Christian Pera, hailing from Greytown KZN, provides some top tips learnt from the great book of life on things he has tried and tested, and found to be helpful!

Commit to getting going…

You have heard it before, and unfortunately like most clichés it is true - talk is cheap!  If you are going to start getting the most out of your mind, body and soul this summer (and forever after!) you need to start with actions not words.  Sit down with yourself over a strong espresso and write down exactly what you aim to achieve and improve - you need to decide what is important to you so that all your subsequent actions take place with the end goal in sight.

Drink better coffee

Coffee has been coming in for a bit of criticism of late and I, for one, will not have it!  Too much of a good thing is never a great idea and having regular cups of milky, sweetened, processed mud is more likely to leave you feeling drowsy because of the short sugar hits.  Trade the office granules or drip stuff for one strong-like-mutha-Russia espresso (no sugar) in the morning and reap the benefits of caffeine in all its fresh ground goodness! In the evenings, have a green tea to give your tired body and mind a touch of good medicine.

High quality H20

Firstly it’s free! More importantly, we are pretty close to being big, walking bags of water so topping up constantly makes sense.  Have a water bottle handy (not plastic if at all possible) and drink little sips all through the day. Not only will this stop your brain from underperforming, but it will lessen your appetite for unhealthy and expensive snacks.  Even mild dehydration has a very significant effect on performance. And did I mention it’s free?

Eat breakfast… and lunch!

We know brekkie is good, so hopefully by now you are managing to sneak a slice of wholegrain toast in the morning. But lunch is half way through your day and so it is as important. Any time your body is without a little food it slows down to preserve energy and hangs on to stored fat like it’s on ‘Survivor Sitbank’! Keeping your nutrient levels topped up (but not overdosed) keeps your engine running hot, which means your body can afford to burn fat to keep things ticking over.

Plan and cook ahead

Don’t give yourself an excuse to buy food as you go through the week because you think you don’t have enough time to plan ahead!  It takes 20 minutes on a Sunday to think about your week and buy groceries that will be easy to prepare the night before and pack for lunch and snacks the next day. A nice pot of pasta will last all week in lunch-sized portions and you can control all the ingredients that go into it.

Eat as nature intended

Whether it is low fat, long lasting, fantastically flavoured, preserved, pre-cooked or microwavable - if it has been altered from its natural state and has things you don’t understand on the ingredients label, you probably shouldn’t eat it! Your body is designed to ingest and absorb natural elements and ingredients. It is fairly logical then, that those are the things you should be eating. Organic, free range products may not always be the cheapest, I’ll admit, but as Ouma said, ‘Goedkoop is duurkoop!’ Sooner or later, you will pay.

“There are a great many great people, books and experiences that I have to thank,” says Christian, “and I would love to hear any feedback and perhaps some things that have worked for you in terms of health and wellbeing.” Email your feedback and top tips to editor@sapromo.com