A new you for 2022

Tired of being tired?

A common sign of poor diet and/or lack of movement, tiredness or lethargy can make you feel quite down and push you into using stimulants such as coffee and energy drinks which are not good for you, despite the claims the brand may make. You can easily change this by eating better and moving more, sounds simple doesn’t it? Unfortunately it’s not. That’s why Trainers are in demand more than ever. I blame the evolution of our society, let me explain. We are very lucky to be able to get almost anything we want instantly; fast food, ready meals, the latest phone, you name it, with the click of a button it’s there. It’s made us become lazy and dependant, which is great for the companies that are parting you from your money but not so good for you, physically or mentally. Step away from the phone and step outside for a while.

The real quick fix

A drastic change is needed, if you can relate to some of the things I have mentioned, read on.

Going on a diet is all well and good but, it suggests a temporary change in your eating habits. This will help you lose weight but you almost certainly regain it as soon as you stop. You need to make a sustainable eating plan and long term activity plan. Food is a key factor in losing weight and many people will lose lots of weight just through changing the way they eat, in order to get the best results, changing your eating habits and exercising regularly will give you amazing results in a relatively short space of time.

The simplest way to start burning calories through regular activity is walking. A one hour walk can burn as much as 400 calories, combine that with reduced calorie intake daily and you are well on your way to shedding serious amounts of stored fat. For more on calories and how they work click here

What to eat and when

This is a real area of confusion and conflicting information. Your body needs fuel in order to function properly, we know that much. The question is: how do we fuel it the right way? If you look at what we are fed when we are born i.e. milk, our needs in adulthood don’t really change that much. We still need protein, fats and sugars or carbohydrates, along with some vitamins and minerals. We can get all of these nutrients from food, we just have to look at the balance to see why some people are obese and others not. Eating too much of anything is not good, with a balanced eating plan you will feel and look much healthier and happier.

Things you should eat often:

• oily fish, why? The omega 3 fats found in oily fish help burn stored body fat while maintaining muscle mass, also very good for heart health and lift your mood
• Fibrous foods, why? The fibre will help you metabolise and digest your food and also keep you feeling fuller for longer
• Fresh vegetables, why? These will provide some of the fibre you need along with some essential vitamins and minerals
• Fresh fruit, why? These will provide more fibre and other vitamins and minerals
• Beans, Legumes, pulses, seeds and nuts, why? Again these will provide protein, fibre and vitamins and minerals
• High protein foods such as chicken, eggs, turkey, fish and tofu, why? A high protein food plan helps reduce and maintain a healthy weight

Things you should avoid:

• Processed food, why? They will often have added chemicals and added sugar, salt and fat
• starchy foods such as white potatoes, white pasta, white bread, why? These will induce a blood sugar spike, which will make you feel hungry
• Pastries and cakes, why? Again the sugar in these items will create a blood sugar spike and make you feel more hungry
• Energy drinks, coffee and fizzy drinks, why? High in caffeine and sugar these drinks will dehydrate you and make you hungry
• Red meat, why? Our metabolism doesn’t function well with red meat and struggles to digest it properly

Eating at a regular time each day has been shown to be the most effective way to manage weight. You can either eat 3 medium size meals a day or even graze and have up to six meals a day of a smaller size. Doing this will keep your metabolism working and and keep hunger at bay as well. I would suggest eating early rather than late, many people will work all day and then have a huge dinner or supper, not the best plan as you will have no chance to burn off any of the calories and when resting your metabolism slows down as well, better to eat breakfast, big lunch if possible the a normal size dinner

For some recipes, training ideas or more info on weight loss check out my blog page listing here