PE teacher shares the nine foods you should eat every day for a sculpted physique – Daily Mail

A PE teacher has listed the nine foods she eats daily for good health and a lean, toned physique – and the motto she swears by for her family when it comes to diet.

Belinda Norton, 45, from the Gold Coast, said she is a fan of eating foods that are ‘grown in the soil and the sea’ like salmon, carrots, brown rice and broccoli.

She also subscribes to this approach for her children – making sure their breakfasts, lunches and dinners are loaded up with ‘real wholefoods’ that promote good health.

‘Did you know that soil grown foods and sea water food have a higher mineral content than any other food source?’ Belinda posted on Instagram.

‘I eat foods grown from the soil and the sea daily.’

The nine foods you need to incorporate into your diet are fish, whole carrots, homemade muesli, oranges, avocados, greens, salad, broccoli, brown rice and quinoa.

Belinda also eats one raw whole carrot and two cucumbers daily. 

When eating these, she doesn’t peel them or cut them up, but rather washes them and eats them whole.

‘Whole organic earth-grown foods supply our body with the nutrients and minerals that no other products can do,’ Belinda said.

‘They are inexpensive, they also induce chewing, they are perfectly portioned to nourish and maintain energy.’

Belinda added that the fibre in carrots helps to keep blood sugar levels under control, while eating cucumbers hydrates the body and leads to health benefits including ‘weight loss, balanced hydration, digestive regularity and lower blood sugar levels’.  

The PE teacher shared what she calls the ‘magic eraser’ she swears by when she is feeling sluggish.

The 45-year-old said rather than ‘slowing down and resting’ when you feel tired, you should ‘speed up the body, ignite those blood cells and make them spin excitedly through your body’.

‘The sluggish eraser answer is the opposite to rest,’ Belinda said. ‘Speed up the body and that sluggish feeling disappears.’

Belinda said she will try to do some form of cardio every single day, whether that’s a walk along the beach, a swim or run repeats.

She recommends adding ‘sprints, speed cycle reps and jump squats’ into your workouts, and setting timers to help you achieve your goals and reach greater heights.

Previously, Belinda shared why her number one secret is to ‘train and eat like a girl’. 

‘We have a very different biological body make-up to men hence why our body responds differently to training and racing,’ Belinda wrote.

‘When we focus on loving and looking after our biological female body, we have a higher chance of finding a successful routine to overall wellness.’

Belinda explained that one of the main differences between training as a man and training as a woman is that women are ‘born endurance athletes able to withstand a higher pain threshold’.

Belinda recommends acknowledging the female monthly cycle when it comes to your training, and doing workouts based around it.

For instance, you might feel stronger and able to lift heavier or run for longer when you’re menstruating, but in the days leading up to your period, you might want to do a workout that is more gentle like yoga.

‘Weight training will always enhance your health mobility [as a woman], she said.

‘Add a 5-7kg hand weights speed circuit sets to improve your overall muscle strength and mobility.’

 When it comes to diet, Belinda said the most important thing as a woman is that you limit the sugars you include in your everyday eating.

While you may not think you eat much sugar, in her experience women the world over aren’t paying attention to the hidden sugars in their food and drink, and this often leads them to putting on weight as they get older.

‘The most potent one for me is alcohol,’ Belinda said.

‘Especially my love of Champagne. I try to only drink one night a week, either Friday or Saturday. One glass at an event does count and does add up.’

The 45-year-old said if she drinks more than this, it not only dramatically affects her sleep, mood and body function, but she also starts to ‘lack focus’ and a ‘little pot belly’ appears.

‘As we age, our body responds differently to how it used to and especially how it uses sugar,’ Belinda said.

‘The older we get, the less muscle mass we maintain. Over time, our BMR [basal metabolic rate] drops, meaning we burn less calories at rest.

‘Sugar not only provides major highs and lows in mood and energy, it can also disrupt one of the most powerful hormones in the body: insulin.’

A rise in insulin leads to the production of testosterone, she said, which is then converted into estrogen and fat tissue in the belly.

The best way to avoid this, she added, is to make sure you eat and drink cleanly 80 per cent of the time.