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Eat well and live fit, Bugibba (2026)

11/10/2023

8 Instant Mood Boosters to Make you Happier

Check out these top eight mood boosters to help you manage stressful situations more effectively:

Deep belly breathing. Practice conscious breathing by inhaling through your nose, letting the air expand into your tummy and then breathing out through your mouth. Whether you’re at work or running around on a busy day, doing 5-10 conscious breaths can calm your mind while giving you a rejuvenating break.

Schedule a stretching break. Instead of taking a coffee break, try a stretching one. Simple movements throughout the day can refresh your mind and relieve muscle tension. You can do simple neck rolls and arm stretches from the comfort of your office chair, home or wherever you are!

Get organised wherever you are. Boosting your mood starts by relieving your stress levels. Set aside some time in your schedule to get organised: wherever you are. Spending a few, quiet minutes to get things in order every day can lead to an overall better mood.

Try coordination drills. Improved health involves your body and your brain. Doing exercises that involve working your upper body and lower body at the same time, like lunges with a shoulder press, will speed up your workout and boost your brain power! Next time you work out, try a few moves that challenge your coordination.

Smile often. Your body releases endorphins in various situations, for example whenever you feel very excited! Laughter may increase the release of endorphins (Manninen et al., 2017) . Spend time every day consciously smiling at people. It may boost your mood and give your face muscles a workout too! Your smile may improve the mood of other people too, because they’ll probably smile back at you!

Take a power walk. Think that a two-minute walk can’t impact your mood or your health? Think again! A fast-paced walk, even if it’s for a few minutes, will do nothing but good. Even if you have a few minutes, make time for a brisk walk. You may be able to reduce stress by doing something different (and stepping outside if you can). Try to walk for at least 30 minutes throughout the day.

Give your skin a workout. Quality skin care products can positively impact your appearance. When you dedicate extra time to your appearance, it can help you to feel more confident. Give yourself a two-minute mini facial at home, by exfoliating with your favourite scrub and massaging moisturiser into your face. A face massage with your favourite products is the easiest workout ever!

Try a quick interval routine. A quick interval workout can boost your energy levels by releasing endorphins into your blood stream. Try this simple routine:

• Jumping jacks (30 seconds)
• Squats (30 seconds)
• Push-ups (30 seconds)
• Crunches (30 seconds)

04/10/2023

4 Ways to Strengthen your Relationship and your Body

Relationships and fitness go hand-in-hand. Both are hard work, require commitment but are worth it!

Modern life can be busy and with its demanding expectations. Our attention is pulled in different directions: it can be hard to manage that and be fully present with our partner making it even more difficult to spend quality time with our loved one.

However, with balance, a good relationship can have a positive impact on our overall sense of well-being and improve levels of self-confidence.

Ditch Excess Baggage

The stressors of modern life can be overwhelming. Many couples end up having to choose between taking care of their own needs and planning time with their partner. This tug-of-war can cause long-term resentment in the relationship.

Think about what “quality time” with your partner involves. If it always revolves around eating, it can be even more difficult to stay on track with your personal health goals.

Make date night more exciting: go to a new dance class, go for a run together or even a brisk walk!

Bond over Endorphins

When a goal is shared, the likelihood of success increases. Accomplishing something together can strengthen the bond of any relationship.

There’s something special about sweating in the gym or going on a hike together; it gives couples quality time that’s also constructive. You learn more about each other, learn new exercises together and experience improved moods.

The natural endorphin pheromones released from exercising and a post-workout glow can even make you feel more attracted to each other!

Technology-free Zone

When a couple works towards a shared goal that is physical, it gives them something positive to stay connected to on a regular basis. While exercising, put your phone (and other tech devices) away. Focus on how you feel, engage in conversations with your partner and have some friendly competition!

Physical Connection and Trust

It can be very meaningful when your partner teaches you a new skill. The physical connection created from helping each other, with pull-ups or spotting with weights, can help to build trust and connectivity which continues long after the workout is over.

27/09/2023

How to Take Care of Your Heart

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Your heart-health is precious
And so are you!

February may be the month of love, but it’s also Heart Month in the UK and other countries, as more people raise awareness about the importance of having a healthy heart.

The conversation between diet and heart health is so old, that we know what we should be doing. Watching our weight. Watching our total fat intake and keeping saturated fats low. Monitoring how much salt we eat. Eating more fibre rich food - like beans and oatmeal.

This is good advice, but we also need a balance of fatty acids.

A Balancing Act

In the early days medical advice on dietary fats was basic: saturated fats were bad and polyunsaturated fats were good.

But now things are complex. This is due to growing concerns that we are not eating the right balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats: which affects our health.1

It is too simple to say that Omega-3s are good and Omega-6s are bad, as neither of them are inherently “bad.”

They’re called ‘essential’ fatty acids because our body can’t make them, we get them from foods we eat. In small amounts, essential fatty acids serve important functions in our body like supporting blood circulation, vision and brain function2.

The problem is that we (generally) eat too many Omega-6s and not enough Omega-3s. Today’s diet is full of Omega-6: chips, salad dressings, cakes, pastries etc. At the same time, we fall short when it comes to eating foods rich in Omega-3: fish, vegetables, walnuts and flaxseeds.

One of the best ways to get more Omega-3s is by eating more fish meals in the week, to increase our healthy EPA and DHA levels. These particular fatty acids are found in fish and can help to maintain a normal functioning cardiovascular system.3

But many don’t eat enough fish meals a week. Fresh fish is great, but canned fish is easy and convenient! If you don’t like eating fish, you can also take fish oil supplements (but remember: food supplements shouldn’t be used as a substitute for a varied diet).

Eat your Way to a Healthier Heart

• Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans as they deliver vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants
• Keep total and saturated fat intakes under control by eating healthy low-fat proteins
• Eat unsaturated fatty acids from foods like fish, nuts, avocado and olive oil
• Choose non-fat or low-fat dairy products, poultry breast, lean cuts of red meat and plant protein sources like beans, lentils and tofu
• Limit added fats for example by reducing dressings, spreads, sauces and fried foods
• Avoid high-processed foods
• Eat more fibre rich foods (sweet potatoes, berries, plums, broccoli and carrots) 4

When it comes to matters of the heart, it’s so much more than just the people we love. Remember to take extra care of the heart that matters most: yours!

1 EFSA, EFSA Journal 2011;9(4):2078 2 EFSA, EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1796 and EFSA, EFSA Journal 2011;9(4):20783 EFSA, EFSA Journal 2011;9(4):2078, EFSA, EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1796, EFSA, EFSA Journal 2011;9(4):2078 4 EFSA, EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1254, EFSA, EFSA Journal 2011;9(6):2207

20/09/2023

Making Diet Resolutions? Try Diet Changes Instead

When January 1st comes around, it means it’s time to dust off that list of diet resolutions you made last year (and the year before that?) and vow to tackle them again. Often, we struggle due to our “to-do” list being a mile long. We’re creatures of habit, and it just takes time for new habits to take hold.

Here’s a suggestion for you - don’t try to make all your changes at once. In fact, try to focus on three small changes a month until the end of the year. If you work on establishing just three new habits for a month, you won’t be overwhelmed with trying to focus on too many things at once. By the end of the month, the three new habits will be part of your routine!

Think about what you’d like to work on first.

Let’s say you want to cut back on your sugar intake. Your diet resolutions for January might be:

• I will have fruit for dessert instead of cookies
• I will cut my soda intake in half
• I will switch from pre-sweetened yogurt to plain yogurt

Maybe eating too much fat is your problem. In that case, your January diet resolutions might be:

• Instead of crisps with my lunch, I will have a side salad instead
• I will switch from regular salad dressing to low fat
• I will have my coffee drinks made with non-fat milk instead of whole milk

If it’s portion control you need to work on, your January resolutions might look like this:

• I will use smaller plates when I eat at home to control my portions
• When I go out to eat, I will ask the server to put half my meal in a take-home container and serve me the rest
• I will weigh and measure my food portions a few times a week to make sure I’m staying on track

This is the year to take a different approach to your diet resolutions. Make these few changes, give them a month to settle in, and then build on those changes’ month after month.

13/09/2023

Your Beginner’s Guide to a Successful Gym Session

Are you someone who avoids gym sessions because you don’t know how to use the equipment, or feel you intimidated? This year let’s kick it off with heading to the gym with confidence! Here is an easy guide for anyone to follow.

First things first you must stretch! Grab a mat, sit down and perform some simple stretches. You can also calm your nerves by doing something that feels familiar. Some great examples are below:

• Neck stretch: Sit up tall and slowly roll your neck from side to side. Hold the stretch on each side after a few rounds.
• Upper back stretch: Loosen muscles in your upper back by reaching your arms out wide and then crossing them over to the opposite sides.
• Calf stretch: Stand up and place one leg in front of the other. Slowly bend the front leg, keeping the back leg straight with heel on the floor. Repeat on the other side.
• Quad stretch: Hold on to something for balance and while standing, grab up one ankle and gently pull back until you feel a stretch in your thigh area. Repeat on the other side.

Warm-up with cardio equipment

An exercise bike, treadmill, or elliptical machine are great places to start for some simple cardio. Spend 10 minutes getting warmed up at a steady pace. If you need help operating a machine, the gym staff are usually more than willing to help get you started.

Free weights

After you’ve warmed up, go to the free weights area. Grab a set of dumbbells that suit your fitness level and perform some upper body exercises. If in doubt, always choose a lower weight—good form can be more effective than a heavier weight. Here’s a sample beginner level strength circuit:

• 15 overhead chest presses
• 5 bicep curls
• 15 dead lifts

Repeat as many times as necessary and increase as you get more confident.

Cardio

Back to cardio equipment! Spend 20 minutes doing an interval style workout, which involves exercising intensely for short periods, followed by periods of rest or lower intensity exercise. Try using the manual setting instead of using a pre-selected program, as it will give you confidence with the equipment. For beginners, work hard for 30 seconds, and active rest such as walking or a much slower pace on your machine of choice for 30 seconds.

Hit the machines

If you’re a gym newbie, the squat machine is a great place to start. Perform three sets of 10 squats using a light weight. Other machines to consider are the chest press machine, leg press machine, and hamstring curl machine.

Cool-down stretches

It’s time to go back to the stretching area for a cool down. Hold each stretch for at least 20 seconds. Be creative and make up your own favourite cool down stretch routine. Do what feels best for your body.

Eat well and live fit

11/10/2023

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