5 Ways Your Health Can Affect Your Money

#1: How Sleep Affects Your Finances

Remember those all-nighters you used to pull in college before midterms?

Science has an explanation for the wooziness you felt right before you crashed: Going without sleep for 24 or more hours makes a person perform as if they had a blood-alcohol level of 1%—.02% more than the legal limit for drunk driving.

Most likely, all-nighters aren’t your M.O. anymore, but if you’re consistently getting just four or five hours of sleep a night, your decision-making skills may not be as sharp as they could be. And that can have implications for your money.

“Lack of sleep can cause us to make many poor decisions, all leading to negative financial consequences,” says Bob Gavlak, a CFP® with Strategic Wealth Partners in Seven Hills, Ohio. “It could be as simple as buying a magazine that you don’t need at the grocery, or as big as drastically overpaying for a new car.”

: How Diet Affects Your Finances

Eating too many restaurant meals is a hallmark of poor nutrition—those who indulge too often have higher levels of obesity, body fat and unhealthy BMIs.

Plus, as anyone carefully tracking his expenses can attest to, dining out can also wreak havoc on your wallet. According to the USDA, a family of four eating moderately at home will spend about $245 per week on food—that’s half of what they’d shell out eating at restaurants.

And there’s more: It seems that eating high-fat restaurant meals may also affect cognitive abilities. In an Oxford University lab study, researchers found that rats eating a high-fat diet for several days showed signs of short-term memory loss and lower levels of brain function than those receiving a low-fat diet over the same period.

“There are a lot of parallels between good eating habits and good financial habits,” says Jeff Reeves, author of “The Frugal Investor’s Guide to Finding Great Stocks.” “If you don’t have the discipline to say no to junk food or count calories, you probably make a lot of impulse buys and have trouble balancing your checkbook. Self-control is the key to good financial health, as well as a healthy diet.”

How to Get Healthier “A good tip for your nutrition and finances is to plan your meals in advance,” Gavlak says. “Even if you plan to go out for a few meals during the week, it still helps prevent gut decisions to stop at a restaurant instead of eating a good, home-cooked meal.”

And feel free to take a few short-cuts if it means you’ll be motivated to maintain your healthy diet.

“Don’t feel guilty about spending a little extra money for prewashed spinach or precut carrots,” says Marguerita Cheng, a CFP® and C.E.O. of Blue Ocean Global Wealth in Rockville, Md. “If it means you eat at home and you eat better, it’s worth it.”

Bonus tip: Instead of filling up on empty calories, add more energy-boosting foods to your diet, like almonds and blueberries, so you’ll have a clear mind to tackle your financial to-dos.

#3: How Exercise Affects Your Finances

We won’t sugarcoat it. Exercising regularly is no easy feat. But skip this good-for-you habit, and you’re likely to sacrifice more than just a smaller pant size.

For starters, regular exercise results in more energy for your brain, boosting your cognitive ability and sharpening your memory. So one consequence of staying sedentary could be that you’re operating at a significant disadvantage at work, compared to your more active coworkers.

You could also be missing out on a positive attitude that could help you tackle your finances head-on. “Exercise can improve confidence, which can help people make more informed decisions and take the meaningful actions necessary to reach their goals,” Cheng says.

In fact, Cheng says she often comes up with many of her most creative ideas after attending a cardio kickboxing or Zumba fitness class.

How to Get Healthier To fully gain the health benefits from exercise, try to clock about two and a half hours of exercise each week. If you need to ease into it, make it fun by incorporating more physical activity into your daily schedule—like, say, biking to work instead of driving, or watching your favorite TV show while on the elliptical.

The upshot? You’ll start to notice the benefits of sticking to healthy habits.

“In turn, you can take that experience and apply it to your financial goals,” Gavlak says. “If you want to pay off debt, increase your savings, or be ready to retire early, you’ll need discipline to stick to a long-term plan, much like regular exercise.”

It will take dedication, time and patience to get a six pack. You need to do two things: lose fat and build muscle. You get this by dieting and exercising consistently. You can have the most toned and muscular abs, but it will not show if there is a layer of fat over them. This article will discuss ways in which you can accomplish both of these goals.

Method 1 of 2: Building Ab Muscles

 

1  Do sit ups. Lie on the floor, feet on the floor, knees up and hands crossed on your chest. Have someone hold your feet down, or wedge them underneath something heavy. Sit all the way up, lifting your lower back off the floor along with your shoulder blades. Keep your back straight (no hunching). Lower yourself down. Repeat.

• Once this becomes relatively easy for you (i.e. you can do a quite a bit with ease) start adding more challenges. Find an incline bench. Do weighted sit ups. Hold a weight on your chest while you do these. As these become easier, hold heavier and heavier weights.

2 Do crunches. Lie on the floor (with or without a mat) with your arms in front of your chest or with your hands lightly touching your temples (never behind your head). Bend your knees. Raise your shoulders (upper torso) towards your knees, using strictly your abdominal muscles.

• It is very important to not lift your entire back off the floor, as this can cause back strain. Additionally, the extended movement does not help you develop six pack abs any faster.
• The most important part of the crunch is the initial flexing of your abs as you lift your shoulders off the floor. As soon as you begin lifting off the floor, exhale through your mouth, ending with a gasp once your shoulders are off the floor.
• Pause for a second once you are at the top of the crunch and exhale the last bit of air from your diaphragm while flexing your abs. Lower back down slowly and controlled while inhaling through your nose, just until your shoulder blades touch the ground. Do not let your head touch the ground.

3 Train your entire core. To build really great abs it's helpful understand what abs do. Their full name is "rectus abdominis."^[1] The "rectus" bit is Latin for "straight, proper, upright." Contrary to popular opinion, the abdominal's primary job is not to curl you up into a ball, but rather to work together with the back muscles to maintain correct posture and stabilization. Some of the best exercises for abs are ones that force your entire core to go into overdrive to support your spine. Some exercises that do this are squats and deadlifts.

 

 How Much Fats Do You Need For Better Health and Fat Loss?

• Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil per meal in your vegetables or to your meat when you cook it.



• Do not add oil to a meal if you are eating a fatty fish like salmon which is rich in good fats.



• If you do not like olive oil or oily fish, eat your grilled meats and your natural vegetables but do not forget to add another source of good fats. What you can do in this case is to consume 15-20 grams of almonds or walnuts twice a day with any meal.

I recommend that you try as hard as possible to get your good fats from these natural sources. If you have issues consuming your good fats from food, I recommend an Essential Fatty Acids supplement like Labrada's EFA Lean which contains a variety of good fats. I suggest a dose of 3 capsules in 2 of your fat free meals.

Now that we have covered the myth that in order to lose fat you need to stop eating fats, let's talk about the sort of food that you can eat in order to promote fat loss.



Foods That Promote Fat Loss

When we start a diet, the first thing to do is to make the right food choices. I will eliminate all of the confusion on what to eat by detailing exactly what foods help to promote fat loss:

1. Choose the right carbohydrates like whole grain pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, potatoes, peas, corn (and yes, these are vegetables but in the category of starchy carbohydrates). Forget processed carbohydrates that come from candy, cakes, processed breads, cereals and breading as these will get you fat.



2. Choosing the right proteins like chicken (knowing that the chicken breast is much less fatty than other parts such as the thigh or the wings), white fish and salmon (yes, salmon is a fatty fish but the fats are GOOD fats loaded with Omega 3s), 90% lean steaks, egg whites (with 1-2 egg yolks as these also contain good fats), and turkey. Avoid pork (because it is high in saturated fats) and reconstituted meats such as chicken nuggets, Cordon Bleu, deli meats and fast foods that contain lots of fat.



3. Don't forget to eat your vegetables. The best vegetables you can eat are: green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, garlic, and onions. You can have a desert, but it has to be a healthy one.



4. Concentrate on low calorie desserts like Sugar Free Jello and you can also have a piece of fruit with it. Samples of good fruits are: apple, kiwi, peach, strawberry, pear, pineapple, watermelon. All these fruits are good for health but like all fruits, they contain fructose. Thus, for the best fat loss, do not eat more than 2 of these fruits per day when on a fat loss diet. Note: Take a look at Hugo's article on Why Fruits Need to be Limited During a Fat Loss Diet?



5. For good fats, concentrate on getting them from the following sources: extra virgin olive oil, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts. Eliminate butter, cheese and other sauces that come already prepared as they usually contain added sugars and the wrong kind of fats!

Putting It All Together and Creating Your Balanced Diet

With all these food choices, it is now easy to compose a balanced meal without bad fats. What is a balanced bodybuilding diet you may ask? One that consists of 5-6 small meals a day consisting of 40% carbs, 40% proteins and 20% fats as laid out in Hugo's Characteristics of a Good Nutrition Program.

A normal man needs 2000 to 2500 calories a day. Thus, at 40% Carbs/40% Proteins/20% Fats he will need around 200-250 grams of carbs, 200-250 grams of protein and 45-55 grams of good fats per day divided over 5-6 meals. (Note: 1 gram of carbs = 4 calories, 1 gram of protein = 4 calories and 1 gram of fat = 9 calories).

A normal woman with average activity who is weight training and looking for fat loss needs 1200 to 1500 calories per day. That comes out to 120-150 grams of carbs, 120-150 grams of protein and 26-33 grams of good fats per day divided over 5-6 meals.

Conclusion

There you have it! Now you have a very good base to design your diet and get started on your way to fat loss. The power is within you!

About the Author

Cecile Bayeul was born in France in 1982 in a firefighter family. She wanted to become a firefighter and passed the tough professional firefighter tests which included various physically demanding feats. However, she decided to keep a more peaceful job (as her family wanted her to) so she became a nurse.

As a registered nurse she ended up studying various diet protocols for patients with special nutritional requirements due to their sicknesses.

In order to relieve stress from her job and to heal from an anorexia caused by a difficult divorce she picked up natural bodybuilding. Through bodybuilding she learned to regain her confidence and to be happy with her body.

Her passion for fitness led her to start conducting personal training not only for women but for men as well. She teaches that by embarking into a fitness program you can achieve any body that you want; something that builds up faith in oneself and develops the valuable skill of goal setting; things that at the end of the day improve every single aspect of your life!

When people think of bodybuilding, the first thing that comes to mind is big arms. How many bodybuilders, me included, just started by doing some biceps curls? After all, one of the most common requests bodybuilders get is to flex their arms. And while a great physique is much more than big arms, nobody can argue that all great physiques have equally great arms!

Since I have gotten a lot of requests lately to publish a new arm routine to get the arms ready for summer, I decided to publish one of the latest bodybuilding routines that I have been using to train my arms.

In order to use this routine you will need to incorporate it into a split routine that works both biceps and triceps on the same day. This routine is for intermediate to advanced trainees. If you are an absolute beginner, please refer to the bodybuilding routine presented on my getting started in bodybuilding guide.

Gain Up To An Inch In Your Arms With This Bodybuilding Arms Workout

Without much further ado, here is your bodybuilding workout for great arms over the summer. You will be using trisets and supersets. A triset is composed of three exercises that get performed one after the other with no rest in between. Only after you perform the last exercise on the triset you can rest for the recommended amount of time and start over.

A superset is the same as a triset, except that it is composed of only two exercises.

For more advanced techniques like these ones, please take a look at my article on Advanced Bodybuilding Training Techniques To Break Plateaus.

As you will see, I am offering you three workouts below. I want you to rotate these workouts. So one day you will do Workout (A), another day Workout (B) and another day Workout (C).

Workout (A)

Triset:
Triceps Pushdowns 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
Concentration Curls 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps
Overhead Triceps Extensions 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
(Rest 1 minute between trisets)

Triset:
Incline Dumbbell Curls 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
Hammer Curls 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps
(Rest 1 minute between trisets)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 2 sets of 25-50 reps
Reverse Wrist Curls 2 sets of 25-50 reps
(Rest 30 seconds between superset)

Workout (B)

Triset:
Triceps Kickbacks 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps
Barbell Curls 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps
Triceps Pushdowns with Straight Bar 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
(Rest 1 minute between trisets)

Triset:
Concentration Curls 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps
Triceps Dips on Bench 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps reps
Reverse Barbell Curls 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps
(Rest 1 minute between trisets)

Superset:
Reverse Wrist Curls 2 sets of 25-50 reps
One Arm Dumbbell Wrist Curls 2 sets of 25-50 reps
(Rest 30 seconds between superset)

Workout (C)

Superset:
Preacher Curls 10 sets of 10 reps
Parallel Bar Dips 10 sets of 10 reps
(Rest 1 minute between supersets)

Triset:
Cable Curls 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Rope Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets of 15-20 reps reps
Barbell Wrist Curls 3 sets of 25-50 reps
(Rest 1 minute between trisets)

Bonus Abdominals' Routine

As a bonus, here is a nice abs routine that you can do before the arms workout:

Triset:
Leg Raises 3 sets to failure
Bicycle Crunches 3 sets to failure
Crunches 3 sets to failure


This abdominals' routine took me less than 15 minutes to perform and it proved to be not only a great abdominal workout but also an awesome way to warm-up the body and get it ready for some arm work.

Conclusion

Try out the arms routine above and let me know how it worked out for you. You'll probably have as much fun as I did and will get a great pump as well. The whole thing, counting abs, should take you around 50 minutes, give or take 10.

Menopause is well known as being a time when weight is gained. Eating well and being active are key.
Menopause causes the greatest revolution in hormone levels. Blamed for many things during a woman's life, her hormones are now also maligned for causing weight gain. As well as the
effect of age, falling levels of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone further reduce the rate at which energy is used – known as metabolic rate. This is reflected in the dietary
recommendations for women over the age of 50. The amount of kilojoules recommended each day is less, but the amounts of vitamins, minerals and protein remain roughly the same.
So eating healthily, without some of the 'extras', is vitally important to stay fit and well. Remaining active will also help keep weight stable. Although many women feel lethargic and low during this time of change, activity boosts metabolic rate, as well as feelings of self-esteem and self-worth.

Tummy trimming tips for menopause

• A brisk walk each day is one of the best ways to help yourself feel better, and can be enjoyed with friends too.
• Don't skip breakfast. Missing meals does not help weight control and can leave you feeling even more tired and lethargic.
• Take a tip from the Japanese, the masters of portion control. Keeping the amount we eat at each meal in check is important for controlling weight, and there is some evidence it can help us live longer too.
• If grandparenthood finds its way to you, allow your grandchildren to run you off your feet – it's good for you, if exhausting!
• Enjoy this time of life to the maximum, but indulge yourself in non-food treats. Sadly, you will start to lose friends to some of our common lifestyle illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer. Although these usually take years to develop, it's never too late to help yourself by eating well.

Quick and Easy Ways to Start Get started on a healthier lifestyle with these ideas! No time for breakfast? Grab an apple, an orange or any other fruit as you head out the door. Pack baby carrots, nuts, or dried fruit for a snack. Take whole wheat crackers, lean meats and low-fat milk along with you. Try taking leftovers and eating on the way. Munch on veggies, pretzels, or popcorn.
At a fast food restaurant? Try a grilled chicken sandwich and a side salad. Split an order of fries. Leave off the mayonnaise, sauce and spreads when ordering a sandwich. Share a rich dessert with a friend.
Want to cut fat in meals? Use a cooking spray instead of oil to sauté foods. Trim visible fat from meat and remove skin from poultry, too. Instead of cheese and heavy salad dressings, add fiber-rich beans and peas to your salad meals. Canned chick peas or other beans are a delicious addition to a salad.
Need to get moving? Work off a big lunch by taking a bike ride or a walk with your kids after work. Instead of socializing with friends by watching videos or dining, plan to go walking, biking or dancing. Aim for the farthest parking spot, not the closest, so you can get in extra walking. Walk the sidelines or stroll around the field instead of lounging in the stands while the kids play soccer or softball. Run up and down the stairs with each load of laundry, get up and change the channel, and walk to your co-worker’s office instead of calling. Join a step aerobics, kick-boxing or body toning class. Check your local park district, recreation center, or health club to find the best option for your budget and skill level.

Weight-loss tips for men: How do I know what size is right?

A few days ago, I struggled out of a deep sleep and began preparing for my morning stumble to the local coffee cart (it's a habit, I confess). I pulled a pair of pants out of the drawer, and sleepily yanked them up, but lo and behold! The button was a little tight. Had they just come out of the drier? Probably not. This discovery kick-started me into a mini reconstruction of my food plans because I know the fit of my trousers is a good measure of changes in my body size, whereas the scales can be confusing.
Most men I talk to are not satisfied with the methods of body size determination available. BMI (Body Mass Index) can be confusing. So I want to give you two tips for measuring your body size which may be more realistic for your situation.
Reality is in your pants: We all have a few pieces of clothing which 'fit' in a particular way – you probably recognise the feeling of them better than anything else. I have a pair of crappy old ex-British Army pants (op shop – $4). I love them to bits and I know how they fit and it was these pants I yanked on and it was like a loudspeaker blasting in my ear. Take a moment and identify your version of my pants. Once a week, when they are clean and dry, first thing in the morning pull them on and relax… then ask yourself, "Do these pants feel normal?" Do the same with a jacket or shirt. Fabric doesn't lie.
Waist to height ratio is another way to size yourself up. Do these measurements once a week and keep track of the results. Compare the results each week to gage real measured changes to your body.

Waist to height ratio

To calculate your waist to height ratio, measure your waist (around your belly button) and your height, then divide the waist measurement by the height measurement.
The ratio for men and women is ideally less than 0.5  –  which means your waist should be no more than half your height. My waist, for example, is about 89cm and my height is 183cm, which makes my ratio 0.486.
If you're on a weight-loss or exercise programme, you'll see changes in your waist measurement and the ratio.

Top 10 healthy food traps

You may think these foods are healthy choices but moderation is the key. They can be weight-gain traps.

1. Nuts

Are high in fat – most of them are around 50% fat – and therefore high in kilojoules. Even though many of them contain good fats and useful antioxidants, eat them in tiny quantities to get their positive benefits without adding too many extra kilojoules.
Three Brazil nuts contain over 200% of the recommended dietary intake (RDI) for selenium, 7.8g of fat and 320kJ; 1 tablespoon of raw peanuts has 4.5g fat and 220kJ.
So a healthy snack will just be a few nuts, maybe with a piece of fruit; or include a few nuts with your breakfast cereal to get their health benefits without too many extra kJ.

2. Fruit juices

Are energy-dense. You're better off eating a whole piece of fruit which is not only lower in energy but more filling as the juice doesn't contain the fibre.
1 glass of freshly squeezed orange juice has around 435kJ but an orange has half that amount. If you love fruit juice try 1/2 a glass of juice diluted with water and limit yourself to one a day.

3. Olive oil

1 teaspoon of oil or 1 teaspoon of butter both equal 5g of fat. Olive oil is a better type of fat but just because it's better for you doesn't mean you can add LOTS of it!
1 teaspoon of olive oil adds 173kJ. Get the benefits of the monounsaturated fats and antioxidants found in extra virgin olive oil by mixing smaller amounts of 1/2 oil and 1/2 balsamic (or any other favourite) vinegar to 'sprinkle' over salads.

4. Canned fish

A healthy protein choice, high in calcium and sometimes omega-3, but choose the ones in spring water or brine as those in oil can have the equivalent of 3 teaspoons of fat in the can (and it's often not a good oil).
Check the labels on canned salmon and tuna for the omega-3 content as some are an excellent source of this beneficial fat. Go for ones with 400mg or more of EPA+DHA in a serve.

5. Muesli bars

Come in all sorts of shapes and sizes – choose one that is whole meal, oven-baked fruit filled. A good starting point is a bar with less than 600kJ, less than 5g fat and less than 9g sugar.

6. Muffins/carrot cakes

Can just be 'cakes' in disguise. Buy (or make) fruit and bran varieties and make sure they are cup-cake size – not Texan sized!
To make a traditional muffin recipe healthier: halve the amount of flour, and add unprocessed bran (2 times the volume as it's lighter); cut the fat right down but add fruit for moisture; use a light polyunsaturated margarine instead of butter and use trim milk.

7. 'Lite' chips

Lite refers to the thin cut of the chip and possibly lightly added salt. These still contain approximately 3 teaspoons of fat in a small 50g packet!
Chips are a no-go zone for anyone wanting to watch their weight. Find healthier snacks you'll enjoy instead. Try a few rice crackers with light cottage cheese, carrot or celery sticks with a low-fat dip.

8. 'Baked not fried'

Does not necessarily mean low-fat. If you see this claim on the pack, check the fat content per 100g and compare it to other similar products. Whether baked or fried, some crackers can be over 25% fat.
Why not try rice crackers, water thins, litebread, Ryvita, rice thins or others with less than 5% fat?

9. Caesar salad

Just because there's some lettuce in it doesn't mean it's healthy: a classic French dressing, loads of parmesan and deep-fried croutons, sometimes with fatty bacon added, make this salad high in fat.
For a healthy version try this Caesar salad recipe using grilled wholemeal bread croutons, less parmesan, less oil, lean bacon and a light mayonnaise.

10. 'Fat-free' confectionery

Most sweets get their energy from sugar not fat, so this claim bears no relationship to the energy content of the confectionery. Look at the nutrition information panels to compare energy content of different products.
If you crave a sweet treat try sugar-free gum; flavoured water; grainy bread with honey; a low-energy ice cream or frozen yoghurt; or a low-kilojoule chocolate drink like Jarrah Chocolatté.

Breastfeeding mums: Eating for maximum energy

 

After nine months of anticipation, anxiety and excitement, your baby finally arrives! And so begins another important step in your journey as a mother – feeding and nurturing your baby outside the womb. Breast milk provides the best start for your baby, but juggling frequent feeds with sleeplessness and busy-ness can be a real challenge. How do you give your baby the best possible start in life while still looking after your own needs?

What you need when breastfeeding

Your baby depends on you to provide energy and nutrients for healthy growth and development; their birth weight will double by five to six months of age. But the good news is eating a nutritious, varied diet, keeping yourself well hydrated, and having plenty of rest will ensure your breast milk provides all your baby’s needs and that you’re healthy and well, too – your baby needs a healthy mum.
While breastfeeding you will need an additional 2000-2100kJ (energy) per day. That’s the equivalent of another meal. It’s important to get this from nutrient-rich foods, not junk foods, as your baby depends on you for vitamins and minerals.

• Vitamin C needs almost double while breastfeeding, plus you need significantly more vitamin A and folate; so consume at least six servings of fruit and vegetables per day. That’s four servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit. Include plenty of dark leafy greens and coloured fruits and vegetables.
• More good quality carbohydrates are needed to fuel the breastfeeding process. Choose whole grain carbohydrates as these provide important B vitamins and are a rich source of dietary fibre – you need 30g of dietary fibre per day while breastfeeding, that’s as much as a man! Eat at least seven servings of whole grain carbohydrates per day, like grainy breads, muesli, porridge and brown rice.
• Extra protein is needed while breastfeeding to provide for your baby’s growth, so enjoy more protein-rich foods. These are also a great source of iron, zinc and vitamin B12, and you need more of zinc and vitamin B12 while breastfeeding, too. Eat at least two servings of protein-rich foods per day. This includes lean meats, eggs, fish, chicken, legumes, nuts and seeds.
• Milk and other dairy products provide protein and plenty of riboflavin for you and your baby. So consume more dairy products while breastfeeding – aim for at least three servings of low-fat dairy products per day: enjoy a glass of milk, pottle of yoghurt, cheese or a little low-fat ice cream.
• If you were thirsty while pregnant, you might be surprised to learn you need even more fluids while breastfeeding! Drink around 10 cups of fluids per day, depending on the temperature and humidity in your environment. This will help to prevent constipation and provide the necessary fluids for making breast milk. While breastfeeding, enjoy water and trim milk, limit caffeinated drinks, and completely avoid energy/smart drinks and alcoholic drinks.
• Iodine needs increase while breastfeeding but unfortunately your diet most likely won’t  provide enough iodine. Instead take a daily 150mcg iodine supplement while breastfeeding.
• NOTE: Folate supplements aren’t required while breastfeeding.

Putting theory into practice

Life with a newborn baby can be overwhelming. Your baby has a tiny tummy and needs frequent feeding. In the first weeks you may be feeding between eight to 12 times per day, leaving little time for housework, shopping, cooking, socialising or just relaxing.
Set the expectation with yourself that the first few weeks of your baby’s life will involve frequent nursing and this is normal – then adjust your life to fit around this. Your first priorities are to eat a healthy, nutritious diet, to rest and relax as much as possible, and to breastfeed your baby. Your time and energy is now at a premium so use these ideas to reduce your load:

Set your priorities

Learn to say no. You’re not here to please other people. The world won’t end if you haven’t vacuumed or done the dishes, so let small things slide.

Don’t be a martyr

Accept help if it’s offered, let people do your housework or make a meal.

Ask for help

Get your partner to prepare meals, ask friends and family to provide a home-delivered meal or do some housework. They won’t mind when the reward is a cuddle with your beautiful baby!

Use shortcuts to save time and effort

You’re not trying to win any culinary awards, just survive day to day, so cook quick, easy, nutritious meals in bulk to freeze and provide multiple meals.

Multi-task

While breastfeedin,g rehydrate yourself with a glass of water or milk and a nutritious snack to keep your energy up.

Be prepared

• Prepare for feeds – visit the bathroom, grab the telephone, a magazine, a glass of water or milk and a healthy snack before you settle in to feed baby.
• Ask your partner to prepare snacks – such as cut up fruit and veges – for your day.
• Keep portable snacks in your nappy bag, such as a muesli bar and a bottle of water.

Tasty, simple snack ideas

Make nutrient-packed vegetables and fruits your first snack choice.

• Home-based snacks – baby carrots, ready-cut celery sticks, plastic pottles of fruit, cut/whole fresh fruit, low-fat yoghurt, bowl of cereal with trim milk, whole grain sandwich/toast topped with banana, Marmite, cheese, jam or baked beans, rice crackers with hummus, salt-reduced soup-in-a-cup.
• Snacks on the go – banana, apple, small handful of dried fruit and nuts, box of raisins, vege crisps, popcorn, muesli bars.

Conserve your time and energy: make easy dinners in bulk, to freeze in single-servings.

• Chilli con carne – make in bulk, serve on rice or baked potato with reduced-fat sour cream, on nachos with grated reduced-fat cheese, or in a tortilla wrap with lettuce/tomato/reduced-fat sour cream
• Beef or chicken enchiladas
• Salmon or tuna pasta salad – use leftover pasta and tinned fish
• Chicken/beef stir-fry – use pre-sliced chicken/meat, frozen stir-fry vegetable mix and a dash of teriyaki or oyster sauce.

Tackling ‘baby weight’

Women’s bodies may maintain extra body fat stores until a baby’s birth as these ‘energy deposits’ help to meet the energy needs of breastfeeding. So it makes sense that breastfeeding is the best way to kick-start weight-loss, along with consuming a nutritious diet and undertaking regular physical activity. We’re not suggesting Thai kickboxing, just head out with the stroller for a 30-minute walk most days.
Your baby’s first months are a crucial time and you don’t want to reduce your milk supply by drastic dieting. So focus on eating a healthy diet (ditch the high fat/sugar/salt treat foods) and let your weight naturally reduce. Aim for a gradual, steady weight-loss over nine to 12 months (that is, no more than 0.5kg per week). Take no notice of celebrities who seem to snap back into shape weeks after giving birth. That’s not realistic for most women in the real world.

 

I'm going to talk about the reality and fantasy of 'big men'. I'm not talking about the Jonah Lomus of the world, but average men who think of themselves as 'naturally big' when really, they just 'eat big'. I was one of them.

Size matters

I spent many years eating huge quantities of food, while my wife Anna looked on with amazement and concern. When she remarked on the quantity, I would say, "But I'm a big bloke. I need to eat this much." I ate what I thought I needed to – hunger and satiation were largely irrelevant.
One weekend, Anna and I were staying with my brother Mark and his wife. Anna suggested that for the entire day, I should try and eat exactly the same as Mark, who is about the same height as me and has always been in the normal weight range. I agreed to give this a go and although I was intensely anxious that I would starve, I didn't. This was a turning point. I realised I was eating for what I thought I was, not for what I am – a normal-sized bloke.
Today, Mark weighs about 76-82kg and I weigh about 89-94kg, so at times I can still be 18kg heavier than him, and our BMIs can be fairly different. However, we are both active, healthy blokes. The interesting bit is that today Mark and I eat a similar amount, even though I am still physically bigger than him – the key is to realise our size difference does not mean I necessarily need to eat a lot more.
If you think you might be eating for the body you think you are rather than the body you truly are, check out the following tips for some tricks to put your perception of yourself to the test.

Tips to challenge your inner big bloke

Try out these strategies – you may actually find you are a normal-sized guy.

1. Con one of your mates into doing the 'eat what he eats' day. Pick a mate who you think of as a 'normal-sized bloke', and who is about the same height as you. Don't ask Ma'a Nonu!
2. When you're at a restaurant, order the same meal as the smallest adult at the table. See how you feel an hour after you have finished eating.
3. During your next café breakfast or brunch, order the vegetarian or cereal option instead of the 'big breakfast' – then take note of how you feel for the rest of the day.