It’s less than three weeks until we hit spring time and before you know it summer will be right on our pasty little doorsteps. This means winter hibernation is coming to an end and the evidence of nights spent curled up on the couch with a packet of cookies and creamy hot chocolate in hand will be laid bare for the world to see... Well maybe not the world but you get my gist.

During winter it’s normal to crave things such as bowls of pasta in rich sauces, cheesy bakes, thick soups with crusty buttered bread, and warm desserts like apple pie and chocolate pudding and let’s not forget the big dollop of cream or scoop of velvety ice-cream on the side.

The common misconception with this season is we can binge on as much comfort food as we like because we won’t be bearing our thighs or belly any time soon Then there’s the layers of clothing to hide any bits that may have gained a little extra jelly-like wobble.

So how can you attempt to turn around three months worth of carb loading and sugar fixes in time to get your body beach ready?  Well, it’s all about getting that booty moving and swapping the comforting meals and snacks of winter with the fresh and purifying foods of spring and summer.

Here are healthier alternatives to some of the foods we love, which should help set you on the right path toward spring and summer ‘super-body’ stardom.

Breakfast Smart Swap

Sweet Cravings:

Hot buttered croissant with jam

Swap for:

Wholegrain toast with a thin spread of jam

Fruit salad with low-fat plain yoghurt

Home-made fruit muesli with skim milk

Porridge or Quinoa with cinnamon and banana

Breakfast Smart Swap 2

Something Savoury:

Poached/Fried/Scrambled eggs with sauce on plain white toast

*If you must fry, omit the hollandaise and béarnaise sauces and when scrambling discard the cream and use low fat options of butter and/or milk instead.

Swap for:

Poached eggs with spinach, roast tomato, avocado on wholemeal toast

Omelette with low fat cheese, mushrooms and spring onion

Reduced- salt baked beans with avocado on multigrain toast

Lunch Smart Swap

Turkish bread focaccia with salami, cheese, tomato and whole-egg mayonnaise

Swap for:

Chicken and salad pita bread wrap with hummus or tzatziki dip

Multigrain sandwich with tuna, tomato, red onion, spinach and thin spread of low fat mayonnaise

Turkey breast, low fat cheese, avocado and salad sandwich on a wholemeal roll

Dinner Smart Swap

Spaghetti Carbonara

Swap for:

Bolognese using lean mince with lots of added vegies and a sprinkling of parmesan

Home-made Carbonara sauce using low-fat ingredients and substituting bacon with ham

*Instead of using white try other alternatives of pasta like corn/brown rice/buckwheat or wholemeal.

Dessert Smart Swap:

Apple pie with cream

Swap for:

Home-made apple or berry crumble with oat based topping and low fat vanilla ice-cream

Fresh fruit salad with low fat cream or sorbet

And let’s not forget our snacks:

10 am After Breakfast Hunger Pangs:

A low fat, low sugar muesli bar

A handful of nuts or raisins

Carrot sticks with low fat cheese spread

3:30 pm Sugar Munchies:

Banana smoothie

One muesli or fruit based cookie

Rice cakes with jam

9pm TV Snack Time:

Low fat hot chocolate

1 banana

1 tub of low fat yoghurt

Now that you’re armed with some healthier alternatives to winter’s sinfully delicious comfort foods, all that’s left for you to do is to start incorporating these swaps into your diet, pair it with at least 30 minutes of daily exercise, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving a trim, toned and terrific beach ready body.

So up and at em’ ladies, Summer is waiting!

Written by:

Karli Emma Smith is a Melbourne based makeup artist, currently studying Freelance Magazine Writing & Editing.  With a passion for all things fashion, beauty and entertainment related, and a particular interest in the lifestyles of the rich and famous, Karli is also interested in health and fitness and enjoys baking, cooking, and getting outdoors for big walks/jogs. I love spending time with my family and friends and can’t imagine a life without magazines and media!

Clean Out Your Fitness Workouts and Eating Plan with these tips and tricks from The Rancan Sisters 

 
 
Work it out, work it off!

Exercise is the best way to keep the weight off. Kilos lost through exercise stay off!

• Time efficient workouts are easy to add into your weekly routine. Try FiTViBE*, accelerated training on the vibrating plate. It helps smooth out cellulite whilst toning your body, increasing your strength and can be done in your lunch break!
• Add an extra workout session to your fitness schedule. One extra session can burn 350 – 500 calories in the week
• Get outdoors! We have a few more weeks before daylight savings changes over. It’s light and bright all morning. Start the day with a before work walk or jog 
• Pedometers are also great for measuring steps. Make a goal to walk EVERY day for 10,000 steps – the weight will drop off!
• Make sure your cardio workouts are actually burning fat. A good way to do this is by using a heart rate monitor. Find out your optimum heart rate and make sure you’re working to that level
• After being all covered up during winter, you are about to expose your body to the world again. Give yourself a pedicure, get a wax or apply fake tan to make yourself feel fabulous

Spring clean your diet

Hay fever is an allergic reaction of the lining of the nose and sinuses. It is usually caused by breathing in airborne pollens from certain grasses, weeds and trees. Some people experience hay fever constantly and this usually occurs because of allergy to animal dander or the dust mites that are present in every home. Other triggers for hay fever include fungus spores, feathers, powders and pesticides.

Approximately 20% of the population experiences hay fever. The symptoms of hay fever include sneezing, runny or congested nose, itching of the nose, puffy, itchy, red eyes and a scratchy throat. The symptoms of hay fever are often at their worst in the mornings or on windy days.

Although the symptoms of colds and hay fever are similar,

Welcome back to the Wellness Zone for this Spring edition!  It is fantastic to see the weather warming up a little and encouraging us to venture outside.  I am certainly feeling a little sluggish after winter and keen to back exercising outside again.

How about you - do you bounce out of bed every morning ready to live a vital day? Or has this been replaced with the need for a really good sleep in? For many of us loss of energy is something that gradually happens over time until one day we don't notice the difference and the reduction in energy becomes our ‘normal'.

This is becoming the case for many women and fatigue is one of the most common symptoms I see as a Natural Healthcare Practitioner, in fact some are

If you're struggling to lose fat and get a better figure, you're definitely not alone. However, amongst the herds of people trying to lose weight by doing endless cardio workouts, did you know that most of them are doing it the wrong way?

Ok, lets step back a second. They're not doing it the wrong way, but it's definitely not the most efficient way. The fact is that steady state cardio fitness is not the most efficient way to burn fat! Sure, you'll burn calories, but it's not as effective as other means of training.

If you're looking to lose weight and become leaner and more musclular, you simply have to start doing short bursts of high intensity

Maintaining healthy habits is just as important as the business priorities behind the decisions for business travel.

Regardless if you’re travelling for business or pleasure, the best exercise tips say that it’s important to find time to squeeze in at least 20 minutes of exercise three times a week.

Lisa Hamlin, director of international and media relations for the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), explains:
Business travellers should ensure that their exercise program is well-balanced and includes cardio-respiratory, muscular strength and endurance and flexibility training. The best way is for business travellers to make sure they use the hotel fitness centres.  In addition, Hamlin suggests the following fitness tips:

Stay at home? Work from home? Don't let being at home keep you from getting in shape.

How often do you find yourself watching an infomercial on television for a fitness product while you're grabbing a quick snack? You stop, you watch, and you reminisce about when you looked that fit. You catch yourself saying things like, "My body looked that good before the kids, before the career, before..." Your next thought is, "If only it were that simple. If only I had the energy or the time?" Most of us are not as fit as we would like to be. If you struggle with finding the time to get to the gym, why not simply bring the gym to you?
Keeping fit is about more than just looking good.

When we make exercise part of our daily rituals, our minds become sharper, our bodies are healthier, and we have more energy. Who among us could not benefit from having a little more energy and a sharper mind?

Working out at home is easier than you think.  

You simply need to design and decorate for a hard body.

Gym Design

    * My favourite spot to stretch is in the upstairs hallway in front of the mirrored doors on my linen closet. The light is great up there and the atmosphere peaceful.
    * Mirrors are a good addition to a workout area – we need to keep an eye on our progress. Disguise a workout mirror as a lovely framed wall mirror.
    * My husband enjoys 20 minutes on the exercise bike before work in the morning. The bike sits in the kitchen looking out onto the River Valley.
    * In the summer, move a stationary bike out onto the patio (cover it with a barbecue cover when not in use).
    * There are also many "fold away" gyms on the market today. These beautiful armoires open to reveal a treadmill or bike inside and can look great in a bedroom or a dining room.

Motivating Extras

Think Colour

Don't Forget Scents

Cheap, Convenient & Private

Many experts recommend working out with friends to increase motivation, but it can backfire.

"People end up talking more than exercising or slowing their speeds or [lowering] intensity levels to chat," says Stacey Rosenfeld, Ph.D., a psychologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Plus, walking or running with friends can

You have your goals set, so let’s get you motivated.  Here a couple of our favorite motivation tips :

In order to keep your focus on your desire to lose weight make a list of all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Keep it is plain sight, tape it to your mirror in your bathroom and read them each morning when you wake up.

Take a picture of yourself in a swimsuit or something that will show your body better. Each month on the same date take another picture in the same outfit. Doing this will make you feel great seeing how baggy the outfits gets each month, keep the pictures close by so you can look at them. Best place is to post them on your bathroom mirror.

Now make a plan. Wanna-bes stay wanna-bes without a written plan that's simple and realistic. Going public also may help.

Start with small changes.  If you've been inactive, find simple ways to get moving. Always take the stairs. Instead of a coffee break, take a short walk. Gradually increase your activity until you can exercise for 30 minutes a day.

Learn to love change. Exercise -- like life -- can get boring if there's no variety. Mix up your routine.

Pick a partner.  This lets you share the joy of accomplishing goals, plus you can pick each other up when one of you starts dragging.

Reward your achievements -- but don't wait until you win a marathon. Select a meaningful way to celebrate the big and small accomplishments, especially as you first begin exercising.

How many times have you heard a person say they are overweight because they have a slow metabolism? 

I hear it everyday!  Frustrated weight loss enthusiasts constantly blame a slow metabolism for their weight woes.  But is that really the case?  True, some people, genetically, have challenged metabolisms, while most others use it as an excuse for why they can' t lose weight. Let's eliminate this excuse by firing up your metabolism to its full genetic potential.

While following your best weight loss program, doesn't it make since to speed up your metabolism to its greatest genetic potential possible? There are certain tactics available to power boost your metabolism.  Some are lifestyle techniques, while others are nutritional tricks. 

Before I list all of the metabolism boosting tricks, let me explain exactly what metabolism is. Metabolism is the way your body uses energy, as measured in calories.  One way the body uses calories as energy is to sustain vital body functions like heart rate, cell development, breathing, cell repair, and temperature control.  This accounts for up to 75%