Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-27

• New Article: Traditional Strength Training Methods Best for Women http://bit.ly/9YBk58 #
• New Q&A: I can’t eat breakfast in the morning. What can I do? http://www.aminoz.com.au/cant-breakfast-morning-what-qa-335.html #
• New Article: How to Eat Normally http://www.aminoz.com.au/how-to-eat-normally-a-485.html #
• New Q&A: What’s the quickest way to lose your stomach? http://www.aminoz.com.au/whats-quickest-lose-your-stomach-qa-423.html #
• New Q&A: What’s the quickest way to lose your stomach? http://www.aminoz.com.au/FILENAME_QAS_INFO?qas_id=423 #
• New Article: Exercise does not Reduce Hunger in Obese Women http://www.aminoz.com.au/exercise-does-reduce-hunger-obese-women-a-479.html #
• New Article: Food Manufacturers Creating Addictive Foods http://www.aminoz.com.au/food-manufacturers-creating-addictive-foods-a-484.html #
• 131! improvement by 48 points! #
• Luna park today to have a second go at the sledge hammer! #

Share on Facebook

Why it is Important to Keep a Training Journal

If you’re exercising on a regular basis, it is highly advantageous to keep a training journal of your workout results. Without a log of what you’ve done, this can inhibit you from making optimal progress.

So why exactly is it important to keep a training journal? Let’s discuss some major advantages of logging exactly what you do; whether that be cardio or weights based training.

Information & Objectivity

Training in an objective manner is of great advantage. By logging down your results, you assign figures from which you can deduce your performance and progress.

Training in this way allows you to assess your progress from workout to workout. This is an invaluable tool in measuring the effectiveness of your current training approach. For if you rely solely on “how you feel”, you cannot quantitatively determine your progress.

A training journal also provides you with additional information that you would otherwise not have access to. If you’re seeking to lose weight for example, you may rely on your bodyweight from week to week. But how does your fitness and strength compare? Information is power, and this additional knowledge will only assist you in making more informed decisions about your training.

Goal Setting

If you are setting a goal in regards to your strength and/or fitness, how else do you know if you are progressing toward this goal without keeping a log? In a similar way that you should monitor your weight with a weight loss goal, you should also monitor your strength for a strength orientated goal and your fitness for a fitness orientated goal. This information is obviously imperative to monitor for a goal that directly relates to your training.

But what about if your goal is indirectly related to your training? For example, you wish to lose weight – should you keep an eye on your level of fitness? Further, should you monitor your strength results? Of course you should. The fitter you are, the more energy you can expend during a workout. Same story with your strength. This indirectly will assist in your weight loss efforts. By monitoring your progress in these respects, you are able to set targets for each individual workout to keep you on track and accountable. On a micro scale, you have the ability to determine repetition targets for each set, or distance targets for each cardio workout, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the entire training programme.

Motivation

For most of us, there can be nothing more boring than going into the gym and performing the same monotonous workout day in and day out. Even if you were to vary the machines up, without keeping a log, you cannot monitor your progress. So how then do you know if the training is working for you?

By knowing that you are seeing results in respect to your workout performances, this will provide you with direction and motivation. Sometimes a workout will be tough – though if you have targets to aspire to, you’ll remain far more motivated and enthusiastic. This not only enhances your enjoyment of each workout, it also significantly assists with the long-term sustainability of your exercise regime.

Further, physical results are often slow to develop. For example, if you’re seeking to build a substantial amount of muscle, this may take years to accomplish for the average male (and even longer for a female). Meanwhile, your strength results will improve on a weekly basis, being far more exciting and motivating. The same reigns true for weight loss; although weight loss may be realised in a physical respect within a matter of weeks, keeping a close eye on your workout results will provide you with that additional “push” and confidence of knowing that your training is effective in more than one dimension.

Plus, it can be greatly motivating reviewing your progress over the past fortnight, month or year from your training journal!

So give it a go. All you need a piece of paper and a pen to really enhance your training results!

Share on Facebook

Finding Alternative Weight Exercises in a Busy Gym

If you’ve been into a commercial gym during peak time, you’ll be well aware of the crowds in the weights room. Even during off-peak times, you can be waiting quite a while for a particular piece of equipment. I personally remember waiting up to half an hour for the squat rack because I really wanted to perform some sets of squats!

Apart from being frustrating having to wait for a piece of exercise equipment for an extensive period of time, it can also impede your workout effectiveness by lowering your heart rate and extending your workout time.

So when you have a training programme to follow (professionally written or otherwise), yet are stuck in a situation where you cannot complete the exercises – what do you do? In most situations, it’s usually best to substitute the exercise for a similar motion.

By performing a similar exercise to the one that has been prescribed in your training programme, you will be working similar muscle groups. Of course, there may be subtle differences between the movements, however you are still going to obtain a similar benefit from the resistance training programme.

Let’s run through some examples. Barbell squats are on the training programme yet there is a queue for this apparatus and you do not wish to wait. My first port of call would be smith squats. It is a very similar motion and will thus recruit similar muscle groups (primarily overloading the quadriceps and gluteals). The drawback of the smith machine means that less core control and balance is required (as the machine assists with this). So if your a primary target of your training is to work on your core control, you may wish to opt for another leg alternative such as dumbbell squats or lunges.

Another popular example could be the bench press. This is a very popular weights exercise which is commonly in use during peak times. It is not safe to be lifting very heavy weights without a bench press rack available, so using a barbell on a flat bench is out of the question in this situation. Unless you have available a squat rack that can be utilised as a bench press rack by setting it up with a flat bench, you’re probably best to go with a smith machine or a flat dumbbell chest press. The smith again requires less stability, while the dumbbells will require more stability and provide a slightly different motion to the standard barbell chest press.

Now for a back example – the common lat pulldown. If you are not lifting particularly heavy weights, you may be able to substitute this for a standing cable lat pulldown, using the cable crossover machine. However this would obviously not be viable with heavier weights, as you need to keep your body grounded. An alternative could be a wide grip pullup, which does follow a similar motion to the lat pulldown.

Ultimately, if you’re a patient person, or just enjoy the ambiance of a gym, then by all means wait for a machine. However be aware that an extended exercise training session’s duration will detract from the level of intensity, which will thereby detract from your results. Being flexible with your training when necessary is a great asset, which will not only enhance your results, but also keep your training interesting!

Share on Facebook

Maximising Corporate Work Productivity by Improving your Employees Fitness & Health

If you employ people, you may be interested to know that there has been a wealth of research into the work productivity benefits of fit and healthy employees. Large international companies now pour millions of dollars into fitness and nutritional programmes to get staff eating better and working out to improve their work output. This is most prominent in the USA and Canada, while Australia is slowly following suit.

This article is an overview of corporate health and fitness.

Employees and Exercise

There are many benefits to improving your employees fitness and health. If we only consider work productivity in isolation, an exercise programme can boost employee productivity by decreasing stress levels and enhancing focus. Following exercise, endorphins are released into your body which provide a calming effect. Plus, a fitter employee means higher energy levels throughout the day, avoiding those “down” times when our natural body rhythms do not allow us to think as effectively.

However exercise extends further than just being fitter and concentrating better. Self esteem plays a key role in your employee’s confidence and achievements. When you exercise, this allows you to develop a sense of confidence about yourself by accomplishing feats that you did not previously think were possible. This has many profound and beneficial psychological effects which will facilitate improved an improved quality and quantity of work output.

Exercise can also be a highly effective bonding tool to develop team skills and improve communication. Employees can learn how to communicate to peers in a more social environment, developing bonds and improving your teams morale. This will in turn reduce staff turnover and indirectly enhance customer satisfaction.

Your Staff and Nutrition

An effective nutritional regime can provide the employees the nutrients required to function at optimal capacity. The brain’s only source of energy is carbohydrates. Whilst many people may rely on highly processed sugars (such as lollies, pastries etc.), this may provide a sudden surge of energy and which then drops off about an hour later as soon as blood glucose levels fall. Alternatively a natural carbohydrate selection such as a piece of fruit will typically provide your employees with a sustainable carbohydrate source for 2-3 hours.

Apart from sugar addictions, caffeine addictions can also impact the quality of your staff’s results. Although caffeine may pick up energy levels, it does inhibit the brain’s natural ability to think clearly. Caffeine speeds up the natural thought processes, so the ability to think about a task laterally is decreased. Further, a caffeine addiction will decrease one’s natural energy levels, especially when it breaks down within the body.

Other Health Considerations

Your staff’s general health is essential to the operation of the business. Following a generally healthy lifestyle, which includes;

• 7-8 hours of sleep per night
• Regular exercise
• Good nutrition
• A controlled alcoholic intake
• Socialising and maintaining a healthy work-life balance
• Proper hydration
• General happiness

is imperative to obtaining the best return on your human resources investment. For, if your staff are not looked after, you’re going to be losing big bucks through many avenues including:

• Illness
• Staff turnover
• Lack of productivity
• Stress
• Fatigue
• Lack of interest

Of course, you cannot force good lifestyle habits upon your staff as this is a very personal decision. Yet, you can encourage staff by providing easily accessible solutions. This is truly a win-win situation, for if you go the extra mile and invest some of your time, money and effort into your staff, they not only reap the personal benefits, they will also be able to repay you through an improved quality and quantity of work.

Don’t Neglect Yourself

As a business owner myself, I do understand that operating a business can require long hours and a lot of discipline. If you do not look after yourself by following a healthy lifestyle, your business will suffer. Your energy levels, decision making ability, leadership qualities, efficiency, vitality and general health (both mental and physical) will all be impacted if you do not respect your body and look after yourself.

It can be tempting to work on the business 16+ hours a day, skipping meals, avoiding workouts, neglecting family/friends and not sleeping – yet ultimately you will burn out and when you do, both you and the business is going to suffer.

Practical Strategies for Physical Exercise

There are numerous ways to get you and your staff active on a regular basis as both a team building exercise and also a health orientated exercise.

A very popular implementation is performing a 10,000 steps challenge, whereby employees are provided with a pedometer and aim to complete 10,000 steps per day. This is great, because it keeps employees moving and adds a fun challenge to the workplace. We currently collaborate with a number of Australian firms and supply our pedometers (found in our store) for such challenges.

Another idea is to schedule a boot camp or team sporting event on a regular basis. This can be a fun and interactive environment for staff. Many staff will often undertake additional training of their own accord to enhance the benefits received by such programmes.

Many firms are now also hiring on-site personal trainers to meet with staff on an individual and/or group basis. This really helps to educate staff as to the importance of health and fitness, whilst keeping them motivated and accountable.

Although this is only a brief introduction to the topic, the possibilities are endless when it comes to implementing an effective corporate training plan. If you would like to discuss an solution for your business in detail, please contact us on 1300 AMINO Z (1300 264 669) and go to extension 1 for personal training.

Share on Facebook

Is Boxing a Good Cardio Workout for Weight Loss?

If you’ve ever seen someone do boxing for exercise, it may have crossed your mind that it would not be nearly as effective as a leg based cardiovascular workout. After all, you’re not carrying your body weight  around – you’re just moving your arms! Don’t be fooled – boxing can be very demanding!

As a personal trainer, I regularly undertake boxing sessions with clients. A common question I receive from clients is whether or not boxing is a good workout for weight loss. Well, that’s before I put them through a session!

Boxing is a highly effective cardiovascular workout. Although you’re not moving your legs, you are moving your arms through complex compound movements repeatedly. This elevates the heart rate significantly and will put you out of breath very quickly. The increase in heart rate means that your body is suffering from an oxygen deficit – the goal of a cardiovascular based workout. This means that lots of calories are being expended. Considering that a calorie deficit is a prerequisite to weight loss, boxing is going to be a highly effective workout in this regard.

When seeking to lose weight, keep in mind that intensity is going to be directly proportional to weight loss. The higher your intensity, the more energy that is expended and hence the greater the energy deficit created. The added benefit of a high intensity workout is that it has the ability to stimulate a significant amount of fat breakdown after your workout has concluded. The reason why you are feeling so exhausted is because your body is readily sourcing nutrients to repair itself from the highly demanding workout – often much of this energy is sourced from body fat.

To make your boxing session intense, switch the drills up. You can try:

• Different styles of punches (eg. jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, high punches, low punches etc.)
• Intervals
• Incorporating other cardio work
• Switching between punching and strength-based exercises
• Varying between a punching bag and focus pads

Variety encourages intensity – so mix it up!

Also, boxing is a highly effective workout if you do injure yourself and are unable to use your lower body. This form of cardiovascular exercise is a very useful tool with knee injuries (a very common injury).

Be sure to give it a go – boxing is a lot of fun as well as a highly effective cardio workout for weight loss.

Share on Facebook

The Best Time to Begin Losing Weight

As you can imagine, we receive a large number of enquiries from people who are seeking to lose weight and get in the best shape of their life. I am the person who speaks to potential personal training clients to discuss their goals and to assess whether or not they would benefit from our personal training services.

Before initiating training, it is common for someone to ask me at what point they should begin training. Often there are perceived obstacles in the way such as:

1. A business trip
2. A birthday party
3. A family get-together
4. Waiting for food shopping day
5. Lack of exercise experience
6. Not enough knowledge on exercise and nutrition
7. Lack of preparation for weight loss

…and the list goes on.

In all of these situations, the best time to begin losing weight remains the same:

RIGHT NOW

Almost without exception, if you want to lose weight (or accomplish any health/fitness goal for that matter), the best time to get started is immediately. Delaying this start date simply delays results. This procrastination inhibits you from accomplishing your goals.

Think about it this way – to accomplish a health and fitness goal, you need to do something. Doing nothing is not going to get you anywhere. Sure, an intelligent and effective approach is optimal, yet doing anything at all is going to be better than nothing.

Creative Procrastination

There are two major obstacles that, from my discussions with clients and potential clients, I have found inhibit people from actually getting started:

1. An upcoming event
2. Over preparation

An Upcoming Event Inhibiting You From Losing Weight

An upcoming event could be anything to do with a particular date. This could include your birthday party, the festive season, a holiday, having to go to the shops, a business event, next week and so on. This is anything that is coming up that you feel will inhibit your momentum on your weight loss journey. Consequently, it is easy to rationalise that it would be more beneficial to wait for this event to occur prior to initiating your weight loss efforts.

The fact is that in almost all situations, this method of thinking is exactly what has hindered you from losing weight in the past. It is an excuse in disguise and serves no purpose but to stop you from actually getting started. If you are absolutely and utterly determined and dedicated to losing weight, then you will not allow this event to stand in your way of accomplishing your weight loss goals. This means getting started now and accommodating for this event when it occurs. Here are some practical examples:

• Your birthday party: Make smarter food choices, decrease portion sizes, avoid excessive alcohol.
• Going to the shops: Make the most of the foods you currently have available. Lack of ideal food choices should also not inhibit you from exercising.
• A holiday: You’re going to feel better on your holiday if you get started now and lose just a little bit of weight. Plus, a holiday does not mean that you cease exercising and stuff yourself silly. You’ll feel much better if you stay active.

Weight loss is a long-term project. Events will come up all the time and no one will ever have a perfect run at weight loss without interruption. Your success is greatly determined by how you accommodate for event based obstacles and utilise a flexible approach within your lifestyle. Allowing events to inhibit you from losing weight will almost certainly result in you not achieving your potential.

Over Preparation Inhibiting You From Losing Weight

Many people attempt to lose weight without having the slightest clue about nutrition and exercise. Educating yourself is therefore extremely important to accomplishing a health and fitness goal. This is why education is such a focal point of our personal training services. So whilst it is very important to know “how” to lose weight, you have to be careful not to use this as an excuse to over prepare and delay your weight loss efforts.

You see, when you set out to accomplish a health and fitness goal, a substantial portion of the learning occurs from the “doing” rather than the theoretical work involved. This is primarily due to your body being so unique that it will respond more effectively to some training and nutritional approaches than others. Thus knowing how your body responds is going to determine the degree of success that you experience. The only way to know this is to actually begin exercising and eating in a more appropriate manner.

If you have hired a personal trainer, then you don’t need to prepare at all – your personal trainer will do all the ground-work for you. Once started though, you will benefit by reading abroad and learning about the science and theory behind exercise and nutrition. Your trainer can act as a mentor in this field, as they would have been formally trained in these area’s of science.

So whilst it is important to set goals and plan, preparing for weight loss should not be counter-productive to you losing weight.

The Best Time To Begin Losing Weight is NOW!

So remember that every day you delay, that is one day longer that you have to wait to realise your goals. If you’re considering putting off weight loss, ask yourself why and determine whether or not this is actually advantageous for you.

Share on Facebook

How to Improve your Strength and Power

On January 7th, I wrote an article that discussed training for a specific event. This article is a follow-up to the sledge hammer experiment I undertook from the date of writing that article.

The Rationale Behind Improving Your Strength

Let’s recap what we discussed in the event training article. Strength is not a function of muscle size. Your strength on one particular exercise also does not indicate how strong you are in another, completely foreign movement. There are a number of reasons for this, including:

1. Exercise technique; as the way in which you execute the movement indicates how efficiently force is generated, or your strength
2. Muscle conditioning; if your muscles have been trained specifically for strength and power, they will be able to produce a greater amount of force in a shorter period of time
3. Brain conditioning; your brain determines what muscles are recruited, how/when they are stimulated and in what proportions. Effective power generation is therefore a result of finding the optimal balance of muscle groups being recruited.

The combination of these three factors will aid greatly in strength and power generation. Here are some other important factors that will play an important role include:

1. Mindset; your mood, confidence and general mental state will affect your performance.
2. Hormonal levels; an imbalance in hormonal levels may affect power output.
3. Nutrition; good nutrition will ensure that muscles are well recovered and have readily available nutrients for optimal results. Nutritional supplements can also aid in performance.
4. Flexibility; being extremely inflexible may inhibit good technique, whereas being too flexible could encourage energy loss throughout the motion.
5. Sleep; being well rested will aid in force potential.
6. Health; your general health will impact the amount of force you can produce.
7. Recovery; if you are well recovered, your muscles will be able to generate force effectively.
8. Temperature; an excessively hot or cold day will hinder performance.
9. Hydration; being poorly hydrated will inhibit strength and power output

So to obtain an optimal power and strength output, all of the above factors must be taken into consideration.

The Test-of-Strength Experiment Results

On January 7th, I declared myself a guinea pig as I set out to improve a previously dismal score on the “Test-of-Strength” amusement park game. This is the machine that you have to hit with a sledge hammer. As you may recall from the training for a specific event article, my previous best score was 83 (out of a possible 150). This score was not high enough to warrant even the smallest prize (a slinky).

Although I initially set out to train for only a few weeks, there were a few obstacles in the way (rain causing the game to be closed and a weekend trip away). So my training period was extended to be seven weeks. During this seven week period, I implemented various strategies including:

1. Practising hitting technique/aim by using a sledge hammer and a boxing bag (laying down). The sledge hammer was wrapped in towels as to not pierce the boxing bag surface.
2. Training specifically for strength with my resistance training programme.
3. Implementing specific exercises into my weights programme that mimicked various aspects to the sledge hammer movement.
4. Supplementing with creatine.
5. Implementing various recovery techniques (nutritionally and physically) prior to the second attempt.

The cumulative effect of all my training resulted in a final score of 131. This was an improvement of 48 points, or a 58% strength increase in just 7 weeks of training. I was quite happy to have won the second biggest prize (a stuffed toy!). Actually, let me rephrase that; my girlfriend was very happy to have won a blue pony!

This is a very dramatic improvement in a short period of time, especially considering my training history. Untrained persons can expect far more profound strength improvements because their muscles have not been conditioned for strength/power output previously.

I can say with certainty that this score of 131 was not the highest possible score that I could have accomplished on this day. The reason is because I had been practising with a boxing bag on the ground, so I had trained myself to hit a target at approximately half the height of the target at this amusement park game. Further, the sledge hammer was substantially lighter and shorter than what I had been practising with. These factors alone meant that my training wasn’t as specific as what it could have been. Force output could have been enhanced had I considered these factors, or had multiple practice shots to “re-calibrate” my brain for the adjusted conditions.

Having said that, I am very pleased with the results that I obtained and would rate this experiment as a complete success. I will now have no hesitation in attempting this test-of-strength game next time I visit Luna Park (but just for fun next time!).

Share on Facebook

What is Toning, Trimming and Sculpting?

I’m sure that you have heard the terms “tone”, “trim” and “sculpt” thrown around here and there. They are very common terms used regularly to market fitness products or to communicate some form of desirable physical changes. Yet do you know exactly what these terms refer to?

Toning, trimming and sculpting are all synonymous in the health and fitness industry. These terms are very general terms and refer to a desirable physical recomposition whereby you obtain more shape and definition. Whilst this may be obvious, what is not so obvious is how this is related to your fitness, flexibility, strength and body composition.

What is toning?

So, what is toning, trimming and sculpting? In terms of physiological processes, the specific definitions that these words take on will vary from person to person. However as a general statement, they generally refer to two separate processes:

1. Muscle gain
2. Fat loss

The primary reason as to why these terms vary between individuals is because we all have different body compositions. So:

• For a large bodybuilder, to tone up may require muscle loss
• For someone who has an above average muscle mass, yet is overweight, they would require fat loss and minimal (if any) muscle gain
• For someone who is underweight, toning may require muscle gain and possibly fat gain too

Of course as you can infer, to tone up is a very subjective term and will vary from person to person. In a general sense, most people seeking to tone will require some muscle development and some fat loss. So let’s discuss this aspect to toning.

Muscle tissue, fat tissue and toning

It is important to understand that muscle tissue is a completely separate tissue to fat tissue. Muscle cells (responsible for force generation and structural balance) perform completely different functions to fat cells (responsible for insulation and energy storage). So to tone, you cannot convert fat into muscle. You must treat both tissues separately by reducing fat mass and increasing muscle mass. In a sense, assuming that you can concert fat to muscle tissue is comparable to alchemists converting other compounds into gold.

Building muscle to tone

In order to develop muscle tissue, some form of exercise will be required. The most effective way to build muscle tissue is to perform some form of resistance based training (or weight training). When you have a focus on toning, your goal is not going to be to bulk up (or build large amounts of muscle). Toning requires a small amount of muscle development to provide the desired shape and definition of a toned body. Fortunately, muscle growth is a very slow process (slow for men, even slower for women due to hormones), so anyone seeking to tone can undertake a resistance training regime without the fear of becoming too bulky.

Losing fat to tone

The other side to the equation is fat loss, which is accomplished most effectively through the implementation of cardio in conjunction with weight training and an effective approach to nutrition. All three of these aspects are (by far) the most effective way to lose fat tissue.

It is a common misconception that you can lose fat from a specific area of the body to tone that in isolation. For example, to tone up the back of the arms or to tighten your stomach. This leads us to believe that tricep exercises (back of the arms) can reduce fat tissue stored in this region and that abdominal exercises (eg. Crunches) can reduce belly fat. However, this is not true. Whilst these exercises may develop muscle mass, you cannot choose an area of the body from which to lose fat. This myth is known as “spot reduction”. It is quite acceptable to go for a run and lose more fat from your arms than your legs (even though the leg muscles are doing all the work!).

Some other toning misconceptions

Due to the amount of confusion with terms that are regularly used in the health and fitness industry, this has lead many of us to believe that toning can be affected by your strength, flexibility and fitness. This is not necessarily true:

Strength: Your strength is a consequence of the effectiveness in which your muscles are able to develop force. Interestingly, strength is not an indication of how large your muscles are. You may be very strong, yet have minimal muscle mass. Thus, your strength does not indicate how toned your body may be.

Flexibility: Flexibility refers to how far you are able to stretch a muscle. When you perform stretching movements, you aim to enhance the flexibility of a muscle (or a group of muscles). Your flexibility has no bearing on your physical appearance. Though flexibility is important for recovery and injury prevention, it has no direct relationship to toning.

Fitness: You can be grossly overweight and quite fit. Your fitness refers to the efficiency of your cardiovascular system and it’s ability to deliver oxygen throughout your body. As a result, your level of fitness does not indicate how toned you may be.

Toning in summary

I hope that this article has cleared up what exactly “toning” refers to. To tone is to shift the fat and muscle balance within your body. Both are individual tissues and thus both need to be considered independently in order to accomplish a toning goal.

Share on Facebook

Feelings of Failure with Weight Loss

If you are attempting to lose weight, how successful are you presently? Are you progressing toward your goals effectively? Do you feel successful with your attempts to date?

Often, this is not the case. For many people, attempting to lose weight can be a tiresome, demanding and up-hill battle. It can seem like no matter what you try, the weight just doesn’t come off (and STAY off).

If you fall into this category, why is this so? Why, when you have the best of intentions, do you not successfully lose the desired weight and sustain this result indefinitely? Why have you yo-yo’ed up and down for the past many years, to be right back where you started (just much more tired from repeated failures)?

A famous quote from Einstein goes something like this; “You cannot solve a problem with the same line of thinking that created it”. Consider this very relevant statement for a while. Does it pertain to you and your current situation?

You are currently facing a very personal and profound problem of losing weight. It may be five kilograms, it may be fifty kilograms – either way, it is a problem of significance within your life. Solving this problem may make you healthier, fitter, more vibrant, more energetic or just happier. But ask yourself – are you trying to solve this weight problem with the same line of thinking that created it? This “heavier you” mentality is exactly why you are at the weight you are at today. The way in which you think (mentally, spiritually and emotionally) transcends into your physical being. In other words, your thoughts result in actions that ultimately dictate the weight of your body.

In order to change your body weight, you need to change your line of thinking. You cannot modify your physical being and expect it to be permanently changed without recalibrating your thoughts (or, the line of thinking that created the problem in the first place). Here are examples of common approaches that you may have taken in the past which serve little-to-no use in changing your line of thinking:

1. Diets (by restricting the foods you eat)
2. Liposuction or other surgery
3. Sporadic bouts of extreme exercise

All of the above suggestions do have their place in society, however they will all be ineffective if you do not modify your thought processes to avoid revisiting this same problem in the future.

Make no mistake about it, changing your line of thinking is the tough part – hence why obesity is such a prevalent issue in Australia. It is possible but ONLY if you decide to step out of your comfort zone in order to free yourself from the restraints of your current thought patterns. This takes both courage and determination because changing the way in which you think about your life in general is a very big step to take.

Let’s get specific here. One of the most important steps that you must take is to rise above your short-term impulses. These “feelings of failure” are what is setting you up for failure with weight loss and ultimately preventing you from being as successful in life as you desire. Here are some examples of these feelings:

1. “I can’t be bothered exercising today”
2. “Work was tough today, I should watch television”
3. “I did a workout this week, I deserve a splurge”
4. “One more packet of chips won’t hurt, surely”
5. “What difference will one more workout make?”
6. “I really don’t care if I’m overweight right now”
7. “Ice cream is much more rewarding than what my exercise session would be”
8. “Why bother eating healthily when you only live once?”

I’m sure you can think of several hundred variations to the above. These feelings all come across our minds from time to mind. You may have the best of intentions, but unless you put these into action you will change absolutely nothing. Just imagine if you were able to modify each of the above self-talk scenario’s above (in order):

1. “I’m not the most energetic, but I have a workout scheduled for today and that’s that”
2. “Tough day at work – nothing like a workout to clear my mind”
3. “One workout down for the week, time to capitalise upon those results!”
4. “This packet of chips is going to take me an hour to run off. It’s not worth it”
5. “If I skip this workout, what’s going to stop me from skipping the next and the next?”
6. “Yes I may feel miserable, but a lot of that misery is attributed to me being overweight and unhappy with myself. So I am going to do something about it!”
7. “Whilst ice-cream may make me feel better, it’s a superficial feeling of satisfaction. Plus I don’t want to deal with the guilt afterwards.”
8. “My quality of life matters. I’m going to make the most of now and stop living my life trapped in a body that I don’t love.”

YOU and only YOU can make the necessary changes in YOUR life to achieve YOUR goals. Do yourself a favour and have a long-hard think about how your current thinking is inhibiting you from achieving your dreams.

Share on Facebook

Is Organic Food Healthier than Non-Organic Food?

Over the past decade, organic foods have become quite prevalent within Australian supermarkets. What was once a highly niche market is almost a necessity for all large supermarket chains. You’d be hard pressed to find a Woolworths, Coles or Aldi without some organic food offerings.

There does however seem to be a bit of confusion as to what “organic” foods are and why they may be healthier than other foods.

Organic foods, by definition, are those that are produced free from inorganic chemical pesticides. Australia has quite stringent laws to ensure that anything labelled “organic” is grown in a highly “natural” environment. This ensures that any man-made chemicals are not consumed when ingesting the product.

There seems to be a very common misconception with organic food, being that it is healthier in regards to it’s fat content, or cooking process. For example, Aldi sell “organic chips”. Whilst it may be easy to assume that these organic chips are low in fat and therefore healthier, this is a completely incorrect assumption to make. Upon investigating the nutritional composition of this snack, they were 20.2% fat. In comparison to a package of Arnott’s Shapes at 14.5% fat, these organic chips were therefore 39% higher in fat than an alternative non-organic snack.

As you can see, organic does not refer to the macronutrient (fats, carbohydrates, proteins) contained within a food. Organic only refers to the elimination of inorganic chemicals used.

Whether or not organic food is healthier than non-organic food is a raging debate among nutritionists. Although it makes sense to eliminate all unnatural chemicals from our diet, there is no consensus among professionals either way due to the lack of evidence in this field. It really comes down to personal choice; do you wish to consume inorganic substances in your diet? If you do not, you also need to consider that organic foods cost more to produce, therefore this may weigh heavily on your budget.

Share on Facebook