Category: Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Mindless Snacking 🍪

Many of us suffer from mindless snacking which can slow your weight loss progress and stop you reaching your goals. Here are some tips to help.

# Control your environment

Don’t buy the snack in the first place. Easier said than done sometimes but if they aren’t in your cupboard you’re far less likely to eat them.

# Be intentional with meals

Take time to sit down and enjoy yours meals. Try to stay off your phone, don’t watch TV or try to do other things while yon eat. Focus on the food and flavours to enjoy it more.

# Make it harder to snack

If you are going to have snacks in the house, make it harder to eat them. So for example keep things like fruit out and easily accessible but keep the biscuits and chips in a cupboard in a different room/ at the back of the cupboard/inside a tin etc.

# Know your trigger foods

Everyone has food that triggers them to overeat. Be aware of them and try to avoid them, keep them out of the house or pre-portion them.

# Find other stress relievers

This could be working out, going for walks, doing yoga, mediation, journaling, time with family or friends, other hobbies etc.

# Stay busy

This keeps your mind off food and snacks. Use the extra time to do something productive if you can – be it towards yours fitness, a hobby or even some productive self care like a bath etc.

# Stay hydrated

This can help reduce hunger and cravings throughout the day.

# Try to get more sleep

This will help you feel like you have more energy and therefore be less likely to use food as a pick me up, and it will reduce the production of the hormones that cause hunger too.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Two weeks off won’t matter 👌🏼

Will a few weeks lost to holiday, sickness or injury spoil all your hard-earned progress?

Only if you let it!

A couple weeks off is only a small fraction of your life and your fitness journey. It’s highly unlikely you’ll gain much fat or lose muscle over a few weeks.

Try to stop the “all-or-nothing” mentality and shift your perspective – you didn’t achieve all your progress in a week or two, and you certainly won’t lose it that quickly.

With the right mindset and approach, a brief break is simply a blip that need not hamper your progress and goals.

So if you’re injured, modify workouts to avoid aggravating your injury. For example, if you can’t train your upper body, focus on your lower body instead. If your injury is more severe, consider walks and lighter movement to stay active. And when you eventually get back to training, ease yourself in to prevent re-injury. Obviously also consult a physio for specific advice.

If you’re sick then just try to adhere to your current lifestyle and diet as much as possible. So keep tracking your food to maintain the habit. Eat a balanced diet if your appetite allows. Stay hydrated and prioritise recovery and sleep.

Reduce training intensity or stop altogether, depending on the severity of the illness.

If you’re on holiday then again try to do as much as you can – keep tracking to keep the habit going (if you don’t like going ‘over’ your cals then up your goal for the time you’re away), stay as active as you can – walk, swim etc and just try not to eat and drink for the sake of it. Focus on the other experiences of the holiday – not just what goes in your mouth.

Even if you stray from your diet, it’s unlikely that you’ll gain much fat over two weeks unless you really go off the rails. And research shows that 2 weeks off training results in little-to-no muscle loss. If you take an extended period off due to surgery etc then you may lose a little muscle but it still isn’t the end of the world. “Muscle memory” is a real phenomenon that enables you to rebuild lost muscle mass more quickly the second time around.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Menopause Marketing 🤔

Joe wicks recently caused a bit of a stir (again) for posting two ‘menopause’

Workouts. Before I start let me just say that whatever your views on Joe wicks there’s no denying a lot of his content has got adults and children exercising and losing weight and that’s great! But… this latest workout highlights a really common issue at the moment. ‘Menopause’/ ‘peri menopause’

is the new buzz word in health and fitness and every Tom, Dick and Harry (*Joe) is jumping on the bandwagon and marketing their products for menopausal Women.

No one is denying that there are a variety of menopausal symptoms that can make losing weight or exercising harder. No one is denying that these symptoms have historically been overlooked. But… the truth is (and multiple studies confirm) that there are no fundamental differences when it comes to what you need to lose weight in peri menopause/menopause. You need a calorie deficit and you need to be strength training alongside other cardiovascular exercise. Just as you do throughout your entire life – as a woman or man.

The symptoms that make it harder are a completely separate issue and need addressing – by medical experts and endocrinologists- not social media fitness professionals. There’s too much to include in one caption but NONE of the processes of menopause actually affect the basic biological principles and laws of thermodynamics. Yes you store fat in different locations, yes you’ll lose some muscle mass, yes your protein requirement goes up (a little) , yes tiredness and brain fog will make it harder to stick to a calorie deficit and exercise but it doesn’t change the basics.

You do not need a specific workout and certainly not a specifically low impact’ one. Midlife women aren’t ill or in need of low impact workouts anymore then any other person. They definitely don’t need ‘special’ workouts or diets. I work with countless menopausal women, many of whom have never been stronger or fitter in their lives. And the reality is I would give the same workout to a woman in her 20s or 30s as I would do a woman in her 40s or 50s! The exercises are all the same. Of course we may have to modify workouts but this is the case for ALL women of any age. It’s not menopause specific. Yes we may want to prioritise strength workouts but again that applies to all women (and men!).

I’m so sick of people trying to make money out of menopause just because it’s trendy. So instead of spending your money on menopause diets/workouts/plans/ supplements if you really want to spend money on it then use that money to see a private consultant endocrinologist/medical expert in menopause who is actually qualified to help you. Not someone who isn’t qualified making money out of it.

Happy Tuesday 🤗 xx

Tuesday Tip: Lose weight correctly, not quickly 👍🏻

Crash diets, cleanses, detoxes, 6 week challenges, or excessive amounts of exercise may well give you some fast results on the scale but these fast results will very quickly disappear just as fast. So if you want to lose some weight, and then put it back on again, time and time again then definitely go for these options … but if you want to lose some weight and maintain it longer term then perhaps it’s better to take a different approach?

It’s not flashy, and it’s not fast but it does have a far better long term success rate (and costs nothing!). It will definitely take longer than a few weeks, there will be times you’ll definitely feel like it isn’t working, you’ll want to give up, your weight will definitely fluctuate or even ‘plateau’ for a time… but… if you stick at it, if you’re consistent and you’re in it for the long haul I guarantee you can reach your goals- for life.

What is this miracle approach you say? Nothing exciting I’m afraid …

• Eat a moderate amount of calories (incorporate a moderate calorie deficit)
• Moderate your alcohol/ take away / meal out consumption (note – I’m saying moderate – don’t cut it out – just incorporate it within your calories)
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit
• Eat a balanced diet – some carbs, some protein, some fats
• Exercise for enjoyment – not to eat. So ignore any extra cals you burn exercising and don’t eat them back.
• Walk
• Get 6-8 hrs sleep
• Stay hydrated
• Find alternative stress relievers that don’t involve food or alcohol

That’s it! You don’t need to pay for some diet/challenge. It does require work and effort – but most things we want to achieve in life do? But if you’re willing to make the effort, and you’re patient and view it as a long term shift then you will reap the rewards!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Lack of Energy and Nutrition 🏃🏼‍♀️

Very often people will tell me that they’re concerned about their lack of energy/fatigue and want to address their nutrition to fix it. First of all, your tiredness/fatigue is most likely NOT RELATED to nutrition in the majority of cases, but more likely due to lack of /poor sleep, stressful/busy/social lifestyle, and/or your mental health. BUT if you’ve removed these as potential causes, nutrition may be the last piece of the puzzle.

Here are some nutrition factors which may explain a lack of energy.

# Low-carb

Cutting carbs in order to lose weight is an excellent way to feel lacking in energy. Carbs are crucial for optimal human physical and mental performance. So start eating more carbs. If you need to remove some calories elsewhere to fit them in then try reducing some dietary fat/alcohol calories to do this.

# Poor hydration

Maybe you carry your water bottle around all day but do you actually drink from it? One of the side effects of inadequate hydration is fatigue and increased perceived difficulty of tasks. Set water reminders, have iced drinks (even coffee/tea) (cubes will melt), infuse your water, start a habit of having a glass of water with your cup of coffee, etc.

# Eating erratically

You’re no doubt busy and don’t have the luxury of set meal times every day. This can result in skipped meals, and long hours without eating. Obviously as long as you’re getting the right calories in the timing isn’t important from a weight loss perspective but if you’re going 5/6 hrs without eating, you’re likely going to experience hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hence low energy.

# Too few nutrients

Micronutrients like vitamins and minerals are also essential for optimal functioning, and one of their main roles is to act as cofactors in energy-producing reactions within the body. Not getting enough of these, through a variety of foods can contribute to deficiencies, which can directly induce fatigue. Don’t get too focused on the details just try and add as much variety to your diet as possible, take a multi-vitamin, have fruit or veg with most meals, and choose wholefoods when possible.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx