self contol

I`ve lost it

Many diets fail because they focus on food and not what makes us fat.

Often when one diet is over; our weight starts to creep up again. To achieve more permanent weight control we have to develop more sensible eating habits.

Out lined below are a number of techniques of “self control” that are easy to learn and can help you eat how you should.

The methods are based on ideas on how people learn to change their eating habits. They are not magic solutions but people have found them useful

if you have a momentary lapse

Don’t look at it too negatively; everyone strays from the diet occasionally. One hiccup won’t effect your long term goal, the important thing to do is to decide what it is you would like, eat it, enjoy it and don’t feel guilty! If you try do deny your craving it is quite possible that you will end up eating twice as much calories in other food.

When and where to eat

Eat your meals at regular times of the day

Don’t do anything else (e.g. read watch tv) while you are eating

Resisting temptation

Work out your danger times, for example- when you are cooking meals, or in company, or bored, or anxious etc. So that you can be more prepared to deal with temptation, e.g. if your are tempted to nibble while making family meal, keep a low calorie drink beside you and sip it instead. If you need to taste foods during its preparation then use a small spoon.

If tempted to eat, start an activity which makes it difficult to eat at the same time (e.g. phone a friend, wash the floor, read the paper or go for a walk)

Don’t leave food lying around within easy reach, store al food in the kitchen and put extra food away.

Don’t buy the “wrong sort of food” always make a shopping list. Don’t go shopping if you feel hungry.

If you can prepare the next meal at a time when you’re not hungry.

Make sure you don’t feel hungry when you go in to a situation where you maybe offered the wrong types of food, (eat a low calorie food before hand).

Food is often used as a reward. Could this reward be some kind of activity e.g. when the children get in your nerves, is an éclair the answer, or would a good soak in the bath be as good.

Is there a perfect diet?

Is there a perfect diet?

Clients are endlessly searching for the perfect diet that will help them lose weight, feel great, and improve their health, and they want me, to help them find it. While I need to work within their health and fitness parameters, these five guiding principles can help clients refine their food intake and reach their desired goals.

Does the Perfect Diet Exist?

What is the ideal diet? There are numerous books that will try to convince the reader that one diet is superior to another. Unfortunately, no one diet is right for every client. Nutritional needs depend on someone’s age, activity level, health status, genetic makeup, goals, and many other factors. Additionally, as those variables change, so too should their intake. Thus, the perfect diet is one that is in constant flux and meets the current needs of the client. While it may be easier to follow a pre-programmed meal plan, that may not be ideal in the long run. Below are some guiding principles to help clients improve their nutritional intake.

Fresh is Best

Whole, fresh foods are superior to foods that are processed. The nutrition content is higher and there are no added ingredients, preservatives or chemicals, especially if the food is organic.

Processed foods provide sensory overload and nutritional deprivation. These foods contain sugar, salt, preservatives, and other ingredients that do not provide much nutritional value but may stimulate overconsumption of them.

Avoid Demonizing Foods

While fresh foods are a better choice, most clients will still want to consume some of their favourite foods, While these foods do not support optimal health or losing weight, making something off limits can make clients want it more. As the saying goes, we want what we can't have. In fact, telling a someone that they cannot eat a particular food may actually have them consume it more than they otherwise would have.

Encourage consuming more foods that are in line with their goals and less foods that are not. Establish how frequently to include less nutritious foods in their diet and appropriate portion sizes. This will allow people to meet their goals while still enjoying an occasional treat.

Include a Variety of Foods Each Week

Too often, people get caught up in consuming the same foods every day. While this may make it easier to plan and stay consistent, consuming a variety of foods can:

Help avoid developing food intolerances

Provide a wider variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients

Lower inflammation in the body

Encourage a diverse gut microbiome, which is associated with better immune functioning.

Encourage yourself to rotate the foods you eat, so you are not consuming the same fruits, vegetables, proteins and fats every day. Many use a four-day rotation diet, in which the same foods are eaten only every four days. This allows you to have some continuity and regularity with your meal planning while also keeping food choices varied. Eating foods in season also assists with variety.

Limit Variety within Each Meal

While variety within an overall nutrition plan is important, keeping meals simple may be better than having too many ingredients at a single setting. Some research has shown that people will consume more when there is a variety of food to choose from. In one study, participants consumed 23% more yogurt when offered three different flavours, rather than just one.

Having yourself focus on eating fresh foods and keeping the options at each meal limited helps keep:

Nutrient density high

Calorie density moderate

Quantity of food consumed reasonable

Eat Local and In Season

With the ability to get almost any food at any time of year, it makes it easy for you to eat the same foods every day. Encourage yourself to eat locally and purchase foods from a farmer’s market. Not only are you supporting your local farmers directly, but you are also buying foods that are in season and are picked at, or close to, their peak ripened state. Foods purchased from other countries are often picked in an unripe state and then chemically gassed to artificially ripen them.

Summing it All Up

There is no such thing as a perfect diet. There is no one plan that will magically help clients meet all of their goals. However, implementing these five guiding principles can help your clients make better food choices and improve the quality of their overall diet. This gives them the freedom to choose foods they enjoy, adjust their food consumption to their bodies’ current needs, and reach their health and fitness goals.

The five principles are:

Fresh is best.

Avoid demonizing foods.

Include a variety of foods each week.

Limit variety within each meal.

Eat local and in season.

9 simple health goals that you can keep

Try these small changes to improve your health in 2021

1. Walk more

Brisk walking, even for just 10 minutes a day, can improve your circulation, boost your mood and improve your sleep. If you want to start walking more in 2021, try doing it in 10 minute chunks to make it less daunting. 

Remember, you can tell if you're walking briskly enough if you're able to talk, but you're breathing faster than usual.

2. Experience nature

Mental health charity Mind found that proximity to nature can have positive wellbeing benefits, including helping you feel more relaxed and less angry.

If your able visiting green spaces more often can be really beneficial. One study found, for example, that just hearing birdsong can boost mental well-being for four hours or more.

You can bring nature into your everyday life by having flowers in the house, looking after house plants, growing your own food or exercising outdoors.

3. Spend less time sitting down

Sitting is the new smoking – the body wasn't built for spending hours at a desk or in front of the TV. It increases your risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and breast, colon and colorectal cancer. Why not try the Pomodoro method to break up desk time.

Set a timer to break each hour into two 25-minute blocks separated by two five-minute breaks. Work intently during the work periods and move about during the breaks. Use your breaks to stand up, do a quarter squat, do some rotations, or just go for a walk round the office. This technique can also boost your focus when you're working.

4. Get good sleep

Being sleep deprived can negatively affect your mental and physical health. It can even make you prone to major illnesses, from obesity to depression. Reducing screen time before bed, sleeping in a cool room, and going to bed at the same time each evening all help with a good night's rest. Apps such as Sleep Cycle can help you pinpoint any issues and help you to improve your sleep. For more tips, see our article on how to improve your sleep.

5. Stretch

Many of us want to become more flexible and introducing stretches into your daily routine can help you achieve that. Dynamic stretching can help improve flexibility and range of movement, and decrease the risk of injury.

Make a habit of stretching when you wake up, or while you're waiting for the kettle to boil. Discover more ways to boost your flexibility, including stretches to try.

6. Make food more fun

Challenge your self to cook and eat something one new recipe every week. As well as vitamins and minerals, there are hundreds of micronutrients known as phytochemicals in food. Eating a wide variety of food is an easy way of ensuring we get a good nutritional mix. If you're looking to shake things up, why not try one of our delicious, healthy recipes, with ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

7. Plan meals

A focused food shopping list cuts calories and waste, and saves money, as you only buy what you need (and throw nothing away). Take the time to plan your meals, and write out a list before you go to the shops.

8. Reach out to others

We're all busy, but in 2021 take time out for your relationships. The Mental Health Foundation says that having good quality relationships can help us to live longer and happier lives with fewer mental health problems. 

Try to schedule calls (or in-person meetings) with your friends on a regular basis rather than leaving it up to chance. You can increase your sense of belonging by joining clubs or volunteering in your area. If you can't get out and about, there are plenty of online communities you can join - from book clubs to parent/grandparent groups. For your romantic relationships, reflect on whether you're in a healthy relationship.

9. Drink plenty of water 

Drinking enough water is crucial to good health. The NHS recommends drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day (or 1.5 to 2 litres in total). This includes lower fat milks, and low sugar or sugar-free drinks, tea and coffee within this intake. 

You can meet this target by buying a reusable water bottle and keeping it with you throughout the day. If you know your bottle holds 500ml, you know you have to refill it 3 to 4 times to drink the recommended amount. Don't forget that you need more water if you exercise, or on hot days.

Goal Setting

Well its that time of year again and all you think is “I`ll do this exercise” “do that exercise” “eat this” “eat that” it can be overwhelming and what’s worse most of the time there are no realistic time scales, you read the headline and that’s it, you want that type of body.
Wanting and getting the body, you want are two different things, but it is achievable if you follow a tried and tested way. Goal setting.
Goal setting is important to any person or athlete, to get further on new lifestyle you need points or goals to aim for weather its losing that last few pounds of winning that next medal. One goal setting technique is made up of the acronine S.M.A.R.T Goals.
Remember this and you won’t go far wrong, so what does SMART stand for?

• S- specific

Be specific in what you want, its no good saying “I want to lose a few pounds” you need to think “ I going to lose 5lbs”

• M- measurable

Be measurable, is your goal obtainable, can you measure it in stages, will you find out when you have hit your goal.

• A – achievable

Think about it, are you going to be able to reach your goal, start small and get bigger. Don’t make your goals too big.

• R- realistic

Be realistic, don’t just say I’m going to lose 6 stone or I’m going to run a marathon , these maybe your end goals, but I serious doubt you’ll do in in your first month.

• T- time related

Be time related, how long is going to take you, for example, a health way to loss weight is 2lbs a week, so if you wanted to lose 1 stone this will take you 7 weeks.