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So this competition stuff is over for now (thank the lord I hear many of you say!!).

However, I want to mention three main things that I’ve taken away from it and want to pass on.

ONE:
Food tracking – I’ve tracked my food for the last 100 days (ok I skipped Chrissy day and a couple of our days in Tassie). And while tracking food takes a little time at first, it’s easy once you’re in good habits and eating fairly consistently and routinely. What absolutely amazed me was how (even though I was already eating fairly well) I was eating a lot more than my body needed. It wasn’t a horrific amount over, but it was excess. So, if your weight loss isn’t happening how you would like… time to get tracking… EVERYTHING…. Don’t lie to it, there’s no point… your body will know what’s going in regardless of what your food diary says! A very interesting, powerful and potentially confronting exercise.

TWO:
Drink more water! So with 2 days to go I was on 1 litre of water. And I know from what some of you tell me that you’d be lucky to get a litre in most days. I felt TERRIBLE!! Feeling that thirsty made me feel WAY worse than feeling hungry. WAY worse. The next day was 500ml, but I couldn’t do it. Yes, I cheated!! I probably had up around a litre again, I just couldn’t do it. Then d-day was nothing, thankfully adrenaline got me through though! So if that’s all you’re drinking on a daily basis, and that feeling to you is ‘normal’ – I strongly suggest you slowly up your intake. Aim for 2+ litres, not straight away, but build up to it. First step – buy yourself a good water bottle that you’ll routinely fill up and get on your way to your target.

THREE:
Now to get a bit annoying…. If there’s something you’ve been thinking of doing, but you’re afraid you’ll fail, or assume that you just can’t do it, or you think it’s only possible for other people to achieve – DO IT!!!! Turning 40 last year was great, as it slapped me in the face a little and reminded me life is kind of short. Do it, do it, do it. There’s nothing better than giving yourself a big pat on the back and saying ‘well done, bloody good effort’ ….. DO IT!!

That’s it – have a great week and thanks again for everyone’s support!

Paula

Many people, including myself, who try to live a healthy lifestyle often get mocked or questioned about why they make the choices they do.

Things like….. why don’t you have dessert? Go on just have one, it won’t hurt you. You can afford to have some. And my favourite – come on, have some, you’re getting too skinny/need a good feed, etc.

Regardless of where you are up to with your progress, no one is allowed to make you feel like sh*t for your healthy choices. As I’ve always said, it usually comes from those who are a little envious of your dedication and discipline and would feel much better if you shared a block of chocolate with them – makes people feel better about themselves in most cases.

Hey, I remember when I was overweight and I’d have friends going on diets and losing weight…. I’m the first one to admit that I would have preferred that they stayed fat with me! I did the whole ‘don’t get too skinny’ stuff when really I should have encouraged their efforts and been inspired by what they were achieving. So from that experience I know it’s easy to be the culprit. But you don’t have to put up with the crap anyone gives you about wanting to be fit and healthy.

I hear over and over that it can be really awkward being out with friends or family who don’t understand what you’re trying to achieve, or seem to want to sabotage your efforts. I strongly suggest you be completely up front with everyone in your life, tell them your goals and plans, make sure they’re fully aware of what you’re trying to achieve, and request their good wishes and support. For years and years I found this really hard to do for some reason, and with certain people I still struggle with it. But I always remind myself how terrible it is to feel bad or embarrassed for making great choices. It does get easier over time, and with practice.

So never feel any shame or try to hide the fact that you’re working on your health and fitness. Shout it from the roof-tops, let everyone know you’re on a mission, and ignore or move on from anyone who does not support your goals!

Have a great day,
Paula

Here’s a different way to look at what you might be saying to yourself (or others) about living a healthy lifestyle……

Next time you find yourself saying “I’m too tired to exercise” – replace it with “Exercise is not a priority right now”

Next time you find yourself saying “I’m too busy to eat well” – replace it with “Eating well is not a priority right now”

Not health related, but when my kids ask me every night if I can read books to them, I often find myself saying something like “I’m too tired / it’s too late / ask me again tomorrow night” and so on..…… So I’ve been trying to remind myself that I’m suggesting it’s not a priority, and it SHOULD BE!! And when I look at it in that light, I stop bitching and I read the book with my kids.

We all want to justify why we’re not doing the things we know we should be doing. It’s time to stop trying to make it all sound ok, stop being big babies and start looking after ourselves!!! (or reading a book to your kids)

Saying all that, if it’s just not a priority, well that’s another story. But if you know it should be, then make it happen!!

Have a nice day!

Paula

If you’re a parent or carer, chances are you spend a lot of your time looking after others. You will put the needs of your kids before your own, and if you do decide to take some time for yourself you can end up feeling guilty or selfish.

But what we need to remember is that if we’re not well or let ourselves go, then we are no good to anyone. Not only will you struggle to be a good carer if you’re in poor health and low in energy, but you are also not being the great role-model your kids deserve to look up to.

Sometimes too, I worry that we use “I’m too busy with the kids to eat well or work out” to justify laziness, and that’s even worse.

When my kids were very little I used to feel kind of selfish. I remember I used to stick them in a play-pen while I ran on the treadmill. They didn’t always like it, but I figured it was 45 mins out of their day, and they’d survive. And if my run made me physically and mentally in a better place, then it was worth a few tears.

There’s been so many kids who come to our group sessions week-in week-out, and those kids can do burpees better than anyone! They’ve never been taught as such, but they’ve been watching, and we all know how observant and sponge-like kids can be. So, they see fitness as part of their Mum or Dad’s regular routine, and they don’t know any different. And same applies at home with food, if they see you eating your veggies, limiting treats, etc, you’ve got more chance of them following suit.

So don’t feel selfish, keep reminding yourself that your healthy habits are not just for you, you’re doing it for the whole family!

Have a great day!!

Paula

Although the last couple of days have been quite sunny, we are still in the middle of winter so here’s a few little tips to stop unnecessary eating when it’s cold. That means – eating when you are NOT hungry, you’re just cold, and eating something warm and yummy is a very tempting thought. We all know about this.

Next time you’re on your way to the fridge, pantry, vending machine, or confectionary aisle, stop, take a big deep breath, and……

• Ask yourself if you are actually hungry (or just feel like eating)…. chances are you’re not, so make yourself a hot coffee or tea and get away from the food.
• Remind yourself of your physical goals, will your next move help you to get closer, or further away from where you want to be?
• Think about how mindless eating makes you feel mentally – once the food is gone, do you beat yourself up and wish you’d been stronger and resisted temptation?
• Practise discipline…. The more often you make a strong decision to resist temptation, the better you will become at it.
• Always remember that when summer arrives it’s great to have confidence in how you look and feel, so stay strong and avoid eating for winter comfort.

Winter weight gain does not have to be inevitable…. Keep exercising, and remember that eating for comfort (or warmth) is always short-term and will make any weight loss journey a lot harder than it needs to be.

Have a great day!

Paula

I know that many of you are feeling confused about all the conflicting and varied information flying around about food and diets – and I don’t blame you!! It’s not only confusing, but it can also make us feel like we should be reviewing our own eating habits, even if they are sound and working.

We’ve got Paleo, High Carb, Atkins, Raw Food Diet, Lemon Detox Diet, Zone Diet and so on – the list is huge so it’s no wonder we’re confused. Everyone’s claiming their way is the best. It may be a celebrity, family member or friend, they are probably telling you how much weight they’ve lost on their new fad diet – which will probably get your interest (if weight loss if your goal of course). But just because whatever they are doing is working for them, it may not be the best method for you (and there’s every chance it’s not the best for them either – read on)!

The best diet for you is one that you can stick to – long term. So…. It’s not one that cuts out food groups, or counts every single calorie, or leaves you feeling angry, uncomfortable, anti-social or deprived. You can’t maintain that (or at least you shouldn’t want to maintain that) so it’s probably not for you. Your weight loss friend may keep telling you it’s worth a try because it’s helping them lose fat, but there’s every chance that they won’t be able to maintain their restricted diet either. And we all know what that usually means – weight loss – hooray, then, weight gain – boo.

We also need to remember is that not only are fad diets hard to maintain, they are also often lacking in nutrients and balance – and your health should never be forgotten when on a weight loss journey.

Be realistic, eating well can be hard, particularly if you’ve had a poor diet in the past. So don’t choose a diet that’s ridiculously hard to manage and maintain… why put yourself through that when it can’t go on long term.

Your diet should:
Be consistent and maintainable long term
Mostly consist of whole foods
Be balanced and nutritious
Create a calorie deficit (if weight loss is the goal)
Make you feel great and full of energy
And…… you should enjoy what you eat (mostly!!)

Don’t get frustrated or caught up with the huge amount of stuff being said about different diets and what is best for us. Everyone is different, with different goals.

Focus on a balanced, nutrient-rich plan that you can eat long term. One that helps you lose weight, and one that your body will love.

No more getting sucked in to quick-fix or short cut diets – no matter what anyone tells you!

Have a great day

Paula

Night eating, or after dinner eating (when we’re not at all ‘hungry’) seems to be a very common problem. I admit that I would eat the entire pantry after tea if the consequences weren’t so dire! I know I’m not actually hungry, I have a gut full of food, but the temptation to keep eating anyway is almost always there.

Generally, we’ve eaten our fair share of calories during the day, so for most of us there’s no need to continue eating. And unfortunately for some, night eating has become such an ingrained habit that it can be very hard to break.

Thankfully, there are a few strategies and thoughts that can help you avoid the after-dinner massacre.

If you’re eating mindlessly at night, it may be because you’ve not eaten enough total calories during the day, or, not nourishing your body properly which has you searching for extra calories at night. So the best way to turn this around is to track your eating habits during the day to make sure you’re not lacking in calories or nutrients. Always make sure you’re eating sufficient protein, especially at dinner, which helps you keep you feeling full and less likely to go searching for extra food.

Make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day – often we think we’re hungry, but our bodies are dehydrated and just crying out for water. Aim for 2-3 litres daily.

Another reason could be that you’re feeling tired at that time of night. And I know for me, when I’m getting tired I don’t eat as mindfully as when I’m on the ball. So, best way around this is to make sure you’re getting enough sleep every night – aim for 7-9 hours.

Social pressure can be another factor – you may have very good intentions to stop after dinner, but if you’re with family members or friends who like to continue to eat, it’s often easy to join them. There’s also the pressure to eat dessert (whether you’re full or not) if someone has taken the time to make it for you. I understand the pressure to be polite, but remember, if they are special people in your life they will understand that you’re trying to eat well and improve your eating habits. Don’t just go with the flow and keep eating because everyone else is – let them get fat – you be strong!

You may feel you deserve an emotional reward after dinner. Say you’ve had a rough day, and you feel like you’ve earned yourself some ice-cream or chocolate. Remember this is a very short-term strategy to improve your mood, and you need to establish alternative emotional rewards. Often over-eating can result in you feeling worse than before you began, both emotionally and physically. Establishing non-food rewards is a really important aspect of successfully losing or managing your weight. So, think about what you could do after tea to reduce the want to eat. Knitting maybe??!

My top tip for you is to brush your teeth straight after you’ve eaten dinner. There’s something about having clean teeth that makes it easier to declare the kitchen closed! Oh and my last tip is to be a forward-thinker. So, think ahead to how you’re going to feel following an after-dinner binge, or even the next morning (you know, that pig-out hangover?)!! Knowing I’m going to wake up the next day wishing I’d been stronger the night before, that’s a powerful deterrent for me.

And let’s not forget – you’ve just eaten dinner – YOU’RE NOT HUNGRY!!!! I know his doesn’t always remove the want to eat, but there’s certainly no need to eat.

If you’re a night-eater, you’re not alone, but make a deal with yourself to try and break the habit.

Again – you’re not hungry!!

Have a great sunny day!

Paula

Do you ever find yourself talking about the ‘good old days’ when you were more active and possibly in better shape? Or do you put weight-gain and/or ill-health down to your age and figure there’s nothing much you can do about it?

Well don’t be so quick to write yourself off!

We have two ages – our chronological age, and our biological or health/fitness age.

Our chronological age relates to how old we are according to time, from birth to now. Our biological (bio) age relates to how old our bodies are, and how it performs. Your chronological age isn’t a number you should get hung-up on, it’s your bio age that counts, and that you should work on. We have the power to slow down the effects of ageing and get our bio age as low as we can – generally that number reflects our lifestyle choices.

The choices you make can have your bio age much less than your chronological age, and on the other hand, your choices can send it higher than your actual age. Obviously this is not desirable, but the good news is in most cases you can improve it.

Here’s a basic estimating tool which you can try out – please note this is not very comprehensive at all, but can help give you a rough idea of how you’re tracking. There are much more accurate tests you can do – I’m looking into it, so watch this space!

http://www.bupa.com.au/health-and-wellness/tools-and-apps/tools-and-calculators/quick-health-age-check

FYI – I scored a 33 (actual age 39). I was hoping for a lower number, but that’s me, I’m pushy 🙂 I’d love to know your numbers!

How to stay young for much longer:

• Move more! You don’t have to become a body builder or a marathon runner to slow down ageing, but assuming you still want to be active and mobile at 80 and beyond, keep yourself moving before it gets too late.

• Resistance/strength training works so well and protects your valuable muscles, while increasing metabolism and bone density. You can look and feel great and stay strong for many years to come.

• Get enough sleep! Aim for 7-9 hours each night.

• Improve your diet. Eat lots of veggies, drink lots of water, reduce added sugar and alcohol and reduce overall calories (if need be) and toxins that enter your body. Aim to include protein at every meal to help build and protect your muscles (among other benefits). A multi vitamin supplement might help, although it’s a good idea to improve your diet before considering supplementation.

Making the above a part of your life will go a long way to improving your bio age and keeping your body (and mind) as young as possible.

These tips are not new, most of us know the basics in living a healthy life and improving our bio age. It’s never too late to work on your health and fitness, even if it’s just a small change. So don’t get too hung up on your chronological age, it doesn’t always reflect where you’re at in life.

I can confidently say that at 39 I’m in much better health than ever before and feeling fitter and more full of energy.

I see people in their aged in their 60’s and 70’s who are just as active and strong as someone in their 30’s or 40’s. And that’s my goal, stay fit and strong for as long as possible. Keep this in mind and remember the work you do now will pay off well into your future. View your exercise and healthy eating habits as an investment rather than a chore or sacrifice.

Ageing is a natural process but you are in control of how fast it happens. You can slow it down or speed it up with the actions you take.

And remember, your best days are not necessarily behind you. They could be ahead of you!

Have a great day,

Paula

I’m a little time-poor today – so here’s a short message which I carry on about often – if you’re not losing weight, you need to change what’s going in your mouth. End of story.

Don’t blame it on your exercise, don’t work out more, or look for some new ‘craze’ – just eat better.

Stop chasing your tail. If you eat too much, don’t expect to be able to burn it off the next day. You won’t. It took me years to realise this, but when I did I was amazed at how wrong I’d been about the ‘burn it off’ theory.

Exercise will make you look and feel fitter and stronger, it is amazing for your mental well-being, and the muscle you build will go a long way to keeping your metabolism firing. Exercise is great, keep doing it, but don’t expect to lose your fat if you don’t change your eating habits too. There’s no point having a great metabolism if you’re over-eating every day – it will never be enough (unless you’re a gigantic body-builder or elite athlete) to lose the fat.

Remember this is only relevant if weight loss is your goal… if you’re happy with your current weight and you eat a nutrient-rich and balanced diet, then carry on!

But if you’re not happy with your current body-fat levels and you’re giving training your all, then it’s time to give eating your all as well!

If any of this resonates with you, PLEASE have a chat to me about a nutrition session. There’s different approaches we can take to changing eating habits, and I’m open to guiding you with whatever works best for you, your lifestyle and your family life. I’m not into making you eat something you hate, or can’t manage or maintain. There’s no point eating something you hate! We need to be adaptable in order to keep up your new eating habits for life.

If you’re ready to stop banging your head up against a wall and going around in circles – make the decision to get your food sorted!

Hope you’re all having a great day, keep warm!!

Paula

It’s been a long time now since I was overweight, I was around 18, but I can still remember how things started to change for me when I went from being the ‘fat girl’ to a happier, healthier and leaner adult. I also remember lots about how life was when I was heavy.

I had very low confidence and very low self-esteem. It was consuming. Nothing I did felt relaxed or care-free, as every day I disliked how I looked and usually felt uncomfortable being anywhere but home.

I was a good netballer, when I was playing netball I felt good, but there weren’t many other times when I felt confident or strong. The only down-side of netball for me was when I’d fill in for a team and have to borrow a skirt – the horrible thought that it might not fit.

I avoided many situations and events. I avoided eye contact with people incase they were looking at me or judging me. Back then, there weren’t quite so many people who were overweight, so I was definitely in the minority and stood out like a sore thumb (well, that’s how I felt at the time). If I heard someone laugh I immediately assumed they were laughing at me and my weight. Or seeing people whispering, I made that about me too, I was completely paranoid and low. And then there were the comments that I actually heard, right to my face, that I couldn’t ignore. To be fair, I didn’t get picked on (to my face) all that much, which I’m grateful for cos we all know kids can be cruel. But my confidence had me thinking at the time that the whole world was pointing and laughing at me.

Was I wrong to feel so judged and paranoid? Probably. Hopefully. But’s that how my excess weight used to make me feel.

With the percentage of people overweight growing rapidly, I can only guess that the stigma is kind of different these days, but I don’t really know. I just remember all of my friends were a healthy weight, and I can only think of a handful of kids from school who were a bit on the heavy side. I even remember one day in sport (in primary school) there was a ‘battle of the heavyweights’ and me and the other overweight girl in the class had a basketball between us and the winner was the one who wrenched it from the other – oh my god, I can’t believe that happened (or that I remember it)! I remember winning, everyone cheered, it was cool at the time but looking back I guess we were being treated like freaks!! Ahhh…. memories!! 🙁

Another incident that I’ll probably remember forever was going home with a friend after school for a ‘play-date’ and her little brother said “Why is Paula fat and Brooke skinny?” I remember how awkward and embarrassed the Mum felt, and of course I just wanted to find a hole to crawl into (and punch that little sh*t in the face)!

Anyway, I guess the point of this story is to chat about how things changed when I woke up that one day and decided to change. I was tired of living a half-life, and was over all the fad diets and quick-fixes that I’d tried over the years. Just on that, I remember having a New Idea (or something similar) open on my bedroom floor doing a million crunches and sit ups to get rid of my belly fat! That was meant to work, with NO change in my eating habits?! Oh well, we live and learn, thank goodness!

A huge part of my new lifestyle was running, I just loved it! That was partly what made my confidence grow, which is what I needed more than anything. I remember feeling powerful and strong that I could run and loved the fact that I was doing regular exercise. I remember feeling very empowered – a big turnaround from where I’d been throughout most of my childhood. My brother and I got up every morning Monday to Friday and ran laps of the oval behind our house, in the dark, it was a great thing to do together and he really helped me on my journey to health and fitness.

As the weight dropped, the compliments started rolling in which I have to admit I loved! I enjoyed the attention, I was enjoying the running, I was enjoying my new eating habits, and most importantly I was beginning to enjoy life!

It took some time, as any good weight loss journey should, but I remember loving the process, and seeing myself change was absolutely priceless. The penny had well and truly dropped – I’d finally got it! And as time went by, I could eventually see that I was improving my health too, as well as being more comfortable with how I looked.

And my weight loss was very timely, I was 18-19 and hitting night-clubs and pubs like they were going out of fashion! I was heading out with my new-found confidence and I loved every minute. And here’s a little tip, I drank quite a lot of alcohol at the time (so that wasn’t so great for my health!), but I managed to keep enough balance in my life and diet to still lose weight during those ‘boozy’ days. No, I’m not encouraging alcohol abuse, but you CAN keep some things in your life and still lose weight.

From time to time I wish that I’d committed to my weight loss before I did, but no point dwelling on that now. I also wish I wasn’t so paranoid about my weight at the time as it really did hold me back in many ways. People probably weren’t quite as mean and judgemental as I thought they were, but ridiculously low confidence had me thinking I was the butt of many jokes and cruel remarks.

It was the best thing I ever did, and I’d hate to think where I’d be now if I’d never decided to change my lifestyle.

Now, as I approach a special birthday later this year, I feel fantastic and in better shape today than I’ve ever been. Needless to say my confidence and self-esteem is in a completely different league than it once was.

Life is short, and living it with no confidence is way, way, way less than you deserve! You deserve to be happy, healthy and walk around like your sh*t doesn’t stink!!

If you’re currently procrastinating about making a change – can’t recommend it highly enough!

Have a great day, keep out of this icy wind!

Paula