Category: Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Processed ≠ Unhealthy 🥦🍗

There’s a common belief that processed food automatically means it’s ‘bad’. But is that really true?

Almost everything we eat is processed in some way. A processed food is simply any food that’s been altered from its original state, which means the majority of what’s in your fridge or cupboard qualifies.

That includes:

• Pre-cut fruit and veggies

• Frozen veggies

• Canned beans or fruit

• Boneless, skinless chicken

• Whole grain bread

These foods are technically processed, but that doesn’t make them ‘bad’ or unhealthy. Processing can actually make food safer, more convenient, and even more nutritious e.g. frozen spinach that retains its nutrients better than ‘fresh’ spinach sitting in your fridge for a week.

But what about ultra-processed foods?

Ultra-processed is more of a buzzword than a clear scientific category. Definitions vary widely across studies, and the term includes everything from chips and pastries to protein bars and shakes.

So, should you avoid them altogether?

Not necessarily. Many so-called ultra-processed foods are can be nutrient dense e.g protein powders, snack bars fortified cereals etc . So what is the real issue? Some ultra-processed foods are engineered to be hyper-palatable meaning they’re super tasty and easy to overeat, which can lead to excess calorie intake over time. That doesn’t make them ‘bad’, it just means we need to be mindful.

Here’s what matters more:

• The overall quality of your diet

• Whether you’re eating enough whole foods (lean protein, fruits, veggies, whole grains)

• Managing your portion sizes and total calorie intake

Bottom line? A healthy diet doesn’t have to be 100% ‘clean’ (a meaningless term). It’s okay to enjoy convenient, processed options, especially when they support your goals, save time, and help you stay consistent. So next time you hear the word processed don’t panic. Nutrition isn’t black and white. It’s about the big picture and that includes balance, flexibility, and a bit of common sense.

Happy Tuesday! 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: You won’t get ‘bulky’ 💪🏼

There’s a common fear, especially among women, that lifting weights will lead to getting “too bulky.” But is that really a justified concern?

Very few people naturally build extreme amounts of muscle and building visible muscle mass takes serious consistency, effort, and time. You don’t “accidentally” bulk up. It takes hours and hours in the gym every week. Building muscle does a lot for you (and getting bulky isn’t part of that!)

Here’s what the research says:

• Increased muscle mass improves metabolic health, even if you don’t lose fat. That means better blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity, and overall energy.

• Muscle slightly increases resting metabolism, but more importantly, it improves your body’s ability to train harder, recover better, and burn more energy overall.

• Resistance training reshapes your body – more definition, better posture, improved strength- regardless of the number on the scale

• While women may gain less absolute muscle than men due to hormonal and structural differences, they can build just as much relative muscle when training is consistent.

• Muscle doesn’t ‘turn into fat’ if you stop training, you just lose the stimulus and may retain water or gain fat if your diet doesn’t change.

Most people aren’t muscular enough to

‘accidentally’ look too big. In fact, building muscle gives you:

⁃ More shape

⁃ Better definition

⁃ Improved body composition

⁃ More freedom with food (because your body burns more!)

⁃ Long-term health benefits, including better aging and resilience

So if you’re still stuck in the mindset of always trying to get smaller, it’s time to think again. Think about building—not just muscle, but confidence, capability, and freedom. Muscle isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s protective. It’s empowering. And it’s one of the most underrated tools for aging well and living fully. And it definitely won’t result in you looking bulky!

Your future self will thank you.

Happy Tuesday! 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Muscle power vs strength 🏋🏻‍♀️

There’s a lot of talk online about lifting heavy, and while strength training is definitely valuable, it’s important to consider something even more important as we age: muscle power.

What’s the difference? Strength is about how much force your muscles can produce. Power is how fast they can do it. And when it comes to staying independent, functional, and to living longer muscle power matters more.

Research shows that declines in muscle power are more strongly linked to things like early death, difficulty climbing stairs, or even just getting up from a chair. One study found that for adults aged 45–75, lack of lower leg power was linked to a 35% higher mortality risk, compared to just 18% for strength. Another review of thousands of older adults showed that power explained more of the ability to perform everyday tasks than strength did. Even gentle, regular movement (like standing up quickly from a chair) is more closely linked to leg power than leg strength.

So what does this mean for your training? It means that if you’re only doing slow, heavy lifts and skipping speed or light, explosive movements you might be missing a trick. Power declines faster with age than strength does, and we need to train it to keep it.

Here are some simple ways to start:

⁃ Try timed sit-to-stands or fast (but controlled) bodyweight squats

⁃ Add light, high-speed movements to your workouts (medicine ball throws, step-ups with speed)

⁃ Break up long periods of sitting with quick bursts of activity

You don’t need a gym or fancy equipment, just a little intention and consistency. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be lifting heavier weights as well to help prevent muscle loss and preserve strength but maybe skip the “lift heavy or go home” mindset and try thinking about training for your future self. The one who wants to run for the bus at 70, play with grand children at 80, or get off the toilet without help at 90.

Invest in power now, your older body will thank you for it.

Happy Tuesday! 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Training for a Summer body? 👙

As we head towards summer there’s a lot of social media posts around talking about exercising to get your bikini or summer body. Now aside from the fact that, generally speaking, fat loss (which tends to be the real goal) is almost impossible to achieve from exercise (you need a calorie deficit) it’s also not an ideal goal.

The issue with training for a ‘summer body’
is that it’s merely a goal to be constantly slim or lean without any other performance goals attached. The standards are arbitrary and the likely result is that you’ll never feel slim enough. It’s hard to escape this desire to slim down for summer as it’s so pervasive in our society and we start buying into it from a very young age. Now that’s not to say that wanting to lose fat for summer is necessarily a bad thing or something you shouldn’t do – ultimately it’s your body and you can choose what you want to do with it. But if it’s a pressure you are trying to avoid then perhaps it’s worth considering replacing that summer body goal with more stable goals that will serve you all year round, not just for the summer.

Ultimately the exercise routine and diet that you can do consistently, over the entire year, is the best one for you. Not the one that you can only manage for 4-8 weeks at a time because it’s unsustainable for you and your lifestyle. Try repositioning your goals – for example goals of longer life, better quality of life, strong bones, quicker recovery from illness etc. Train for your old man/woman body – you want dense bones, strong muscles, good balance, a healthy heart and functional independence. When you’re 80 you want to be able to carry your shopping, lift your grandchildren, reach to put things away on the top shelf, get up from your chair unaided, stop yourself falling etc. If you try to focus on these sorts of goals you may find you are able to exercise and eat in a way that isn’t overly restrictive (on the food side) or inconsistent (e.g. sudden bursts of over exercising then weeks of months of no exercise). It also won’t feel like punishment.

Think about the long term and think about what will serve to keep you healthy and functioning for longer. Starving yourself, drinking ‘detox’ juices, cutting carbs, hours of cardio etc won’t – eating a reasonable amount of calories from all food types and working to include cardio and resistance training for strong muscles, heart and lungs will!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Don’t go too low 📉

It’s tempting when you start trying to lose weight to panic and cut calories drastically – because surely a bigger deficit means quicker results right? To a degree yes but…. It never really works and this is why.

Our bodies are designed and have evolved to essentially make losing weight and fat hard. Fat loss goes entirely against our main drive to survive so conserving energy and maximising fat storage is a good evolutionary strategy. If energy consumption (calories) are reduced drastically the body will adjust processes to ‘fit’ the calories you consume. Now this doesn’t mean you can put on weight if you eat too little – that’s just a myth. What it does mean though is that the body compensates for a lower energy intake by reducing energy expenditure.

It does this in two ways. Firstly it reduces NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), – these are the subconscious incidental movements and processes in your body e.g. your heart rate may slow, body temperature may change, and hormones such as leptin, T3 and T4 adjust to reduce energy expenditure. As a result your BMR may decrease.

In addition you will subconsciously move or fidget less than you usually would. So you may find you don’t stand up or tap your feet etc as much, you may be less inclined to take the stairs and take the lift instead, you may find you drive instead of walking places as much, you might not get up to go get things you’ve left in other rooms (e.g. not going upstairs to get the hoodie you want to wear and grabbing whatever is handy downstairs instead), not getting up to get a glass of water if you’re thirsty, feeling generally low motivation to exercise/walk etc. You probably won’t even notice you’re doing any of this.

So as you’ll be expending fewer calories the deficit you think you have becomes smaller. In addition you’ll feel low, hungry, tired and tend to obsess over food. This means the tendency to binge/overeat either when you have a ‘cheat’ day or when the diet ends is high. This is why you often find any weight you’ve lost will come back quite quickly.

So rather than heading straight in to an aggressive 800-1000 calories a day diet (for the umpteenth time in the past few years) try aiming for a higher number of calories with a smaller deficit. A smaller deficit allows you to thrive and stick to the newly acquired habits you need to stick to, consistently, to move towards your goals. Work more on delayed gratification. Something that takes longer but feels easier is far more likely to work out the way you want it to.

If this resonates but overwhelms you at the same time, that is also completely normal. We are designed to want instant gratification and results so it’s ok if it feels counterintuitive to start with. But trust me, stick with it and you’ll reap the benefits – play the long game!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx