Tag: motivation

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Stick to your resolve

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: Stick to your resolve 💪🏼

Well it is the start of a brand new year, it’s a classic time for people to set themselves new goals. I talked about setting alternative resolutions last week but you may also have resolved to make this the year you finally start, and stick with, an exercise program but it’s all too easy to give up after a few weeks. You’re not alone, judging by the fact that the January crowds in the gym are long gone by February!

So the question is how to turn your determination into action you can sustain for more than 30 days? Here are a few tips to make sure you start out right:

#1 Define Your Challenge

Write down your fitness goal – be as specific as you can. How do you want to look? What weight or body fat do you want to be? Or what size clothing do you want to fit in to? Or if you’ve got a more specific goal like building strength in a particular area, or tackling a fitness challenge like a marathon or climb or canoe etc? Write it all down and then divide it by 3. That’s roughly your 90-day goal, to get you a third of the way there!

#2 Make Time For Your Health

Work towards 30 – 45 mins of physical activity every day. Now before you panic, that doesn’t mean hitting the gym every day, but it does mean some sort of activity, even if it’s walking up and down the stairs at work, a lunchtime jog, walking the dog, a gentle bike ride, walking part of your journey to work etc. When the weather is good take advantage and get outside – it will make you feel good! If you’re brand new to fitness or coming back from injury then start with two 15 min sessions or three 10 mins ones and build from there.

# 3 Discover What You Enjoy

The most critical part of a long term, sustainable success with a fitness plan is actually enjoying what you do. Choose something that makes fitness fun! Take the chance to try something new – it’s the perfect time – everyone is bringing out their new classes and programs, and there are loads of beginner sessions out there too at this time of year. So dip your toe in a variety of activities and find something that works for you. As a beginner to that activity, almost anything you choose will be challenging, but gains will be made from your very first week which will help you feel motivated to continue – win win!

#4 Find a fitness buddy

Train with a friend who’s at about your level of ability and has similar goals. You’ll be far less likely to skip your workout when you know someone is depending on you. It’s also more motivating when you push each other, and you’ll be far less likely to cut your sessions short. Also try to surround yourself with people who are on a similar journey to you. People who choose healthy lifestyles will engage in behaviours which will rub off on you without you even realising it. They also won’t be the ones trying to sabotage your efforts! So make friends with someone in class, get chatting to the work colleague that cycles in every day, set up a lunchtime netball team… Make it social and you’re more likely to stick to it!

#5 Avoid Comparing Yourself To Others

So although you want to surround yourself with people on the same fitness kick, try not to compare yourself to them. Instead, compare yourself to the you of last week. If you make every week better in some way than the one before then you’re moving forward and making progress. There’s no point comparing yourself to anyone else – everyone is on their own journey and has their own challenges. As long as you are making progress then you’re doing good! That progress can be measured in lots of ways – it’s not just about the scales, walking a little further or faster, adding half a kg to your weights, getting further through the class before needing a break, doing your belt up one notch tighter, adding an extra workout to your week…. measure your progress in multiple ways and you’ll see how far you’ve really come!

What are your goals for 2019?

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Beating post workout hanger

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Beating post workout hanger 🍔

Working out in the morning is fab but if it’s leaving you so starving that you end up over-eating later in the day then here are some mistakes you may be making, and tips to help.

#1 Not eating before you workout

If you’re working out first thing your blood sugar and energy levels are low and you’ll be using stored glycogen to fuel you. So when you finish you will crave food (especially sugar). If you find you can’t control these cravings then try to have a 100-200 cal snack an hour before your workout e.g. apple and nut butter, greek yoghurt and fruit, half a protein smoothie etc.

#2: Too little sleep

Lack of sleep causes release of ghrelin which increases hunger. Studies have shown that losing just 80 mins sleep can increase calories consumed by 550 cals the next day. So if you’re getting up early to workout you have to make sure you’re in bed at the right time the night before.

#3: Too many carbs

You definitely need carbs after you workout but if you go for a very carb-heavy snack/meal you’re priming yourself to crave more sugary carbs later in the day. If you can withstand the cravings then have whatever you like, but if not then have something that’s got a balance of protein, fats and carbs e.g wholegrain porridge and fruits, greek yoghurt and fruits and nuts, toast with nut butter and banana .

#4: Too little water

It’s even easier to be dehydrated after a morning workout as you may well be dehydrated from the night too. Ensure you have a big glass of water when you wake up and ensure you drink plenty during your workout or after if you prefer,

#5: Too few cals

When you start the day well with a workout, it’s easy to get hooked up on wanting to stay in a massive calorie deficit. Whilst it shouldn’t be an excuse to pig out, equally you don’t want to be too restrictive as you’re likely to end up over eating later. Eat a normal balanced meal with protein, fats, carbs and fibre after your workout (be it brekkie or lunch).

Happy Tuesday 🤗

xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Put your positive pants on

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Put your positive pants on 🤗

Do you ever wake up feeling stressed about the day ahead. Stressing about the day before it’s even happened is very common but a a recent study has shown that starting your day this way can actually impact on your brain function and performance for the rest of the day

So waking up on the wrong side of bed isn’t just a saying. The study in the Journal of Gerontology found that the more participants anticipated a stressful day, the worse their brain function and memory was later in the day – whether the actual day turned out to be stressful or not. Our ability to anticipate and prepare for things – a critical survival feature humans have developed, can be great to help prepare for and even prevent certain events. But it can also be harmful to your brain function, memory, decision making and performance. This can in turn make you even more stressed. Not to mention the increased levels of stress hormones released as you anticipate the stress you expect to encounter that day. It has also been linked to increased calorie consumption and fat deposition around the belly (due to increased cortisol).

So what can you do about it? Well it’s time to put your positive pants on! The study also showed that taking some time out in the morning to focus on more positive thoughts, or 5 – 10 mins of meditation/mindfulness practices can dramatically reduce the anticipate stress of the day ahead.

So if you wake up expecting the day to be stressful that’s the time to try something simple like some deep breathing exercises before you start your day, or try to list 3 positive things about the day to come (no matter how small). Try setting an alarm on your phone to remind you to do these things so you don’t even have to remember to do it.

Put those positive pants on and improve your day!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Low carb diets aren’t magic

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Low carb diets aren’t magic 🌟

Low carb (or keto) diets are ALL the rage, and for some people they do seem to work….but not because they magically make you burn fat. Here’s what actually happens

#1 A reduced carb intake leads to almost immediate loss of water weight, hence sudden drops in weight at the start. It’s not fat. It will come back once you eat carbs again.

#2 They involve eating more protein, which is important for hunger control. So you’ll feel fuller and eat less calories overall, and be in calorie deficit. Calories, not carbs, dictate fat loss and gain.

#3 Protein also plays a vital role in muscle preservation, and has the highest thermic effect of any nutrient (i.e. takes the most cals to metabolise). So you’ll be burning slightly more cals each day, contributing to the deficit.

#4 They also mean more veggies. These are high in fibre and water making you feel fuller, slowing digestion and less likely to eat as many cals.

#5 More fats are also consumed, another key for staying fuller for longer and slowing digestion. So once again you’re far more likely eat less.

#6 They revolve around reducing the amount of carbs; the biggest portion of people’s diets. AND most calorie dense junk foods are carb-based so you’d be cutting those out. When you remove a food group you’re removing calories too, so you end up in a deficit.

SO how do these diets work? By getting you to do things that lead to consuming fewer calories, whilst telling you it’s nothing to do with calories and all about magic low carbs….

Does this mean you should do it? If it works for you then sure! Do I think it’s sustainable? Nope. Avoidance of food groups creates a poor relationship with food leading to binges or blow outs. It can also lead to fatigue, health risks of increased fat intake, regaining water weight when you go back to carbs, etc and of course it will only work if you have a high refined carb-based diet anyway.

My advice – everything in moderation. We need carbs as much as we need protein and fat. If you want a long term sustainable diet then just focus on reducing overall calories by whatever means works for your lifestyle.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Don’t Stress

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Don’t Stress 🤯

Stress – we all face it, but how does it affect our weight loss and how can we combat it? When stressed the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) increases, which can promote weight gain through increased appetite, and affect where body fat is stored (predominantly in the mid-section). It also causes your brain to choose foods that give instant energy – sugar, simple carbs, junk food etc. This is why it results in weight gain.

How to cope? If stress is a major issue for you then consult your Dr and consider a cortisol test (an easy blood or saliva based test to check your levels), but you can also minimise the impacts of stress with a few behavioural changes

#1 Remove the junk

Fill your cupboards with fresh food, grains and complex carbs e.g. oats, sweet potato, brown rice. These lessen the effects of cortisol on your appetite. When stress hits you’re less likely to mainline ice cream if you’re well fuelled, and if you don’t have it in the house it’s harder to eat!

#2 Exercise

One of the best scientifically proven ways to cope with stress; run, walk, cycle, do a workout – whatever works for you. If you’re stuck at work try to go for a quick walk if you can. It gives you time away from the stressful situation, and meets the body’s demand to “flee” when faced with stress burning off that energy the cortisol has caused to be released.

#3 B vits

B vitamins are vital to fuel brain cells, transport hormones around the body and provide energy. e.g B3 is linked to reduced stress, anxiety and depression due to it’s effect on blood flow and muscle tissue relaxation, and aids restful sleep. B6 reduces irritability through it’s synthesis of neurotransmitters that affect mood. Load up on whole grains, eggs, meat, legumes and dark leafy veg.

#4 Take it easy

Find time to de-stress, relax and take time out – just 15 mins a day has been shown to have a massive impact on stress levels – read a book, try some yoga, do a guided meditation (try the headspace app), deep breathing, have a bath, go for a gentle walk.

Happy Tuesday!🤗

xx