Spring has sprung and it's time to face up to the consequences of comfort food, inactivity and clothes that conceal flab. Sunshine and spring flowers bring with them a new optimism, so the next few days are a great time to divest yourself of bad habits and start getting into shape. Here's our seven-day planner to help you do just that.
Day one, Tuesday: take stock... (and get moving)
Check your waist size: according to research published in the Lancet, a simple girth measurement can tell you if your weight poses a health risk. For men, the danger waist circumference is above 40 inches and for women it is above 35 inches. The healthiest measurements are below 37 and 32 inches respectively.
If your figures are such that you need creative accounting: start by keep a food diary. 'Carry a notebook and write down every meal, drink and nibble, including the motivation for consuming them,' advises state-registered dietitian Lyndel Costain. Over the next week this will help you track down your unhealthy eating habits and the situations in which they occur.
Take half an hour of moderate exercise: according to the Health Education Authority, this amount at least five times a week is enough to bring fitness benefits. Any form of exercise that makes you slightly breathless and sweaty is ideal: walking, jogging, swimming, vigorous housework or gardening.
Day two, Wednesday: kick-start your system
Eat a light diet: for one day, keep away from big meals and consume fresh juices, soups, lightly steamed vegetables and perhaps a little organic chicken or fish. Just 24 hours on this regime will boost vitamin intake, give your digestive system a welcome reprieve from winter stodge and pave the way for healthier eating habits.
Check your fluid intake: make sure you are drinking at least six to eight cups or glasses of fluid (preferably water or diluted juices) to aid the elimination of toxic waste products. According to Dr John Rogers, professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in the US, even if you're only slightly dehydrated, mucus can dry out, affecting its ability to prevent infections.
Day three, Thursday: begin a flab-fighting offensive
Forget fads: the latest diet fashion claims starchy foods make you fat, but a recent Europe-wide study involving 300 subjects found that the tried-and-trusted formula of high carbohydrate (starches and sugars) and low fat is a highly effective weight-controller - and does away with the need to count calories.
Beat bloating: occasionally food sensitivities can cause you to retain water. 'You are more likely to be affected if you eat the same foods very regularly,' says Alison Loftus, a nutritional therapist at the Hale Clinic in London. She recommends making a list of the foods you eat habitually every day and temporarily switching these out for alternatives.
Day four, Friday: bolster resistance to disease
Increase your intake of fruit and vegetables: there are well over 200 studies linking these anti-oxidant-rich foods with lowered risk of cancer and heart disease. Starting today, aim to eat at least five different servings of fruit and vegetables daily - fresh, frozen and canned count, so do fruit juice and soup. A serving is approximately 3 ounces.
Think supplements: capsules of vitamin E can reverse the decline in immune function that occurs as we age. Researchers at Tufts University in Boston, US, found elderly people who took 134mg (200iu) or more of the vitamin daily had an improved response to hepatitis B immunisations and suffered fewer infectious diseases. Taking a moderate full-spectrum multi-vitamin has also been shown to boost immunity.
Day five, Saturday: improve tired winter skin
Start a regular dry skin-brushing habit: this will markedly improve texture and appearance of skin by boosting circulation and lymph (cell waste) drainage. Use a natural bristle, long-handled brush and make long, sweeping strokes, always towards the heart. Afterwards, take a bath or shower.
Feed your face: avocados, nuts, wheatgerm oil and seeds contain essential fatty acids and antioxidants and are ideally suited to maintaining supple, age-protected skin. Make sure to include at least one of these foods in your diet every day.
Day six, Sunday: boost your energy levels
Eat red meat: a traditional Sunday roast is high in the B vitamins and iron that can help prevent anaemia - one of the leading causes of fatigue.
Switch to slow-releasing carbohydrates: pasta, beans, lentils, oats, porridge and boiled new potatoes improve energy levels because they have a low glycaemic index. 'This means they are slowly digested and promote only gradual rises and falls in blood sugar,' says Dr Anthony Leeds, an expert in gastrointestinal health at King's College, London. In comparison, high GI carbohydrates such as white bread, baked or mashed potatoes and rice are more likely to promote energy swings. Sucrose (table sugar) and fructose have low and intermediate GIs respectively; glucose has a very high GI and is best avoided.
Cut down on caffeine: the weekend is a good time for coffee freaks to start cutting down. Caffeine stimulates the release of hormones from the adrenal glands which in turn raises blood sugar. But the long-term effect is counter-productive, because the boost is followed by a slump. So work towards a maximum of four cups of coffee (or six cups of tea) a day.
Day seven, Monday: improve your mental health
Eat away your stress: Monday morning has been identified as the peak time for stress-related heart attacks. But research at Bristol University found that people who consumed breakfast cereal every day perceived themselves as less stressed, and suffered less depression and emotional distress compared with people who mostly skipped breakfast.
Use a herbal booster: lift the last vestige of winter blues with a course of St John's Wort. The active ingredient (hypericin) is said to increase levels of serotonin and other mood-lifting chemicals in the brain. Look for a standardised extract providing at least 900 micrograms per day, and use for about a month.
