1. Carbs? To eat, or not to eat?
There are good carbs and there are bad carbs. Your eating plan must consist of some carbs otherwise your body won’t function properly. If you eliminate them completely you won’t think straight and you’ll get fatigued. The key is to choose the right kind of carbs, and eat enough of them without having too many. It’s a bit of a juggling act to get the balance right at first, but if you can choose complex carbs (burgen bread, brown rice, fresh vegetables) over simple carbs (cookies, muffins, crackers, white bread, pasta) then you are heading in the right direction. Try and eat your carbs throughout the day and not at night.
2. Stop lingering around the fridge
How many times on the weekend do you find yourself heading off in that direction, opening the door and just standing there with no real idea about what you want? Then you head off to the pantry to see what interesting things you might find. If this sounds familiar and you are a victim of this habit why not stick an image of the body you want on your fridge or a photo of what you used to look like for motivation? Or take up a hobby to fill in the times when you are bored and find yourself tempted to snack.
3. Muscle Vs Fat?
The choice is yours! Lean muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn. To lose fat you need to lift weights. Healthy eating and cardio are as important too, but to change your body shape you must weight train. As we age our muscles start to shrink and waste away. So if you don’t make them strong by lifting weights they will disappear and you will be left with flabby, saggy, un-toned skin. This process starts to happen from about our late 20’s onwards, so get lifting.
4. Don’t skip meals
You can wreck your metabolism by putting your body into starvation mode unnecessarily. If you skip meals you can actually end up putting on weight as the body will store food you have consumed because it doesn’t know when its next feed will be. The best & safest way to cut your calorie intake is to eat 4-6 SMALL meals a day.
5. Eating out
Don’t be embarrassed to stick to your eating plans. YOU are the customer and if the menu doesn’t suit your needs then request a modification to the dish you desire. Ask how things are cooked. Ultimately you are responsible for what you put in your mouth, so get informed.
6. Sweet tooth
If you get a sugar craving late at night try a herbal tea (Camomile and Spearmint) or brush your teeth. You usually don’t feel like eating the sweet stuff after that. Then relax and read a book or magazine to take your mind off things.
7. Get disciplined
Serve your dinner onto smaller plates so you don’t pile food up. Don’t feel inclined to eat on just because the food is there. Once you are full push the plate away and clear the table fast!
8. Try suppliments
Protein shakes or protein bars for morning or afternoon tea are good snack time options. Get advice on the right ones that are high in protein, low carbs & low fat. Don’t over consume on these though. 1-2 shakes per day is plenty. MISSFIT PT is now selling supplements so enquire today!
9. Continually shock your body
With different training methods. The body gets used to what you are doing so if you run the same course each day then it’s time to put a spanner in the works. Try 2 strength (weights) sessions a week, 1 run or fast paced walk which includes hills, a group cardio class (Saturday Stair session at Kangaroo Pt cliffs, spin, pump, boxercise) or interval training for a brilliant calorie burn. With 4-5 varied sessions a week you will seriously start to notice a change in your fitness level and a change in your body shape.
10. DO THE WORK
It is no longer an option to sit there and say I want a swimsuit body without putting in the hard yards. People who are fit, strong and happy don’t just roll out of bed that way. (And if they do they are FREAKS!) You CAN get the body of your dreams with the right action plan, support group and the will to “JUST DO IT!”