7 Reasons Why Your Fat Loss Plan Is Failing
Women and men all over the world are seeking the elusive health, fitness and weight loss plan for an easy way to lose weight and tone muscle without doing the hard yards.
Unfortunately, they’re not aware that it is the cumulative total of a number of fitness and wellness strategies working in conjunction with one another that is the real secret to achieving a tipping point in their goals – in which long term sustainable health, wellness and fitness are achieved with ease
The challenge is in knowing where your plan is failing and how to pinpoint key areas that need immediate attention that can turn a struggling weight loss plan around overnight.
So, today we explore the top 7 reasons why your weight loss plan is failing. Based on 23 years of my experience working in the field with many clients from all types of backgrounds and walks of life, you’ll quickly discover ways to convert your body into a fat burning machine. When you understand these simple concepts and how they work together, you can easily achieve your goals time and time again without fail.
Let’s dive straight in with number one.
1. We’ve Heard This A Million Times. If You’re Not Drinking Enough Water, How Can You Expect Your Body To Function Properly?
Water is the essence of life. Every living being is composed of 70% water, the Earth, Animals, Plants… and you. At least you should be. If you are not hydrated sufficiently, your body can not function at its highest level. Why do you think athletes drink water between every shift?
Think of a cell in your body like it was a grape…plump, juicy and full of energy. What happens when you dehydrate a grape? It becomes shriveled, tough, wrinkly and sticky. The good nutrition struggles to go into the cell, but worst of all, the bad stuff struggles to get out, and you’re left feeling tired and stressed.
By simply knowing how much water to drink for your body type, might be the shift you need to burn off unwanted body fat.
2. You Choose The Wrong Diet Plan. How Do I Know The Right One To Choose?
Every day it seems, someone is sprouting the latest and greatest diet plan. No wonder the population is messed struggling to maintain weight loss. First of all, I like to look at the word DIE T. It’s spelt with die to a tee (sorry, bad joke). Over the years, the word diet had lost all meaning and effectiveness. But in essence, when you are dieting, it can be a good diet or it can be a bad diet. How can you tell the difference?
Firstly, is it one that you can stick to? Secondly, does it make sense? Thirdly, who created it and what are they trying to sell you? And last but not least, what is it depriving you of?
At Onebody Wellness, we don’t like to deprive you of your favourite foods. We make them part of your nutrition plan and keep it simple. The easier it is for you to stick to, the greater your chances are of long term success.
3. Making Fat The Enemy. You Have Been Fed Lies….Sort Of ? Say What???
If you’ve been steering clear of dietary fat due to the fact that the low fat diet fad has brainwashed you into believing that consuming fat equates to you getting fat, then I’ve got some news for you.
The proper varieties of fats are, in fact, extremely challenging for your body to convert into body fat because they’re regarded as ‘functional’. Meaning that your entire body has a use for them in developing strong cell structure and hormone enhancement. In fact, not only will healthy and balanced fats certainly not make you fat, but also they will essentially promote fat reduction. Keep your fat consumption to about 30% of your daily calories, but snack throughout the day on things such as fresh, unsalted nuts and natural peanut butter for you to seriously crank up the fat burning.
4. There’s A Very Good Chance Your Hormones Are Outta Whack
When your hormones are out of balance, it’s hard for your body to burn fat and tone muscle. Quite often our body’s are at war with themselves with everything being out of balance. Using a proper nutrition plan, exercise regime and mental strategy, you can bring your body into a harmonious state, giving yourself the best chance to reach your goals quickly and for the long haul.
5. Have You Heard, ‘You Need To Eat Less To Lose Weight’?
So many people think they need to eat less to lose weight. To an extent, when you eat less, yes, you will lose weight, but most definitely it will be the wrong kind of weight. You will lose muscle first, then water, then fat. But your metabolism will drop drastically and the losses will be short lived.
To increase your fat burning, you need to fuel and build your muscles properly to keep your metabolism sky high. Make sure you eat the right foods, and more of them, to burn more fat.
To start determining how much you need to eat, you need to find out how many calories your body needs just to function properly (your Basal Metabolic Rate). We here at OneBody programs give you this information to help you get started.
6. Training Is Not About Pushing As Hard As You Can Until You Vomit
When it comes to training, harder isn’t better, more isn’t better and back to back sessions don’t help.
There are group functional training gyms that encourage you to do back to back sessions. Many people that I have spoken to that have done this, have always ended up burning out or getting injured. This defeats the purpose of getting fitter and losing body fat.
At one stage, I contemplated turning my studio into a Cross ✝️ – Fit Rehabilitation Centre with all the injuries that people were sustaining in their boxes. All of those injuries were unnecessary but we helped them get back on track.
If your exercises are causing you to lose muscle, if you’re doing long slow cardio, if you’re tired all the time, if you’re not giving yourself enough time to recover, then you’re asking for long term aches and pains.
As opposed to running and other long cardio for two hours that burns calories for maybe 2 – 3 hours, and causes joint problems, early aging and hormonal imbalances. We have been training clients for 23 years, and have learned a thing or two about how people respond to certain exercises and how to get great results. Our programs are designed to tone muscle and burn body fat for 24 – 48 hours so you lose fat, not just weight.
7. Not Setting Goals That Will Inspire You To Grow
Most of the time, we set weight loss goals for things like upcoming holidays, weddings and the like. This isn’t a bad thing, but it does leave a lot of room for error.
Believe it or not, there is an art to writing goals. Not just fitness goals, but goals for everyday life, business life and anything in between.
Most of us have heard of the SMART goal principle Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Based. These are good, but not great. At OneBody Wellness and Transformation, we teach you how to create goals worth being excited about. How much more likely are you to achieve a goal if you’re excited about it?
The benefits of having the right knowledge, plan and team behind you is invaluable. Once you learn how your mind and body respond to the correct exercise and nutrition. Getting the body you want can happen on auto pilot.
Over the years I have helped thousands of men and women around Australia and all over the world. I come across many that get swept up in the latest fad or craze. Many of which are very dangerous. Just because a celebrity says it works, doesn’t mean it that it will.
If you have been reading the strategies contained within this article and heard yourself at any point say, “I know!”
“STOP!”
As Stephen R. Covey famously said, “To know and not to do is really not to know.”
If your body is lean, defined, toned and energetic then ‘yes’ you know your strategies and have a great plan.
However, if looking in the mirror is as frightening as a Friday the 13th movie, and you’re in dire need of shifting how you feel about yourself, I urge you to take the steps to get the education required to make your body look and feel the way you want and deserve..
It is simply not enough to ‘know,’ you must apply the right information diligently and consistently.
So, if you’re ready to address all 7 issues, plus countless others that can have a dramatic impact on your health and fitness, CLICK HERE and get yourself a FREE Breakthrough Strategy Session to get you on the right path of health and wellness
At OneBody Wellness and Transformation, we specialise in helping busy women drop fat and tone muscle quickly and for the long run. Call Today for a quick 5 -10 minute chat
The Best Exercise Equipment for Your Home Workout
When it comes to exercising at home, the key to a successful workout is the quality of the exercise equipment you’re using – not the quantity.
At the beginning of a new fitness regime or lifestyle change, it’s very easy to get a bit carried away and fill up the spare room at home with as many pieces of equipment that you can fit in.
However, before you go and purchase a brand-new rowing machine online to go with your new exercise bike, do your research, namely what are you trying to achieve with your fitness.
Your personal and fitness goals will determine which pieces of equipment are the most appropriate and relevant for your workout sessions at home.
However, there are some staple pieces of equipment that will benefit your fitness at home irrespective of what your individual goals are.
1. Adjustable Dumbbells: Dumbbells are perfect for toning and strengthening your chest, shoulders and triceps. Through investing in adjustable pair of dumbbells as opposed to five different sets of varying weights, you can not only save space but you will be able to physically see the progress of your workout as you increase the weights on your dumbbells.
2. Skipping Rope: If burning 10 to 16 calories a minute sounds appealing, then grab yourself a good quality jump rope to add to your fitness equipment. Jumping rope also improves cardiovascular activity and bone density which is even more reason to incorporate this into your home fitness routine. The best thing about a skipping rope, is that it takes up hardly any room!
3. Yoga Mat: Don’t skimp on comfort if you’re working out at home and allow yourself a bit of luxury for any floor work. Ensure your yoga mat is non-slip, even if you intend to do some workouts on carpet or grass outdoors. Purchasing a high quality non-slip yoga mat will be more versatile in use and you find you will use it more if you don’t have the slippage issue to worry about.
4. Resistance Bands: Another fantastic and compact addition to your home workout equipment collection are resistance bands. Resistance bands help to strengthen and build muscles with a huge variety of exercises available that you can find online or discuss with your personal trainer.
5. Fit/Swiss Ball: This is the ‘largest’ piece of equipment that should find it’s way into your home but with so many options available on how you can use your fit ball, it’s versatility in use for exercise will pay off in no time. Establishing a structured mini-work out around your fit ball will improve core strength and stability and is a low impact way to train with focus on one of the most important elements of working out – stretching.
Do you want to learn more about creating an eating plan or an exercise routine that will boost your results? Let’s get started towards your fitness goals. Chad of the OneBody Wellness and Transformation team specialises in female body toning and weight loss success and would be more than happy to talk to you about your personalised home workout plan. Click here to know more.
The Top 5 Free Fitness Apps
No matter how determined we are, sometimes we need a little bit of extra help when it comes to our
fitness.
One of the best motivators for fitness is tracking and seeing actual progress which is where Fitness Apps
come in extremely handy!
We have sourced the top 5 fitness apps which help keep things on track and fun at the same time:
Sworkit: 25 million users can’t be wrong and that’s why Sworkit is on the list as one of the best apps to
help with fitness, no matter what your fitness level or experience. With an extensive library and
collaboration of video workouts that range from 5-15 minutes in length, Sworkit allows users to exercise
when they want and where they want.
Jefit: This is a complete workout training platform where you can create personalized workout routines,
record your training logs and analyze your workout data to help you understand your progress and work
towards improving your overall fitness. These include programs that can be tailored for gym workouts
with programs for fitness machines, weights and cardio workouts.
Pocket Yoga: Fitness doesn’t just have to be kept to running and cardio, yoga is one of the most
effective forms of exercise in regards to stretching, breathing techniques and overall emotional well-
being. You can choose from a range of levels starting from beginner through to advanced and the app
allows you the flexibility in selecting your own style of yoga exercises, all from the convenience of your
pocket!
Strava: Strava is Swedish for ‘strive’ and is also a great app for those who are a bit more on the
competitive side but also enjoy the challenge and comradery of ‘training’ with others. You can record
your activity and results where it will then appear on your Strava feed and can be seen by others in the
network. It’s a fantastic platform for athletes, professional or amateur, who thrive on training within a
community which can share fitness tips, compare results and offer encouragement.
Runkeeper: Boasting the promise that Runkeeper is a ‘top running app and a community that helps
people get out the door and stick with running’, this fitness app is extremely user friendly with it’s
functions to track your training and generally keeping its users motivated. Not just for runners, this can
be used for walking, hiking – any activity that keeps you moving.
Do you want to learn more about creating an eating plan or an exercise routine that will boost your energy, muscle and tone while losing weight? Let’s get started towards your fitness goals. Chad of the OneBody Wellness and Transformation team specialises in female weight loss success and would be more than happy to talk to you about your personalised wellness and fitness plan. Click here to know more.
Craig M Talks About His 4kg+ Weight Loss
We all love to hear from clients who are doing well with their training and getting great results. But what happens when that number on the scale just doesn’t move despite all your best efforts?
Craig M from Hollywell has been training consistently and getting fantastic results. He’s losing centimetres, he’s building strength, his clothes fit more comfortably, but he’s not happy with the number he sees on the scales.
Can you relate?
Make sure you watch the video above to find out more about how he shifted things and got a great number change on the scales in only 6 days.
Do you want to learn more about creating an eating plan or an exercise routine that will boost your results? Let’s get started towards your fitness goals. Chad of the OneBody Wellness and Transformation team specialises in toning and weight loss success and would be more than happy to talk to you about your personalised wellness and fitness plan. Click here to know more.
5 Habits to Lose Fat While Gaining Muscle
Is there an effective way to lose weight while gaining lean muscle? Reducing fat means consuming fewer calories than you’re burning. Dropping kilos means that you might lose lean muscle together with fatty deposits. You need to be smart in terms of losing weight since you need lean muscle mass to perform physical activities like exercising.
It’s a fact that muscle burns more calories than fat, hence, having less muscle slows your metabolism as well. Once you lose that hard-earned muscle mass along with fat, it will become a bit more difficult to reduce weight the proper way. Don’t worry since there are ways to preserve lean muscle while you reduce weight.
1.) Stimulate Your Muscles Through Working Out
Working out will definitely maintain your muscle mass, but you need to be consistent so your body will continue to build it and make it toned and firmer. So, if you’re on a low-calorie diet but you’re not doing resistance training then you might add more fat than muscle. According to a 2015 Harvard study, lifting weights is a better fat-reducing technique compared to cardio exercises.
Your Muscle-Building Fix: You don’t need to lift weights on a daily basis. Reserve two intense weight-lifting session that will incorporate whole body movements such as squats and deadlifts. Determine how much you can lift so you can gauge the volume of reps per set.
2.) Consume the Right Amount of Calories
Once your body enters a starvation mode, you won’t be able to gain and sustain muscle mass and can add fat in the process. Eating an ample amount of calories will help maintain your metabolic rates. In a nutshell, you need enough energy not to go in starvation mode in order to perform physical activities.
Your Muscle-Building Fix: We recommend that you consume around 500-1,000 calories of protein from your current daily intake. This will help you maximize muscle-building while losing fat. Keep in mind to keep your daily calories intake about half your daily need and half for your exercise activity.
3.) Minimise your Cardio Exercises
Do you think spending an hour on the treadmill or elliptical for an hour will only make you reduce fat? Your hard-earned muscle might be compromised spending too much time on the treadmill. This is what makes weightlifting exercises very effective in building lean muscle mass since cardio doesn’t engage muscle fibers in movements.
Your Muscle-Building Fix: We’re not saying cardio exercises aren’t good, it’s a matter of doing them at a moderate pace. Schedule low-intensity cardio exercises 2-3 days weekly, and then schedule high-intensity cardio intervals to shock your system and protect your muscle as well.
4.) Observe your Post-Workout Action Plan
A post-workout plan is as important as your weight loss action plan. So where do you start? After a grueling yet fulfilling session at the gym, it’s important to refuel with the right food for your muscle fibers to recover. Aside from proper nutrition, you need ample sleep for your body to recover and build muscle overnight. Both aspects are important when it comes to the actual muscle-building process.
Your Muscle-Building Fix: Make sure to consume a high-quality protein meal after your workout. This will enable your body to replenish nutrients and send amino acids to your muscles. Also, keep in mind that you need 7-8 hours of sleep for your muscle to begin repairing itself and even building new ones as well.
One of the principles of weight loss isn’t only about how much you eat but what you eat as well. In a 2015 study, people went on a low-calorie diet for a month and those who consumed more protein decreased their body fat around 27 percent. It’s because the protein found in meats, eggs, and poultry which contain essential amino acids to build and sustain lean muscle mass.
Your Muscle-Building Fix: Consuming 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight will sustain your lean muscle gains. The idea here is to spread out your protein throughout the day and include in each meal.
Let’s get started towards your weight loss, lean muscle-building and fitness goals. The OneBody Wellness team have more than 40 years experience coaching clients on fitness, health and wellness and would be more than glad to talk to you about your fitness goals. For a chat, Click Here to know more.
5 Simple Ways to Boost your Metabolism
Nature works in different ways. This goes the same for every person’s body and metabolism. Each of us vary in terms of metabolic rates since we do different types of work, some would be glued to their office chair most of the time and some would be doing more labourous work.
So why do some people easily gain weight and others have a difficult time gaining some?
Metabolism is our body’s own “personal trainer. It’s a process that works naturally to support you in shedding unwanted fat and burning calories. Enzymes in your cells break down food then convert it into energy. This enables your heart to keep on beating, your mind to thinking whenever you’re at work, or even when you engage in a group exercise class.
The idea here is that metabolism is a subjective matter. The faster a person’s metabolism works then the more she can burn those calories. It also means that the more you burn then the easier it is to shed those kilos off.
Here are 5 simple yet effective ways to improve your metabolism:
1.) Start your Day with a Hearty Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The big idea here though is the quality and quantity of your food in the morning. Always keep in mind that a hearty breakfast is better since it will make you full for hours and prevent you hop on starvation mode.
A combination of lean protein coupled with complex carbohydrates and healthy fats is what works best. The old reliable would be hard-boiled eggs and cup of oatmeal. You can also add some berries and a teaspoon of omega-3 fish oil. Remember to consume a quantity that will make you full for the next few hours even before thinking about lunch.
2.) Remember Fiber
It’s a best practice to include vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. This will enable your body to flush out toxins more easily. The idea here is that consuming organic fruits and veggies are considered more effective since they are grown without pesticides. These chemicals block your thyroid function. Your thyroid is your body’s personal thermostat and gauges how fast your metabolism runs. Whether it’s organic produce or not, it is a must to have your greens during lunch and some fruits to complement your breakfast.
3.) Strength Training
Did you know that muscle weighs more than fat which means it uses more energy as well? Most women in their 30s and 40s tend to increase their resting metabolism by 100 calories per day through strength training. This can be achieved spending 40 minutes twice a week for 3-4 months. The great thing about training twice weekly? It keeps your thermostat running at an ideal rate even if you don’t visit the gym daily.
4.) Make Calories Work for You
It’s a fact that if you trim those calories in your diet plan, it will deliberately affect your metabolism. The body’s metabolic process will think that times are lean and puts a hold on fat-burning to conserve energy. The solution would be to eat enough calories at least to match your resting metabolic rate. It’s a tricky situation but keep in mind that eating the right food, which give you sufficient calories is key to making those calories work for you.
5.) Protein First
Do you even wonder why your personal trainer promotes a protein-packed diet for you? It’s because your body digests protein more slowly compared to carbohydrates. A high-protein meal also boosts your metabolism. During thermogenesis, your body uses around 10% of its calorie intake for digestion, which means it takes longer to burn protein than fat or carbs. With this in mind, your body tends to expend more energy-absorbing nutrients in a high-protein diet.
Do you want to learn more about creating a diet plan or a exercise routine that will boost your metabolism? Let’s get started towards your fitness goals. The Team at The Naked Truth Fitness would be more than happy to talk to you about your personalised eating plan. Click here to know more.
Busting 4 Common Myths of Strength Training for Women – PART 1
In regards to strength training for women there are so many myths floating around it’s not even funny. These myths make it so hard for any woman to know exactly what to do when it comes to exercise, in particular strength training, to get the best results. This is when confusion and disappointment sets in, as their goals are not achieved.
In part 1 of myths of strength training for women we look at the following four topics:
• Strength training will make you bulk up
• High repetitions, low weight will work
• Strength training for women should be different to men
• You can spot reduce fat
There is a lot of information out their which is not fact at all and leads women in all sorts of directions. Here, we answer all those myths to set you back on track. Strength training is actually pretty straight forward if you know the research backed facts about strength training and get rid of all the false information.
Myth 1: Strength training will make you bulk up
We hear this time and time again; no you will not bulk up and become the muscly hulk that you think weight or strength training will cause you to become. There are specific reasons why females cannot do this and if they are, then they must be taking something to cause them to look that way, it is just not a natural phenomenon amongst females.
So, why is it that females cannot bulk up like our male counterparts? Well, females do not have the testosterone levels that males do. Sometimes, males do not even have the amount of testosterone needed to develop that hulk looking physique we know you are all thinking about.
Testosterone is the male sex hormone responsible for the increase in muscle size and mass in males and as females we only have the smallest amount of this hormone. The female sex hormone is estrogen, which we have heightened levels of and controls the feminine aspects of our bodies, which ensures a lean and toned physique rather than excessively large muscles. Yes we will get strong, but not big!
Lightweights induce muscular endurance where as heavy weights will induce muscular strength, which causes your muscles to get stronger and not necessarily bigger. The stronger your muscles, the higher your metabolism and thus the more calories they will burn. The fat layered on top of your muscles will be burned and reveal your muscles to give you that ‘toned’ look. A pound of muscle tissue takes up less room in your body than a pound of fat tissue does, an of course it is more metabolically active (think calorie furnace) than fat too!
Remember ladies; strength training is great for that lean toned look and you will definitely not become bulky and too muscly. All toned females will participate in some form of strength training to allow their bodies to develop that way. If you too want to get lean and toned, start strength training today!
Myth 2: High repetitions, lightweights will work
Many ladies think that lifting heavy weights will not allow them to loose weight or body fat, rather light weights, low sets with high repetitions is what has been drilled into everyone. Even some personal trainers believe this, which according to research is not right. By strength training with lightweights for high repetitions you are only training your muscles for endurance and not building your muscles up for strength. Strength is where the calories are burned, as you need more muscle to do so. Heavy weight for low repetitions with build new muscle tissue and increase strength.
Lifting heavy weights for lower repetitions and high sets is much better. As we have mentioned, heavy weights are what will build and develop your muscles to be stronger and more efficient. This means you will have greater muscle mass, higher metabolism, greater capacity for burning calories during and post workout and thus reduce body fat all at the same time. The leaner someone is, the higher their metabolism. Essentially, building and strengthening muscle is important for your metabolism, which will help regulate and manage your weight.
So change your ways and stop fretting about walking past the cardio section and into the weights room. Try to opt for heavy weights not light; unless you are training your muscle t endure something or a long period of time the lightweights are not doing you any good in achieving your weight and fat loss goals. Even if you are a little older, lifting heavy relative to the maximum amount of weight you can lift for one repetition will get you to where you need to be in regards to managing your weight. A little more muscle wont hurt; in fact it will keep you lean, strong and more able to participate in the things you love for longer as you get older! Not a bad reason to lift heavier than usual.
Myth 3: Strength training for women should be different to Men
Again, the answer is no. There is no reason as to why female’s strength training should be any different to males. That ladies, is a definite myth. Yes, we may not have the ability to lift as much in some cases but it does not mean the exercises we use to strengthen and build our muscles should be any different. Think lunges, squats, overhead presses, deadlifts, push-ups, pull-ups and many more. Men can do these and so can women. While males will quite possibly do these types of exercises to get bigger muscles, females can do them too but instead develop lean, dense, tight and toned muscles to get that look most females are looking for.
Again, those sex hormones testosterone and estrogen play a big role in how the male and female body responds to strength exercises. Yes there are women specific programs, but that is only to do with the small programing differences needed for women to get he best results more efficiently, not necessarily in the types of exercises.
It is all about the woman’s goals whilst training in the gym, doing heavy lifts may be appropriate for eth female involved and if it is the best way to achieve that goal then by all means she should lift heavy and utilise the same exercises that a man might. Its not about your sex or gender, it is about your goals. Women have just as much of a right as men do to be in the weights rooms. Unfortunately it is common for men to dominate this area yet so many women can benefit from the effects of strength training. So, move over guys the ladies are coming through!
Myth 4: You can spot reduce fat
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately not ladies, spot reducing is impossible. Fat will deposit where it wants to deposit and all you can do is eat and exercise correctly and hope that the fat from those areas will be burnt, as fat storage around the body is genetically predisposed. Your genetics may be programed to store fat in certain areas first and thus when loosing fat, come off other areas first, say arms, then legs, them stomach, then chest and then your bottom. But everyone is different and this order of where fat is lost or gained first varies. No amount of targeted exercise will alter how your fat disappears.
What you can do to help yourself is eat well and strength train to increase muscular toning and reduce fat by recruiting lots of muscles and burning more calories.
Your diet and eating habits contribute 80 – 90% of your fat loss and thus focusing on what you are eating an when if an important factor. In combination with strength training you will see the best results.
By increasing your muscle mass you will have a leaner more toned looking physique in the particular areas you’re looking to target. With more muscle comes an increased metabolism, which will influence the burning of fat, which can aid in reducing whole body fat percentage, but not target specific areas. The best types of exercises to induce this effect are compound exercise. Compound exercises are those that utilise the whole body as they activate major muscle groups as well as the smaller stabilizing muscles.
Four common myths on strength training for women, BUSTED! Ditch the myths and follow the facts, and you should notice a difference in how your body responds. Make sure you read part two of myths of strength training for women answered to find out more on what other information you have been told that is not fact but fiction and ruining your success.
Eat Naughty, Feel Great and Eating Healthy
Throw away your tickets to the guilt trip
eating healthy and tim tams
I know there are many times when I’m trying to make positive behaviour changes to my eating healthy and exercise habits, I’m constantly been tempted by your favourite ‘poor food’ or ‘treat’. One of my favourite foods are tim tams by the way.
Knowing you must stay on the ‘straight and narrow’ to reach your goals I tend to force myself not to eat these foods for days or even months. But then, something happens which always seems to make me lose control and I succumb to the temptation demons and eat a little bit…
This tends to make me feel so guilty that I decide I may as well have some more… I think to myself well ‘well I’ve already gone off the wagon so what’s the point?’ Then before you know it I feel like a failure for slipping up, and find myself tearing into mouthful after mouthful . Stricken with guilt, then I decide to hammer myself in the gym for hours… and then the cycle continues over the next week…
I have a feeling I’m not alone in completing this vicious cycle on a regular basis. Does this sound familiar to you?
When everything in our lives is going smoothly, it’s easier to stick to our nutrition plans and avoid temptation, but when the going gets tough and there’s different stresses and other priorities coming to the fore, we’re more likely to give into our sugar cravings. Stress, anxiety or unexpected events such as work, sick family members, emotional encounters or who knows, even things like traffic jams and stubbing your toe – can all contribute to a lapse in positive
behaviour changes. But the guilt you feel and the punishment you inflict on yourself from one small indulgence keeps you ‘trapped’ in this vicious cycle of not eating healthy. You end up feeling constantly miserable and deflated; it all feels like too much hard work and the cycle ultimately and unfortunately can cause you to give up on your goals.
This does not have to be the case: to break this cycle, you simply need to admit that it’s okay to indulge once in a while. Yes, that’s right, accept that from time to time, you will give into
your temptations – but instead of feeling guilty, enjoy it… enjoy every single millisecond and let go of the guilt!! Let yourself know that it’s okay to have the treat and get back to eating healthy. If you are constantly in a state of denial and restriction it will make the treat seem so much more desirable. Instead of saying ‘I can’t eat that’ or ‘I’m not allowed to eat it’, say to yourself ‘I choose not to eat this’. You are then in control.
Now I’m not saying you should allow yourself a ‘treat’ every single day just to feel happy and emotionally balanced; more so, you need to accept that making positive behaviour changes takes consistent effort over time. Since some habits may have been built up throughout your
entire life, there’s no denying there will be a few that will be difficult to control or eliminate completely, it just takes a bit of patience and will power.
The important thing to remember is that a lapse in positive behaviour is completely normal. However, once you’ve made a decision to change, don’t let your emotions or any lapses send you way off track. It’s okay if you encounter some speed bumps along the way, just don’t veer off the track.
When you can release yourself from the guilt you can potentially attach to these lapses in discipline and begin focusing more on your strengths, it will become easier to stop at the portion you’ve allowed yourself and without further ado get straight back into your balanced
eating and exercise habits.
This ‘No Guilt Zone’ allows you to get off the emotional rollercoaster that is denial and gorging and stay ‘put’ on the path to achieving your goals. Seeking the support of your family and friends will also help ensure that you don’t go over the designated portion size you
originally set for yourself.
By jumping straight back into your routine, your new behaviours will become more and more ingrained and soon you will be encountering less and less speed bumps. Simply acknowledge your craving and decide what you’re going to do about it. Remind yourself of your goals often and whatever you decide, ensure you take control of the situation and
don’t let your emotions control you.
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How to Get Your Fitness Back After Pregnancy
Many women understandably worry about getting their body back into tip-top shape after having giving birth to a new-born baby. However, when you combine this with the pressures and stresses that come with being a mum, it can become particularly challenging to get that pre-baby body back. It’s important to remember that getting back into shape isn’t something you can rush. Remember, it’s taken about 40 weeks for you to gain the extra body fat that comes with pregnancy and your body has done the amazing job of growing your baby and bringing it into the world, so naturally you need some to recover.
Before you get back into the swing of exercise again, it is important to get the okay from your doctor and the time that you need to wait before starting again can vary between 6 to 12 weeks. This largely depends on whether you have had a natural birth or caesarean. With a new baby to look after, finding the time to do a few sets in the gym can be tough, but not impossible, as long as you are prepared to make it a priority and remember to follow a healthy eating plan. These will also be hugely beneficial as your baby grows up with the same habits
from an early stage in their life.
The specific focus for new mums should be to strengthen and tighten the muscles that have been stretched out during their pregnancy and childbirth. These are the muscles in the abdominals and pelvic floor. It’s usually best to start easy and gradually increase the intensity
as you go along. Try starting out with some gentle tightening exercises for these areas simply by sucking in and contracting the muscles, while keeping a deep, breathing rhythm going throughout the contraction. You must ensure that you avoid any kind of crunch exercise for the first 6 weeks whilst the muscles repair and focus more on these stabilising exercises. When you strengthen your pelvic floor, you will help to prevent any urine leaks while you’re
exercising.
Each day, make a goal to try and complete a short walk, it can be a good opportunity to help introduce your baby to the world via a stroller. Walking will increase your circulation and give your body another type of gentle workout, similar to the stabilising pelvic floor and abdominal exercises mentioned earlier. Being out and about with your baby can improve your mood as well as your fitness. Two birds, one stone. Have a go at starting off with short 10 to 15 minute
walks, then attempt to build up to about an hour of walking at a steady, consistent pace. If you can do this at least four days a week, you will be well on your way to that amazing pre-baby body.
Focus on swinging your arms and legs in a more exaggerated way than you usually would, it will make your heart beat faster. Try to push yourself to get a little out of breath, but not losing so much so that you can’t hold a conversation. See if you can find a local new mums
group or grab a friend to walk with – this will help to stay accountable to your exercise program and keep the routine from getting to monotonous.
Remember, that if you’re breastfeeding, always exercise after feeding your baby or express before you exercise. Exercising with full breasts can be quite uncomfortable. It can be a great idea to wear a sports bra over your maternity bra for extra support. New mum’s who are breast feeding should realise that performing high intensity exercise can cause a lactic acid build in the body, which ultimately alter the taste of the breast milk and therefore receptivity of the baby. You can relax, no harm will be caused to the baby though and is it advised to stay with a low to moderate level of exercise intensity. In summary, below the anaerobic threshold, as this will not have any impact on taste or receptivity of breast milk to the baby.