“When it comes to looking and feeling great, the experts at SuperFastDiet have found the three keys. To unlock your best possible self, combine intermittent fasting, superfoods and a little movement.
SAY HELLO TO SUPER FOODS
Your food should be working as hard as you are to keep you looking and feeling amazing! Choosing the right food to fuel your body is all part of a well-rounded beauty routine. When you’re perusing the aisles of the supermarket remember ‘fresh is best’, so make your trolley staples fruits, lean proteins and vegetables. To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of foods that will be working overtime to have you looking and feeling like a movie star.
Tomatoes: a wonderful source of vitamin C, these rubies of the plant world will help protect the skin against damage from the sun and may even help prevent wrinkling.
Fish: especially tuna, salmon and mackerel. Loaded up with omega-3 fatty acids these swimmers are wonderful for maintaining healthy skin, reducing inflammation and aiding metabolism.
Walnuts: are an excellent source of essential fatty acids, which your body uses to reduce inflammation. They’re also high in zinc, which assists with wound healing and fighting bacteria.
Broccoli: jam-packed full of vitamin C, potassium, zinc and vitamins B, E and A. Also contains lutein (also found in kale, spinach and yellow carrots), which can help reduce visible signs of ageing from oxidative damage.
Dark chocolate: we kid you not! Cocoa is an excellent source of antioxidants and flavonols that will keep skin more hydrated and also protects from UV radiation.
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
Throw out those fad diets that tell you to only drink lemon water or only eat vegetables starting with the letter C! Intermittent fasting is the lifestyle change that will get you looking and feeling exactly how you want. Author of The Every Other Day Diet and Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Dr Krista Varady PhD has been studying the effects of fasting on humans over the last ten years. “I have run about a dozen intermittent fasting studies in human subjects, and they all show the same thing: people find the diet easy to follow, they lose weight, and their risk of heart disease and diabetes decreases,” says Dr Varady. The practice of intermittent fasting need not be daunting, Co-founder of SuperFastDiet Genevieve Davidson says, “it’s about motivation, purpose and a holistic approach to your health. We’ve devised a program that makes the concept of intermittent fasting realistic and easy to apply for the average person.” Not only does this lifestyle change have a dramatic impact on weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but Dr Varady also found evidence that fasting decreases belly fat, reduces bad LDL cholesterol levels and reduces biomarkers for ageing and heart disease. So basically, it’s a sustainable way to be body beautiful inside and out. #winning!
SHAKE IT OFF
Sometimes that outer glow we’re talking about isn’t just a hypothetical one. Working up a sweat is not only excellent for your heart and lungs, but the increased blood circulation also does wonders in keeping your skin looking healthy and vibrant. “Regular exercise is a fabulous way to boost your feel-good hormones; dopamine, serotonin and endorphins while reducing levels of our stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline,” says Dr Jenny Brockis Medical Practitioner, brain health expert and author. Not only does exercise help speed up your metabolism, lose weight/maintain a healthy weight, but it’ll also boost your energy levels and elevate your mood (show us those pearly whites). “Just 20 minutes of aerobic exercise has been shown to elevate happiness levels for up to 12 hours,” says Dr Jenny Brockis. And what’s more beautiful than a big smile lighting up your face?” “
Pick up a copy of Modern Hair+Beauty (Volume 13) here.
