When it comes to fat loss the first place most people naturally head to is the gym or the fruit and veg aisle of the supermarket. This is a great shout of course, however, there’s an essential, often overlooked step that you MUST implement daily to succeed with your healthy changes. So what is it?
A topic that often causes a lot of confusion is snacking. Is it even good to snack and if so, which are the best options? Here's a quick low down to help you out!
Today we want to give a huge shout out to our Fitter 365 member Vicki Agnew. If you picked up the latest copy of Women's Running mag you may have seen her smiling face beaming back at you from the front cover, we want to share a bit about her pretty inspirational journey as we know others will relate to her story. Congratulations Vicki, you're a real inspiration and we're delighted to have you as a member. Over to Vicki..
At the same time all the Facebook updates appeared last month about winning or losing out on a space in the London marathon I was greeted with a Facebook memory about completing my Royal Parks Half Marathon. I never made it to running a marathon as the experience left me with a pair of knackered knees and some of other health issues that stopped me from running for a couple of years. I consider it a blessing now as I dread to think where I’d be if my body had allowed me to run a marathon, I often joke with Matt that I simply can't be trusted once those trainers are on.
In my last blog I discussed how men tend to approach nutrition and whilst they have their “commandments” and attachments to condiments they’re generally speaking a little more laid back about the role nutrition plays in their health. Us ladies on the other hand are pro’s at making this a full time business alongside other demanding roles in our lives, like having a career, being a mother, sister, friend, etc. I’ve been totally guilty of this myself in the past, if you bring on the detail I will over analyse, overwhelm, over Google and overthink all of it!
It's all very well us telling you to eat Fitter Food but not so helpful if you struggle with appetite control and managing your portion sizes. It's actually a common issue, especially if you're looking to lose weight as you may have lost the ability to eat intuitively and listen to your tum when it tells you it's full, or even more damagingly, override its message that you've had enough. You may find this difficult to believe but our body actually has natural appetite regulating and weight management mechanisms in place to prevent us from eating too much, an essential part of achieving and sustaining your fat loss goal is kicking this system back into action.
At the last few Fitter Food events I’ve discussed the role of relationships in health. Not something you might consider when you decide on a health or fat loss goal, but actually, it's hugely relevant.
If you've been on a mission to lose weight and things are stalling, or worse still going in the wrong direction and you're actually gaining body fat, here are a few suggestions and ideas that might help you get back on track with your fat loss goals.
Most people interested in health and fitness right now have their own journey with macronutrients. Paleo and the Atkins revolution opened up our eyes to the notion that perhaps fat wasn't the enemy after all but rather carbs including bread, rice, pasta and potatoes were causing our waistlines to expand and spill over our jeans in true muffin top style. Of course this is a hugely simplified version of events and it's clear that the goal with any macros is simply finding your sweet spot. However, gaining back your confidence eating carbs again after a low carb diet can be tricky business and is often fraught with fears of weight gain.
One of the most common trends that seem to be driving a number of health issues and fat loss fails today is the fact that many people are creating a debt crisis with regard to their body. In life we need a healthy bank balance in order to pay for our living costs and do the things we enjoy like going on holiday or eating in a nice restaurant. Similarly, our body has a limited reserve of funds available for essential physiological processes and tasks – we’re referring to vitamins, minerals, hormones and all the vital nutrients that keep us alive and kicking. It has some spare resources stored away just in case we need to occasionally go above and beyond.
I posted on Facebook a while back that perhaps there's a little too much effort going on when it comes to fat loss and people might be missing some quick wins which could be achieved by kicking back a little and simplifying things. When an individual decides they want to change their body composition and focus on getting healthy it often starts off all guns blazing. There are plans to eat boat loads of steamed kale, smash HIIT sessions daily and answer to no one but the weighing scales.
When working with clients who’s primary goal is to lose body fat we often discover that its not through lack of trying but more so because they become confused with the vast amount of information that is available out there. This says that and that says this. Well it can all get a bit mind boggling but I want to share 3 common reasons I feel most people are not achieving the fat loss results they desire and what you can do to change that shizzle.