Do you believe you can lose and shape up?

Information at the moment is everywhere...

Literally at the push of a button...

When I first started helping people I used to think information was all people needed to get results...

And for some 20 years ago, maybe it was...

But just having all the answers and information as your disposal isn't always enough...

In fact honestly you probably have a realistic idea of what you need to do...

I commonly hear "I know what I need to do, but I can't get myself to do it"...

There are a few reasons for this and so many people feel this way...

To take big steps towards something, you have to have belief that you can achieve it...

Without belief, it leaves you unwilling to do what you know you need to do...

Without belief it's easy to get distracted by other things...

It's a reason why, I don't tell you just to focus on losing and shaping up, I want you to focus on the benefits personal to you, losing and shaping is just a catalyst to this...

But I want you to create the picture of these benefits until you can plainly see what actions are necessary and follow through...

I know there must be so many things in the past that promised so much and delivered so little or delivered but only for a short time...

I want to provide some inspiration to read and see what others have achieved and know there is a workable system behind it...

But it only works if applied, by all means take baby steps to begin, it will create momentum and progress...

You deserve to be in the shape or health you wish to be in, there are steps to get you there, you just have to believe or if that's a challenge, acknowledge that at least it's possible to achieve what you want to achieve and start from there...

You can do this...

Ed (And who knows when you achieve this, these posts would even sound less preachy and annoying, no promises though!) Stride.

Do you use the Body Mass Index (BMI)?

In the news today are some studies done to investigate the issue if you can be "fat but fit"...

It was looking at whether you can have high body fat / high BMI and still be healthy...

Maybe the problem is in how it's reported; high BMI, obese, over weight, over fat where all used in the same article...

But yet, they mean very different things...

Being obese and over fat is unhealthy and carries health risks, you can't be "over fat and healthy"...

Being over weight and having a high BMI don't really clarify anything either way...

The BMI is now very outdated, I'm not sure why we still have it...

Even the professionals justify it by stating that nothing else gives you an indication that quick...

Surely we know if we are carrying too much body fat already?...

Recently I have learned that the BMI was invented in the mid nineteenth century and by a mathematician, not a health professional!

As a tallish, slightly athletic Coach and Personal Trainer I'm easily in the over weight category on a BMI scale...

My advice would be to skip the BMI chart and the scale if you can...

I don't really come across anyone, anymore who's main goal is BMI related, usually it's to feel better / look better...

So focus on that and if you want, measure circumferences, like your waist (unhealthiest place to store body fat) to measure real beneficial change...

How your clothes fit you...

As always it's body fat we need to focus on to measure progress,

But I agree with the article in that the best way forward to be healthy is our eating habits, balanced nutrition, exercising and moving more in general...

That won't change...

Just focus on you, how you look and feel, not an ancient outdated chart.

Trying to lose weight, but getting food cravings?

 

A big success in weight loss and weight management…

Is stabilising blood sugar by consistently having a good balance of natural foods…

We know that if your blood sugar peaks and dips wildly throughout the day, unless you have great genetics you wont be as lean as you want to be…

You will be contributing to your body fat storage rather than burning it…

Your health will begin to suffer as the body is always fighting to process the amount of blood sugar in the blood stream…

Another contributor is that when our blood sugar regularly fluctuates, we have constant cravings…

Cravings that take over and make it very hard for us to resist stuff…

Children’s leftovers; especially deserts, specific coffee’s at coffee shops and the other stuff they sell, something to go with cups of tea, not just being able to have one glass of lady petrol (wine), just being able to have a little bit of chocolate…

the very stuff that is going to elevate our blood sugar very quickly and give us a massive low later…

Which means we get into a never ender spiral of repeating the process…

When our blood sugar is more stable, the cravings start to decrease, because we are not experiencing a blood sugar spike followed by a blood sugar low, we don’t experience the bodies urgent message of “quick, low blood sugar: raise it as fast as possible, eat the closest high sugar item as fast as possible…

We become that person you know with mood swings, displaying extreme highs and lows…

(And if you don’t know that person, it could be you :))

The more we stabilise blood sugar, by eating balanced meals and snacks, the more we bring our cravings under control, the easier it becomes to make better choices…

The easier it becomes to make better choices, the more we stabilise blood sugar, the more we stabilise blood sugar, the more our body wants to top up its energy from another source – body fat.

Ed (When the little ones decide they no longer like a particular child like treat or desert, it ends up in my little cupboard, at some point in the week end, I allow myself to indulge and I say to my self “I am a trainer, I have otherworldly discipline, I will have just one” and so I have one and in an instant a flock of wild horses or some huge obstacle or emergency would not stop me reaching for another) Stride.

An important weight loss question...

For most of us we share a common goal, to be leaner (lose and shape up) and we care about our health...

We want that great feeling that comes with feeling good about ourselves...

Our health issues are minimal, any medication taken is for minor and short term reasons...

So if that is the objective you have in mind...

I have a question, what are you willing to do?

Depending on that objective it may be easier or harder than you may think...

If you want to be super lean and you have normal genetics, then there is quite a bit to it...

Being very strict on your nutrition plan (weighing and measuring) and doing quite challenging exercise sessions quite a few times a week (maybe even twice a day)...

Maybe that was me before, now I'm left asking "who has time for this?"...

So if that is your goal then be realistic about what is involved...

For must of us our goals are a little bit more modest...

With this in mind, your lose and shape up and health goals are actually a lot more attainable than you think they are...

I can give you a numerous list of lifestyle habits to implement, but I don't know your readiness to do them at this point in time...

So my question again is: what are you willing to do now?

No matter how big or small...

Start with that and see where it takes you...

You can do this...

Ed ( actually I asked someone this and was not ready for the answer, they told me they were going to go to a different fast food chain from now on, I pointed out that the food there was no healthier than any of the others, this was agreed but the real reason was "none of these places have a drive through so you have to get out the car and walk in to get your food, burns more calories" can't argue with that logic) Stride.

Weight Loss: Get beyond the details!

The health and weight loss industry is a big one...

Millions spent each year...

Gadgets and fads included...

If you ever bought a gadget or entered into a plan, you've probably deliberated and then shelled out your money...

Felt excited at the prospect of achieving something that would have amazing benefits...

Either for it to totally not deliver, or deliver very quickly and stop...

Or deliver and then when you stopped, the situation reversed and maybe worse...

Leaving you feeling that that's the way things are, you are meant to be a certain size or level of health...

And you start to become sceptical to all messages, even the right ones...

And when people ask me questions, they want to get bogged down in the details...

Then it's my job to dodge the details...

The details, the gadgets, the fat burning pills, the metabolism boosting foods and drinks, body wraps, supplements, will bring you maybe a few percentage closer to results...

I want to bring your attention to the things that make the biggest difference...

That's why in my mail before I talked about a system...

We know nutrition habits are roughly 70-80 percent of weight loss, the right type of exercise making up the rest...

Skip the fat burning pills, decide which types of junk foods and alcohol you can either cut out or cut down on...

Moderate high energy carbohydrates if your goal is to lose...

Find a way to eat more vegetables, every nutrition plan, health specialist agrees with this one...

So it's not pretty, but I care about you getting results, I could easily write about fluff...

But fluff won't get you results...

Let let's keep focusing on the stuff that does!

Ed ( I'm not a liker of veggies since childhood, but it's easier now, I can mix Spinach into my scrambled eggs, who remembers boiled cabbage, can't mix that in your scrambled eggs) Stride.