Easter is always an exciting time of year. The magic of an Easter egg hunt doesn’t disappear when you’ve grown up. In fact, watching it through children’s eyes as an adult can be even more fun. What’s not as fun is being over faced by chocolate, roast dinners, and calories when you’re trying to shift some weight.
Did you know, some of the leading easter eggs on supermarket shelves are almost 2000 calories?
Easter doesn’t have to mean overindulging. Here’s Bodyline’s top ten tips to staying on track and being healthy over the Easter weekend!
Keep the Easter eggs for Easter Sunday
There is no reason why you can’t enjoy some treats over Easter, but it can be easy to overdo it with all the chocolate around you. Having sweets and treats are fine, but only when it’s in a balanced diet. Choose your treat, account for the calories and don’t graze on chocolate all weekend as you will find it hard to keep track of how much you’ve eaten.
Go for quality over quantity
When choosing an Easter egg, opt for one which contains high-quality chocolate. The highest percentage of cocoa you can find means you’re getting a better quality of egg, and you’ll be more likely to satiate cravings. The better the chocolate, the more you will take the time to relax and savour it, which means you’re more likely to stop eating when you feel full.
Balance out your calories
The Bodyline team will definitely be indulging in some chocolatey goodness this Easter, but we know it’s all about balance. To survive Easter, allow for some chocolate treats and balance your calorie intake throughout the day. You can do this by opting for a lighter breakfast and lunch. These adjustments will mean the chocolate treats won’t be as noticeable in the grand scheme of things and will mean you’re more likely to enjoy the meal without worrying too much.
Have a cracking good start to the day
Not chocolate eggs – the real deal! Eggs are the perfect breakfast for weight loss. They’re packed with protein and amino acids and they can help you to feel fuller for longer. Try whipping up an omelette, enjoy scrambled eggs or make an egg with toast soldiers. Poached eggs are always good – that’s if you know how to do them!
Focus on fun not food!
Too many celebrations are based around eating and food. Why not focus more on the fun of Easter, the excitement of the bunny and springtime! Talk about the Easter Bunny and the food he loves to eat – healthy carrot sticks, celery, and cucumber, roll some eggs down a hill, spend the morning painting eggs or have an Easter egg hunt in the garden. It doesn’t have to be an all-day chocolate eating marathon; children can enjoy some chocolate at the end of a busy day. There are also plenty of local exciting things going on, check out this list of what’s going on around Manchester!
Enjoy a healthy Easter lunch
On Easter Sunday, don’t dive straight into the roast or spend all afternoon picking at various bits and bobs. Fill up with plenty of healthy vegetables during your main meal – these won’t just count towards your five-a-day, but the fibre will help to make you feel fuller, so you’ll be less likely to eat as much chocolate later on.
Say it with clothes – not chocolate
Chocolate isn’t just for Easter and Easter doesn’t just have to be just about chocolate. Did you know that traditionally, new clothes are associated with the Easter holiday and the belief that the wearing of new clothes brought good luck? If you’ve been working hard at your weight loss, then why not reward yourself with something new to wear instead of an egg? Younger family can be treated with books, puzzles, games, craft or science activities.
Get active with all the family
Now that community egg hunts will be back on for the first normal Easter in 2 years, make the most of this opportunity to be outside and active! If the weather is good, expand the easter egg hunt to the local park, and run between hiding places to get that heart racing. You can include some fun Easter-themed games, such as an egg and spoon race, bunny hop sack or skipping race.
Slow down and switch off
It is important we purposefully take time to relax and unwind to enjoy positive health benefits from resting recharging and rejuvenating. While we are often tempted to fill precious spare time with errands and chores, try to give yourself some time off. Reduce your screen and scrolling time and make self-care a priority this Easter.
Don’t quit!
If you find you ended up indulging more than you wanted to, don’t just throw the towel in and write off the whole weekend. Try to get up and moving, maybe even see if you can get an extra workout in over the Easter break. Just 30 minutes walking outside can make a difference to your fitness, motivation and overall mood. There’s no need to feel bad and beat yourself up over this, everyone falls off the diet bandwagon now and then, it’s part of the journey! All you can do is accept it happened, forgive yourself, then draw a line under it and move on.
Happy Easter from everyone at Bodyline Clinic!
