Implementing diet change for long-term health and improved body composition

Most of us have had success with diet and exercise programs where we lose body fat in a short space if time. We then get hit with a major plateau and the body fat moves slower and slower. This is a very common complaint from a lot of my clients who are trying to lean up. It can be reasonably easy to lose a few kilos by cutting the obvious bad bits from your diet and becoming more active, but losing the fat that you have spent years putting on will require a little more strategy. Since diet makes up such a large contribution to your body composition it’s now time to be a bit more structured with your diet, and step beyond simply cutting out all Big Macs and fries!

The first thing to do is to reconnect with your goal. You need to be reminded every day of what you’re trying to achieve, so that you’ll find it easier to choose something good to eat whenever you’re faced with a decision. Things like putting an old picture of yourself, or a pair of your favourite jeans that you wore 10 years ago on your door are a couple of ideas.

It is then time to implement changes in your diet. The first step is eating smaller portions. If the food you eat doesn’t contain much protein and quality fresh fruit/vegetables then you will struggle to feel full or satisfied. The poorer the quality of food means the more you need to feel satisfied. So increase the quality of your meals and reduce the size!

Next is to implement one of the following rules into your day or a single meal with the mantra ‘food is my fuel and nourishment, it is not my entertainment’.

Rules of healthy eating for optimum health and body composition:

1. If it has sugar added don’t eat/drink it
2. If your great grandmother wouldn’t recognise the ‘food’ you’re eating then avoid it
3. Don’t get sucked in by ‘low fat’ foods. Fat is not the enemy, processed carbs are. eg bread, pasta, cereals.
4. Drink at least 2-3 litres of water every day
5. Eat fresh fruit/vegetables and protein with every meal
6. Alcohol can sabotage all your good efforts
7. Snack on real food. Eat walnuts, carrots, apples, bananas, rockmelon, fresh young coconut (water and flesh), tuna/salmon/sardines in a can, mixed bean mix with chopped onion, pesto, etc.

Choosing one rule at a time will make the process of solidifying a habit much easier than trying to do everything at once. Once you have one of the rules ingrained as habit for one meal or the whole day (water, no alcohol, good snacks), then try 2 meals or apply 2 rules to one meal. For example to start out drinking 2-3 litres of water every day, once that feels easy to do try not eating anything with added sugar in your breakfasts, then if you want to really step it up make your dinner so that it only contains protein and vegetables. The key is doing things in small steps by adding just one rule at a time. Remember if done slowly these eating habits will be with you for the rest of your life, so there’s no rush to do them all at once.

If you’re stuck getting started then just remember what Aristotle said. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” Which rule would you like to make a habit first?

Exercise and Managing Stress

Life is full of unexpected turns and twists! Some are joyous experiences while others can leave us feeling down or stressed. Stress is a very common emotion that affects all of us at some point in our lives. When we feel stressed it is very common to reach for things that comfort us. For some this may be food, alcohol or even drugs. Instead of making us feel better these things can leave us feeling worse.

It is important to take care of yourself when you are feeling down or stressed. Taking up a form of exercise has numerous benefits for managing stress relief. In addition to losing weight exercise can help release negative emotions, decrease stress hormones and improve your overall health and longevity.

If you are someone who needs lots of motivation to get up and moving, then the word ‘exercise’ can seem like a huge step to take, however it doesn’t have to be. Start with a simple activity that you find easy to do and enjoyable. For example doing some gardening or some gentle stretching can be a great way to start. Then gradually increase the time you spend doing these activities and once you feel comfortable try something different. Exercising with a friend is also a great motivator, so if you have a friend you can meet up with for a walk or a bike ride this will make the thought of ‘exercise’ more bearable.

Looking after yourself is the key to a happy and healthy life. Learning new ways to keep yourself energised will help keep your stress down so you can enjoy life!

Lifestyle Overhaul

Cooking a meal, servicing a car, teaching a child to kick a ball or giving your lifestyle an overhaul is not always easy. In fact, it’s a challenge: it takes stamina, perseverance, time and dedication… it takes change –  and you’ve done it! Congratulations! Live in what you’ve accomplished and let it  go deep into your lifestyle. Every time you repeat the activity, you are consolidating the changes you’ve made. Your perception of ‘normal’ will start to shift. We can embrace the change or slip out of it….. What are you going to do?
 
Here’s some tips to help you make the most of your health and fitness reboot:

Start your day in a positive way.

• Affirm who you are and where you’re headed (read your goals regularly)
• Eat Breakfast
• Drink water

Kick start and stay smart

• Be active every day
• Work hard and smart – High intensity intervals are ideal!
• Stretch and relax. Allow your body mind to wind down

Replenish energy spent

• Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day
• Two fruit and five serving on vegetables is your foundation
• Protein sustains  – include it in every meal

The investment you put into your health has guaranteed returns. Many happy returns to you!

Why Stretch?

Why Stretch?

• Improve posture. By stretching you are conteracting some of the positions we keep our muscles in for extended periods of time, allowing all muscles to keep their length.
• Increases range of movement around joints and Improves balance making daily activities easier to perform. Think back to a time you had tight muscles after a heavy workout… What did it stop you from doing? Maybe you had tight thigh muscles and all of a sudden sitting down became very painful. Stretching helps keep muscles flexible around joints and relieve muscle soreness.
• Relaxation. Stretching helps release muscles that become tense as a result of stress.
• Alleviate muscle soreness.  Stretching increases circulation to muscles. This increases the rate of recovery by removing waste products from the muscle.
• Potential increase in muscle power and ability to control muscles. This will improve your sporting ability along with strength to do every day activities
• Decreases Risk of Injury. Each of the above factors means you’re less likely to injure yourself during sport, general exercise and every day activities.

It’s time to give your body what it deserves – A good stretch!

Incidentally Active

Reducing Cholesterol

Conquer Cholesterol with Lifestyle

Cholesterol – the ESSENTIAL fatty substance in our body that’s vital in forming cell membranes and producing hormones in the body. So let’s not get annoyed with it, rather let’s maximise it’s benefits by doing all we can to keep it at a healthy level in our body. Our bodies make Cholesterol and we consume it in our diet…Cholesterol may be high because of our genetics, nutrition or lack of exercise.The good news is that although we don’t have control over our genetics we do have control over our lifestyle! The two lifestyle factors that contribute most to cholesterol are diet and exercise!

How does exercise lower cholesterol?

1. Increases the ‘good’ cholesterol in your body and lowers the ‘bad’ cholesterol.

 2. Essential to maintaining a healthy weight

3. Keeps the heart strong and the vascular system toned.

What can you add to your diet to lower cholesterol?

 a. Oatmeal and Oat Bran. Eating soluble fibre helps your intestine digest the ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL). Kidney beans, pears, prunes and apples are also classified as soluble fibre.

b. Walnuts and Almonds. These nuts are rich in polyunsaturated fats keeping the blood vessels healthy and flexible. Be aware that nuts are also high in energy so eat about a handful.

c. Fish Oils and Omega 3’s. Fatty fish such as mackerel, lake trout, sardines, salmon and tuna contains high levels of omega 3’s that help lower cholesterol. It is recommended that you eat Fish at least twice a week. You can also get Omega 3’s using supplements. Try some from Coastal Bodies.