YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Summer 2019 | Page 5

3 Make friends with salad
See p19
for tips to
safely enjoy
swimming
outdoors this
summer.
2 Get moving
Gaining the motivation to hit the gym can be tough, but thankfully, the extended
daylight hours and warmer weather make getting moving a whole lot easier. Exercise
is a guaranteed way to feel good – in more ways than one. Feel good endorphins are
released, stress levels go down, sleep is improved – and who doesn’t want to feel
fitter and healthier? Do what you enjoy, and you’ll stick to it – whether it be hitting the
gym, running, bike riding, bushwalking or swimming.
During summer, your body will naturally
gravitate towards fresh and nourishing
salads for an almighty hit of vitamins,
minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Salads
make satisfying meals on their own, but
for an added nutrition boost add a good
serve of whole grains or protein. Tinned
kidney beans or tinned lentils make a
great quick, easy no-cook option that
you can keep on hand in the pantry and
which don’t require you to fire up the
stove during the hotter months. Salads
also make the perfect side dish to those
lazy summer BBQs. Practise the rule of
three by including a minimum of three
different coloured foods in your salads.
Make it interesting – try adding options
like mango, beetroot, figs, roast
vegetables, nuts and seeds. Fill half your
plate with salad or veggies, and you’re
good to go!
4 Enjoy the season’s fruit
Summer fruits can be exciting, colourful
and nutrient-rich, so aim to make
stone fruit, figs, berries, watermelon and
mangoes a staple inclusion in your fruit
platters this summer. The natural
sweetness that fruit delivers means you
can keep your sweet tooth happy
without
having
to
reach
for
cakes, cookies or other less healthy
alternatives.
See p14
for some cool
ways to enjoy
healthy
summer fruit.
See p10
for some
sensational
summer
salad recipes.
“IF YOU WANT TO FEEL YOUR
BEST THEN IT’S IMPORTANT
TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF
INSIDE AND OUT”
SUMMER 2019 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE
5