Whether you're hoping to shed a few pounds before tucking into festive treats over Christmas or have a New Year's resolution planned to do more exercise, there are a few ways to make sure you can achieve your goals.
According to fitness experts over at Breaking Muscle, the best way to get the most out of your workouts and reduce your calorie intake is by revamping your diet. The pros have said that there are five foods in particular that are worth incorporating into your meals to give your health a boost.
The experts advised that these foods are packed with nutrients that can contribute towards different fitness goals, whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or both. Here are the five foods that they recommend, as reported by the Liverpool Echo - and luckily, they don't have to mean spending hours in the kitchen rustling up complicated dishes.
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Brown rice
Brown rice is a great addition to your diet to help make the most of your workouts, according to the experts. "Containing fibre, complex carbohydrates, proteins, and antioxidants - and with healthy fat, it supplies your body with long-term energy during workouts," they explained.
The high fibre content of brown rice causes your body to feel more full too, which can help curb snacking and help with weight loss even further. The experts suggest pairing the rice with kidney beans or black beans to increase your protein intake and contribute to lean muscle gain.
Sweet potatoes
Another tasty carbohydrate that can help you lose weight, the fibre and water content of sweet potatoes will also help you to feel fuller for longer. "Not to mention, they contain vitamin A, potassium, and riboflavin to name a few, which all aid the muscle building process," the experts added.
They advise adding some juicy red peppers to your sweet potatoes to make a flavourful dish. The red peppers will give an extra health boost, as they're full of anti-inflammatory antioxidants which will help ease any post-workout aches and pains.
Eggs
According to the experts, the high protein and healthy fat in eggs can help you to feel fuller and therefore help you achieve your weight loss goals as well as with muscle gain. Poached or boiled eggs are the best option, as they keep most of their nutrients when cooked this way and don't need any more calories from the likes of oil to be added.
The Breaking Muscle experts issued an extra tip if you want to take things one step further: "Serve your eggs with whole grain bread for a high intake of protein and fibre."
Greek yoghurt
Greek yoghurt is considered "essential" to your diet if you're looking to lose weight, the fitness experts said. This is because it is high in protein while being low in fat, calories and even sugar, and thus helps to aid weight loss while building muscle at the same time.
"As well as this, it contains probiotics to improve your immune and digestive health to contribute to a healthy gut biome," they added. They advise adding a handful of almonds to your yoghurt to kick the protein up a notch, with an ounce of almonds containing six grams of protein.
Oatmeal
According to the pros at Breaking Muscle, eating oatmeal is a great way to boost your stamina. "Not only does it provide complex carbohydrates and protein to aid your workout progress, but it is rich in fibre too," they explained.
Adding berries to your oatmeal can help give it more flavour, as well as maximising the health benefits of a bowl. Berries contain anti-inflammatory antioxidants, which will help your body to heal after exercise.
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