Tag: motivation

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Small changes, big results

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Small changes, big results 🤗

Fad diets and massive changes to eating and exercise habits work well for some people, in the short term but research shows that for most people these drastic changes don’t last and only increase the likelihood of gaining back the weight when we go back to our old ways. It’s also overwhelming and much more likely to lead to failure. So stop trying to change everything at once!

Instead, identifying lots of smaller changes and trying to do them daily works much better. This ‘habit stacking’ has been shown to be more successful than making one massive change. Big goals are overwhelming and scary, and you’re far more likely to stick to small, easy changes and you’ll also get a confidence boost from sticking to them.

So for example rather than going cold turkey on sugar try reducing your 2 spoons of sugar in your tea to one, then none, try reducing your soft drinks to one a day instead of three, try adding one portion of veg to your meals, then two etc. A recent study showed that it takes approximately 8 weeks for a new habit to form so stick with them and you’ll find these new habits will stay with you!

Happy Tuesday

😁

Xx

Fitness and Exercise

Bodyweight workout number 12!

Dr Nancy P

Workout 12! 3 months of fun…. today we’ve got a little hop scotch to play… some more bunnies, and a guest appearance from all four felines!

You know what to do – ten exercises, ten mins in total and no equipment required – just yourself, a watch/iphone to time it, and a mat if you want one for your knees/hands.

If you have more time then you can always do it twice or three times, if you don’t have ten mins then just do half! Get everyone involved! 🙂

If you want to do it “with me” then the video is below.

Or you can use the pics below or download a pdf of the workout here:Bodyweight Circuit 12

Have fun! 🙂

xx

Ps. If you missed the previous workouts they’re here: Bodyweight Circuit 11, Bodyweight Circuit 10, Bodyweight Circuit 9,  Bodyweight circuit 8, Bodyweight Circuit 7  Bodyweight Circuit 6 ,   Bodyweight Circuit 5, Bodyweight Circuit 4,  Bodyweight Circuit 3, Bodyweight circuit 2 and my first one is here (Bodyweight circuit 1)

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Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Half an Avocado….

Dr Nancy P

Half an Avocado…. 🥑

If you’re trying to lose fat and tracking your calories it’s really important to be as accurate as you can and this is why. If you’re using an app like myfitnesspal you might assume that the calorie value for half an avocado is a generic measurement for all avocados. Of course in reality avocados vary quite a lot in size – is that half an avocado a small one? A medium one? Or a large one? Obviously the nutritional value, and calories, will vary significantly with size. In this example one half is a pretty small avocado (150g), which means half will be around 149 cals. However, if you’re lucky enough to get a large avocado (350g) then you’d be looking at 347 cals for half!

So if you were just logging a generic half

an avocado at 149 cals but actually eating a large avocado then you’d be underestimating your calorie intake by 200 cals. If you’re an avocado fan and having some most days that could be an underestimate of 1000 calories or more a week – which is significant enough to prevent or slow fat loss.

If you’re having something low calorie then it won’t matter but with something calorie dense like avocado it really is important to know how much you’re having – assuming your goal is to lose weight/fat.

This is why I encourage my clients to weigh, in grams, rather than using generic, subjective measures like ‘half an avocado’. So if you’re trying to lose fat and tracking your calories have a go at weighing your avocado next time. You may be surprised! 😬

🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Get back on track

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: Get back on track 🙌🏼

With lockdown changing routines and habits it may be that you’ve gained a little weight recently. We all have! With Summer approaching and the regulations lifting it may really get you down and weight loss may seem overwhelming. Here are a few tips to get back on track.

# Do something

Stop saying “I’ll start tomorrow”, you never will! So start small and start today. If it’s exercise that’s slipped then just commit to 5 mins of something, whatever it is, once you do 5 mins, it’s easier to do 10, 15 or even 20 mins. Same with food, start small e.g. cut out post dinner chocolate, only have 1 glass of wine, reduce portion size etc. Small steps quickly equal big leaps.

# Ditch the guilt

It’s natural to feel guilty, embarrassed, even ashamed if you’ve regained weight. Everyone gains sometimes, beating yourself up over that chocolate bar won’t help, instead focus on how you’ll make sure your next meal is healthier. Strive for progress, not perfection.

# Plan to succeed

Meal planning is helpful to prevent you reaching for easy, high calorie options. It doesn’t need to be a detailed plan, just decide on main meals for the next few days/week and have a list of snack options. Write it out and put it somewhere visible (e.g. the fridge)

# Friends

Tell your friends what you’re doing and ask for their support. You could even do a challenge together. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to as well! Also get your family on side and ask them to help and support you.

# Ask for help

Whether it’s from the dr, a nutritionist or a PT it helps to have someone to hold you accountable. A professional can help unpack why you may have gained the weight and what you can do to make a change that sticks. If you’re coming back from illness or injury then speak to a physio/GP to learn what exercises you may have to modify. I often work closely with clients’ physios/ Dr’s to design safe and effective programs for them.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so if you’re struggling don’t give up or feel defeated, we all feel like this and you’re not alone.

Happy Tuesday 🤗 xx

Fitness and Exercise

Bodyweight workout number 11!

Dr Nancy P

It’s time for more fun! Bunnies, crabs and a few feline interlopers today!

You know what to do – ten exercises, ten mins in total and no equipment required – just yourself, a watch/iphone to time it, and a mat if you want one for your knees/hands.

If you have more time then you can always do it twice or three times, if you don’t have ten mins then just do half! Get everyone involved! 🙂

If you want to do it “with me” then the video is below.

Or you can use the pics below or download a pdf of the workout here: Bodyweight Circuit 11

Have fun! 🙂

xx

Ps. If you missed the previous workouts they’re here: Bodyweight Circuit 10, Bodyweight Circuit 9,  Bodyweight circuit 8, Bodyweight Circuit 7  Bodyweight Circuit 6 ,   Bodyweight Circuit 5, Bodyweight Circuit 4,  Bodyweight Circuit 3, Bodyweight circuit 2 and my first one is here (Bodyweight circuit 1)

 

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