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Is there an easy way to lose weight?

March 2, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

weight lossWith all the diets, drugs, pills, potions and incredible claims about successes in the market today, one would have to think losing weight was easy. If it was so easy then why is the population of people who are overweight increasing.

Weight gain is simple, we eat more food [energy] than we need and we don’t move around anymore.

That’s it that’s the plain truth. More energy enters our body through food than is expended by our bodies through metabolism and any form of movement.

To date there are no pills or herbal concoctions that can get us off of our backsides and burn off the excessive amounts of energy we are consuming. There is no one-diet plan that is suitable for everyone. Just because a famous celebrity claims miraculous results with a diet doesn’t guarantee you will achieve the same success. We tend to not read or hear the part about the full time personal trainer, the 10k daily runs, the 3-4 gym sessions per week, the 6 hours of pilates and yoga a week, and of course the full time live in chef. Somehow we tend to miss those bits of important information, or do we just choose to.

The plain truth is losing weight is not easy and most people don’t find it enjoyable.

That’s why we spend billions of dollars annually on gimmicky weight loss products. We want to find the easy way out.

Unfortunately there is no easy way. Weight loss takes commitment, discipline and a never-ending successful positive attitude. It takes a lot of dame hard work to shift all of those years of excessive eating and couch sitting. You are a product of your own devises, and unless you decide once and for all to really be strong and committed to success you will always experience disappointment.

If you eat it you must burn it off it’s that simple. If you don’t want to burn it off don’t eat it, it’s your choice.

If you are waiting for a miracle drug or herbal concoction to be developed, you’ll be waiting a long time because no drug or potion is going to control the shoveling of food into peoples mouths or make them run around the block.

These things are done consciously they are choices we make. Every-time we put too much food into our system or too much of the wrong type of food, we decided to do that. There is no drug for that. Sure there are drugs that control our appetite but over time we can over-ride them or simply forget to take them. When does it become our responsibility to control what we do? Many of us claim we do not have enough time to exercise. We are all too busy, the day to day stresses in our lives are unbearable. Yet many of us can still find up to 4 hours a day to watch television or sit on the computer. That’s nearly 30 hours a week just in front of a TV or a computer screen.

Why? It’s a choice. Nothing more and nothing less. We choose to be overweight, we choose to eat what and when we like and we choose to sit instead of play.

Until we can all take responsibility for our own lives and conditions, there will be no change to our ever-increasing girths and health problems.

 

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Exercise and Fat Loss

March 2, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

People often ask me what is the best exercise for fat/weight loss. It’s often a difficult question to answer without first discussing the individual advantages and disadvantages of the various exercises available. There are also many personal differences between people that will influence the choice of activities they choose.

Lets examine a few of the most common choices of exercise to see if you are getting the most reward for your efforts.

Walking without a doubt would have to be the most popular activity. Most people find it comfortable and easy to do. You are supporting your whole body weight so therefore it has a high-energy use. It’s not expensive to do and can be done anywhere anytime. The disadvantage with walking is if someone has a lower body injury it can be quite uncomfortable.

Jogging is a great weight loss exercise as it burns a lot of excess energy. It takes less time than walking and it can be addictive. Your cardiovascular fitness will improve at a much higher rate than walking. However jogging can be too intense and uncomfortable for people who are overweight. The increased impact increases the risk of injury significantly.

Swimming is very comfortable, as there is no impact stress placed on the joints. It makes an ideal exercise for people who are severely overweight and find it difficult to do any form of land based activities. Swimming doesn’t burn as much energy as land based activities because your body is supported by the water. It is a great activity for those who suffer from arthritis due to the reduced stress swimming places on your joints.

Cycling is very enjoyable because your body weight is supported; it is ideal for people who are overweight or who suffer lower limb injuries. Most people don’t ride hard or fast enough and they keep their bikes in the easiest gears, which result in a lower energy expenditure. You have to travel about 5 times the distance on a bike to equal the same energy expenditure as running or jogging.

Tennis or golf are very common sports, that if played socially usually don’t expend as much energy as walking or jogging. Both lack continuity, you are always stopping and starting. With tennis unless you play someone of equal skill you don’t usually get much of a workout and the golf buggy has taken the fat burning out of golf.

Aerobics can be enjoyable for some, there is a high rate of energy use combined with muscle toning. It requires a large amount of coordination and a good instructor to reduce the risks of injuries. Not very popular with self-conscious overweight people. Can be too hard and dangerous for the very overweight.

Skipping has a high rate of energy use; it is convenient and doesn’t take up much space. Skipping can get boring after a few minutes, it’s difficult to carry out for long periods and because of the increased impact it increases the risk of injury.

Squash is a very demanding sport with a high rate of energy usage. Not suitable for the very overweight it can be too vigorous and expose the less conditioned participants to many injuries of the back, shoulders and knees. It is recommended for those who are already fit.

Rowing is a great exercise for people with lower limb injuries, it can be portable [Rowing machine] but often gets boring after a few weeks. Unless you’re training at a top athletic level most people don’t burn enough energy to see any significant results.

As you can see each exercise has positives and negatives associated with them. At the end of the day it’s the individuals choice.

Choose an exercise that is easy to do, convenient, doesn’t cost you a lot of money to set up, and you really enjoy. Work hard at improving your performance of the exercise, be consistent and don’t be afraid to vary your routines and try new exercises occasionally.

Remember – “Variety is the spice of life”

 

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Are you Getting Enough

March 2, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Less than 20% of the Australian population are regularly active at a sufficient level to meet their preventative health needs.

The increase in technology such as cars, remote controls, mobile phones, computers, escalators and elevators and all the other labour saving devices have virtually removed all physical exertion from our life’s. The human body was designed to move and move other objects, not just sit and push buttons. As a result of our sedentary lifestyles this increasing inactivity is responsible for many premature deaths associated with poor health and weight gain.

The National Physical Activities Guidelines have been developed to guide people to participate in the minimal amount of physical activity to promote good health and a healthy body weight.

1. Think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience.

Because of the increase in modern technology it is now important to think of movement as an opportunity to make up for what technology has taken away. We need physical activity to stay healthy and functional. So instead of taking the lift take the stairs, walk to near by shops, walk the dog, play with your children instead of letting them spend hours in front of the television or computer. There are countless ways that we can all incorporate more physical activities back into our lives.

2. Be active every day in as many ways as you can.

Even small increases in physical activity can have a positive effect on our health and wellbeing. Mowing your own lawn or washing your own car instead of paying someone else to do it will have positive benefits for you.

Doing your own house work; all of these little things that many of us now take for granted will go a long way to improving the health of the nation.

3. Put together at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days.

We now know that physical activity is accumulative. You can either do it all in one hit or in minimal 10 minutes blocks through out the day. Recent research has shown that the effects of accumulative exercise can be just as effective for improvements in health and weight control. Moderate intensity activity will cause a slight, but noticeable, increase in breathing and heart rate. Good examples include brisk walking, cycling, mowing the lawn, digging in the garden, medium-paced swimming etc. It’s important to remember that the 30 minutes a day is the minimal amount.

4. If you can also enjoy some regular,vigorous activity for extra health and fitness

This guideline adds an extra level for those adults who wish to achieve greater health and fitness levels. The benefits include extra protection against heart disease. Vigorous implies, activities which make you huff and puff. In technical terms you are exercising at a heart rate of 70-85% of your maximum heart rate. This type of activity should be carried out for a minimum of 30 minutes on 3 to 4 days per week. It is recommended that medical advice is required for those who have been inactive for some time, have heart disease or a family history of heart disease, or have any other major health problem.

For more information about the guidelines and how to get started call 1800 020 103

 

 

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Strong and Healthy Past 50

March 2, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

After the age of 20 we slowly start to lose muscle tissue mainly due to a reduced activity level.

The older we get the faster the increase in muscle loss. This loss of muscle tissue is known as Sarcopina. This progressive loss of muscle tissue results in two of life’s major problems and is associated with a variety of health related consequences.

The first problem is your ability to function physically is reduced, which leads to less activity and further muscle tissue loss.

The second problem is when you have less muscle tissue and are less active your metabolism is reduced. A reduced metabolic rate leads to weight gain and all its associated diseases.

12 reasons every adult should do some form of strength training.

1. Maintain your muscle. Unless we exercise properly we lose between 2-3 kilograms of muscle tissue per decade for life.

It’s like being a V8 when your 20 and being reduced to lawn mower motor in your 60’s. You can easily see the difficulty in your performance.

2. Maintain your Metabolism. The muscle tissue that we lose through aging decreases our metabolism by as much as 5% per decade. Those calories that were previously used to maintain metabolically active muscle tissue now go into fat storage.

3. Add muscle tissue. The good news is you are never to old to rebuild muscle tissue. Research has shown that participants in there 90’s increase their strength similarly to younger adults. Studies have shown that we lose 6% of our muscle tissue every decade after the age of 50. Strength training can increase muscle tissue by 12% in as little as 2 months reversing what nature has taken 20 years do. Women lose 12-14 % of their strength every decade after the age of 50 and the same strength training routine can increase their strength by greater than 30%. Again we have reversed 20 years of the aging process.

4. Increase metabolic rate. As you rebuild muscle tissue you automatically increase your metabolism. Research has shown that by adding 3 pounds of muscle tissue, your metabolic rate increases by 7%. A higher metabolic rate means you can eat more food and still lose weight.

5. Reduce body fat. Strength training increases both muscle tissue and muscle tissue activity resulting in an accelerated metabolism and higher daily energy expenditure. A recent study has shown that people whom strength train for 30 minutes

2-3 times per week increased their energy expenditure by 15%. The subjects also consumed 350 more calories per day and still lost more weight than another group that were doing aerobic activities.

6. Increase bone mineral density. Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease caused by a gradual loss of bone protein and minerals. The same strength training stimulus that increases muscle tissue increase bone mineral density. Factors such as genetics, hormones and nutrition play an important role in your bone health; strength training is the activity that will develop a stronger musculoskeletal system. When you increase strength you also increase joint stability and balance reducing the likelihood of falls.

7. Improved glucose metabolism. Our ability to use glucose is closely related to our risk of developing Adult Onset Diabetes. Exercise especially strength training enhances glucose metabolism. Studies have shown that after 4 months of training, glucose metabolism can increase by as much as 23%. It appears that regular strength training can decrease your risk of developing and improve your condition if you already have Adult Onset Diabetes.

8. Speed up food transit. It takes a certain amount of time for food to pass through your system. The slower it moves the greater the increased risk of developing colon cancer. Research has shown that strength training can increase gastrointestinal transit by 56% in only 3 months. That’s got to feel better.

9. Lowers blood pressure. Conventional wisdom tells us that strength training increases our resting blood pressure.

This is not true. Strength training exercises either alone or combined with aerobic activities can lower our resting blood pressure. The stronger and fitter you are the less stress is placed on the cardiovascular system. If you have a history of high blood pressure or you haven’t exercised for some time please check with your doctor before commencing any new exercise program.

10. Improve blood lipids. Blood lipids include the bad cholesterol LDL, the good cholesterol HDL and triglycerides. [The storage form of fat] Our genetic make up plays a major role in this area as with diet and exercise. Some studies have shown that combining regular strength training with aerobic activities, reducing dietary fat, increasing fibre may be one of the best ways to create a desirable blood lipid profile.

11. Maintain or improve lower back health. 4 out of 5 people will experience some form of lower back pain. There is a direct relationship between weak lower back muscles and lower back problems. Stronger muscles provide better support and shock absorption, which allows the lower back to absorb greater forces that would otherwise stress this sensitive area.

12. Reduce Arthritic pain. Strength training may be helpful for improving joint function and easing arthritic discomfort.

Stronger muscles translate to less everyday wear and tear stress on our joints and improve natural joint function.

What normally happens with people suffering from arthritis is that they tend to reduce movement around that joint. This reduce movement promotes further muscle tissue loss and further unstabilizes the joint. The more unstable a joint is the more wear and tear and subsequent discomfort.

Can you afford not to strength train?

It is always the best advice to seek professional help when beginning any new exercise program. Any exercise will have potential dangers if done incorrectly or too often.

Contact a local Physiotherapist or Qualified Strength and Conditioning Coach / Personal Trainer to assist you.

 

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Dieting makes you Fat

March 2, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

weight loss tipsWhy is it that when most people go on a diet they tend to put more weight back on after they have finished the diet than when they started.

There are many reasons for this frustration; hopefully I can help you to understand why this happens so that you can make better decisions in the future about how best to tackle the “battle of the bulge”.

First of all whenever you go on a restrictive diet your body senses that you are trying to starve it. It is not getting it’s usual supply of energy so it automatically goes into survival mode by changing many working functions that will preserve energy and maintain or increase your weight over time.

If you suddenly restrict your energy intake by as little as 10% your body will counter that with a 20% reduction in your metabolic rate. This can happen with in the first 24 hours. Your body lowers the rate at which you use energy for any given task and general bodily functions so that you do not perish. It has no idea that you plan to stop losing weight once you reach your goal weight, it just senses that it is losing valuable energy needed for survival.

Many weight loss diets that decrease food especially carbohydrates work by decreasing your glycogen stores. [The storage form of carbohydrates] Each gram of glycogen holds 3 times its weight in water so the majority of weight you lose is water and not fat.

Your brain and nervous tissue rely solely on glucose [carbohydrates] for energy, so when restricted muscle tissue is broken down to produce glucose. Muscle tissue is what burns fat so the less you have the less fat you can burn. Muscles are like your engines the more you diet the smaller your engines get and the less energy you will burn to lose weight. It is just like a car, a smaller engine will get more kilometers per litre than a larger more powerful engine.

Your body has remarkable survival abilities and will also resist your weight loss attempts by increasing your appetite. Even when you regain the lost weight it will keep going so that you store a little bit more incase next time you threaten it again, sort of like an insurance policy.

It will increase the activity levels of the fat storing enzymes so that you will store more fat than usual and they won’t bother to stop once you’ve finish the diet either. They’ll just keep storing for that rainy day. Your body will even increase the percentage of food absorbed from the small intestines. Dieting makes a difficult job an impossible one.

Hopefully you can see the difficulties and the reasons why only 1 in 20 people is successful at losing weight through dieting. Losing weight is not really that complex, but it does takes a lot of discipline and a lifetime commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Your body will always reflect the shape of what it is currently doing, in other words there is no point going on a diet for a couple of weeks and then returning to your current lifestyle because your old shape and weight will return with vengeance.

Learn to be patient and make simple healthy changes to your current eating plan that you can maintain for a lifetime. Increase your activity levels to include a minimum of 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity activity such as walking on a daily basis.

You may not lose 10 kilo’s in 3 weeks but in 6 to 12 months I guarantee you will weigh less, look and feel better than if you continue to yo-yo diet yourself to weight gain.

 

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Lead by Example: Save our Children

March 2, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

Look around any suburban corner, your local beach, school or shopping center and you will notice the ever-increasing girths of our youth.

1 in 4 children are either overweight or obese in Australia and the unfortunate thing is that this statistic is increasing. It is now theorized that unless we do something about it some of us could out live our own children.

Being overweight and especially obese exposes our children to many conditions and diseases that were once thought to be only present in our more senior population. Delayed Onset Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis and heart disease to name a few are all on the increase in our ever expanding youth. If we don’t do something about it, sooner than later our children’s life expectancies could be dramatically reduced to their late 30’s or early 40’s. It is hard to comprehend that children as young as 10 have started to develop these conditions that are more familiar with the 50 to 70 year old groups.

We have all known about this problem for some time, we’ve read about it in newspapers and magazines, listen to it on television and radio, discussed it with friends and family, but still for those most concerned nothing has really changed to improve their situation.

We look for other people or other things and situations to blame. Something or someone else to pass on the responsibility to. Hoping someone else will fix the problem for us.

We blame the Government – yet John Howard leads by example, walking everyday and being sensible about his eating habits even when he’s busy overseas. We blame the schools – yet give our children money to buy what they want. We blame the lack of time – yet let our children watch 20-30 hours of television or play computer games each week. We blame the fact that we are too busy – yet we can sit in a restaurant for 3 hours and just eat, or sit in front of the television for 4-5 hours a night. We blame fast food restaurants – yet we’re the ones who take our children to them and buy them what ever they want.

Our so-called hectic lifestyles, where we claim to have no time, [but we always find plenty of time to overeat] appears to be the main culprit for almost everything in the modern world. As long as we can find something or someone else to blame the problem is out of our control and someone else can fix it. WRONG

The problem is our responsibility, we have let it happen and only we can fix it.

The only way I believe we can fix the problem of childhood obesity is to lead by example.

How can we expect our children to live a healthy active life and eat sensibly if they see us doing the complete opposite? What type of example have we been setting for our own children? We have become an overindulging lazy society where the more we have and the less we do the better. Some people smoke to excess, drink to excess, eat to excess, laze around to excess, gamble to excess, and expect their children to turn out perfect. Monkey see, monkey do! Our children whether we like it or not are more often than not a product of how we have raised them, the values we have taught them and the habits we have installed in them. When we as parents take full responsibility for the outcome of our siblings I believe we will be on the right path to turning around the childhood obesity problem. As long as we continue to blame, the problem will continue to grow. We have to fix the problem and not wait for anyone else to.

It must start with us, leading by example.

I fully understand that each family has it’s own unique set of circumstances, problems and day to day stresses that have to be dealt with. I can here a few of you saying “ but you don’t understand my situation is….”

No one is exempt from trying to provide the best possible care for their family. Don’t see it as a hopeless situation, try to find an answer no matter how difficult it may seem.

Most people have a fairly basic understanding of what healthy eating is. Most people have a basic understanding of what exercises are beneficial. For most people it is not the knowledge that is the problem it is the doing of the knowledge that is the problem. Knowledge is useless unless acted upon.

There are a lot of people who are still confused about sensible, healthy, nutritious eating commonly caused by the massive influx of miss information through fad diets promising incredible results in ridiculous time.

Marketing companies don’t help either; they promote their products using popular athletic or celebrity figures convincing their fans that their product is the one to buy. They collect huge fees for their endorsements and I doubt whether they actually use the products themselves.

I know for most families the services of a qualified Dietitian or Personal Trainer seem financially out of reach. But the money saved long term from healthy eating will more than cover the cost of a professional. Junk food and eating out regularly is more expensive in the long term, not just on your pocket but also on the health of your family. It’s an investment in the health of your family and what could be more important.

A good dietitian or personal trainer has already sorted through the miss information and can design a healthy eating and exercise program for every member of your family. They can help you with educating family members [especially the difficult ones] and provide support, help with goals and motivation, ensuring a positive out come.

What are you waiting for, start today on your quest for a healthier family and “save our children”

 

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Cellulite

March 2, 2011 By admin 8 Comments

The mere mention of the word cellulite sends some women instantly in to a state of fear and anxiety.

In this article I am going to discuss what cellulite is, how do you get it and more importantly how do we rid this demon from our bodies. First of all let me state that cellulite is normal and that the majority of western women and some men have cellulite. Even our top super models and actresses have cellulite, your just not allowed to see it. Photographers have many tricks they can use to hide it, like the famous airbrush and soft lenses to give the appearance of perfection.

So what is cellulite? Cellulite is that dimpled-like or orange peel affect that is seen on most women’s hips, upper thighs, buttocks, around the knees and calves. Interestingly I don’t even think you will find the word cellulite in any Medical Journals. I believe the American beauty industry made up the term and it has been exploited ever since, collectively making billion of dollars a year.

The anti cellulite industry claims that cellulite is the accumulation of toxins and water stored in fat cells just underneath the skin. They would have us believe that it can be removed through specific massage techniques either manually or with expensive machines. The cellulite reducing cream which also cost you and arm and a leg is specifically formulated to penetrate deep into the skins surface increasing circulation and removing the cellulite and the build up of toxins. And what about those cellulite reducing tablets, I’m sure the majority of you already know the answer.

However, unbias scientific research has uncovered the truth about cellulite. Biopsies were taken from areas where cellulite was evident and another biopsy taken from fat cells where no cellulite could be seen. The result was, they found no difference in the fat composition of either sample. That then led them to try and understand why some fat takes on the dimpled appearance. They concluded that the appearance of cellulite comes about due to the way that the fat is stored.

Fibrous bands of connective tissue surround each fat cell, which separates them into tiny compartments. These bands are attached at one end to the skin and at the other end to the muscles. Women have many of these connective fibres especially in their hips and buttocks, as this is where most women store their fat. These connective fibres attach straight down from the skin to the muscle just like a button in a sofa. When a women increases her body fat, the fat cells expand out stretching the skin past the connective fibres giving you that orange peel or dimpled effect. Just like the foam in your sofa expands out around the buttons. Why doesn’t this happen to men? In some men it does but in most their connective fibres are angularly arranged. Also men don’t store as much fat in those problem areas. A man is genetically predisposed to store more fat around the abdomen.

So are cellulite treatments effective? Most doctors would say no. You can’t take a pill or rub away fat from a fat cell, nor can you change the angle of the connective fibres or where you store fat.

So what can be done? If cellulite is caused by expanding fat cells pushing up to the skin, then reducing the size of those fat cells will have a dramatic effect. Your first step to reducing cellulite is to purchase a good pair of training shoes and start an aerobic activity that you enjoy like walking or jogging. The more walking you do the better, a minimum of 30 minutes a day might be fine for some, but if you can, extend it to at least 1 hour. If you haven’t exercised for some time please go and see your doctor for their approval. Another great idea is to start a strength-training program, where you increase the size and strength of all your muscles especially those around the buttocks and thighs.

Don’t be afraid of building too much muscle, when you see a toned leg and backside its muscle that you’re looking at.

The more muscle that you have, the more fat you can burn and the more toned your body will look. If you are interested in obtaining a strength-training program, find a local qualified trainer or physiotherapist that can design you a safe and effective routine. As far as nutrition goes it is probably the most important part of your plan. You will never exercise fat away if you keep replacing it from your food. Eat small, low fat, nutritious meals evenly throughout the day that include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, grains, legumes, dairy, lean meat, chicken and fish. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and if you don’t know where to start see a Dietitian or Qualified Trainer.

 

 

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Being Active-The Advantages

March 2, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Sedentary living may be responsible for one third of all deaths caused by coronary heart disease, colon cancer and type ll diabetes. Less than 20% of the Australian population are active enough on a regular basis to meet their preventative health needs. We all know that exercise is linked to many positive physical and mental health benefits, but the vast majority of Australians are still not prepared to do any thing about it.

Regular physical activity eg walking can significantly reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, depression and colon cancer.

Increasing physical activity such as walking or the accumulative cost of incidental exercise [taking the stairs instead of the lift] can have many positive benefits, which include:

Reduced body fat [weight] Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease

Reduce the risk of Diabetes Reduces the production of the bad cholesterol LDL

Improves Fitness Increases the production of the good cholesterol HDL

Increases strength and balance Lowers blood pressure

Helps prevent osteoporosis Reduces symptoms of arthritis

Maintains bone mineral density Increases self esteem

Improves longevity and quality of life Decreases mild depression

Improves mental clarity and wellbeing Decreases stress

Improves quality of sleep Increases relaxation

Maintains independence [elderly] Increases confidence to participate

How much exercise/activity is required to have a positive effect on our health?

Most health departments around the world agree that we should all be doing a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity such as walking on most days. To reverse the obesity epidemic and promote large amounts of weight loss the new recommendations for people living a sedentary lifestyle is to increase that figure to 60-90 minutes of moderate physical activity a day. I can hear most of you now ‘ No way do I have that amount of time’

The good news is exercise is accumulative, it doesn’t have to be done in one hit.

You can accumulate it during the day in 5-10 minute blocks. Just by increasing your movement levels at different times during the day you will reap the same benefits as someone who does it all in one stint.

You could do 10 minutes of walking before work and park the car a 10-minute walk from work. At lunchtime you could walk 10 minutes to get your lunch and with the 10-minute walk back to your car after work you have already exceeded the minimal amount. There are many ways or different combinations that we can do to increase our physical activity requirements. Even taking the stairs for a few floors instead of the lift, whilst talking on the phone, pace backwards and forwards or if it’s a mobile or cordless phone walk around.

Set yourself a goal that you will not watch any television, have your dinner or go to bed until the minimal 30 minutes of activity has been achieved each day.

 

 

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The DANGERS of being Overweight

March 2, 2011 By admin 2 Comments

With well over half of the population being overweight or obese in Australia, I wonder if people really are aware of the potential health risk that they allow themselves to be exposed to.

Being overweight and the development of obesity in this country has hit epidemic proportions and is continuing to grow at an alarming rate. If it’s continuing to grow then I can only imagine that people are not getting the message about how serious this problem is for their long-term health and the health of this countries Medical Industry to cope with it.

Millions of dollars are spent each year by our government [Medicare] on the treatment of conditions that are directly related to the self-abuse of overeating and lack of physical activity. I wonder if Medicare itself would be in better shape financially if the people it supports would get into shape. Billions of dollars would be saved if people would take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. Will this ever happen? I’ll leave that answer up to you.

I am constantly amazed by the number of people that tell me that they don’t have any time to eat sensibly and exercise.

These same people seem to have plenty of time to sit and eat more food than they need. It is a choice if you are overweight. For whatever reason, you choose what to eat, how much to eat and if you have the time to exercise. We must stop using excuses and take responsibility for our own actions. After all we live in a lucky country, no one is forcing us by gunpoint to do anything.

Potential risk of being overweight:

Heart Disease Back problems Certain Cancers

Diabetes Snoring [Obstructive sleep apnea] Lack of fitness

Gallstones Lack of energy High blood pressure

Sleepiness High Cholesterol Knee, other joint problems

High blood sugars Skin problems Breathing difficulties

Sex problems Low self esteem Relationship problems

Many of you may already be able to relate to a few of these, and I hope are taking responsible steps to improve your conditions.

For those of you who aren’t too concerned then it’s time to re-evaluate your current thinking and start to make some positive plans for a healthy future. Many of the illnesses and conditions I have listed will shorten your life quite dramatically and the others will make it very uncomfortable. The interesting thing is that if you contract any of these illnesses or conditions from being overweight, then it’s fare to say they are preventable.

Making the time to eat sensibly and get plenty of exercise is always going to be the best choice for your long-term health.

See your doctor regularly for check ups and seek professional help for diets and exercise from qualified Dietitians/Nutritionist, Physiotherapist and Personal Trainers.

 

 

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Avoiding Weight Loss Plateaus

March 2, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

How many of us have started and exercise program to find out that after 4-6 weeks the results we expected have come to a blunt halt.

When we first started our walking program or joined the local gym we noticed how quickly the belt buckle was moving in and then all of a sudden without warning it stopped. We persisted for a few weeks, some of us had the determination to push through for several months, but still nothing moved.
This is an all too familiar occurrence that leads to most people giving up on their exercise regime.

What you are experiencing is a plateau.

Let’s examine what a plateau really is.

A plateau put simply is a period of stabilisation. Where the body has adjusted itself physically so that the energy that we consume [food] equals the energy that the body uses [metabolism]

Many people view a plateau as a bad thing and is one of the main reason people give up and go back to their sedentary lifestyles. It is a very frustrating time especially since you have been working really hard and doing all the right things.

A plateau is a natural process of the body and if it did not occur, death would result. An example of this is if a 60 kilogram women wanting to lose 4 kilograms in 4 weeks, [1 kilogram per week] her body would go into survival mode so that she doesn’t continue to lose 1 kilogram every week until she dies. Your body is just not going to allow you to lose any amount of weight without putting up a fight. It has no idea that this women has planned to stop after 4 weeks, it senses that it is losing precious energy for survival of the species and almost instantly slows the process down. A plateau is not a bad thing, giving up on the other hand and putting the weight back on is. At least you’re not gaining weight, which most other people in the western world are. It is actually a positive response to change and it should be expected.

One of the ways the body causes a plateau is to increase your fitness. Once again this is not a bad thing but for weight loss it can be very frustrating. Increasing fitness basically means that you can do the same job whilst expending less effort and energy. You have become efficient at the activity that you are preforming. Remember when you first went back to your walking program after some time off. You struggled a bit, you where huffing and puffing, you were tired after a few minutes, and for some it wasn’t very pleasant. Now after doing it for a few weeks it’s quite easy, you hardly even break a sweat any more.

This is fitness; your body has adjusted itself physically to make the task easier. Now that you have become efficient at preforming the task [easier] your body doesn’t use as much energy to do it. You’re saving energy again and slowing down the weight loss process.

The best way to avoid a plateau or to get off of one is to return to that uncomfortable feeling of unfamiliarity.

You must do what your body is not used to doing and become inefficient again.

The definition of insanity is: Doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

You must make a change to expect to see a change. You must do something different, something that will once again challenge you. This can be done in many ways. You can change the activity- walking to slow jogging, [please check first that your physical wellbeing is capable of this.] The distance you travel, you could walk further. The number of sessions you do in a week or even a day. The speed you walk, covering more distance in the same time. The surface you walk on, bitumen to sand-sand to knee deep water. The terrain you cover, flat surfaces to hills. The combinations are only limited by your imagination. The important thing to remember is that when you make that change, ensure that the change is slightly more challengeable than the previous activity. The more variety you experience with your exercise the better. Don’t allow your body to become accustom to doing exactly the same thing. You can make simple changes on a daily or weekly basis, remembering that, variety really is the spice of life.

Impatience is the greatest killer of success.

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