. Vary physical activity to stop boredom.

Megan - Castle Hill NSW

A great tip for drinking more water is drinking from a drink bottle. You can take them everywhere - in the car, in your backpack, in your handbag and even throw them in the back of the kids' stroller. Also, if you work at a desk all day and find your too busy to keep filling up a glass, you can get a lot more water into a drink bottle.

Kate - Canberra ACT

Buy in bulk to save money, but don't eat in bulk. When you get home, break up bulk packaged food into meal and snack portions using snap lock bags (sandwich and snack sizes)and freeze or store them in your pantry in individual portion controlled packages. You not only avoid defrosting a bulk pack of meat all at once (and who wants to eat the same meat for 4 nights in a row?), but you regulate portion size, and don't feel tempted to just finish off what's left in the box, or the packet because it's there. It saves money, and time as part of planning your weekly meals.

Buzz - Gowrie ACT

My wife and I have joined a local "gym" and exercise six times a week. I have lost 4kgs and she 5kgs, and my waist has decreased by more than 6cm. We are 59 and 64 years old respectively.

Rosemary - Petersham NSW

If you feel you haven't got time to exercise after work and you use public transport, try walking part of the way to where you're headed, just a few blocks before you jump on your bus etc. I did this the other day, telling myself I'd walk to the first light rail stop. I chose leafy streets to walk down; it was a beautiful afternoon and I ended up walking the length of two suburbs and through a park down by the waterfront. I slept really well that night.

Simon White - Page ACT

Some people find a daily 30 minute walk boring - spice it up with something interesting to listen to. Load up your MP3 player with audio books or topical podcasts. You'll be amazed at how many books you can 'read' while walking in a year.

Nat - Chermside QLD

If I am thirsty and craving softdrink or cordial, I have a massive drink of water instead, and the craving completely disappears. It's easy to forget with all the talk about what to eat, that softdrinks are packed with sugar and calories too.

Natasha - Parkwood WA

Excersise and keep the kids happy at the same time. From dancing round the house with them to playing tig at the park. It all counts as excersise and it's fun and rewarding. It can actually bring you a happier and thinner household.

Lindy McHenry - Kirwan QLD

Portion size for meat was our problem. Now I buy the meat in small packages from the supermarket with exactly the correct amount of grams of meat to serve the number of people I am feeding. No more..."we can't waste that little extra bit", and overeat.

Suzanne - Sydney NSW

Buy a juicer. Every day when I wake up I drink a glass of fresh juice (the best one is carrot and lemon). It has changed my health. I feel so much better, have more energy and my skin looks better too.

Dave - Freshwater NSW

I got rid of diet cola and lost weight, yes DIET. The artificial sweetner in these drinks create a craving for sugar in general and i found myself needing other sweet foods. I also slept better, had more energy and was taking in more water and felt less hungry.

Athena - Richmond VIC

keep healthy snacks in an insulated lunch box in your car. Apples, raw nuts, dried fruits etc. and you won't have any "I'm starving" drive-thru moments

mandy - ballajura WA

i rather enjoy walking along our coastal drive in perth (theres a foot/cycle path along the coast). if you find walking the streets in your suburb getting mundane why not check out whats around?? maybe a bushwalk is up your alley? or a botannical garden?

Athena - Richmond VIC

pack a large lunch box at the beginning of the week for work. fill with healthy ingredients to make your lunch every day eg.pita bread, grain bread, rocket lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, tuna etc. also pack low fat low sugar healthy snacks too, after all you spend more time at work than at home so why not stock up there as well, saves you calories, saves you money and you won't need to prepare your lunch every night at home which can be a chore.

Tessa - Launceston TAS

drink a full glass of water around 10 minutes before your main meal of the day-you will not eat as much

larnoch - Port macquarie NSW

when you have an urge to eat when you know you dont really need the extra food at that time....go clean your teeth works every time

Melt - Gold Coast QLD

Make sure you have plenty of your favourite fruit and vegetables around. Don't bother eating anything you don't really like otherwise you won't be able to sustain the diet. With exercise only do things you enjoy: dancing, walking in the park, and try to do social things with your friends like golf, tennis, cricket or rugby rather than going out drinking.

Michael - Cremorne Point NSW

If you are over 40 yrs join your local Masters Swimming Club. Great coaching and good social company as well as exercise.

abbey - stafford QLD

If you have a bad day, don't rule out the whole week and if you have a bad moment don't rule out the whole day. We all have lapses - don't feel guilty as this is life and we are meant to enjoy it but get back on track straight away so that you can enjoy it for longer.

SuperSuz - Mawson Lakes SA

Write down what you eat and how you feel every day for one week. Be honest and eat the way that you "usually" do, but don't go into great detail about your emotions - just write if you're hungry, bored, anxious, lonely or frustrated at having to wait for a page to load on the computer or whatever. . . After that week, review what your habits are and plan to change what you're not happy with. Just paying attention to what you eat and how it fits in with your day-to-day life can help you decide what you want to put in the trolley when you're scooting around the grocery shop. And simply resist the urge to buy any impulse items when you're at the servo or deli.

Debbie - Springvale VIC

Inthe morning and after breakfast, prepare a container with your favourite fruit or vegies, and during the day, whenever you feel peckish, take a piece and munch on it.