Food diary of a nutritionist- Day 5

Breakfast

Nothing- NOT recommended!

Lunch

Two baked sweet potatoes with steamed cabbage and broccoli plus 2 Cauldron sausage

Snack

Several squares of fudge- a Christmas gift so it would have been rude not to...

Dinner


Pumpkin and squash curry with wild rice and yogurt

More white wine (do as I say, not as I do..!)

Food diary of a nutritionist- Day 4

Breakfast 

2 slices of toasted rye bread with  hazelnut butter & St Dalfour strawberry jam, plus chopped banana.

Lunch

Fried halloumi with rocket and tomato salad

Dinner

Chickpea & roasted tomato stew with steamed cabbage

Pudding

Lemon tart with clotted cream ice cream

Food diary of a nutritionist- Day 3

Breakfast

Protein shake made with soya protein, milk, almond butter, frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries & ground flaxseeds. Delicious and by far the most filling breakfast.

Lunch

Butternut squash, garlic and coriander soup

Snack

Chopped pink lady apples with peanut butter (nicer than it sounds, honestly)











Dinner

Lentil ragu and spaghetti












Several glasses of Sauvignon Blanc (shhhh!)

Food diary of a nutritionist- Day 2

Breakfast

Banana porridge with some Nutella (my guilty pleasure. Well, one of them)

Lunch

Boiled egg and wholemeal toast soldiers with butter

Dinner

Waitrose fish cakes

Post-dinner snack

Still hungry! So had carrot sticks and mashed avocado on ryvita.

Food diary of a nutritionist- Day 1

What does a nutritionist actually eat? 

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with spinach and fried tomatoes.

 

Lunch

Homemade carrot and lentil soup with wholemeal seeded bread.

Dinner

Butternut squash pilaf (with brown basmati rice)

Late night snack

Lidt dark chocolate- 70% cocoa.

The power of protein

You are what you eat

By nutritionist Sarah West

Build it up:

Proteins are the basic building blocks of the human body. When you eat foods that contain protein, your digestive system breaks them down into basic units called amino acids. These amino acids are then re-used to make the proteins needed to maintain your hair, skin, nails, muscles, bones, blood and internal organs. So you really are what you eat!

Rapid recovery:

High-intensity workouts are a form of stress, which triggers muscle breakdown and makes you feel tired and sore. They also deplete critical amino acids such as glutamine, valine, isoleucine and leucine. It’s only after you've completed exercise that your muscle tissues begin the rebuilding process, so it’s important to replenish lost nutrients to help the body recover.

Studies suggest that consuming high-quality protein following a tough workout helps provide your body with the necessary amino acids to help repair muscle fibres damaged during exercise. Protein also promotes growth of new muscle as an adaptation response to your training, helping to boost your metabolism and increase fat burning.

Time to refuel:

The ideal post-workout meal or snack should contain a combination of protein for growth and repair, plus carbohydrates to restore depleted glycogen stores. Try the following suggestions-

• Nut butters (almond, cashew or hazelnut) lightly spread on rice cakes or Ryvita
• Scrambled eggs with grilled mushrooms & bacon
• A smoothie blended with yogurt or milk and fresh fruit
• Porridge topped with chopped nuts or seeds
• Lentil or bean soup served with oatcakes
• Reduced salt baked beans on wholemeal toast
• Hummous and mixed salad in a wholemeal pitta
• Chicken or tuna salad with sliced avocado and hard boiled eggs
• Vegetable and cheese frittata
• Salmon steak with creamed lentils and spinach
• Chilli with kidney or pinto beans & brown rice
• Stir-fried tofu with mixed vegetables and cashew nuts.

The dangers of sugar addiction

After something sweet?

By nutritionist Sarah West

Are you addicted?

Do you feel the urge for a sweet snack every day? Can’t get through the day without several teaspoons of sugar in your tea? You’re not alone. Sugar addiction is believed to be one of the driving forces behind Britain’s obesity epidemic. 

So how does it work? The more sugar you consume, the greater the rise in blood sugar and consequently insulin levels within the body. Insulin not only converts sugar into an instant energy source; it also encourages the storage of fat. Keeping your blood sugar levels stable is therefore one of the most important factors in sustaining energy levels and maintaining a healthy weight.

Get balanced

Research has shown that long-term, regular exercise can significantly improve the body's ability to control fluctuating blood sugar levels. During strenuous activity, your muscles require extra energy to perform. Your body therefore transports any available sugar directly to your muscles, thus helping to reduce excess sugar within the bloodstream (and preventing it from being stored as fat).

Furthermore, scientists have found that a single weight-training session can reduce the effect of a high-sugar meal on blood sugar levels for more than 12 hours following a workout. A combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training three to four times a week can help you to achieve a healthier blood sugar balance and really feel the benefits.

Get it under control

The following suggestions can help you to obtain a steadier source of energy from your food:

• Go wholegrain. Swap white bread, rice and pasta for nutrient-dense wholegrain alternatives which take longer to digest. These foods release their sugar more slowly into our bloodstream, thereby helping to reduce rapid insulin release and keeping our energy levels and hunger under control.
• Eat more protein. Consuming a source of protein (such as eggs, oily fish or lean meat) with every meal serves as a blood sugar stabilizer as it allows sugar to enter the cells at a much slower rate. Meat is also a source of chromium, a mineral which regulates the action of insulin.
• Eat regularly (every 3-4 hours). Going for long periods between meals can make you feel tired, shaky and more susceptible to choosing sugary foods or drinks to provide a quick energy boost. By eating smaller meals more regularly you’ll feel stable, satisfied and won’t crave as much sugar.

Too much of a good thing..

Are you overdoing it? 
By nutritionist Sarah West

 

Exercise and good nutrition are vital for good health, but like anything else it's possible to overdo it. With people becoming more and more body-conscious, many are resorting to drastic measures to achieve the physique they desire.

Excessive exercising or crash dieting can not only result in injury and fatigue but can also slow down your metabolism, inhibit muscle growth and repair, promote fat storage and reduce the effectiveness of your immune system. This can not only stall your health goals but may lead to irreversible health problems in the future. So don’t push it too hard!

Over-training:

 

It’s easy to assume that to see better results you should increase the time spent on your exercise routine – but in actual fact you may need to do less. Resting is an important part of a workout; if you don't take time for proper rest, your body won't adapt to the stress of your training and you won't get stronger or faster. Follow these tips to avoid exercise burnout and get more from your routine-  

•  Listen to your body; the simplest way of knowing if you are over training is if your progress has stopped or slowed and if you are constantly tired and sore. This signals time to take a break and make some changes.

• Always ensure you leave 24 hours between hard workouts to rejuvenate your body to be ready for the next exercise session. Try to sleep a full seven hours and eat varied, nutritious meals during this time.

• Experiment with additional rest days or doing slightly less in each workout until you find a routine that keeps you progressing without feeling exhausted.

Feeling hungry?

Diets that severely restrict calories or the intake of entire food groups deprive your body of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that it needs to sustain itself. Furthermore, studies have shown that crash dieting can result in unhealthy behaviours such as eating disorders and increases the chance that the lost weight will be quickly re-gained. 

The key to remaining healthy and keeping weight off long-term is instead to make sensible changes to your diet that you can stick to for life. Follow these tips to achieve weight loss the healthy way-

• Never eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day. Calorie restriction to this extent actually impedes your weight loss goals since your body goes into famine-mode.
• Accept a steady rate of weight loss rather than aiming for overnight success. A loss of 1-2 pounds per week is a sensible goal.
• Small changes make a big difference. One extra biscuit a week can lead you to gain 5lb a year – so by cutting that biscuit out of your diet you'll lose the same amount.
• Try not to eliminate whole food groups (i.e. fat, protein or carbs)- instead you are working toward a sustainable lifestyle change which involves having a healthy relationship with all kinds of food.
• Be patient and persevere. It might take a week or two before you notice any changes, but they will steadily appear. When it comes to weight loss, slow and steady wins the race!

Weight loss made easy

Introducing our first weekly guest blogger, nutritionist Sarah West, who will today be talking about making weight loss an achievable goal.

What’s your goal?

When embarking on a weight loss programme you should start by asking yourself what your purpose is. Whatever your reasons, write them down and keep them to hand. Then when frustration and temptation strike, concentrate on the benefits you will reap from being healthier and leaner.

It is also important to use tools that help you track your progress. Keep a food journal and measure yourself regularly, keeping track of each inch lost. By closely monitoring your weight loss efforts, you’ll see the results in black and white which will help you to stay motivated.

Move it to lose it:

In order to achieve the body shape you dream of, you may have to add something new to your life: exercise! Dieting without exercise can result in weight that's lost from your muscles rather than body fat. This can actually reduce your resting metabolism and stall your progress.

A combination of cardiovascular and resistance exercises (using weights) will make the biggest improvement to your body shape in the shortest possible time- try a Body Pump class to easily combine the two. Seeking advice on suitable exercise programmes from a personal trainer can also help keep you motivated and ensure that you get the best results from your gym visits.

Healthy swaps:

Dropping the pounds can be as simple as making small adjustments to your daily food choices. You should always aim to choose foods that provide the maximum amount of nutrition for the least amount of calories. Try these easy food swaps to help things along:

Breakfast

• Swap sugary cereals (such as cornflakes, rice cereals and anything honey-covered) for fibre-rich wholegrain alternatives such as porridge, low sugar muesli or Shredded Wheat. Not only do highly-refined breakfasts add to your overall calories, but they can lead to a mid-morning sugar slump which will leave you craving more.
• Pour a little less cereal into your morning bowl to make room for some blueberries, strawberries or raspberries. You’ll still enjoy a full bowl, but with a lower calorie count (plus one of your five a day!)

Lunch

• Swap shop-bought sandwiches for pre-prepared sushi, to get a healthier balance of carbohydrates and protein as well as many additional vitamins and minerals.
• Swap normal baked white potatoes for baked sweet potatoes. These are more nutrient-dense and in spite of their sweetness have a lower glycaemic index, helping keep you fuller for longer.

Dinner

• Add more vegetables to your favourite main courses to make your meals go further. Dishes such as curry, pasta and stir-fries are more diet-friendly if they’re less heavy on the carbs and more focused on lean protein and vegetables.
• Swap creamy or cheesy sauces for homemade tomato or vegetable-based sauces for more nutrients with less of the calories. Try adding lentils or beans for a fibre and protein boost.

Treats (because we all need the odd treat)

• Swap milk chocolate for dark chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa. Dark chocolate has less saturated fat, less added sugar and is much richer, so you’ll be satisfied with a smaller amount.
• Swap a bottle of beer (160 calories) for a small glass of white wine (97 calories) on a night out. Alternating alcoholic drinks with water will save even more calories and also lessen the hangover!

One step at a time, focusing on improving your behaviour rather than the outcome, will get you to where you want to be.

Cooling off - even in winter?

So now we know about why we warm up but what about cooling down. Surely you cool down anyway once you stop exercising ?.

As it turns out there are several good reasons:


After you've reached and maintained your training heart rate level in the aerobic portion of your class, it is important to recover gently.

The cool down serves two purposes:
1) it reduces your pulse; and
2) it returns the blood to your heart in sufficient quantities to rid the muscles of lactic acid (a chemical result of muscular fatigue).

If you do not cool down properly you could induce a post workout injury or unnecessary suffering and pain.If you stop suddenly, the blood will pool in your legs instead of returning to your heart.
In addition dizziness, nausea and a "worn out" feeling are common symptoms of an improper cool down.

Duration of Cool Downs
 
It takes your body approximately 3 minutes to realise it does not need to pump all the additional blood to your muscles. A safe cool down period is at least 3 minutes, preferably 4-5 minutes.

All cool downs should be followed by stretching of the muscles to avoid soreness and tightness.

Ensuring proper warms ups and cool downs will ensure you keep on enjoying your exercises with reduced risk of unnecessary discomfort and injury.

The value of Warm Ups and Cool Downs

A common exercising mistake is the failure to warm up before beginning exercise plus failing to cool down properly afterwards.
Why warming up is important

To be safe, any aerobic exercise program should begin with a warm up period. The main purpose of warming up is to increase your heart rate slightly. This has several benefits:

1) it raises your core body temperature; and
2) it increases the blood (oxygen) flow to your muscles to prepare your body for more vigorous physical activity.

This allows:

3)Your muscles and tendons (which attach your muscles to your bones) to be more flexible for stretching after these mild movement have raised your internal body temperature.
4) Increased flexibility which helps you increase the range of motion of your joints and also may help you avoid injuries such as muscle tears and pulls.

Which muscles should I warm up?

Focus on warming up large muscle groups (i.e. quadriceps, calves, chest, etc...).

For example: In an aerobic class, participants march in place, grapevine, do knee lifts etc for the legs. To warm up the chest and shoulder area, participants do shoulder rolls, arm circles etc.

Runners/joggers could begin their run with a fast walk for 3 to 5 minutes followed by a stretch prior to the actual run itself.

How Long should I warm up?

It takes your body approximately 3 minutes to realise it needs to pump more blood to your muscles. Warm ups should therefore last approximately 5 - 10 minutes and they should incorporate stretching of large muscle groups (such as the quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, shoulders etc)

If you do all this you should avoid injury and allow yourself to keep doing the beneficial exercise programmes.

Tomorrow we will talk about cooling down too!

Weather the weather

Just because it is raining, snowing and windy outside there is no need to slack off on the exercise and fitness levels.

Many options await you:

Use you gym - Make good use of that gym membership and use all the facilities that you have invested in whilst you cannot jog in the park. Swimming in the inside pool or the running and cycling machines look all the more attractive when you may loose life and limb on icy pavements.

Engage in wintry sports - Ice skating on pop up rinks can be a brilliant form of exercise once you have got the knack. A couple of hours tobogganing can also be great fun as well as exercise.

Living room fitness - I will never forget catching my mum polishing the hallway floor - dusters elastic banded onto each foot - to the Saturday Night Fever record. You can make your chores a good part of your fitness routine.

Alternatively crack open that fitness DVD you got last year and have your own living room workout. Look out for them in charity shops for 50p. You can then make use of someone else's unwanted Xmas present.

If you do not have much room, some forms of fitness do not need much room. Once you have learnt the ropes Yoga and Pilate's are easy to practice in your own home with a small area of floor space.
 
Keep going with your fitness and you will be ready to embrace the outside world of fitness once Spring arrives.

Foods that boost your mood.

In addition to making your life more active you can also improve how happy you feel in the dark damp depths of winter by taking a good look at your diet.What foods can you eat to improve your mood?.

Ironically components of traditional Christmas food does have many of the elements you need:

Turkey - contains Tryptophan that the body converts to Serotonin ( that mood boosting substance in the brain). I knew there was a reason I loved Christmas dinner.
Walnuts - A standard of the Xmas nuts bowl - contain B6 and magnesium.
Leafy green vegetables - such as Kale, cabbage and broccoli - alongside your Turkey and stuffing - also contain B6 and Magnesium.

Wash all this down with a glass of full bodied red wine - just one - full of its anti-oxidant properties.

Look out for our new articles in January that will fully cover this issue and give you more guidance on foods for boosting your mood.
 

Lift your spirits

Despite December being a month of parties and celebrations, it can also be a pretty miserable time of year. When Christmas and all its festivities are over we find ourselves in a celebration defunct with the depressing months of January and February looming. It can be a cold, dark, damp and uninspiring time and the shorter days and longer nights are natural mood depressors for everyone.

It is therfore all too easy to slip into a bit of depressed state at this time of year. Many hide inside and hibernate or resort to mood boosting snacking and comfort eating. And when trying to be healthy, this is precisely the opposite of what you should do. So this week we are going to talk about things that you could or should do to boost your mood and to avoid the negative impact of the winter  months on your mood.

No 1 on the list is exercise. It has been proved by many studies that exercise - any exercise - will help lift your mood. So whatever you do, do not simply sit inside and watch TV. Get up and get out. You will feel better for it!

Gyms do not need to be expensive and can be worth their weight as they provide the ideal facilities to get you moving in comfort. I love watching my favourite TV programmes and music stations with earphones whilst jogging and cycling on the machines. I get to watch them in peace without the constant interruptions at home. You have the opportunity to shower and then relax and reap the rewards (such as glowing skin and a great nights sleep).

Another option is to just simply go for a walk to get some natural uplift from the fresh air and enjoy the sights and sounds of your surroundings. Even the chance of seeing people will lift your spirits if you've been stuck indoors on your own all day.

Cycling has become increasingly popular and safer cycle paths are provided in most towns to make it a safe and invigorating entertainment for many. It can be really uplifting whizzing down country lanes alone or with friends and family.

Team games or competitive sports can also be great to get you out. Why not join a golf or tennis club? Learn a new sport such as badminton or squash. Or take up swimming at your local sports hall. It does not need to be expensive or hardcore to make a difference to your wellbeing.

Get outside and get active and I promise you will feel so much better.

Bringing some Christmas cheers!

Christmas is traditionally a time when we indulge in a drink or two. Whether it is during office parties or at home when celebrating with friends, what is not often realised is the damaging calorie value of alcohol. With seven calories per gram, alcohol has nearly as many calories (nine per gram) as fat and nearly twice as many as protein and carbohydrate (four per gram).

Of course many of you want to join in with the partying and everyone has got to have some fun at this time of year so here are some ideas about what to have, what to avoid and what to enjoy:

Drinks you can have with to limit the guilt:

• Try to drink no more than one alcoholic drink an hour and ideally no more than three drinks in an evening.
• Intersperse alcohol with mineral water or diet soft drinks.
• Single shots or a spirit mixed with a slimline tonic are the best – for example, one 25ml shot of gin with diet tonic or 25ml of Bacardi with diet cola has only 53 calories.
• Other good choices include one small glass of champagne (89
  calories),
• one small glass of red or dry white wine (85 calories) or
• one bottle of half sugar Bacardi Breezer (96 calories).

Drinks to avoid include:

• full sugar alcopops (200 calories),
• premium lagers (335 calories per pint),
• vintage cider (573 calories per pint) and
• creamy drinks such as Irish cream  (175 calories per 50ml).
• It’s best to give cocktails a wide berth because it is impossible to tot up the calories they contain. 

Here's to enjoying your Christmas parties and celebrations the healthier way- Cheers!

Christmas is no excuse to eat badly

I am having a terrible time avoiding that packet of mince pies sitting on the side in the kitchen.They were bought for some visitors who, as it turned out did not like mince pies and so they remain with us.

Did you know just how many calories those Christmas treats have. I got a low down on some of the festive food highlights:

Food/ Weight/ Calories

Mince Pies 2 (110g) = 370
Crisps 1 packet (30g) = 164
Christmas Cake 1 slice (70g) = 249
Mixed Nuts 1 handful (40g) = 256
Christmas Pudding w/ double cream1 portion (100g) = 329
Mulled Wine 1 glass (125ml) = 245
White Wine 2 glasses (250ml) = 185
Bread sticks 4 (28g) = 110
Taramasalata 1 serving (45g) = 227
Assorted Chocs 6 chocolates (60g) = 268
Twiglets 1 serving (100g) = 394
Sausage rolls 2 small (64g) = 254
Pate on French Toast 2 slices (80g) = 216

Grand Total...
3788 Calories !!!!!!

This is a whole couple of days extra food. If you look at this list quite a lot could feasibly be covered in not so long a period if you do not watch out. Christmas is a calorific extravaganza so how do you manage it?

Here are a few ideas:

• Eat your own healthy food before you go to a party - so you can sample some treats but keep it under control.

• Think about portions - no harm in sampling a little of what you like but keep it under control.

• Drink water - keep yourself hydrated so it means you eat because you are hungry not thirsty.

• Bring your own - if you are invited over to dinner or a party ask if you can bring your own healthy snack or treat so you can join in but in a manageable way. I have done this and the host did not mind - in fact they made some more different healthy options for me to try. So everyone benefited.

Above all do not deny yourself joining in with the fun as this is also very self defeating. Deprivation leads to diet failure - for sure.

And about those mince pies... I might have one and then the birds might benefit from a festive treat!

Common eating mistakes!

As I was preparing my ultra healthy meal last night- one benefit of working with a nutritionist- I thought about what  mistakes people commonly make that sabotage their diets. Here are a few we came up with:

• Starving yourself and then overeating later due to the deprivation and extreme hunger. This is a totally self defeating policy and is the cause of the Yo Yo dieting complex so often discussed. I have done it and know it doesn't work so best avoid it.
• Eating a really low fat diet but to compensate for this reduction in fat replacing it with higher sugar foods. Generally people do not do this deliberately or consciously. Sometimes this replacement is not done by you, but by food manufacturers. If you want to know what I mean take a look at food labels for low fat foods; you will see that top of the additives list is a high sugar, glucose or fructose component. This is to give us a taste we like as we can become addicted to the taste of highly sugared and fatty foods that are so readily available nowadays. The best thing is to eat fresh, natural foods rather than manufactured foods and the sweet cravings will diminish in time.
• Any extreme "meal replacement diet" which means you can not live a real life - I have never been a fan of the "eat our food shake or packet soup" diets. It just means that after you finish that diet and go back to your normal life, any underlying issues remain and you go straight back to bad food plans. The better diet plan is one that helps you to change behaviour and improve your lifestyle as you lose weight. It then becomes part of your real life and is sustainable.
• A diet that cuts out any major food groups or focuses only on one major food group to the exclusion of others - i.e. no fat or no carbohydrates.  It is simply not sustainable due to the lack of variety and can make eating out or grabbing food on the go very difficult indeed. There is also a reason why your body needs a balanced diet composed of all the main food groups- its processes need a variety of nutrients in order for it to work to its full effect. It is not surprising that Dr Robert Atkins founder of the low carb diet fad suffered from a heart attack, congestive heart failure and hypertension!

There is a lot to be said for simply eating a healthy balanced diet, with a little bit of everything. Avoid adding sugar and salt to your food, keep yourself hydrated and keep the quantity of food you eat proportionate to your needs.

To detox or not?

Along with many other I will be joining in with a pre-Christmas diet or detox this year. But what does detox exactly mean? Well the dictionary definition says:

de·tox·i·fy (d-tks-f)

v.

1. To counteract or destroy the toxic properties of a substance.

2. To remove the effects of poison from something, such as the blood.

3. To treat a person for alcohol or drug dependence, usually under a medically supervised program designed to rid the body of intoxicating or addictive substances.

Although detoxification is an ongoing process within the body, various substances found in abundance in the modern diet can hinder the process and eventually affect other systems in the body.

We can all think of many substances that we eat or drink that may fit into this criteria i.e. caffeine and alcohol. A little time out from these seems a good idea and could help you feel better and to lose weight.

There are also some less obvious substances that we could perhaps benefit from avoiding for a short while. These are things that we get easily addicted to and which are not beneficial in excess, such as sugar, saturated fats, refined carbohydrates and salt. It is quite easy to get addicted to having excessive quantities of these in your diet and it is equally harmful to follow this diet long term.

So in summary a detox is where you give your body time out and stick to fresh fruit, vegetables, lean protein, wholegrain carbohydrates plus plenty of water and herbal teas. This may be a good short terms plan to enable your body to break habits and to develop a more balanced diet long term.

NB: Remember before you embark on any diet plan do not do so if you have any long term condition or illness. Check with your GP first to ensure it is safe for you.

Obsession V Discipline - what a difference!

I have been asked a useful question re: Obsession versus Discipline - what is the difference?

This is something we all need to be aware of to ensure we do not get ourselves into trouble in our quest to become healthier. Basically, one way of being is really damaging and extreme- emotionally and physically- whereas the other is useful and empowering.

Definitions give a useful insight:

So Obsession is defined as:

1. Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety.

2. A compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion.

Whereas Discipline is defined as:

1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behaviour, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.

2. Controlled behaviour resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.

Note the anxiety and unwanted emotions in the first, whereas the second focuses on possible moral and mental improvement. You could say that one is a voluntary and mindful act with positive aims whereas the other involves much less control and usually ends in disaster or is not sustainable.

So if you are going to embark on a health and well being plan this New Year, check and make sure that you are working towards discipline as opposed to developing a harmful obsession. This could help ensure you have a healthy AND happy 2012.

What if you get injured or ill?

One of my big fears is embarking on a plan and then being thrown off course by an injury or illness.

Of course the first thing to think of is "what is right for you and your body" and ask yourself some hard questions - just to check:

Could it be that the diet or exercise plan you are doing is what is causing the illness in the first place? Maybe it is too extreme an exercise programme and that is causing you to be exhausted or your body to be too stressed? If so, what should you do?

My ultimate answer is always to:

Listen to yourself - your own intuition and knowledge of your own body is the best advice there is available to you. So do not ignore the warning signs and moderate the diet or exercise plan accordingly. You do not necessarily need to stop and there is no shame in adjusting your plan to what is right for you.

If you are still feeling well or are unsure what to do then seek professional advice. Talk to your GP if you are feeling unusually unwell as it may just be a coincidence and something may be happening that needs an expert to look at. Talk to a personal trainer or your class teacher to see if you can moderate your programme to suit you. If you are embarking on a diet plan speak to your GP or a nutritionist to see if they advocate your plan before you start.

Never do anything to extremes - take small steps to achieve success - The most successful dieters are those who lose steady regular amounts and work primarily on changing their behaviour. The best exercise programmes adjust steadily to the individual's capabilities and stay fresh and fun. The same rules apply whatever your aims. Extremes can lead to disaster and failure, so it pays to avoid them.

If you are unfortunate enough to get injured or ill then always allow yourself to recover properly and fully before you go back to your diet or training - possibly in an adjusted format once you have taken all the advice you are given. What you don't want to do is to make your injury or illness worse or more prolonged. Worst case scenario is you make yourself so ill you can never go back to it!

Remember - your plan will always be there to pick up when you are ready for it; it is not going anywhere.

Make it fun!

Making an activity fun so you keep doing it may seem such a simple idea but it is often the simple ideas that are the most effective.
Remember that the guy who invented the cats eyes became a multi millionaire!

It is also a truism that if you make something a chore then you simply will not want to do it. You will rebel and ultimately stop doing it. So in reality you do have to make it fun to underwrite your commitment to the activity.

So how do you make losing weight, getting fit, getting less stressed actually fun? Well there are many ways:

Why not find the form of exercise that you enjoy so you go for the joy of it as much as for the exercise.
For example - after years of persuasion I finally got my husband to a dance class - salsa. He was the life and soul and loved it. His main comment was 'we could really lose weight doing this and not even realise it is exercise'. Hallelujah!

Everyone has something they are going to enjoy doing. I have a friend who swears by the treadmill and some good music. She meditates on her day and comes off the treadmill feeling so much better. Others will prefer team games or walking the dog in the countryside. There is so much variety out there that it will not be hard to find your FUN ACTIVITY and not even notice you are exercising.

Another way of making it fun is to do it with others.
Go dieting with a friend or a diet buddy. Compete or just support each other and have a laugh at the same time. You do not need to suffer to achieve your goals.

Make it achievable.
Setting yourself a goal or a project that is unrealistic from the outset is soul destroying and self-defeating. Even making several mini projects is better - break down the ultimate goals into lots of victories on the way.

Celebrate your achievements. 
If you have to keep working to an aim or a project without any celebration on the way, believe me, it will take longer or you may not even get there. So celebrate all the little successes en route.

I look forward to hearing about all the fun and laughter on your journeys to wellness, fitness and weight loss.

What happens if you have a bad day?

Even with the best laid plans, a willpower of steel and numerous support structures in place, it can still go wrong sometimes. Sometimes life just gets in the way and despite your best organisation, the inevitable will happen and your healthy plans fall by the wayside.

So I was asked the question last week - how do I cope when this happens? Here are my top 'coping tips' when that happens:

1. Laugh about it - yes really. Try to lighten the load so it does not burden you down into more blips in your get fit, get well, lose weight plan. Laughing will put you in a better frame of mind to deal with the issue and to stay positive so you can move on to the next good day.

2.  Breathe - If you really can't laugh (and sometimes we all have a sense of humour failure when things get too much) then just give yourself a moment, a time out and take some deep breaths. That little bit of separation into a personal oasis will enable you to come back, re-focus and deal with the issue appropriately.

3. Re-group - Sometimes stuff happens that blows apart a plan so you feel that it is no longer possible. Usually it is possible you may just need to take a new, fresh approach. So try to laugh or breath or both and then think about how you can make a new plan of attack to your mission. Life is flexible and you need to be too.

4. Give thanks - By this I mean, think about all the positives that you have already achieved or that you have in your life. The idea is to bring yourself back to a glowing happy space and away from focuses purely on the event that has knocked you off course.

5. Be kind to yourself - Try to get some perspective on what has gone wrong. Eating one chocolate bar whilst on a diet is not the end of the world. See it for what it is - a momentary blip - and return to your plan. It has not be destroyed. Self-punishment will only make you feel worse and do more of the comfort eating behaviour that you are so upset about it. So why not try a new approach.

Remember - sometimes problems are not problems but they are opportunities for you to test yourself. You can explore a new approach to life and learn to look at things a different way. I wavered on my diet and had a dessert this Sunday - I regretted it instantly and as a result did not enjoy it. But I am not beating myself up about it. I have learnt that it is not worth the sabotage to my diet if I am not going to enjoy it so I will have a cup of tea next time and really savour it. It was simply an opportunity to think up a new approach to this dilemma at mealtimes.

Further top tips on how to build willpower

I am going to add in two more top tips today to keep you going over the weekend.

The second of my top tips on how to build will power and discipline is an obvious but definitely a powerful one. Get expert help and assistance to get you on the way. If it is exercise you want to crack - visit a personal trainer. If you can not afford the one-to-one help, take a class. If it is behaviour you want to crack then visit a life coach, counsellor or consider cognitive behavioural therapy. You still get some invaluable individual input and guidance there that will further support your ability to succeed in your mission. At the very minimum - spending the money might actually mean you go to the class or meeting as opposed to thinking about it but not doing it. The class or meeting goes into your diary and it becomes a habit - something you do for you and to change what you want to change.

My third tip is also a powerful one- establish a clear vision and a goal and write it down. One friend I know did a large composite picture with images from magazines and words. She pinned it inside her wardrobe door so she saw it every morning as she got dressed. It recommitted her to her goal on a daily basis.The vision was of a beautiful beach body, bikinis and dresses she would like to wear and her ideal (a slim fitting wedding dress) plus words and thoughts that spoke to her about achieving this goal. It really helped her focus on what her aim was - to get the body and weight for a dream wedding dress and honeymoon. It really worked for her and, lo and behold, she looked amazing on her wedding and honeymoon.

An exercise that I do when I have a goal I want to achieve which needs to be done over a time period - works like magic - it literally pulls you into your future. So I am going to share it. Get a sheet of paper. Establish your goal and the date 'BY WHEN' you want to achieve it. Put this date at the top of the page and the goal. Then working your way backwards down the page (by months or weeks depending on the time period concerned) mark a timeline with milestones. The milestones need to be tangible things that you would have to achieve in order to meet your goal. Work backwards in this way until you get to today. What you will see at the end it a magic path to your end goal. You then need to write out a commitment to reaching this goal and sign and date it. If it is a joint goal then you both do it.

Now here comes the magic. You could stick it up and refer to it and follow it religiously and you will get to your goal - for sure. However I have done this on many occasions and rather than looking at it and following it I have stuck it in the drawer. I have found it six months later only to realise that I had not only reached but also exceeded the goal. The very act of making the plan and the route to it has made it happen.

Whatever choice you make to reach your goals give yourself structure, support and the will to succeed and anything it possible.

How to build willpower - Top Tips.

Yesterdays blog on willpower got me thinking about how one builds up self discipline if you feel you simply do not have any or are weak in this area. We all do not have a martial arts expert living next door who can train us by painting his fence! So I will be gathering some top tips on how to train yourself to develop the willpower to adhere to behaviour changes.

One of the most important things anyone can do is to get support to make these changes. Share with your loved ones and friends around you and request that they support as opposed to sabotage your plans to make changes to your life. So make the requests and see that you get no more of the - "Oh go on, you can just have a small cake", buying you chocolates, inviting you round for calorific dinners and getting upset when you do not want to eat them or pouring you extra glasses of wine you did not ask for. Yes - we have all been there!

What you want is your loved ones' support and encouragement to keep going in the right direction. So simply ask for it. You have no idea how powerful this support can be. You will not even mind some gentle chiding when you slip back. So let them know and let them hold you to it. It is much harder to slip back when you have your support network behind you reminding you what you are aiming for. So go on and start sharing and see what happens.

Be warned that some people close to you will not like you making changes. They may be quite attached to the 'old you' and will not be supportive. Often this is not malicious and is a subconscious desire but sometimes it is more overt than that. Watch out for the toxic people around you and if needs be, ditch them. You may have to work hard to gain this support. This in itself is a good thing. It will affirm your desire to change and help confirm who your real friends are. Good luck with this - I am already working on it!

How to build willpower?

The definition of willpower is "the ability of one to control one self and determine one's actions". I think on this basis we could all benefit from a bit more of this in many areas of our lives. The question is how does one get this?

Well it really starts with determining just how much do you want it. Then you have to practice and practice to change habits and attitudes little by little in order to move yourself towards achieving what you want. The idea is that the gradual moves towards it will start to show you the benefits and spur you on whilst making you realise how much you want it. Eventually you will be living it.

Last night I did my second Pilates and Zumba double bill - with the lovely Tanith Lee in Haywards Heath. I genuinely thought I would struggle and feel rubbish. In reality it was a joy and I felt great - all hot and sweaty but still got that glowing sense of wellbeing today. So - guess what - I want to go again on Thursday. Slowly but surely change is creeping in. My willpower is growing with it. Why not take a look and make a list of what you want in your life. What changes could you make to push yourself (bit by bit) towards that goal. How can you build your determination and incentive to actually go for it and reach it?

Anyone get anymore good ideas about how to build will power - please share?

Will you or won't you - the value of willpower.

You must all read a book I have just read for my Book Club - "The monk who sold his Ferrari". It is basically a very insightful guide, loosely written as a story, to teach readers about tips to enable you to achieve enlightenment and joy in all areas of your life. Who doesn't want that???

One of the tips really struck home for me - the need to incorporate or develop your willpower and to bring discipline into your life. The value is endless. It comes out in your relationships and the message it says about you - this is a women or man who always sticks to their word. It says you are an achiever. It will also help you to achieve your plans and goals.

Can you avoid eating that chocolate bar and have an apple instead? Can you say no to that extra hour in bed and get up for a morning run before breakfast? Just think how much extra energy and fitness it can bring to your life. I know in the past I have had an cast-iron will to achieve things- children and inevitable tiredness may have eroded it but I know I can get it back.

What about you: can you stick to your goals and aims? I will talk about developing discipline more this week so come and visit again tomorrow....

Exercise to relax - yes really!

I tried a new form of exercise at the start of last week (Zumba) and it really did make a difference. After just a couple of classes I felt better - tired but glowing with a sense of wellbeing. I really did sleep better that night, whereas on the nights I did not exercise I struggled to get the urge to sleep at all. I felt more motivated to eat well to maximise the benefits and I also felt calmer and more relaxed.

I am now committed to a four week programme - it is not going to be hard to do it as I actually feel motivated by the benefits. I also really enjoyed the Zumba Class. So why not try to get moving and achieve these simple benefits for yourself. Even just a walk to the shops rather than a car ride could get that sense of wellbeing started.

Stress triggers and food

What are your dangerous points where food is what you use to overcome stress, anger or upset? I have realised it is when I stop the mad rush of the day - usually late in the evening and that mid afternoon dead spot between 3 and 5pm. This is when I start snacking as a way of avoiding or anaesthetising the stress.

However, awareness is the first step before you can even hope to alter this behaviour. I am ensuring I have healthy alternatives available - fruit, crudites or nuts and seeds. I am also thinking about why I deal with my angst in this way - was this a taught behaviour and can I adapt a different to it?

I am also continuing with my plan to relax and chill out more. If I am less stressed then I will have not need to have snack attacks. Maybe a bit of stronger willpower will work too. This is something that needs to be learnt and built upon. Most importantly do not beat yourself up if you find you have any of these vices. Just get on and change what is not working and keep what is. How is your plan proceeding?

Reducing stress can be difficult

Reducing stress can be difficult when life does not co-operate. It is something that you have to be mindful of and manage for yourself. I have decided to keep a diary to see what my stress trigger points are and then decide what I can do to avoid them. An alternative route to my previous approaches that really did not work or help me.

I have been able to recognise the stressful points during the day and with a bit of planning, adapt how I respond to them. So instead of comfort eating after a stressful day I keep my needlework to hand and have some alternative healthy snacks ready to go. Instead of a glass of wine when I can not sleep, I am trying camomile tea and a relaxing bath. I am also making my bedroom more of a relaxing haven. Hopefully it will all add up to less stress in my environment.

What are you doing?

Reduce stress and increase weight loss

I have discovered that the main thing that may be stopping me (and many others like me) from losing weight could be stress. Apparently if you reduce the stress in your life then the weight could drop off. So how does this work?

The main reason for this is that the hormones that are released when your body is stressed permanently put your body into survival mode. Your body thinks it is under threat and holds onto resources in your body that could be useful in fright or flight circumstances that the stress indicates. In other words, it holds onto your fat deposits. It is an ancient, biological stress response that has taken on negative connotations in our stressful modern lives where stress can be a constant factor rather than a short-term threat. Stress also encourages us to reach for 'comfort' foods that we might not require if we were in a better frame of mind.

So if you can reduce your stress then the rest could follow - increased weight loss and better food choices. Reducing stress is a good idea for many other reasons as longterm exposure to stress can also be harmful to your cardiovascular system amongst other physiological damage. So my first step in my body transformation plan is now "how can I reduce my stress?"

My plan is to increase exercise and make it fun. I also want to plan in more 'me time' in my diary so I can have time out to relax. Finally I am also considering meditation lessons. I will let you know how I get on. How is your Body Transformation plan going?

Positive Dieting

Those of us who are unfortunate enough to gain weight all have reasons why. Illness, pregnancy, medication, sedentary work or just being plain greedy. Whatever the reason we all need to consider how we lose this weight again as it usually has a negative impact on our lives.

So how about making losing weight a fun and positive thing rather than a negative thing. We really do not need any other sticks to beat ourselves with - life does that for us enough as it is. So I am going to talk about my and my friends' personal experiences of losing weight and give you fellow 'dieters'!!! out there a bit of support, a few tips and hopefully a laugh too if I can.

I thought I would start by re-naming the term 'Diet' to be more positive. Hope you can join me for my Body Transformation club ongoingly....