Category Physical

Yup… you read that right.

The title does sound slightly bonkers.

But, in my experience, it’s true.

Here’s why.

Most diets and weight loss sites talk about exercise in terms of ‘burning calories’.

As in, if you run for 20 minutes you’ll ‘burn off’ the chocolate chip cookie that accompanied your mid-morning cuppa.

Have a Big Mac for lunch? Well, a three-hour-run will ‘cancel out’ those calories.

But, by thinking of exercise as ‘burning off’ or ‘cancelling out’, you inadvertently reduce exercise to a numbers game.

And, the problem with thinking of exercise with a numbers mindset, is your workouts will be short-lived.

Very short-lived.

You’ll give up.

You’ll quit.

Exercising will become a torture session. You’ll feel like you’re ‘make up’ for the guilty pleasure of having eaten something yum.

And, eating will seem like a naughty pleasure where X no. of cookies = Y no. of hours exercising.

Sound like fun, no? No way! Ick.

It’s very possible you’ve been there already. I know I have.

Clearly, exercise is beneficial for shifting those extra kilos. Hugely beneficial.

Where most people fail is because weight loss is their singular reason for exercising. And soon they run out of puff, metaphorically-speaking.

If you’ve previously run out of puff where exercise is concerned, you need to change your reasons for exercising.

Here’s how.

The real reasons to exercise.

Before I share the real reasons to exercise, here’s a helpful aside that’ll make a world of difference.

Stop calling it exercise.

If you’re like most people, exercise has “Eww… I’m all sweaty and puffed,” negative associations. That’s exactly why the majority of good folk eschew it.

Instead, replace the dreaded E-word with ‘moving your body’. Our bodies are absolutely, brilliantly designed to do just that – move.

See, how suddenly it already feels more do-able just by changing what you call it?

Now, back to the real reasons for exercising Moving Your Body:

MYB lowers cortisol levels.

Cortisol is a stress hormone released by your body whenever you feel stressed. When your cortisol levels are elevated, your body tends to lay down fat, especially around your tummy.

MYB is the antidote for lowering your cortisol levels.

MYB increases your sensitivity to insulin. Increasing your insulin sensitivity sounds like it’d be a bad thing but it’s not. Here’s why.

The more you MYB, the more sensitive your muscles become to insulin, so your pancreas produces less insulin. Since insulin also instructs your body to lay down fat, less of it in your body, the better.

MYB increases feel good hormones.

When you MYB, you release some of the best stress-reducing drugs available – your body’s own natural endorphins. The release of these natural opiates positively affects your mood, enhances concentration and enables you to sleep more soundly.

And, finally…

As if these weren’t reason enough already…. MYB increases your sex drive.

And, certain hormones released during exercise have been shown to slow – and even reverse – the aging process.

Yay! Five tremendous reasons for exercising, none of which include weight loss. Although it WILL BE a happy bi-product.

To conclude.

If you’ve previously exercised to ‘lose weight’, stop it. It’s doomed to fail. Like all those other times.

Instead, Move Your Body. Because it’s terrific for you – and your brilliantly, intricately designed body – on so many other levels.

MYB every day and watch those extra kilos shift.

Love etc, Avril

I’m drowning in a sea of brown boxes, gaffer tape and bubble wrap. You guessed it. We’re moving house.

Studies like to suggest that moving house rates up there as one of life’s more stressful events.

Not that we need a study to confirm what’s high or low stress, right? If we listen, our tummies tell us everything we need to know.

Even though the house move is going well I’ve noticed that as settlement date approaches, the more urgent and frequent my need is to eat……everything + anything.

Hello, emotional eating!!!

A question for you, dear reader.

What do YOU do when your stress levels are elevated and all you want to do is eat?

Here’s what I did.

I breathed….deeply and consciously.

“How,” you ask, “can something so simple make a difference to anything?”

Here’s how.

Low tech

I understand that breathing as a way to combat emotional eating can feel a little bit ‘low tech’.

I get that.

The good news is that it works.

That’s because nothing communicates to every cell of your body that you’re safe, more eloquently than your breath.

Nothing.

When you shallow breathe (think about when you’re stressed, anxious or nervous), you’re actually sending a message to your body: danger!!!

OK, not sabre-tooth tiger physical danger a la caveman days.

In today’s world of speed, rush, hurry up – presentations to make, kids to collect from school, fragile items to pack and move – there’s a lot of psychological stress.

And get this.

Your body doesn’t distinguish between the types of stress.

That’s right. It responds in exactly the same way to all types of stress. It floods your body with hormones – adrenaline and cortisol.

And, here’s the thing. An elevation of either of these hormones in your body causes emotional eating.

Interesting, isn’t it?

So yes – breathing – is a bit low tech.

But, given we breathe up to 30,000 times per day, can you see the enormous potential to influence your body – positively or negatively?

Do you breathe correctly?

Most of us are so busy holding our stomachs in (so they look flat and firm) that we don’t breathe from the correct place.

The easiest way to determine if you breathe correctly (or not) is to stand in front of a mirror and take a deep breath.

Go on, do it now. I’ll wait here.

If your stomach was the only thing that moved, then you’re one of the rare individuals to retain correct breathing past childhood.

If your shoulders and chest moved upwards, you need to learn to breathe from your diaphragm.

Here’s how.

3 steps to breathing correctly

1. Put your hand on your tummy and, as you breathe in, make your tummy push your hand out. Notice your chest and shoulders stay still.

2. Count to three as you inhale, and three again as you exhale.

3. Repeat 10 times.

Notice how you can actually feel a physical relaxation response. Calm. Serene. In control.

Of course, it’s unnatural to maintain a state of perpetual serenity every second of the day. No one can. If you’re human, you’ll slip up, succumb to stress and overeat again.

That’s part of the process. Simply rinse and repeat to get back to your calm space.

Bonus material

The more you practice conscious breathing the more you’ll build your neurological capacity for peace, calm and control. Just like a weight lifter builds muscle by repeatedly lifting the same weight.

You might want consider making appointments with yourself to breathe. For example, you could start the day by consciously breathing before you get out of bed.

Or, you could link conscious breathing with specific daily activities. For example, showering, waiting for the kettle to boil, and sitting at a red traffic light. Soon it’ll be a daily ritual.

So, next time you find yourself succumbing to emotional or you feel stressed, anxious or tense, take time-out for 10 conscious breaths.

Feel free to tense up again after your 10th. But you probably won’t.

Serene love etc, Avril

Do you have a friend who’s as skinny as a rake and she eats whatever she wants?

Yet you need only glance at the confectionery aisle for the pounds to pile on?

Confusing, isn’t it?!

Well, dear reader, that exact situation featured recently on the BBC show The Truth About Food.

It featured best friends Jo and Becky. They shared similar eating and exercise habits, and were of similar age.

However, Jo was 10kgs heavier than her happy weight, while Becky was 10kgs lighter than hers.

The friends were desperate to learn the cause of the weight disparity, since Jo, “hardly eats anything”, and Becky “eats whatever she wants – chocolate, crisps and biscuits – and, doesn’t put on an ounce.”

Hmmm…

What does account for the weight difference?

As part of the experiment, the women drink something called doubly-labelled water.

It’s very clever stuff.

Long story short, it allows the researchers to spy on the girls and track every single calorie they eat – by testing their pee.

It meant that no matter what the women said they were eating, the clever double-labelled water revealed the truth – what was really passing their lips.

It’s in the water…

The tests revealed that Jo – remember, she’s the one who “hardly eats anything” and is 10kgs overweight – was eating 50% more per day than her slimmer friend.

Her face said it all.

You could have pushed her over with a feather, such was her conviction that she ate less than her friend.

Just so we’re clear here.

Jo wasn’t intentionally telling porkpies in her food diary.

She’d simply gotten caught in the tremendously insidious trap of D.E.N.I.A.L.

What is denial?

The dictionary defines it:

‘a defence mechanism in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.’

We all use denial from time to time.

It can be lifesaving.

For example, if your reality is grim, and the only way to survive is by blocking it out (say, you’re a prisoner of war), then denial’s a good thing.

For weight loss though – denial’s terrible.

It’s probably the no. # 1 reason for failure of people who claim they want to lose weight, but don’t.

If you’re in denial, you’re fibbing to yourself. You’re hiding the truth.

Harsh, I know.

But I’d be doing you a disservice if I sugar-coated.

When you fib to yourself about what you eat you’re being an ostrich. You can bury your head in the sand all day long, but you cannot hide from the truth.

The liberating truth is this: if you’re overweight, then you’re eating more than your body is using.

End of story.

I’ll admit it can feel real scary to ditch the shield of denial… especially if you’ve been sheltering behind it for years.

But until you ‘fess up’ to yourself about your eating, and get real and honest, you’re not going to lose the weight.

Tips for ditching the denial so you can ditch the weight

In general I’m not a calorie counter or food logger. I’m more a listen to your tummy kinda gal.

However, it can be pretty darn illuminating to track everything you eat for a week. If you’re real serious about losing weight, go for a month.

If you’re 100% honest, you’ll see that there is a direct and clear correlation between your weight and your incoming calories.

It’s simple maths.

Clearly you’ve got to be scrupulously honest and record every bite – NOT just the “good” days.

And, ladies….

…a glass of wine is NOT the entire bottle.

…food from your children’s plates DO contain calories.

…a biscuit is ONE biscuit, not the whole packet.

You get the idea.

I know I’m banging on about this…it’s because I personally know how cunning our minds can be in keeping stuff from ourselves!

And, it’s only through taking an honest look at what you eat that you can see what needs to change.

So dear readers, are you ready to get honest with yourself and what you eat? Or do I need to pay you a visit with my double-labelled water and pull your head out of the sand?!

Un-deniable love etc, Avril

It’s one of the most common questions from weight loss clients.

If you asked a bunch of fitness gurus you’d get answers ranging from “Everyday” to “You’ve got scales? Biff ‘em out the window!”

What’s a girl to do?!

Here’s a look at the Pros + Cons of weighing-in so you can choose what works best for you.

Little Miss Everyday

At first glance, weighing yourself daily seems like a good idea. Immediate feedback, you can see whether you’re on track or not, catch trouble early and correct it.

And, according to the National Weight Control Registry, 44% of their members who have lost 15kgs, and kept it off for more than a year, weigh themselves daily.

So, some compelling evidence for the daily weigh-in.

But…and it’s a big but…. you need to ask yourself “Can I handle whatever it is the scale has to say?”

I ask this because many clients admit they use the number on the scales as a way to self-sabotage.

For example, you’ll have noticed your weight fluctuates from day to day, irrespective of what you’ve eaten or how you’ve exercised.

As women – depending on the time of the month – we can effortlessly fluctuate a kilo or three with fluid retention alone.

Even though logically we know it’s physically impossible to gain a couple of kilos in a single day, seeing the daily fluctuation will make most women feel flat and too disheartening to handle.

We already know how easy it is to skip a workout or be tempted by the second serve of chips when you’re feeling flat or disheartened.

Another trap of weighing yourself every day is that it can become a measure of your self-esteem.

We’ve all been there.

We get that it’s JUST A NUMBER.

We also know how easy it is to have a “Whoop whoop, I so totally rock” day, (or, its nemesis, the “I so totally suck,” day), based purely on the where the needle sits at the morning weigh-in.

Little Miss Weekly

Weekly weigh-ins tend to be more motivating because you don’t see the daily (and completely normal) fluctuations.

Instead you’d see a weekly trend without being overwhelmed by daily information.

If you do decide to weigh yourself – daily or weekly – do it at the same time of the day and/or day of the week.

Remember that clothes do make a difference, so your birthday suit is best.

Also, weigh yourself before working out to get a more accurate picture. I’ve personally, ahem, ‘lost’ three kilos after a full-on work-out on a hot day. (It’s just fluid loss, darling).

And, remember, if you’re working out and eating well, but the scale jumps up, it’s probably fluid retention.

Focus on the overall downward trend, and if you plateau, keep on trucking.

Finally, keep in mind the scale is just one measurement tool. It’s no Holy Grail of your progress.

Little Miss Biff ‘em

Personally, I find the scales cause an unnecessary preoccupation with weight loss rather than the real prize.

The real prize is you feeling and looking fabulous, you bursting with energy, you being healthy.

Embarrassingly healthy.

Robustly healthy.

Deservedly healthy.

That’s the ultimate. I’m yet to come across a pair of scales that can accurately capture progress towards that goal.

For example, if you’re changing your habits (working out and eating well), you’ll get leaner, sometimes without getting lighter. The scales simply don’t have the skills to communicate this to you.

Instead, I suggest you track your progress by paying attention to the fit of your clothes or rings, and start noticing the new levels of energy and confidence you’re feeling in your body.

Remember there’s no right or wrong way. I’ve clients who’re (now) at their happy weight and weigh-in daily. Others have biffed the scales and enjoy the freedom of never weighing in.

So, honey, what are you going to do?

Now you know the Pros + Cons. You can benefit from the former, keep in mind the latter, and chose what’s right for you.

Be brave and share with us where you are on the scales issue. Do you weigh yourself every day, every week, or have you thrown the scales out? What measures do you rely on to track your progress and keep you accountable?

Love etc, Avril

PS: And remember darling, you’re so more than a number on a scale.

Nobody likes rules.

Especially food rules.

“Eat this, not that.”

Snore.

If you’ve been reading me for a while now you’ll know I don’t often talk about what, when or how to eat.

If we’re really honest, we already know what, when and how.

The missing ingredient is the why. When you’ve sussed why you overeat, the entire weight loss puzzle just clicks.

You default to your body’s natural, healthy happy-weight blueprint, the one you were born with. (Your body has such wisdom, hon).

However…

…today, I am going to focus on the what to eat. I’m thrilled to share with you five foods I’ve recently included on my table.

All of the foods are well-documented for their weight loss abilities.

But awesomely, I’ve noticed a surge in my energy levels and, best of all, that bloated time-of-the-month-feeling, has completely evaporated.

Yay.

I encourage you to try them on. And to notice how your body responds to them. Imagine feeling so good you’ll gladly add them to your table too.

They are:

(1 + 2) Drink water with lemon juice OR apple cider vinegar.

I drink a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon or apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before all my main meals (especially breakfast).

Both of these act like a wakeup call to your stomach, signalling, “Listen up down there, food incoming!” and stomach acid is produced.

In the ‘olden days’ when meals took hours to prepare, we didn’t require lemon juice or ACV because our stomachs started producing stomach acid (which aides digestion) from the aroma of simmering food.

But these days, we often eat on the run or consume swiftly prepared meals (think, microwave or take-out) so our stomach has little notice of incoming food and isn’t prepared with stomach acid when it does arrive.

3. Cinnamon – the super spice?

Taste isn’t the only reason to love cinnamon. In Chinese medicine and Ayurveda it’s long been revered as a superpower spice.

Cinnamon contains a natural chemical called cinnamaldehyde which increases the amount of progesterone we produce. This is GREAT news for us women.

Progesterone is a beautiful thing. It’s a powerful anti-aniexty agent, an anti-depressant and is essential for fat burning.

Adding a couple of dashes to your porridge in the morning or a stick of it in your morning coffee is all it takes.

Now, this said, I’m absolutely not advocating you start guzzling cinnamon. It has been found to be toxic in large doses.

4. Eat liquorice (that’s licorice to our American friends)

Turns out my dad was right. He’s as healthy as an ox – and has always loved liquorice.

Liquorice root is one of the most popular herbs in the world. The ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese all recognised its medicinal qualities.

It has all sorts of healing properties, but for us women who are looking our improve health and lose weight, liquorice is GREAT for the adrenal glands. (More on the importance of adrenal glands on weight loss in a future post).

For now, all you need to know is healthy adrenals = happy weight.

Just so we’re clear here….I’m not giving you permission to eat the entire packet, okay! A couple of pieces a day (I eat it as a pudding) and notice how your body responds.

5. Reach for the green.

Strong, black and first thing in the morning (I adore coffee). Morning tea, lunch, later in the day with friends. You get the picture. I really adore coffee.

But my body didn’t adore the biochemical reaction from coffee.

Caffeine from coffee triggers adrenaline (a short term stress hormone), which signals to every fibre of your body “uh-oh, warning, flight/flight response”.

It signals UNSAFE.

When we feel unsafe, we bolt….

…usually, to the fridge, the pantry or the vending machine.

Whenever we feel unsafe (physically, emotionally, mentally) we store fat. In caveman days it helped us survive.

So, I’ve have replaced all except my morning coffee with green tea.

Yup, I’ll not lie to you; it was a stretch for the first four days.

S-T-R-E-E-E-T-C-H!!!!!

Now though, my energy levels are so consistently vital, and my tummy is ‘bloat-free’ so it’s easy (really, it is) to reach past the coffee pot.

Need more proof to reach for the green?

Specifically, it helps you lose weight by speeding up your metabolic rate.

A recent study in the USA of overweight chaps found that, with no other changes to their diet or exercise regimes, drinking green tea three times a day burned up 200 extra calories a day. The green tea drinkers also found that their energy levels were greatly increased.

And because it’s jam-packed with antioxidants it helps your liver too. Nice one.

So there you have it.

Five foods you can add your table.

Add ’em and see how you feel.

Your body is talking to you.

It has wisdom to share.

Start listening.

I leave you with a love note from Buddha.

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”

Love etc, Avril

PS: Clearly, if you have something ‘deeper’ going on, adding these foods (or any specific foods) isn’t going to shift the weight.

If you know you have an emotional eating thing happening – email me so we can work this out together. If you need help finding the solutions, that’s what I’m here for.