5 Things you can do right now for a flatter tummy

179369962The following are in no particular order… I do suggest though for you to be able to sustain them, introduce one thing at a time and once you have mastered it move on to the next thing.

Let me know how you go in the comments below.

  1. Eliminate Gluten from your diet. Gluten is in most grains and is undigestible in the form we usually consume it in. Read more about why some grains are hard to digest here.
  2. Stop wasting time doing crunches, your precious gym time would be better off spent lifting heavy weights. Or try these abdominal exercises… otherwise don’t waste too much of your time ‘crunching’.
  3. Eat protein first thing in the morning. If you are one of my clients you know I advocate eating meat, preferably red meat first thing, but making the switch from cereal to anything protein is a great start, your blood sugar levels and therefore your stomach fat will appreciate it. How much protein is in things?
  4. If you are doing more than 1-2 days each week of ‘cardio’ training (especially aerobics classes) STOP and try lifting weights instead. In other words do what you are NOT good at if you want your body to respond and shed fat.
  5. Plan to have 2 really bad meals each week (preferably keep them gluten free). This will stimulate your blood sugar and keep you motivated to stay on track, especially since you know you can actually relax and eat what you want at certain times.

288865730……Enjoy the journey

 

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Putting yourself first.. It’s necessary for weight loss and NO it’s not selfish!

799571879Putting yourself first is necessary to survive, not to mention get healthy, lose weight, stay sane and happy. It’s not selfish at all, even though it feels incredibly selfish.

There are always other distractions and things that happen which all add up to distracting you from looking after yourself.

Sometimes your failing health is a reminder that things are out of balance.

Why do we feel selfish when we say no to someone or something because we need that time for ourselves? Too often I hear people using the excuse that they don’t have time for the gym, in other words, for themselves. Yet everyone has been given the same 24hrs and we all make choices about what to do with our 24hrs.

319569427This is not just about making time to exercise. Losing weight has so much more to do with your whole self than it does with how much exercise you do. It has everything to do with how healthy you are mentally and spiritually not just physically. How balanced your stress hormones are, how happy and vital you are and how much you are able to contribute to others.. Remember though if you are depleted of energy how are you going to continue to look after everyone else? Who is going to look after you in the end?

Let me ask you this, what will you do today for yourself, so that you have the energy for others?

In need of some ideas?

417145498Exercise, read, have a cup of tea, breathe, take up a new class/skill/hobby, phone a friend, see your friends, laugh by yourself, think, cook, goal setting, plan a holiday.

I think sometimes we forget the simple equation of energy out must be equal to energy in and in our quest to get more done faster, we seem to be depleting the one essential source in the equation, ourselves.

So make sure you take a minimum 5 minutes each day for yourself, even if just for an uninterrupted cup of tea…

Cheers

 

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Healthy inspiration – motivational quotes

Below are 10 inspirational quotes to spur you into taking control of your own health. We all need reminders like this every now and then.

  1. To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. Buddha (c. 563 BC to 483 BC) – a spiritual teacher from ancient India who founded Buddhism
  2. Life is not merely being alive, but being well.  Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial) (circa 40 AD – 103 AD) – a Latin poet from Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) best known for his twelve books of Epigrams
  3. Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness. Edward Smith-Stanley (1752-1834) – English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  4. A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.  Paul Dudley White (1886 – 1973) – an American physician and cardiologist
  5. You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. Michael Jordan
  6. Without health, life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering.  Francois Rabelais (c. 1494 – 1553) – a major French Renaissance writer, doctor and Renaissance humanist
  7. A healthy body is a guest-chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison. Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626) – an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist and author
  8. To be successful you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can’t just accept the ones you like. Mike Gafka
  9. People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success. Norman Vincent Peale
  10. Train insane or stay the same. Eat clean… talk dirty.

 

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Don’t have time to cook or plan your food? Here are some fuss free food preparation ideas..

613661939I’m always hearing from clients that they don’t have time to prepare food in advance, or sometimes they just lack the inspiration.

Being organised with your food is CRUCIAL to you getting the health results you so desire. If you leave your next meal unplanned, well… need i say more, as you know its often a case of having no discipline once you are already hungry and it can be a downward spiral from there. This is normal but its also preventable. So below are some tips to get you organised and inspired so you can GET RESULTS! plus keep reading below for an example week of my food preparation…

Tips for being organised with your food:
  1. Plan what you are eating/feeding yourself and or your family for the week, before you shop for your food. This takes only a few minutes. Keep it simple, you can always add variety by changing the seasonings and sauces that accompanying things (I understand some of you have to feed fussy eaters, I have one myself, this is not an excuse).
  2. Buy groceries when you are not hungry – and of course after you have planned, even roughly, what you are cooking for the next 5-7 days.
  3. Only cook 2-3 times each week – Each time you cook allow at least 1-2 hours and cook 2-3 different meals at the same time (making the portions large enough for several servings ie. dinner, lunches and snacks the next day).
Example Menu ideas for bulk cooking:

This is what I do. For example I usually only cook on a Wednesday and Sunday, each of these days I cook enough to last the following few days. Very rarely do I reheat things. (I don’t have a microwave, if you need to reheat things google ‘microwave dangers’ first – instead try using a little boiling water on the stove, or cook it from frozen rather than defrosting in the microwave.)

  1. Oven roasted Meats – Use 2-3 different pieces of meat, Eg, Lamb, Chicken, Fish. These can be either traditional full roasts or casseroles (I prefer roasted meat as its easier to eat cold without needing to be reheated). Always throw a tray of veges in the oven at the same time. Try pumpkin, sweet potato or carrots, in fact most veges taste great when roasted. A meat free option would be Frittata (egg based for those non cooks). A fast alternative to meat which can be cooked in the oven.
  2. Slow cook – meat and veges/Soup/Curry – Either meat and veges without much fluid (water to make sauce/soup) or with lots of fluid and then make a soup out of the fluid at the end after you pull the cooked meat out.
  3. Rissoles made using various mince – Roll mince into balls using any rissole recipe you like (grain free of course), and simply pan fry in a little coconut oil. Recipe here.
  4. Chopped or whole raw veges – Good for any accompaniment, but best warmed or steamed on the night of use.
  5. Optional Extras – Try rice, rice noodles or extra vegetables for those fussy eaters or for more carbs.

Click here for more recipe ideas and a fantastic health resource ‘Nourished Magazine’

Now have your say… Feel free to comment below to ad your own cooking and organising food tips, everyone can benefit from your ideas. Thanks!

 

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Heard of these? Unusual Metabolism Boosting Tips

The following are not in any order.. Except for the importance I’d like to place on number 1 – ‘be nicer to yourself’. This is very personal to me as it was what kick started my weight loss after having Stella (after almost 4 years of putting myself down). You may have had a different experience, please feel free to share it in the comments section..

5680829581. Be Nicer to yourself

I’m not suggesting you look in the mirror every day and praise the fat on your butt and say how magnificent you look, as if you are going to believe that right!? What I am suggesting is that you interrupt these thoughts, or actions if you are grabbing fatty bits on your body, of self criticism and hatred by purely distracting yourself and starting to do something else. Try to be aware of when the little voice starts inside your head… and no you are not crazy, we all do it, just say thanks for sharing and move onto the next thing you were doing. Becoming aware is a great way to interrupt the pattern and break the habit. Remember you will only get more of what you think or talk about, whether you think about it in a positive light or not. Click here to read more about self sabotage. Click here – Want more from life? – Read about the power behind self love.

9081507612. Rotate Your food

Try not to eat the same thing all the time. Simply rotating the top 10 foods you eat by swapping them for completely different things is going to stimulate your metabolism just like changing your exercise routine. Write a list of the top ten foods you eat and change them completely. Especially the protein, try it and watch your digestion improve and your waistline shrink.

3. Change your exercise routine…

I know I harp on about this but really is what you are doing working for you? Do you really want to have to do more areobics classes or up your gym sessions from 4 to 6 or 7 times/week? Wouldn’t you like to be able to do less and achieve more? Then possibly its time for a change? Click here for more info (Warning – you may have to change your thinking..)

4. Common sense… Keep it simple

Drink Clean (filtered) water and breathe properly using your diaphragm (as if you are filling up your stomach with air when you inhale). As simple as it seems, not many of the other fabulous weight loss tricks will help if you don’t master the basics. After all what are some of the most important substances for all human beings to be able stay alive??

4901844385. Get enough sleep and time out

This is critical to balancing your hormones. The ones that help you to repair from exercise, digest your food, repair your nervous system, the list goes on. Going to bed early is definitely something most people, including myself find hard to do, but hey sometimes the housework can wait 😉

6. Have Fun!

Don’t forget to smell the roses as they say. Remember you’re here for a good time, not a long time 😉 Start to plan to have fun during your week. If not now… when? Some ideas could be to attend regular comedy shows, watch funny movies or you tube, do a dance class, learn a new skill like cooking or art. Why is it we are one of the most technologically advanced cultures, yet we have the most loneliness and depression? Make the effort to connect with others. Always make time to catch up with your friends.

Have a healthy, fun, fabulous week!

Please leave any tips you’d like to share on what boosts your metabolism in the comments below..

 

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