Posts tagged well being

Hi team, today I want to discuss some key points that I address in my work as a Personal Trainer that I thought worth sharing. Frequently I have people come to me who are looking for change. Some of which include such things like losing weight, getting fit and becoming overall healthier and happier, so I thought I share with you some key points that I recommend to my clients

The big 6…… 

• Eat less: C’mon X-man, there’s got to be more to it than that!! Sorry folks but it’s pretty simple. One of the most important things involved with weight loss is eating less. If you are looking to loose weight, then simply reduce the size of your meals by about 10 to 20% (don’t go back to the pot for more) and you will see a significant difference over time.Not only is this method so effective that a medical procedure has been developed to help people achieve this called Laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery more commonly referred to Lap Band surgery. This is a procedure that in layman’s terms ties a band around your stomach to let less food in and is usually given to obese people. Lap band surgery can help to achieve eating less but can it change your mental approach to what you eat? Can Lap band surgery change your ability to make better food choices? Is it going to help you eat some fruit when you feel like ice cream? Or choose to eat nothing instead of the chips or party pies that are on offer at a function. Lap band surgery can physically stop you from eating too much but is it addressing the real issue. It comes down to choice and making the correct choices in your life to achieve your goals.
• Eat well. Good quality, low fat, sugar free food. A general rule of thumb that I use is that if it comes pre packaged then don’t eat it. What you are looking for is to eat a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean proteins e.g. chicken, beef, fish, lamb etc. (If it has eyes than it has protein) and complex carbohydrates, oats, rice, bread, pasta, potatoes etc. Don’t go over board and eat these at the right times, if you want more info on this hit me up on Facebook or at xavier@sunfitness.com.au or contact a dietitian.

• Making life changes and finish what you start. What we are discussing today is about making a change in the way you eat so it will be “life long” not “week long” (The soup diet- I’m sure you’ve heard of it- is a good example of week long). Do you want to loose weight fast only to put it back on just because you are not willing to change your habits for good? In my experience what’s not going to help is soup diets, lemon detox diets, cabbage diets, milkshake diets, the cookie diet (I’ve seen it), diet pills, Atkins diet, grapefruit diet, Diets full stop!! Aaaaarrrrrrrggggggg!!! (A diet infers that it has a start and finish date!!) I have seen it before on many occasions and every time the dieter always ends up stopping because it’s too hard to stick to because of its unrealistic approach and ends up in a worse position mentally and physically as a result. Don’t look for the easy way out! This is fraught with danger and can ultimately lead to failure.

• Move more. Pretty simple really, I would aim to do something every day for a minimum of a half an hour. No excuses! Walking, swimming, bike riding, boxing, gym time, weight training, pt sessions, etc. (For those of you who are active in your work unfortunately that doesn’t count). Don’t have time? Make time!
• Don’t make excuses. They will only hold you back.

• Set realistically achievable goals and focus on the process, not the result. How many times have you heard the coach of a sporting team talk about “the process”?

“Yeah nar, we are just going to focus on what we can control, and if we play to our plan and execute that plan the best we can then the result will take care of its self.”

 Listen out next AFL season, the coaches can be a great source for life lessons (when put into context of course). Geoff Huegill at the recent Commonwealth games was another who put it very simply when asked how did he lose 40 kgs, to the best of my recollection it went something like this…….

Reporter: “Tell us about your journey from a couple of years ago to now. How did you lose the 40kgs?”

Geoff: “Surround your self with good people who want you to achieve and focus on the little things, the daily tasks.”

Reporter: “Like what”

Geoff: “Well I had to really focus day to day on not eating so much.”

 Geoff you legend!!! How refreshing to hear someone come straight out and say it as it is.

 What are the little things I hear you ask, well…….. points one through six are a good start.

 See you next time, X-man out.