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As I’ve noticed, the majority of people here are reasonably slim. What’s the secret? Well here’s what I believe are the Cariocas´ (people of Rio de Janeiro) secrets to keeping slim.

1. Beach 365 days of the year:

When you live in a climate where you can go tan and swim at the beach any day of the year, well that’s some good motivation to keep slim.

2. Make lunch your main meal:

Lunchtime here is fun. You get a 1-1.5 hours for lunch and you eat out. Then you have a snack at about 5 p.m. and a light dinner around 9 p.m. And you never skip breakfast. It’s easy to get a well-balanced meal at one of the many “Restaurantes por Kilo” or pay-by-weight buffet restaurants, with a large selection of salad, lean meat, fresh fruit, beans and rice.

3. Leisure time can be active time:

Cariocas like to spend lots of time on the beach, but they don’t just lie in the sun. They go swimming, surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing; play soccer, beach volleyball, go for jogs or bike rides along the walk beside the beach.

4. Dance the night away:

And after beach time, it’s time to go out and dance samba – a dance that burns lots of calories.

5. Espresso not lattes:

Cream, sugar, mochas, and lattes: they all can add extra calories. Cariocas have 1 coffee with milk in the morning followed by little espressos throughout the rest of the day.

6. Lighter beer:

Beer with lower alcohol content reduces the calorie count.

7. Local meats, fruits and vegetables:

Grass-fed local meat. A great variety of local fruits and vegetables. And then there’s the magical açai berry that you can get cheaply and in large delicious portions as a sweet, slushy, refreshing, icy, solid drink that you eat with a spoon. Apparently this has a lot of calories but it is really good for you.

8. Drink 8 glasses of water a day:

In this heat, this is a necessity.

9. Bland food:

Rio is known for its bland food. And the blander the food is, perhaps the smaller the appetite becomes. Or at least it has for me. Up north in Bahia the food is spicier. In Minas Gerais, the food is greasier (thus also yummier). São Paulo has a decent variety of international cuisine.

10. Stress less:

Cariocas know how to relax. And a relaxed culture makes for less cortisol in the system and a higher metabolism.

This post was written by Andrea for Life Out of a Suitcase. Read more stories from 20 something women expats and travelers at Life Out of a Suitcase.

You can read more about Andrea’s experience in Rio on her blog.

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