Archives 2014

Exercise… and I say this sadly because I too have my lazy moments …. is a strictly do-it-yourself business.

If the very thought of getting pink-cheeked and sweaty is enough to make you feel exhausted, and retreat to the TV, you’re in good company.

A lot of good folk just aren’t that into exercise. And that’s OK.

Because here’s some wonderful news…

Step 7 in the Simple Steps to Permanent Weight Loss Series

You can still find your thinner sparkle, lose weight and look absolutely fabulous – without strenuous exercise.

Here’s how.

Researcher, Dr James Hill has discovered that the average daily number of steps taken by women is about 5,000 steps.

Intriguingly, his study shows that overweight women take 2,000 fewer steps per day than their happy-weight sisters.

Think about that for a moment.

Only 2,000 steps separates those who are overweight from their happy-weight counterparts.

Like to know the distance of 2,000 steps? Four city blocks!

Four city blocks stand between you and your happy weight. Incredible.

Just so we’re clear, Hill isn’t talking about extreme exercise here. He’s not talking about pavement-pounding, iron-pumping or sweat-inducing exercise….he’s talking about walking.

Good old-fashioned, one-foot-in-front-of-the-other: walking.

All you need to do is get yourself a pedometer (they’re about $10 from a sports shop). From the moment you wake up, attach it to your belt and discover how many steps you currently take in a typical day.

Aim to increase your steppage by 2,000 a week until you hit a comfortably, maintainable target. Hill’s study suggests 10,000 steps per day is a good ball park figure.

The beauty of walking is its accessibility as most of us have a pavement just outside our house.

It’s safe, simple and you can fit it around your lifestyle. Anytime, anywhere.

No fancy kit required

You don’t need a gym membership. No specialist Lycra kit required.

BTW: If you adore your spin classes or you love lifting iron…rock on with your bad self : ) This missive is for the non-exercisers amongst you. You know who you are….

I get there are personal trainers out there who argue that “you must exercise with continuous motion for one-hour to get fitness results”.

And once upon a time I’d have agreed with this traditional notion.

But I’ve also witnessed many a client who’s eased-up on sweaty gym sessions (that they hated but did because they ‘ought’ to) and have incorporated more walking, and have shifted pounds.

As a former regular marathoner, I have replaced my 100km weeks with small daily walks and have never been happier with the fit of my jeans.

Keep it simple

There’s no need to do all 10,000 steps in one walk. That can lead to all sorts of inventive ways to avoid getting out the door. We overwhelm ourselves and do nothing.

Instead, take a bunch of 15-minute walks throughout the day. It’ll feel good, and by nightfall, you’ll have achieved your 10,000 steps.

Take the stairs instead of the lift. Walk your dog. Park your car a block from your office and walk the difference. Disembark the train a stop early and take a stroll. Leave the car in the garage and walk the school run.

Move.
Dance.
Play.

You only have one body. It was designed to move. One foot after the other. It’ll thank you for it.

Love etc, Avril

PS: If you’re sitting there reading these words thinking, “I knooooooooooow I need to move my body, I just don’t do it!”, feel free to drop me a line. Hypnotherapy can help you do the doing that you know you need to be your happy weight.

Today’s small-but-vital step towards permanent weight loss is a super simple one.

It is this – support your amazing body by increasing the mount of water you drink.

Why?

According to Dr Batmanghelidj, author of Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, many of the aches and pains that we experience on a daily basis, are actually the preliminary effects of dehydration.

You see dehydration is your body’s enemy. All functions within your body – from aiding digestion, decreasing fatigue, and regulating body temperature – require the presence of water.

When your body senses a lack of water it slows down these natural bodily functions, including your metabolism.

Confusion between hunger and thirst signals

Another reason to increase your water intake is that our brain doesn’t know the difference between hunger and thirst. We very often confuse the two signals.

When you find yourself hungry – especially at an odd time of the day – more often than not, you’re just plain old thirsty.

And when you confuse the hunger and thirst signal, it doesn’t matter how much food you eat, it’ll never quite feel like it ‘hit the spot’.

So, if you’re craving a snack, go and have a glass of water. Or a cup of herbal if that’s your thing.

And if you’re still hungry after 15 minutes, have the snack.

While eating said snack, remember to eat slowly eat mindfully, and when you’re satisfied, stop.

How much water is enough?

I’m often asked by clients “so, exactly how much water should I drink?”

You’ve probably heard the rule of thumb that says eight glasses of water per day is optimum.

I have to admit I’m not big on prescribing rules of thumb  – because we’re all individuals.

What I do prescribe is that you start to listen to your amazing body.

The quantity of water you need is unique to you. It’s going to depend on the temperature, how much exercise you’re taking, and whether you’re eating oodles of water-rich fruits and vegetables or you’re consuming mostly highly processed foods, for example.

Rather than overcomplicate things – simply get into the habit of drinking more water every day, especially when you feel hungry.

It’s an easy step. We in the western world are lucky enough to have easy access to water, so why not start listening to your body’s many cries for water and answer it with a hydrating glass or two?

Your amazing body will thank you for it.

Love etc, Avril

How many times a day do you weigh yourself?

Be honest, hon.

Several months ago I had the pleasure of hypnotising a lovely lady who jumped on the scales up to 15 times a day.

Fifteen. Times. Per. Day.

Wow.

She had a set of scales at home and a set in her office bathroom. Every time she nipped to the loo she’d jump on the scales “to see if my new regime’s working”.

Invariably she’d return to her desk feeling flat, weak, de-motivated. Think superman and kryptonite.

We’ve all been there. OK, maybe not 15 times per day, but we’ve all experienced that post-scale deflation.

Confidence destroying

It’s crazy, isn’t it.

There’s this inanimate object lurking in bathrooms all around the world. This object has enormous power over us – the power to ruin entire days. To make us feel weak and unmotivated.

It mistakenly convinces us that we’ll never be the shape and size we want to be.

So, if you’re sick of the confidence-destroying power that the scale holds over you, you’re going to love today’s post.

Step 5: Biff the scales

That’s right, toss ‘em.

Extreme, I know.

If the idea of being scale-less scares you silly, get hubby to hide them in the garage with instructions to unearth them maximum once a month.

I repeat, maximum once per month.

A monthly weigh-in allows you to track your progress, without the de-motivating-but-entirely-natural daily ups and downs of fluid retention or time-of-the-month heaviness.

Here’s the thing.

By changing your daily habits you are allowing your miraculous body to create change too.

But it’s vital – absoloooodle vital – that you give yourself the ‘gift of space’ in which to create these changes.

You’d never plant a seed in the garden and then dig it up daily or weekly to ‘see if it’s growing yet’. It is. There’s a whole bunch of wonderful stuff going on beneath the surface and all you have to do is keep watering the seed, and trust.

Becoming less reliant on the scales is all part of the trust process.

Clients realise that they don’t need a scale to tell them they’re making progress – they can feel that bounce in their step, they can see their silhouette changing shape in the mirror, they feel in control and confident.

The scale is only part of the story.

Mrs Apple
I once had a client who lost three dress sizes. NB: a drop in dress size is – more or less – a loss of 5kgs. Her body went from apple-shaped to very athletic and toned. Every one of her measurements reduced…..but her actual weight on the scale didn’t budge, not a single smidge!

Sure, this is an extreme case. Most women who go down three dress sizes also lose weight as per the scale. But you can see how important it is to use measures other than the scale.

So, there you have it darling.

Mrs Fifteen-Times-A-Day Update: Initially, she got her children to hide the scales. While she couldn’t image life without scales, she was very aware that “the number on the scale was the ‘stick with which I beat myself up.’”

When she started listening to her body, the weight started to shift. Hooray.

Three months later…. she started self-sabotaging by returning to her scales to the bathroom.

She plateaued.

So finally, she put them in a skip. By her own admission, “the scales are kryptonite to me, so I’ve now biffed them for good”.

Why not lay down your own personal beating-up-stick, and give yourself the gift of space too?

Love etc, Avril

PS: If you’d like to experience freedom from the scales hypnotherapy might just be the answer for you. Why not drop me a line so you can be the shape and size YOU want to be?

Have you noticed how we’ve gotten really weird with food?

Like really weird.

We’ve got all label-ly.

We’ve got our “I’m being super good today foods.”

And we’ve got a drawer bursting with “Oh, b*gger it, I’ll start my diet on Monday, so I’ll be naughty today treats!”

Media and advertising encourages this labelling. Some brands of chocolate are “sinfully” good. Certain desserts are “devilishly” delicious.

Foods aren’t intrinsically good. Or  bad. Food’s just food.

But we’ve gotten all judgemental and labellist.

I once had a client tell me that salt and vinegar chips were “the work of the devil”. She wasn’t joking.

Can you even remember the time when food was…um, well – just food?

If you’re tired of our collective weirdness around food you’re going to love Step 4.

It is this…

Step 4: No food is off limits.

Yep.

You read that right.

I can hear the group sigh of relief from here. Women tired of the “good food versus bad food” debate.

You see, this is not another diet – there are no good or bad foods.

Eat what you want. Yep, that’s what I said…

Eat. What. You. Want.

(Just to be clear, this is a very different thing from eating all that you can – see Step 3)

Why does ‘de-labelling’ work?

Eating what you want works as a long term strategy for weight loss because you’re human.

We both know that if I gave you a list of ‘no go’ foods, the inner rebel – that lives deep inside all of us – would crave the exact food that’s banned.

It’s like the repressed becomes the obsessed. Suddenly, all you want is that precise food that’s been labelled as ‘no go’.

But, when you allow yourself to eat what your body wants, the previously ‘naughty’ items lose their appeal.

You’re a smart women. You understand an apple is inherently more nourishing for your body than a Snickers bar. But sometimes the exact thing your soul needs is a Snickers….amen sista!

So have the Snickers – it’s not a diet! What I do want you to do this: eat said Snickers sloooooowly, be mindful, enjoy every single mouthful, and when you’re satisfied, stop.

So, to recap Step 4 in the path towards permanent weight loss – no food is off limits. Just apply the other three steps when eating said “devilishly” delicious dessert!

Here’s to allowing food to be “just food” again.

And you being the shape and size YOU want to be. Permanently, step by step by step.

Love etc, Avril

PS: If you’re not getting the results you seek – there’s a good chance the label-maker in your head is sabotaging you. If you’re ready for the freedom of ditching the label-maker, why not c’mon over and have a chat…..

Be honest.

How do you know when to stop eating?

For example, do you eat until the plate is licked clean or the packet’s empty?

Do you eat until you’re absolutely stuffed, full to bursting?

If so, you’re not alone.

Many of us adults have forgotten how to hear our bodies’ “I’m satisfied now” cues.

Or, we only hear the cues when they’re screaming at us, and we’re undoing the top button of our jeans.

The Intuition Of Children….

It’s the natural design of our body to eat when we’re hungry and stop when we’re satisfied.

Children know this intuitively. Think of how difficult it is to overfeed a two-year old. They eat when they’re hungry, when they’re satisfied, they stop. That’s it. Then they go outside and play.

But many of us forget this as we age. We grow up surrounded by well-intentioned notions that override our natural hunger and fullness cues.

Who didn’t grow up with the saying, “Finish your plate – just think of all those children dying in Africa”?

Or, often we eat more than our body needs as an adult out of a social expectation or feeling of obligation, “I’ve been slaving over a hot stove all day – I’ve made your favourite, so eat up!”

And, then it becomes habit.

After years of habitually eating more than our body needs we can no longer fit our jeans.

Grrrr!

So here is the third step in the simple eating habits series. Step 1 and Step 2 if you missed them.

Step 3: Eat when you’re hungry, STOP when you’re comfortable.

To lose weight permanently you must begin working with your body, not against it. Be that child again.

Both hunger and fullness change after every bite, which is why slowing down and eating mindfully are sooooo vital to being the shape and size you want to be.

The more you slow down and are mindful, the more you will recalibrate and be able to re-tune in with your inner cues for hunger and fullness.

The more you’ll notice that feeling of satisfaction.

And you’ll start to notice there comes a time in every meal where each subsequent mouthful becomes a little less enjoyable.

As soon as you notice this feeling, STOP eating. No matter how much food is left on your plate.

No matter how obligated you feel.
No matter how guilty you feel about the children in Africa.
Just stop eating.

And go outside and play.

Love etc, Avril

PS: Losing weight isn’t about one silver bullet or magic pill – it happens through small, daily action steps. If you’re struggling to take the steps hypnotherapy can help. Why not drop me a line over here…