Archives 2012

Most of us grew up with this notion:

“If your heart rate isn’t elevated for at least 30 minutes, it doesn’t count as exercise.”

The problem is, many of us can’t stand the idea of 30 sweaty minutes of anything aerobic. Or at least, we don’t do it regularly enough to have any measurable impact on our health and weight.

For some people the very idea of getting pink-cheeked and sweaty is enough to make them feel exhausted, and retreat to the TV.

If “not in a million years” springs to mind at the thought of exercise, you’re going to love today’s post.

NEAT-o

There’s a growing body of evidence that suggests that even short bouts of low- intensity physical activity can have substantial health benefits.

It’s called Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

Or NEAT.

It’s a concept that’s been proposed by Dr James Levine, who defines it as:

“The energy expenditure of all physical activities other than volitional sporting-like exercise.”

Basically, NEAT includes activities such as walking your kids to school, strolling to work, dancing, taking the stairs, hanging out the washing, folding laundry, cooking and gardening.

Or, a day in the life of our grandparents before we got all technological, and became very, very sedentary.

Is NEAT really exercise though?

I can understand why you might feel sceptical that activities like gardening or cooking could have a measurable impact on health. After all, those things aren’t ‘exercise’, right?

Fortunately, turns out that our bodies don’t care whether those activities are ‘exercise’ or not.

Levine’s work shows that NEAT burns an average of 330 calories per day, with some people burning up to 1000. That’s a lot of calories in anyone’s book.

Even more important than calories burned though, is the fact that increasing your NEAT reduces sedentary time, itself a strong predictor of both death and disease.

The beauty of NEAT

The beauty of NEAT is that the activities quickly add up and take little extra effort. There’s no need to purchase new gym kit or go near a treadmill. Simply by changing your focus to moving your body more, and being less sedentary.

Unsurprisingly, Levine’s research shows that overweight people perform drastically less NEAT and are much more sedentary than their happy weight counterparts.

So, how can you add more NEAT to your day? Luckily, it’s pretty easy.

5 easy tips for getting NEAT

Go ‘old fashioned’ with household chores

Give the dishwasher a day off, skip the car wash, ditch the leaf blower and use a basket at the grocers. Hang your washing on the line, give the ride-on mower alternate weeks off and push the mower instead. Cook from scratch more, and eat ready-to-eat / takeaways less.

You can see that none of these tasks are big in isolation. But when you do your chores the way granny did – instead of using technological ‘advances’ – they add up. And while you’re moving, you’re not sedentary.

Take the stairs

This one’s obvious. But how often do you take the elevator up or down a single floor? Cut it out! The elevator doesn’t save time, and it deprives you of NEAT.

Nobody says you have to walk all 20 flights. Get out on the 18th and walk the last two floors. Every day nudge the number up.

Quit driving everywhere

As a nation we’ve become obsessed with driving: to the shops, to the office, to the gym. Instead walk or bike to work, or whenever you’re performing errands. If that’s not an option, take public transport, which means you’ll have a short walk at both ends of the trip.

If you absolutely have to drive, park away from the door and walk the last bit. It might only add five minutes of walking to your day, but that’s five minutes of NEAT you wouldn’t otherwise get.

Have another cuppa

This sounds weird, but part of my own NEAT strategy is to drink green tea. A lot. When you’re constantly sipping fluids, you’ll need to pee. Often. That’s a five minute stroll every hour, right there.

Why not crank it up and use a bathroom in another part of your building? And take the stairs. It’s easy to forget to take a short break every hour, but it’s impossible to forget to go pee.

Take a lunchtime stroll

If you’re one of the lucky ones who has a daily lunch break, why not use it for a short walk? A ten minute walk, every day, (even every other day) adds up. And you’ll feel a million times better than if you spent your whole break sitting at your computer.

I get that not all of these examples will be applicable to everyone, all of the time.

And clearly, nobody’s saying that you’ll get marathon-fit or you’ll be the Biggest Loser, with NEAT alone. That would require some exercise, darling.

However, I trust this post has helped you see that with small conscious changes you can improve your health and burn calories simply by moving your body and decreasing your sedentary time. Go on – your body will love you for it.

Non-sedentary love etc, Avril

PS: If you’re sitting there reading these words thinking, “I knooooooooooow all of this, I just don’t do it!”, feel free to drop me a line. Hypnosis can help you do the doing that you know you need to do to lose weight.

Is it that time of year again?

You’ve noticed the scales determinedly inching upwards.

And recently, buckling your belt is, well, a wee bit of a struggle.

In the back of your mind, you’re thinking, “What is the best way to lose those extra kilos?”

In the front of your mind, you’re thinking, “Is it time for a new belt?”

Same old, same old….or something different?

Sure, you’re tempted to pop a copy of the latest celebrity-endorsed diet in your trolley, as you wait in line at the checkout.

“What’s the point though?” you think, overwhelmed, “the weight always comes back….plus some.”

“Well, you could exercise more,” you berate yourself, knowing your mornings are a whirlwind, the evenings even busier.

Perhaps, it’s time to do something different? Time to use your head.

Your unconscious powerhouse

Scientists tell us that only about 3% of our mind’s power is conscious. By that, they mean our logic, will power and determination.

Yup, well spotted. These are the aspects of us that go AWOL about Day 3 of any diet!

The other 97% is our unconscious. It’s an absolute powerhouse if harnessed correctly.

If unharnessed, it causes all sorts of self-sabotage.

Our unconscious controls many automatic functions in our body. It’s in charge of our breathing, digestion and cell repair. It does all of this automatically. Just as it controls our weight, shape and size.

Estimates are that our unconscious mind is a million times more powerful than our conscious mind.

It’s a big figure. So you can see why it’s vital to get your unconscious mind working in harmony with your conscious mind. If you don’t, you’ll to self sabotage.

For example, that daily walk you’ve consciously committed to? If your unconscious isn’t on board, well, you’ll find a way to avoid it.

And, that extra serve of pudding you consciously intend to skip? Well, you’ll find a way to scoff it before you’re aware of your actions.

When it’s on your team, your unconscious is a valuable asset. Against you, it’s a sneaky, saboteur.

So, how do I get my unconscious mind and my conscious mind on the same team?

Conscious + unconscious in the same team

There are a bunch of different ways, but the quickest and most reliable method I know of is hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy works to align your thoughts, feelings and actions so you feel and act more congruently. In other words, you walk your talk.

You say you want to lose weight, and you do what you say you’re going to do. You make more nourishing food and exercise choices.

It’s got nothing to do with increasing your will power or determination. Nor is it ‘white-knuckling’ your way to weight loss. Because we all know that ain’t fun and doesn’t work in the long term.

With hypnotherapy, doing what you know you need to do, becomes easier. You find it natural to exercise more, and eat less. It feels easy, automatic and effortless.

Chocolate, chips, bread – or whatever your “I’ve gottta have it right now” food is – just loses its former attraction.

Hypnotherapy is perfect for you if you can relate to the following:

• You dream of having the energy and confidence that comes from taking better care of your body, and yet you still eat crap food and never make time to work out.
• You’ve dieted previously and the weight didn’t budge. Or, you shed weight and it came straight back. Plus some.
• You consider yourself an emotional eater. When you’re anxious, upset or depressed you head for the fridge, vending machine or bakery.
• You’re addicted to or crave specific foods: chocolate, ice cream, chips or bread. Not broccoli.
• You gained weight after a significant event. Perhaps when you ceased smoking (good on you!), you retired or you got married or divorced.

If any (or all) of the above ring bells for you, you’re not alone.  Most people struggle to get their unconscious mind on their weight loss team.

Have you had enough? Are you over the blood, sweat and tears of dieting? Are you ready to get your conscious and unconscious mind in harmony?

If you’re ready to drop a belt size – easily and effortlessly – and, say hello to summer, then c’mon over.

Hypnotic love etc, Avril

We all know that losing weight is easy, right?

Go on a diet, hit the gym – et voilà – the number on the scales will be the one you want.

Yeah, riiiiiiiiight.

If only!

I read yesterday that the average woman spends 31 years on a diet. How depressing.

Food’s not the issue

Here’s the thing. If you’re really honest with yourself, you know that food isn’t the issue. Food’s just food. It’s how you behave around the food that‘s the real issue.

You already know many of us overeat and turn to food for non-nutritional reasons. Like boredom, stress, joy-less-ness.

This causes the weight to creep on, then we adhere to conventional wisdom and go on a diet.

Hello, lizard brain

It’s on about Day 3 of the new diet that our lizard brain makes an appearance.

The lizard brain doesn’t care about looking hot in your new outfit. Nor does it worry that you’re a candidate for diabetes. It’s remit is to ensure that you are well fed.

Well-fed.

Alive.

Safe.

See, when you diet, your logical brain takes over, “Righto – enough of your pigging out, we’re on rations until all this fat is gone!”

Sure, your logical brain might be in charge for a period (you might even lose a kilo or three), but in the battle between the two brains, the lizard always wins.

Always.

Every single time.

When you restrict you food intake, your lizard brain assumes there’s a famine and it panics. It freaks out, leaps into fight or flight mode, and floods your body with stress hormones, which causes you to store fat and obsess about food.

How familiar, does this sound?!

And on it goes, the vicious yo-yo cycle.

No point pretending

To keep your lizard brain under control, it’s important to get in touch with what’s causing you to over eat in the first place.

If you’ve dieted previously and have regained the weight, there’s a good chance there’s an underlying issue that needs attention.

Sometimes we’re aware of what’s causing us pain, other times we have a vague sense, but nothing specific.

You can hide the pain, deny it’s existence – swallow it down. But pain isn’t normal and it will not go away by pretending it’s not there.

The good news

The good news is … there is another way. It’s painless, effective and long lasting.

Hypnotherapy has the power to change your habits, your behaviour around food and create an entirely different relationship. How would you like “food to be just be food” again?

Hypnosis isn’t a new solution for weight loss by any means.  It’s been around for decades. However, there are some new and interesting pioneering approaches which are yielding extraordinary results.

One approach – the UK-developed Virtual Gastric Band – has achieved an impressive 97% success rate.

The beauty with hypnotherapy is that it’s definitely NOT a diet. You’re still able to eat the foods you desire but you’ll be satisfied with smaller portions.

And – because it’s not a diet – you won’t feel deprived, miserable or hungry. Goodbye to fight, flight and famine. Hello, freedom.

Hypnotic love etc, Avril

PS: If the sound of being on a diet for 31 years depresses you beyond belief, and you’d like to explore a smarter, gentler approach to weight loss, drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.

“If you think you don’t control your thoughts – tell me who does. I’ll go talk to that person and get them to return your thoughts to you. ”~ Wayne Dyer

Clearly, these words are meant to be ironic.

Sadly though, many women who struggle with their weight, also with their thoughts.

You might be wondering, “What’s so important about a ‘thought’?”

And you’d be right.

It is ‘just a thought’.

But, because the ancestor of every action is a thought, you can see how our thoughts become pretty darn important.

We’ve already seen how thoughts can make us fat.

Earlier this week a client shared with me, “I have zero control over my thoughts when it comes to certain foods. It’s like I get body-snatched, and something or someone else takes over.”

It’s a common scenario. I understand how frustrating this can be – I used to be there too.

How do you respond when unhelpful thoughts pop into your mind?

“Mmmmm, there’s a family pack of chips in the pantry, why not let’s eat them, and watch the telly instead of going to the gym?”

Do you, 1) press mute on the thoughts, then go do the action you need to do to move towards your goal?

Or, do you, 2) listen to these thoughts, and allow them to drag you away from your goal?

If you go for option one – rock on, you’re kicking goals.

If you typically go for the second option, here’s a niffy trick for taking back control of your thoughts.

‘Too Much Information’ Warning

There’s no getting around the fact that this technique is a bit gross. OK, very gross.

Stick with me though – it’s the grossness that makes it effective.

Here’s how it works.

The next time your thoughts are tempting you to overeat, skip your gym session (or anything else that you know will lead you away from your goal), imagine this. ….

….that those thoughts are sent from a tapeworm in your tummy.

Eeeeeew!

G.R.O.S.S!

You got that right!

Your mission is to starve this tapeworm.

Every time you choose a nourishing food choices, you starve it. Every time you exercise, are kind and loving, and take small, daily actions towards your goal, you starve it.

The tapeworm has a mission too. Its mission is to starve you of your health, happiness and belief in yourself.

It’ll trick you into overeating, staying on the couch and doing things you promised yourself you wouldn’t – just so it can stay alive – and you continue to struggle with your weight.

Yes, there’ll be times when this tape worm will make you feel miserable, like you’re “missing out.”

You’ll be tired or off guard and it’ll try and trick you into slipping into old unhealthy habits (actions or inactions) or doing something that takes you away from your goal.

The way you get around this is to turn your weight loss journey into a game. Make it fun.

If the tapeworm does catch you off guard (you’re human ain’t cha?!), simply forgive yourself, and hit the RESET button.

Start again.

And again.

And again.

Whatever temptation the tapeworm tries to trick you with, realise every time you mute or ignore the tempting thought, you’ve dealt it a blow, and it will get smaller and smaller, eventually shrinking to nothing at all.

Happy, healthy people don’t listen to tapeworms in their tummy – they do what they said they would and move towards their goals.

Love etc, Avril

PS: If you’re struggling with emotional eating or you’re ready to shrink your tapeworm, drop me a line. Together we can get through this avril@avrilcarpenter.com

Are you squirming in your chair?

C’mon honey, be honest now….what do you get out of staying overweight?

If you said, “You’ve got to be kiddin’ me… I don’t get anything out of it!!!”

…… listen up.

If you struggle with your weight, you are getting something out of it.

How secondary gain works its mischief

Everything we do, we do, because we get ‘something’ out of it.

In psychological circles it’s known as secondary gain, and it’s the social, physical or financial benefits that arise from illness, mishap or injury.

They’re the ‘hidden’ reasons for holding onto an undesirable condition.

For example, if you’re unwell you might get more sympathy and attention from your partner or mates, and you get to avoid work.

Secondary gain is very, very common.

We all do it.

Welcome to being human…there’s about 7 billion of us.

So with that in mind, let me repeat the question.

What do you get out of being overweight?

Do you get to avoid your gym session? Do you get to have that comforting chocolate bar? Do you get sympathy from friends?

Usually, secondary gain is deeply unconscious. Like an iceberg that is mostly submerged, you need to bring your secondary gain out from under the water line of your mind. Only then will it disappear.

What does it look like?

A client who’d struggled with her weight since her teenage years was baffled as to why she continually sabotaged herself with post-gym food binges. She shared with me that she’d been attacked while out running as a teenager. When the incident happened she’d been very slim, and she’d created a belief in her head that ‘slimness equalled unsafe.’

Every time she started to shed weight (which she consciously wanted very much), her unconscious belief would override, and she’d sabotage herself.

Once we’d cleared the trauma of the attack and the notion that she was unsafe as a slim person, she found that she no longer sabotaged.

Clearly, this is an individual case.

But it highlights how our minds are very clever at keeping us overweight – often in the name of protection – from a larger perceived threat.

Questions to help you find your secondary gain

Take a moment to reflect on these questions. If you’re really serious about losing weight, journal the answers, and allow them to begin to shift your thinking. Be curious.

– What are the positives for you, if you easily reached your happy weight?
– What is the downside of your reaching your happy weight?
– How would being your happy weight impact other areas of your life?
– What would it mean to you to not be the overweight person in a group?
– What negative thoughts do you have about people who are their happy weight?
– What would you have to not tolerate anymore in order to get to your ideal body?
– What or who would you need to face or let go of?
– Is there anything you fear about becoming your happy weight?
– Are those fears realistic?
– Is it worth staying overweight to avoid facing those fears?
– What would you gain from the experience of overcoming the weight loss?
– What learnings would you develop on this journey?
– What new possibilities open up for you once you are your happy weight?

Begin to let it go.

How’d you go with the answers?

You might notice the first couple of questions are intentionally designed to uncover the submerged fears. Chances are a lot of stuff will come to the surface. It’s time, sweetheart. Answering the later questions will help you begin to overcome the fears.

Remember darling, you – as member of the human club – have the inner resources to overcome the secondary gain that’s kept you stuck up until now.

Answer the questions with honesty and curiosity, be gentle but firm and see yourself at your happy weight. You can do it.

Now, off you pop, go and answer the questions…

Love etc, Avril

PS: If you need help letting go of secondary gain or self sabotage, that’s exactly what I can help you with, easily and effortlessly. Drop me a line – avril@avrilcarpenter.com