Every Step Fitness

Hands up if you’re an over-thinker? Do you worry about past mistakes or current stresses, do you run through the various possible outcomes of every decision you take? Are you constantly asking what if? Do you over-analyse situations and social interactions – so and so didn’t smile when I said hello at the gym today… what have I done? Doesn’t she/he like me anymore? Have I annoyed them? … etc. This kind of dissecting, over-analysing and over-thinking can lead to a spiral of negative thinking and self doubt.

For some it’s worries about present situations or actions which may lead to negative outcomes in the future, for others it may be worrying endlessly about things that have happened in the past, or over-analysing situations and experiences or even linking one bad thing to all the other bad things that have ever happened in your life. All this can result in feelings of anxiety, sadness and even depression. When you focus on everything that can go wrong, it’s hard to think about all the things that have gone right.

So if you find yourself doing this then you are also an over-thinker or ruminator. Studies have linked this pattern of thinking (if left unchecked) to anxiety, depression and ill health. And girls, I’m afraid we’re far more likely to behave like this than men.

So my hand is firmly up. I’m an over-thinker. I over-analyse, I dwell, I re-think, I run through hundreds of scenarios in my head, I agonise over decisions (most decisions!)… Most people may not believe me, but those closest to me know this to be true. As an over-thinker, and a sensitive one at that, I’m prone to obsessing over things – reading things in to situations or interactions that aren’t actually there. We all try to stay positive right? but I’d be lying if I said I never have negative thoughts – we all do – it’s natural. It’s how you respond to them and whether you let them take over your thinking that matters.

Being an over-thinker isn’t a bad thing in itself. It doesn’t make you a bad person. In fact psychological studies have shown that many over-thinkers are lovely, intelligent, caring people who truly value relationships and care very deeply for the people in their lives – which is one of the reasons they over-think. Sadly though the worrying, constant need for reassurance, obsessive behaviour and anxiety can push those very people away which further isolates over-thinkers and can spiral into serious anxiety and depression. But this is not something that can simply be switched on or off, if you are an over-thinker (on any level) then it’s a pattern of thinking that requires a lot of work to get out of. If you know an over-thinker be compassionate to that – they may drive you crazy but it’s coming from a place of love, self doubt and insecurity – do your best to support them through it and maybe share some of these tips with them.

These tips are based on personal experience and pyschological research. If you feel you have a tendency to over-think then give them a try.

Admit you are an overthinker and forgive yourself

It sounds like a cliche but the first step to addressing any problem is admitting that you have it. There’s a scale there from those who might just obsess over things from time to time, through to people who find that anxiety about the future is actually stopping them enjoying the present. So if you are somewhere on this scale then yep, welcome to the club, you’re a ruminator too 🙂 If you’re not sure – ask your closest friends or family – they’ll know.

Now forgive yourself. This pattern of thinking is hard-wired in to the brain. Thoughts and memories are linked – that is the way the brain works, and so when something triggers those links it can easily lead to a series of negative thoughts and memories that have little to do with the original trigger e.g. when you drop your shopping and break the eggs, on the same day you got stuck in traffic, it’s raining, it was raining all weekend, you didn’t get the gardening done, you burnt the toast, forgot to call your friend, you’re a failure, no wonder you have no friends, in fact you deserve to have no friends, you’re rubbish…. all you do is sit around doing nothing and wasting your life…….. etc etc

In actual fact few of those events in that example are directly linked, but once something triggers a bad mood or negative thought it becomes much easier to see connections that may not exist between all the bad events that have happened in your life. This pattern becomes learned – the more frequently you think like this the more likely you are to think like this again in the future – it’s a vicious cycle – but one that can be broken IF you’re aware of it.

What you can do to help break the pattern? Here are a few things that may help.

Exercise and keep busy

Exercise is a great way to both occupy the mind and make you feel happier. We all know that exercise releases endorphins (happy hormones!) so what better way to help bring you out of that negative thinking than leaping around for a bit! It doesn’t have to be organised exercise like a fitness class, you could go for a cycle, swim, even a brisk walk – the more absorbing and mentally stimulating it is the better though so it pulls you out of the obsessive thinking.

Just keeping the mind busy also helps – games and hobbies are great for this – arts and crafts, painting, gardening, jewelry making, sewing, baking, drawing, playing cards, even computer games, doing a jigsaw all help. Or how about something more social – join a local club or volunteer, you never know you may meet new people as a result too, and have some fun.

Talk less

I’m definitely guilty of this one – lots of overthinkers, especially women, want to talk it out when they’re feeling stressed or worried. Now this can help – so I’m not suggesting you don’t talk, but when you get to the point that you’re just rehashing the same stuff over and over again, dissecting every little detail for the umpteenth time then you may end up talking yourself into an even more negative frame of mind. This can be even worse if it’s two overthinkers talking together! You can easily lead each other into even more anxiety. Studies have shown a link between co-rumination amongst female friends and increases in the stress hormone cortisol.

So what can you do – well talk less is one option, or talk to someone who isn’t an overthinker – or at least doesn’t overthink WITH you and will let you talk through it but stop you before you end up rehashing everything over and over. You can also write it down, leave it for a while, then come back and read your thoughts/worries back to yourself out loud – you may find some of them seem a little silly once you do that and this will help you to dismiss them.

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Calm yourself

If you do find yourself starting to get anxious or over think then one simple thing to do to help is to calm yourself by focusing on your breathing. When your mind starts to race it can be hard to stop it racing to all the negative places so try to pause and breathe. There are lots of breathing techniques out there but one that’s easy and really works is the ‘4-7-8’ technique:

– breathe in through your nose for a count of 4

– hold your breath for 7

– breathe out through your mouth (making a whooshing sound) for 8

– repeat three or four times

By inhaling over a 4 counts you are taking in more oxygen, when you hold for 7 as much as possible of that oxygen will get in to your bloodstream initially, and then by exhaling for 8 you expel as much carbon dioxide as possible. This combats and shallow breathing and mild hyperventilation you may experience when you’re anxious or worrying and will calm you down.

Enjoy the present, be grateful and practice mindfulness

This may sound easier said than done but it’s one of the most important things you can do. The past is the past – you can’t change it, the future hasn’t happened yet so worrying about it isn’t going to help. Try to focus on today. One way to do this is to practice mindfulness. This is a form of meditation where you focus on the present moment, without dissecting or worrying about it. As obsessive, overthinking thoughts come in to your head you acknowledge them, then let them go. There are various techniques you can learn to help with this – find out more at the Mental Health Foundation Be Mindful site here (including online resources, courses and links loads of great resources). There are also other ways to practice mindfulness by being fully aware of your surroundings and what is around you every day, and there’s lots of information on the Action of Happiness site.

Another great little trick is to focus on the positive things in life, no matter how small they are. Those of you who are friends with me on facebook will no doubt be fully aware of the 100 Happy Days Challenge. It’s simple – you post a photo every day for 100 days of something that has made you happy that day – it can be anything – your morning cuppa, lunch with a friend, cuddles with the cat, absolutely anything. I’m nearly at day 400! I enjoyed it so much and found it was a brilliant way to record all the little things that make you smile – and when you’re feeling a bit low, or overthinking things you can go back and look at them and it will cheer you up. There’s more info at the 100 Happy Days Challenge site.

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I’ve also got a ‘Happy Jar’. It’s just a normal jar actually, nothing particularly happy about it but I keep a pad of paper and pen near it, and I jot down anything that’s made me smile, or any “good” things I want to record on the paper, fold it up and tuck it in the jar. At the end of the year I tip them all out and read them (a fab new year’s eve ritual) – it makes me smile, sometimes laugh out loud, and reminds me of some of the good or funny things that have happened over the year that I’d otherwise forget. I don’t do it religiously every day, it’s not meant to be a chore, but I record stuff as and when. And if you’re having a really bad day – reach in, unfold one of them and read it – it will probably make you smile 🙂 It’s a fantastic way of making you feel grateful for the little things in life, taking the focus away from the negative and helping when you are over-thinking – about anything!

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If you find over-thinking is taking over and you need more help then do talk to your GP about it, or you can find a local therapist from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

Nancy 🙂

(This article was originally published on Pureformfitness.co.uk)

Articles, Fitness and Exercise

How to get the best out of your exercise class or personal training session?

February 1, 2018September 19, 2018 Dr Nancy P

It sounds simple doesn’t – all you need to do is turn up and do the class, or turn up and be beasted by your trainer and you’ll get fitter. Well, yes, on some levels that’s true but you could be getting so much more out of your sessions. Have you ever wondered why your trainer or class instructor was telling you to do a particular exercise? Have you ever wondered if there was a different movement you could do that would get the same results? Maybe one that was less scary to try? Are you doing everything you can to maximise the benefits of your time spent working out? Here are a few tips. Now many of the things I mention here you may think only apply to personal training or one on one sessions but think about bringing them in to your exercise classes too – I promise you’ll see the benefits.

Be prepared

Ok so this may be an obvious one but you’ve got to be prepared for your session. This doesn’t mean a massive time investment or lots of thought, but just a few simple things. You don’t want to miss your session because you forgot to have your kit with you right? So make sure you have your kit with you or keep a spare set at work, or factor in the time you need to get home and get changed. I often hear people telling me they can’t make the evening classes at the gym as there isn’t time to get home, get changed, eat and get there after work. I get that – but if it’s a class you really want to do then the simple solution is to take your gym bag to work, have a high protein snack in it to eat on your way and head straight to the gym from work! Simple 😉

Being prepared also means preparing your body so hydrate well before you start – try to drink 500ml – 1 litre of water in the hour or so before you train or do your class, also do get some fuel in – something light and high in protein would be good (a protein shake, some nuts, a banana etc).

Be there

Yes you do actually have to be there 😉 Easier said than done though right? Life’s busy, things get in the way, the train’s delayed, the weather is pants – the last thing you fancy is getting in to some lycra and jumping around… now whilst it’s much harder to skip a personal training session (you will usually have to pay for cancelling last minute), exercise classes can be really easy to skip. The intention is there, you mean to go every Tuesday night… but… somehow you never make it…well start by actually scheduling it in to your diary – write it down, block out the time and make it a priority – not something you can choose to do or not. If it’s a class you enjoy then it’s important you allow yourself the time to go to it – it’s YOU time and it’s vital. Don’t arrange things for that time if you can possibly help it – treat it like a work meeting that you can’t just skip. If there’s a booking system at your gym – book in, it will make you far more likely to attend. And then once again, give yourself the time to get there.

Be present

So you’ve made it to your session – be it pump, aerobics, or a PT session. Now you have to actually be present. Again this is far easier in a PT scenario as if you start to zone out your trainer should notice and bring you back to the workout. In an exercise class it’s very easy to just go through the motions. You’ve made the effort to get to the session – so try to put everything else out of your mind – the shopping can wait, that big deal at work isn’t going anywhere, the kids are being looked after (presumably! 😉 ). Engage with the class – that doesn’t mean you have to sing, shout or respond when the instructor tries to get the class to join in, but just be focused on the workout in whatever way works for you. Some people like to be up front, singing, clapping, wiggling, connecting with the instructor… others prefer to focus on getting the moves right, watching their form in the mirror, or just enjoying the music – that’s all fine – whatever works for you!

Be open about your goals

If you’re having PT sessions then hopefully your trainer has discussed your goals with you – if they haven’t then you need a new trainer! But have you been completely open? Is there some crazy goal you actually want to achieve but are too scared to mention? Tell us. No goal is crazy, and no goal is wrong. Never exercised before but want to run a marathon? – fab! Regular weight lifter but really want to up your flexibility and master the splits? – also fab! Anything goes!

Fitness instructors and personal trainers do what we do because we want to help people reach their goals – that’s one of the biggest things I love about my job so we want to know what you’re trying to achieve. We want you to succeed 🙂

This doesn’t just apply to one on one sessions – talk to your group exercise instructor if you have specific goals. You may just find they’re able to give you some tips to help support your route to that goal in class and in turn you will start to get more out of the session. They may also be able to recommend other classes to try that will help you that you’d never thought of, or ways to modify moves etc. At the very least you’ll find another supporter who will be cheering you on your way 🙂

Be questioning

What’s the point of that exercise? Trainers and instructors love movement – we love how the body moves, we love what certain moves do for the body and we want to share that knowledge. Of course we also don’t want to bore you rigid in sessions harping on about it so we often hold back on the “why” – but if you want to know more – ask! Why is a knee repeater in bodystep such a powerful exercise? What does a plank actually do for me? Why am I doing a wide legged squat….? We are desperate to tell you why exercises are so great and what they will do for you – so ask!

“I don’t understand that exercise?” – tell me – if you don’t understand it, then I didn’t explain it well and if you’re in a class then I bet you’re not the only one thinking that. So you’ve done me a favour – I can now explain it another way and make sure everyone gets it. If it’s in a one on one session then this is even more important – remember that the PT session is YOUR time. Yes it’s about getting those reps done but it’s more important you understand the exercise and what you’re meant to be doing than just bashing them out for the sake of it.

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Be critical

I think I may be opening myself up for a whole world of abuse here.. but that’s good too 😉 Be critical – if you don’t like an exercise – say so. Chances are that if you don’t like it there’s a good reason for it and it might be a reason I can fix! So what don’t you like about it? Is it weird? Does it hurt? Do you feel like you’re rubbish at it? Lots of this can be fixed with some simple cues or explanation from your instructor or trainer or we can modify it for you. Maybe part of the reason you don’t like it is because it’s uncomfortable – so it could be I need to give you a modification, or suggest some other exercises that you could do outside the class or session to improve your joint mobility for this exercise. Do you feel like you’re just getting it wrong? Well I can spend some time with you at the end of class or whenever and we can go through it together to help you get it right. Do you feel the move is just too advanced for you? Well I can give you something else to try first to build up to it… Instructors are happy to do that – it only takes a few mins and if it makes you feel stronger and happier in class or your PT session then that’s brilliant!

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Be aware of your body

Most importantly be aware of pain. If something hurts – and I mean really hurts (not just the aching muscle/ mucle burn pain) then that’s not right and you need to tell us – the last thing we want to do is hurt you. We can probably modify things for you but we might also need to refer you to someone to check it out. Chances are we know a fair few physios, osteopaths, etc so can give you a personal recommendation. Or we may be able to refer you to another trainer with a special skill set.

In general though think about your body – so when you’re doing an exercise try to look at yourself in the mirror (yes, I know, as cringeworthy as that may seem). If you’re in a group exercise class try to position yourself so you get a glimpse in the mirror (even from the back), or if you’re in the gym and you’re near a mirror check out your form. Now if you’re doing a one on one you’ve got the trainer watching you but it never hurts to watch yourself too and see if what you think you’re doing translates to what you’re actually doing. In classes – take a look – if the instructor is telling you to keep your chest lifted, is it? Is your knee over your ankle? Is your butt in line with your shoulders etc etc It’s not vain to look at yourself – it’s sensible and will help you to become more body aware. More often than not our bodies just don’t do quite what we think they are doing and it takes are while for muscle memory to develop, so help it along by keeping an eye on yourself.

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So there you go – a few tips for getting even more out of your sessions. Working with a personal trainer or instructor should be just that – working WITH them – never be worried about starting up a conversation about the workout. It really is OK to ask questions, tell us that you like (or don’t like) certain exercises and, most importantly of all, tell us that something hurts. And if you don’t feel like you’re being listened to then find a new trainer, or another class! This is your leisure time so make it work for you! 🙂

Nancy 🙂

(This article was originally published on Pureformfitness.co.uk)

Articles, Nutrition

I’ve got a lovely bunch of… Coconut oil…

February 1, 2018September 10, 2018 Dr Nancy P

Coconut oil – it’s all the buzz right? Everyone is always saying how good it is… there are articles all over the web

about it being a super food… but it’s a saturated fat… so how can that be? Is it really that good for you? Is it actually super? I thought I’d do a little investigation and see…

But saturated fats are evil…

Coconut oil is a saturated fat – which in general we’ve been told we need to avoid right? In fact coconut oil is one of the richest sources of saturated fats, with almost 90% of the fatty acids in it being saturated. But recent studies have actually suggested that saturated fats aren’t as bad as they were once thought to be – a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which involved over 11,000 participants found no significant link between increased consumption of saturated fats and heart disease. More research is needed but that’s a good start. So you don’t need to be quite as scared of saturated fats as we once were.

At any rate coconut oil specifically is a pretty special kind of saturated fat because it contains medium chain triglycerides. Most fatty acids in foods high in saturated fats like cheese or steak etc are long-chain fatty acids. The medium-chain fatty acids are metabolised differently to long-chain ones. They are removed from the digestive tract and processed by the liver and used as a quick energy source, or converted into ketone bodies. This means there is less chance for them to be stored as fat in the body and are a great energy boost. There is also evidence that these ketone bodies may help in the treatment of epilepsy and Alzheimer’s (more on that later).

Anthropological studies of some populations of people who consume high quantities of coconut and coconut fat have found little or no evidence of heart disease and strokes e.g. South Pacific communities such as the Tokelauans and Kitavans (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Journal of International Medicine). These populations eat over 60% of their calories from coconuts and are the biggest consumers of saturated fats in the world, yet show very low rates of cardiovascular disease. That is further evidence that coconut oil isn’t all bad.

Energy Boost…

Medium-chain fatty acids are not only metabolised differently but can actually impact positively on energy expenditure. Studies have shown that medium-chain triglycerides from coconut oil can increase energy expenditure compared to the same amount of calories from long-chain fatty acids (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). In one other study (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition) just 15 – 30g of medium-chain triglycerides per day increased overall energy expenditure by 5%.

Anti-bacterial…

Fifty percent of the fatty acids in coconut oil is a fatty acid called Lauric Acid. This gets broken down in to a monoglyceride called monolaurin. Both lauric acid and monolaurin can kill bacteria, viruses and fungi (journal of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy) and studies have shown in particular that they can kill Staphlococcus Aureus (a very serious pathogen for humans – Journal of Bacteriology) and Candida Albicans – a common source of yeast infections in humans (Journal of Medicinal Food). There’s also some evidence that they can help in the treatment of acne (Journal of Investigative Dermatology)– but so far these are only in-vitro experiments so more research is needed, so don’t go coating your face in it just yet!

Cholesterol…

Lauric acid does however increase the levels of cholesterol in the blood more than any other fatty acid.. oh oh… that doesn’t sound good though right?

Well luckily most of the increase is in high-density lipoprotein (HDL or the “good” blood cholesterol”) – which is what we want. HDL’s are good because they remove excess cholesterol from the tissues and transport it to the liver. Here it’s converted in to bile salts which are then used by the digestive system to break down fats. LDL’s do the opposite – they transport cholesterol to tissues to be used to create cell membranes etc which is also great, until there are more LDL’s than the tissues need… which is when they start to dump cholesterol in the arteries resulting in reduced build up of fat in the artery walls. So HDL’s can prevent and even reduce atherosclerosis which means less risk of heart disease, strokes and other vascular diseases. Whoop whoop! As a result lauric acid has been characterised as having “a more favourable effect on total HDL cholesterol than any other fatty acid, either saturated or unsaturated” (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Much more research needs to be done but it’s certainly promising.

Feeling hungry?

Studies have also shown that coconut oil may reduce hunger, due to the medium-chain fatty acids it contains and the way they are metabolised (Journal of Obesity). Another study found that those eating more medium-chain fatty acids ate fewer calories overall each day, and those eating them for breakfast ate less at lunch (International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders and American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). These studies were short and with limited participants but if the effect were to last over the long term then it could have a significant influence on body weight and managing weight gain. So pop a little coconut oil in your morning smoothie to help curb those cravings.

Insides out…

It’s not just good for your insides, it’s good for your outsides too! It’s proven to help moisturise and increase the lipid content of dry skin (Journal of Dermatitis). It can also protect hair and skin from damage from the sun’s UV rays – blocking about 20% of the UV (Journal of Cosmetic Science). So do look out for skin and hair products which contain coconut oil. There’s also evidence that it can help prevent bad breath and improve dental health if used like a mouthwash (Indian Journal of Dental Research). Although swishing out your mouth with coconut oil doesn’t sound very pleasant, it could be used in addition to normal dental care routines.

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Epilepsy and Alzheimer’s…

As I mentioned earlier, the ketone bodies produced from eating coconut oil might help in treating epilepsy and Alzheimer’s. For those with drug-resistant epilepsy a very low carbohydrate, high fat diet is often prescribed. This leads to high concentrations of ketone bodies in the blood which is linked to a vastly reduced rate of seizures in these patients. Because the fatty acids in coconut oil are rapidly turned into ketone bodies it is often used in such cases (Journal of Nutrition, and Journal of Epilepsia).

Alzheimer’s is a disease of the brain in which there appears to be a reduced ability for certain parts of the brain to use glucose for energy. There has been speculation that ketones might be able to be used as an alternative energy source for these malfunctioning brain cells, therefore reducing the symptoms (BMC Neuroscience). A study conducted in 2006 (Neurobiology of Ageing) showed that consumption of medium-chain triglycerides immediately improved brain function in patients with milder forms of Alzheimer’s. Other studies have supported these findings and there are many studies now looking in to medium-chain triglycerides as potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (Nutrition and Metabolism, and Neurotherapeutics).

Waist shrinkage…

So coconut oil sounds pretty awesome so far right? but guess what – it gets better!

The fact that coconut oil can reduce appetite and increase fat burning means it can also help you lose weight. Specifically it seems like it may be effective at helping to reduce abdominal fat – fat which lodges in the abdominal cavity and around the internal organs. Waist circumference has been used as a good general marker for the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity. Accumulation of this type of fat has been linked to heart disease and strokes. A study in the journal Lipids studied obese women who had a predominance of fat in the abdomen. This was a blind study – half the group were given a placebo of bean oil, the other half were given 30ml of coconut oil a day, they all followed the same diet and walked 50 mins a day. All the participants lost weight and BMI over the 12 week study, but those taking the coconut oil showed a significantly larger reduction in weight and, specifically, their waist circumference dropped far more than the other group. In addition, those taking coconut oil showed reduced levels of blood cholesterol as well. A similar study on men, found a reduction of an inch in waist circumference after only 4 weeks of supplementing with coconut oil (30ml per day) (ISRN Pharmacology). Only an inch I hear you cry? Well yes but… this was with no change in exercise or restriction of calories… just the addition of coconut oil!

Now don’t get too excited and think that this means you can skip your gym session, stuff your face with chocolate and have a spoonful of coconut oil and your waist will disappear… sadly that’s not the case. What this means is that it would be a great idea to switch your current cooking oil to coconut oil, or pop a little in your pre-workout shake and continue with your workouts and sensible eating, and you will be simply boosting your efforts.

Super duper miracle food… or…

After reading all that, you could be forgiven for thinking – well Nancy you’ve just confirmed that coconut oil is indeed the super duper miracle food we’ve all read about on the internet… and well yes it is pretty cool… but it’s not perfect. When it comes to essential fatty acids coconut oil is pretty rubbish. It contains only small amounts of linoleic acid (omega-6) and zero linolenic acids (omega 3) – which we need! Of course no oil is perfect – olive oil also has little omega-3’s and is unstable at even moderate cooking temperatures, rapeseed (canola) oil is a partially oxidised oil (which means it’s rancid) which is linked to inflammation in the body. Palm oil isn’t great either – it’s a great vitamin A and other antioxidant source (but only in it’s natural unprocessed form), but it’s a highly saturated fat and is linked to insulin resistance and heart disease, and it’s production destroys thousands of acres of rainforest every year – so that’s not good…

So what does this mean? It means that coconut oil is NOT a superfood, but it’s also not terrible either. It’s a great thing to include as part of a varied diet. If you’re going to use it go for the Virgin Coconut oil and have a teaspoon in your shake, use it to make some yummy brownies, use it when you do a stir fry etc.. but if you’re having a salad then use a little olive or macadamia oil, throw some nuts in or add some flax seed or avocado. And don’t just shove spoonfuls of coconut oil in because you think it will do you good – it’s still calories! So the take home message it – mix it up. Variety is the spice of life!

Nancy 🙂

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(This article was originally published on pureformfitness.co.uk)

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Calories Count

January 31, 2018 Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Calories Count 📝

There’s so much info out there about what you ‘need’ to do to lose weight. Across all the fad diets, magic pills, super shakes and eating strategies only one method stands the test of time. It’s not trendy or marketable, has no fancy name, but it’s the core of why these diets work; energy management (calories in vs out).

All these diets appear very different on the surface; Low carb, paleo, Atkins, 5:2, bodycoach, slimming world, weight watchers etc all ultimately function on these principles. They restrict calories indirectly, giving you a list of foods that make it improbable you’ll be in a calorie surplus. Although you’re not counting calories, you’re often restricting them; cut carbs- you’re likely to end up cutting calories; follow a ‘syns’ or points system – you’ll cut calories; go paleo – you’ll be cutting food groups and calories.

If you manage your calorie intake to create a deficit, you WILL lose weight. This is supported by hundreds of scientific studies. It’s not coincidence or magic. Yes there are different ways of doing this – and yes there are things that influence how easy or hard it is to create that deficit eg hormonal differences impact on how food is digested and utilised, metabolic adaptations to training and dieting make accurately estimating energy requirements and expenditure difficult, and there are errors in both how we log the food we eat and the databases of calorie values we use. BUT that doesn’t change the fact that if you consume less energy than you expend – you will lose weight!

Does this mean you have to count and track calories? No, not if you don’t want to, but of all the methods out there it’s got the best chance of helping you understand what your energy requirements are and how much you need to consume. You can still do any diet that works for you, and choose to log or not log your calories – but when weight loss stalls it’s a great place to start. It’s still an approximation, and although you need to do some experimentation to find the perfect balance, it’s a verified way to approach your goals.

Happy Tuesday 🤗 xx

Recipes

Green Goodness Protein Smoothie

January 31, 2018January 31, 2018 Dr Nancy P

Starting today with this delicious, fully loaded, green glass of wonderfulness!

If you’re worried about the kale and spinach – don’t be – you can’t really taste them. They just give the smoothie a lovely freshness and of course are packed full of fab nutrients.

I made up a batch of smoothie to last a couple of days so this will serve 2 – 4.

You will need:

3 bananas

2 cups of Almond/Soya milk

4 Tbsp Vanilla protein powder (I use About time vegan protein powder)

generous handful of Spinach

generous handful of Kale

handful raw Cashews

1 Tbsp Cashew butter (just to add a little extra creaminess but you could just add more cashews)

1 cup Ice

Optional – a drizzle of coconut syrup if you need it

Blend in a high speed blender and serve!