Tag: everystepfitness

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Sometimes the “bad” option isn’t so bad…

Dr Nancy P

Sometimes the “bad” option isn’t so bad… 🌯

So obviously getting a chicken wrap from a takeaway restaurant is always going to be more calories than making one at home and I’m certainly not suggesting a KFC or Nandos are the healthiest meal choices. But fast food is definitely something you can have now and then as part of a balanced diet if you want to.

There seems to be an underlying assumption that compared to somewhere like KFC, Nandos would provide a ‘healthier’ or ‘good’ takeaway option. Certainly their chicken wrap would generally be considered a healthy choice. It’s a grilled chicken breast, in their signature sauce, in a wrap.

In contrast the KFC Flamin’ wrap would probably be considered a ‘bad’ option. It’s deep friend in a batter, and comes with cheese as well! However the reality is it’s actually considerably fewer calories, around 200 fewer in fact! The KFC wrap is 335 cals and the Nandos one is 537 cals. Now I don’t know about you but that surprised me!

Both these restaurants have all their calories on their website so it’s very easy to check before you order. Both are perfectly good lunch or dinner options, but it just does go to show that we need to consider our preconceptions about certain foods and whether the are “bad” or “good” and remember that ultimately it’s the calories that count.

Enjoy 🤗

xxx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: celebrate the small successes

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: celebrate the small successes 🏆

We’re past ‘blue’ Monday – supposedly the most depressing day of the year and into Feb now. This is the time when many people give up on their New Year’s exercise and diet resolutions. It’s easy to get despondent if you’re not seeing the scale shift but just because you’re not losing weight it doesn’t mean your weightloss journey isn’t a success. It’s all about creating sustainable, long lasting habits that help you to live a healthier lifestyle, so we need to celebrate those too!

So today’s tip is all about celebrating the small successes! Here are a few examples:

– Often maintaining your weight is a victory itself. It’s just as hard to maintain as it is to lose so if you’ve maintained then give yourself a high five!

– Doing your belt up a notch tighter, choosing a smaller clothes size, finding the clothes you have are a little looser in certain areas… are all massive successes!

– Maybe you’ve just completed your first run! Or your first online workout, or long walk! That’s amazing!

– You’ve managed to fit exercise regularly in to your weekly schedule – that’s awesome!

– Perhaps you’ve avoided the extra snacks, or said no to the dessert you’d usually have, or passed up on that glass of wine with dinner – huge successes! Be proud!

– Maybe you’ve seen improvements in things like blood pressure or cholesterol etc or you’ve been able to reduce your medication as a result of lifestyle changes you’ve made.

– Getting through that workout without having to stop, managing those burpees or push ups , hitting a higher step goal each day, completing full push ups – these are all things to be proud of.

– Choosing healthier options without even thinking about it. Have your choices changed? Sometimes these changes happen without us even realising it.

– maybe you’ve had a stressful day or week but managed not to turn to chocolate , crisps, cake, wine – whatever your favourite comfort food/drink is. That’s a massive achievement!

So here’s to all those successes that the scales don’t measure! Do you have some to celebrate? (we all do!) – share yours below! 🤗💜

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Reasons to run… or not…

Dr Nancy P

Reasons to run… or not… 🏃🏼‍♂️

Everybody runs…. don’t they? Well it often seems as though they do!

I often hear clients say they ‘really should start running’. There seems to be a bit of unspoken social pressure to run and enjoy it, and that it’s the ‘best’ exercise you can do, especially during lockdown. I thought it might be handy to remind you of a few reasons why you should run, and perhaps why you shouldn’t?

Reasons you should definitely run; first and foremost, because you enjoy it! If you love running and it’s your thing then that’s brilliant! Enjoy it! If you’re training for a specific event, triathlon, half marathon etc then you should definitely be running – you’re going to need to! It is extremely convenient; you can do it anywhere and don’t need anything but a pair of trainers, and you can tailor it to the length of time you have available. If you’re trying to catch a bus, get somewhere faster or escape zombies then yes please definitely run! 🤣

Reasons not to run though… I’m not going to say running is ‘bad’ for you, it isn’t when done properly, in moderation and combined with other strength based exercises (too much of any one thing can always be ‘bad’!). But just because ‘everybody’ is running doesn’t mean you need to, you really don’t need to feel like you ‘should’ run! There are tonnes of other things you can do to keep fit.

Running to lose weight is another bad reason. It’s food that counts not the exercise you do. You can’t out-exercise diet and if you run regularly you will quickly adapt to it, which is why running to ‘burn more calories’ is a common misconception. You can actually burn more cals overall by being generally active and walking etc. Exercise should be for health and well being, not to justify eating, so running to ‘allow’ you to eat more isn’t a good reason. You don’t need to ‘earn’ foods you enjoy. If you’re injured then it’s a definite no! Pounding the streets when you have an injury is a bad idea, seek physio advice instead. The most important reason not to run is if you don’t enjoy it! Exercise should be fun and if you’re going to stick to it then it needs to be. There are SO many fun ways to exercise – find yours!

If you do decide to run and are new to it then try using something like the couch to 5k app that will build up the running safely and gradually, and consider also including some other forms of exercise as well to keep you fit and injury free!

Enjoy!

🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Loose Skin Post Weight Loss

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Loose Skin Post Weight Loss 😱

Losing body fat (and weight) is generally full of positives – lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, better blood glucose levels etc but there is one side effect many of my clients mention that isn’t so good; loose skin. When someone loses a significant amount of weigh you can end up with loose skin – typically in the stomach, arms, chest or thighs.

Factors that make this more likely include sudden, dramatic weight loss, age (skin loses elasticity as you age), a history of sun exposure, smoking and finally genetics. Sadly there’s no magic supplement you can take to contract the skin but there are some small things you can do to help.

#1 Slow and steady

Aim for gradual, sustainable weight loss if possible. The slower you do it the more likely the skin will contract as you lose weight.

#2 Resistance training

As well as increasing bone density and improving functional strength, regular resistance training will improve lean muscle mass and help make the skin look firmer. It’s not actually changing the skin itself but the extra “pump” can make the skin appear firmer.

#3 Hydrate

Staying hydrated will help improve the skin’s overall appearance, helping it to stay firm. Aim for 2-3 litres of water across the day (more in hot weather or when working out). If you struggle to drink enough try increasing liquid intake with things like soups, and fruit as well.

#4 Collagen

Some studies do show improvements in skin elasticity, blood circulation to the skin and less dryness with increased collagen consumption. Add this to your diet with bone broth, chicken, pork or salmon skin, Egg yolk, gelatin, soybeans and other legumes, spirulina and agar.

#5 Consult your GP

If you have large amounts of excess skin and it’s impacting on your physical or mental health then speak to your GP about surgical options to help. This is obviously a last resort but for some it is the only option to remove large amounts of excess skin so shouldn’t be discounted.

The important thing to remember is that excess skin is not harmful, and the health benefits of losing weight FAR outweigh the risk of some loose skin.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

I’ve been good….

Dr Nancy P

I’ve been good…. 🤔

It’s very easy to get sucked into the idea that certain foods are inherently “good” and others are “bad”. I hear this sort of thing so often… a client may be feeling pleased that they’ve had a “good” snack – raisins, cashews and a protein smoothie. On another day they would be beating themselves up because they had a really “bad” day because they had a Mcdonald’s for lunch. The often feel like they’re blown everything, they’re disappointed and angry with themselves and feeling guilty.

Now I’m not suggesting a Mcdonalds is a “healthy” option, nor am I suggesting it’s got more nutritional benefits than the fruit and nuts. They’re both very different nutritionally, and they both taste very different too. But for many people trying to lose fat or weight they might naturally assume that the McDonald’s is a terrible option and that by having it they’ve ruined their day (diet -wise). Whereas if they chose the fruit, nuts and smoothie they would be feeling guilt-free and virtuous and like they were on track. However in actual fact the good snack has more calories and a lot more sugar, than the 6 nuggets, small fries and coke. The McDonald’s does have more fat and less protein, but is fewer calories overall.

So if you had to grab a McDonald’s (or just fancied one) it’s not THAT bad. I’m certainly not suggesting your whole diet be made up of “junk food”, but it’s important to be aware of the facts to avoid unnecessary guilt. And remember that lots of the foods we perceive as being “good” or “healthy” may in fact be higher calorie and therefore unhelpful for weight loss if you’re consuming them without realising the calories. At the end of the day, as always, it comes down to calories. If you want to lose fat or weight, then you need to be at a calorie deficit. It’s important to still have foods you enjoy as part of an overall balanced diet. So don’t sweat it if you end up with a McDonald’s now and then if you want it, but then have a dinner with a range of whole foods and vegetables etc.

Be curious about what you’re putting in your body, look at the nutritional labels on food and don’t always assume the “health” food is the best choice.

🤗

Xx