On a typical breezy summer evening in Sydney—when the light was lingering in my kitchen and I had my dad’s old transistor radio on—I heard one of the most inspiring well-being interviews every recorded (surely!). It was full of tips that have since made their way to my fridge door… I think they’re worth sharing.
Mireille Guiliano is the author behind the book French Women Don’t Get Fat, and on this occasion she was speaking to Radio National’s Richard Aedy. She was in the middle of hosting a dinner party for friends in Paris (mais, bien sur!). Her guests were out “walking off their meal”. And she had time to divulge the secrets inside her best-selling book. Here’s what she said:
1. Take pleasure from food
“The mind is the French woman’s ultimate firewall against getting fat, and the senses are, of course, the portals to the mind. Through them we take in the world—its flavours, its textures, its sounds and its smells.”
What she means is: eat what you love. Just make the space to appreciate your food fully. This means not eating your lunch while checking your emails—it’s about not multi-tasking when you’re enjoying food so that you connect with what you’re eating. If it’s chocolate you adore, that’s okay! Just eat a small portion and concentrate on it fully. You’ll need less of it that way.
2. Walk everyday
We tend to think of walking in fitness terms—it gets our heart rate up, helps boost our metabolism and burn kilojoules. But getting out in the open air and taking a stroll is about so much more than that. “It’s your time to relax, think and dream,” says Guiliano.
I’ve been walking or running after work everyday and it’s allowed me to process the day and, more importantly, have the space to think about things beyond my everyday. I’ve stopped thinking about it as a ‘workout’—doesn’t have the same motivational pull as a ‘dreaming session’.
3. Eat yoghurt everyday
According to Guiliano, the calcium content helps block your body’s absorption of fat.
4. When you wake up, drink two glasses of water. Pronto.
After a big long sleep your body has gone without water from anywhere between seven and ten hours (sometimes more). Even though you may not feel like drinking, your body will be craving water. Answers this with two glasses, first thing.
5. Get in the kitchen
Processed foods: we’re all eating too much of them. Stage your own rebellion by embracing your kitchen. Cooking puts you in better touch with your food and helps you avoid heavy serves of sugar and salt. It can also build momentum—the more you cook, the more you want to!
La fin. Au revoir!