Tag: fitnessmotivation

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Fallen off track?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Fallen off track? 🛤️

If you’ve fallen off track with your fitness this summer then here are a few things you need to know.

# 1 STOP beating yourself up about it..

Making yourself feel bad or guilty for not being consistent with your workouts during the summer is not the best way to motivate yourself. In fact, it’s just the opposite. If you want to get back on track, you’ll have to leave the guilt behind and move forward.

# 2 What made you fall off track in the first place?

Did you set unrealistic expectations? Was it a question of poor time management? Overextending yourself? Different routines? Or do you simply need to change your definition of the ‘track’? All these might be true, or there may be other reasons – look at them as data NOT a character flaw or sign of failure. Once you examine the why you can adjust accordingly.

# Consistency is key

Consistency can take many forms and will vary throughout the months/years. It’s important to realise that sometimes your best effort at consistency will be 2 workouts a week, or walking instead and at other times it may be 4/5 workouts a week. Don’t spend time comparing yourself to what you used to do, just focus on what you can do now.

# Be mindful of what you are telling yourself

Be mindful of what you are telling yourself
If you’ve developed a pattern of shaming yourself when you are falling short then this self sabotage will negatively affect your outcome and your mindset.

Whenever you repeat these thoughts you simply reinforce the idea that you ‘always do this’, or ‘this is why I can’t get results’ or ‘I’m useless’. Take notice when you do this and try to stop the spiral.

# Just start.

There’s no need to waste time overthinking it, or looking for how you can get motivated again. Just taking that next step and starting is the solution. There’s no need to overthink it.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Being mindful…

Dr Nancy P

Being mindful… 🍕

When you’re attempting to lose weight /eat healthily it’s important to be mindful of what you’re consuming for obvious reasons. This means being aware of what you’re doing, thinking, feeling and experiencing. It doesn’t mean judging yourself for it. It also doesn’t mean being perfect all the time.

We all have reasons behind our actions- being mindful is about knowing why you’re choosing to do something and making the deliberate decision to do so.

One day you may decide to home cook a salmon and couscous dinner because you have the time to do so. On another day you may be tired, back late from work, or may just fancy a prepared pizza to throw in the oven. That pizza isn’t ‘bad’ nor is the choice a bad one when made mindfully.

If you choose to eat certain foods on purpose (not just because it’s there), with joy and contentment, or a valid reason in mind (rather than guilt), in an amount that aligns with your overall health goals then that’s absolutely ok! You’ve weighed up and accepted the tradeoffs (the pizza is marginally more calorific and lower in micronutrients) and made a conscious decision. The time you’ve saved by having the pizza will be more beneficial sometimes than the marginal calorie cost.

So remember – losing weight and eating healthily doesn’t need to mean perfect home cooked meals and every morsel being perfectly nutritionally balanced. It’s about making conscious decisions about what you’re consuming and being aware of why you’re choosing things. Having this approach fosters a much healthier relationship with food.

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Strategies for trigger foods…

Dr Nancy P

Strategies for trigger foods… 🍬🧁🍫

We all have ‘trigger’ foods – those foods you just can’t resist, the ones that once you have one bite you have to have the whole pack etc. If you’re trying to lose weight then managing your trigger foods is vital. You might just assume it’s better and easier to just cut them out? For some people at certain points of their journey then maybe yes. But this doesn’t need to be a permanent choice and probably can’t be if you want long term success.

If you do cut them out the once you have a good set of new habits ingrained you can shift back to incorporating them in moderation. Or if you’re someone who wants to continue to include them during your entire journey then you’ll need strategies to manage them.

Here are a few tips.

# Buy sweets/ chocolate/crisps etc in individual servings / multipacks – ideally individually wrapped. It helps when things are proportioned.

# Keep these foods out of sight. So rather than having them out on the side/ in the front of the cupboard or fridge, put them inside a Tupperware at the back of a cupboard. Out of sight , out of mind!

# Focus on addition rather than subtraction. Add more fruit and veggies to your meals and snacks. You’re never going to get ‘fat’ from too many carrots or strawberries so just load up on the fruits and veggies.

# Be mindful. Eat slowly, with no distractions, while paying attention to your sensations of hunger and fullness, your enjoyment, and your thoughts.

# If you reach for these foods when you’re stressed/upset etc try to comfort yourself in other ways first – then reach for the food eg cuddle your pet, curl up under a weighed blanket with a favourite show on, rant to a friend or in a journal etc .

# Study your relationship with certain foods. Whenever you find yourself wanting a specific food try to notice your craving, identify and name it, and investigate why you might be feeling that way. It helps in the long term to look at the reasons why.

🤗 Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Protein for breakfast?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Protein for breakfast? 🍳

Should you eat protein for breakfast? This is a question I often get from clients and there’s a lot of info in the media suggesting we should but do we really need to? A recent study has reviewed the impact on protein consumption at breakfast on muscle strength and health,

They found that sufficient protein intake was linked to increased muscle mass, especially in older adults. It found that if the total amount of protein consumed over the day was sufficient then it didn’t matter when it was consumed. So for those meeting their protein goals, missing protein at breakfast won’t have much of an impact if their daily total is enough.

Protein itself is essential, especially for maintaining and building muscle, so it helps with recovery and is also great at keeping you feeling full. But the reality is most people’s diet includes more than enough protein as it is. Average daily recommended intake is 55g for men and 45g for women’s (with heavy exercisers needing a bit more: 1.2 – 1.7g per kg body weight). It’s not hard to get that in your meals e.g. 1 egg: 6g, 1 chicken breast: 20g, 30g cheddar cheese: 7.5g, 1 serving cooked beef mince: 18g, 1/2 pot cottage cheese: 18g, 1 tin of tuna: 25g, 1 serving Greek yogurt: 18g etc.

The only possible benefit to having it at breakfast is its ability to help keep you fuller for longer which may help with sticking to your calories later in the day.

If you enjoy your current breakfast and it works for you then adding protein probably isn’t necessary. If you’re already eating a good diet then all you’re doing is taking on extra calories you don’t need, which could stall your weight loss attempts.

So if you’re eating a balanced diet, and working out at a normal level (i.e. not an Olympic athlete!), and your current brekkie satisfies you, then don’t stress about when you have your protein.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

How to get bikini ready..

Dr Nancy P

How to get bikini ready.. 👙

Following on from yesterday’s post and with summer holidays here or on the horizon here’s my top tips for getting a bikini body! You probably assume you need to lose weight, cut out food groups and foods you enjoy, live on salads, do loads of workouts etc…

Nope – it’s a very simple 2 step process to getting your bikini body.
Step 1 – have a body ✅
Step 2 – put a bikini on it !

Ta da!

Now I realise it’s actually not that simple – and that wanting to look a certain way in your swimwear is totally valid. If you want to lose weight to feel more comfortable when you’re on the beach then that’s great – go for it! However whether you prefer a bikini, a swimsuit, a swim dress , a tankini, a sarong, T-shirt and shorts… whatever.. you’re entitled to wear whatever you like however you like. You deserve to enjoy the sunshine regardless of your shape or size. You don’t have to lose weight to do that! Find a style you like and rock it!

Happy summer!

Xx