Eat Like A French Girl, Exercise Like An Aussie

This is going to be my new mantra…she says with fingers crossed.


A new year and particularly a new decade automatically means a little quiet time reflecting on the battle of the bulge. I generally shy away from over loaded promises and impossible goals because past experience would suggest that I am only setting myself up for disappointment and failure. Having said that, I am greeting this new decade full of optimism but with my eyes wide open. You see I have come up with a plan, a scheme or the little seed of an idea to help me win this war of unwanted holiday weight. 


I don’t know about you but my year goes something like this: January and I am fuelled with killer intention to find that balance between good fun, shedding those unwanted pounds and living a healthy lifestyle. The kilos shed and the months of February, March, April and May creep by in good shape. By June I am feeling pretty pleased with myself, not looking too bad and ready to sit pool side or beach bed it. Now July/August, this is when the rot starts to slip in – I become comfortable and a little lazy, maybe even complacent. ‘One potato, two potato three potato four’, as my taste buds tingle and my willpower dwindles. I assure myself it’s all fine, one little extra kilo won’t hurt and besides it will be easy to shift. Chill out and enjoy life I figure. That is when I should take a pull but no, I roll into August and September relaxing just that little bit too much and before I know it the cold months have arrived and the comfort food has well and truly won me over. Winter layers replace summer sheers, the cover up continues. Add the party month of December to this calendar and what happens (hardly a surprise) is that I am back to January with all that unwanted weight. This is not to say I haven’t enjoyed myself, believe me I have; every new pound is my very best friend. I certainly invited the friendship and willingly prolonged the relationship. 


So this is the new thought. Eat like a French girl and exercise like an Aussie. We all know Aussies are bronzed beauties full of health, well being and vigour. This is true there is a real focus in Australia on wellness, nutrition and physical fitness. Exercise is a friend not a foe and from what I saw it happens on a very regular basis. Good weather is possibly the key: Sunshine and warmth mean less clothes and more body. More body on show means more effort to stay in shape. The French on the other hand are less into gym or training type workouts and taking exercise is a means of getting from one place to another. They cycle together and they take long promenades but I suspect that is more about friendship than fighting calories. 


Aussies like their food and lots of it whereas the French are controlled and generally don’t overeat.  From what I see French girls don’t snack, they don’t eat on the run and they tend to shy away from processed food. French girls taste it all but in little mouthfuls – they know when to say stop. They don’t deprive themselves yet they don’t over indulge. French girl portions are petite and so are they. 


From here on in my year is going to be different, I am not going on yet another diet, detox or deprivation programme I am going to think French and act like an Aussie. I am going to turn my cultural observations into a new way of life. I will move this lazy body of mine every day whether that means, a run, a swim, a cycle or a yoga class and when I reach for that extra piece of melt in the mouth chocolate or that second, third, fourth caramel macaron that I want so badly I will stop and imagine I am a French girl. I will stop at one. When that growling 5pm hunger refuses to subside I will wait and be patient. I won’t snack and ruin my dinner – I will be French. I will eat at the table and not on the run and I will take time to savour each bite. 


Makes sense don’t you think? xv