What Do You Want Before NYE??

NYE, it’s 71 days away or ten weeks away.

It’s not too late to set a goal or get working towards one you that you may have set before.

Write your goal down. It can be around any area of life, maybe health but maybe it’s do with social or relationship aspects. Whatever it is, Be SPECIFIC.

We don’t want ‘to lose weight’. Be specific. What is that weight. Is it a body fat percentage, is it a size clothing? Make is measurable.

Now that you have the goal in mind. Write down what that goal feels like to you. What will it mean to you to achieve it. Write down as much as possible. The more you can feel and visualise it, the higher change that you will make it happen.  You may even use pictures. For example, pictures of your ideal weight, pictures of the holiday you are saving for, be creative. I want you to feel and see your goal as if it was real.

Using a weight loss goal, some ideas: ‘I will feel happy, confident and energetic. I will enjoy being able to put on any of my clothes and know they fit well. I will want to go out and be around other people. I will feel light, less bloated, clear minded. I will love to eat fresh healthy foods. I will fit into my favourite dress again. I will look hot on NYE’

Try writing down what it will feel like if you don’t have this goal. Try associate pain with the lack of goal. For example, ‘When I eat badly, I feel yuck and I feel unmotivated. My skin looks dull. I have nothing to wear. I wake up feeling lethargic. I feel unfit, and get into a sweat walking up stairs.’

Next, break down your goal into smaller components.

Continueing with weight loss as the goal. Break it down to weekly targets.

Week 1, I will weigh x amount.

Week 1, I will have done exercise 30 minutes for 6 of 7 days.

Week 1, I will make diet changes: 1, cut down your daily sugar in coffee by ½. 2, replace coke with water. 3, bring lunch to work. 4, drink a glass of wine with dinner on the weekend rather than every night.

Keep track of your process, at the end of week 1, record how you went. What did you achieve, what can you do better? Adjust your steps if needed. If you didn’t exercise on 6 days, do not feel guilty and give up after 1 week. Try again next week or be more realistic, maybe change it to 5 times per week. Write down how great it feels  when you are closer to your goal. The more pleasure you can associate with the goal the more your body and mind will want it.

Be proud of yourself and avoid negative talk. Each day you are getting stronger, if you make a mistake, it’s simply learning what perhaps didn’t work. Have you goals visually around the house, you need to see it. If you wait for a bus every day, write it on a small paper and take it out every morning for a quick read. Read  your goals before you go to bed and reflect. Congratulate yourself on making the small steps. Look forward to waking up tomorrow and achieving more.

Set up a good support system. It is important to surround yourself with like mind people. Tell people what your goal is. If everyone knows you’ll be more determined to make it happen. If you are slipping away, your support network can keep you on track. Get your friend and partner to make a similar goal with you. It helps to be able to talk and relate your experiences with others going through similar events.

In summary,

1. Write a specific goal on paper

2. Write down what it would feel like to have achieved the goal. Create lots of pleasure with the goal. Feel and visualise it.

3. Write down what it feels like not to break your commitment towards this. Create lots of pain. Feel and visualise it.

4. Break the goal down to daily or weekly targets. Keep track, monitor and adjust when needed.

5. Surround yourself with supportive people.

6. Be proud and look forward to being a better you on NYE.

Live your dreams. Whatever the mind can dream, it can achieve. Good luck!

Your Trainer Liz

Top 10 Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Weight

1.       You train once a week at a gym or with a personal trainer. You work in an office job, sit on your butt all day and then go home to sit on your butt. On the weekend you may go for a walk. A walk isn’t going to get any weight off. Nor is one session per week.

2.       You’ve got an injury. You have a sore neck, shoulder, whatever it is. You think that’s a reason not to exercise. You have legs don’t you? Stop using an injury as an excuse, work around it.

3.       You’re tired. You are tired, I am tired, everyone is tired, suck it up and get on with it. Dig deep within and learn to push yourself.

4.       When you do exercise, you’re working out aimlessly. Reading a magazine while sitting on a bike, holding on the handles on a treadmill while eyes glued to the tv, punching the pads while checking out the guys in the room next door. You have no focus. Give your workout 100% of your attention. Have a plan and go hard.  If not, save the gym membership and go wonder around the park.

5.       You do yoga or pilates. They have lots of benefits but you are not going to lose weight.

6.       You don’t like to exercise. We all don’t like something. That’s life. Some people don’t like cleaning the house, some people don’t like having a shower, and some people don’t like going to work. You have to do things you don’t like sometimes. Again, just get on with it and do it.

7.       You’re stressed. You have one family drama after the other, this week it’s your over bearing mum, next week your dad is sick, next month your almost breaking up with your boyfriend. Deal with it, stop complaining and get in some exercise.

8.       You train and then go to the coffee shop for a muffin, or banana bread, or a chocolate milkshake. You’ve just consumed more calories than you burned. See the problem?

9.       You buy yourself a juice from a popular juice bar. Again, full of calories, you are drinking a meals worth of calories in the drink and probably more. Fruit is calories. Fruit juice is even more calories.

10.   You order a caesar salad. The dressing is fat, the bacon bits are fat, and the croutons are fat. You are not being healthy. You may as well order a big mac.

11.   Bonus reason. Your busy, you have long work hours. Worst excuse! You’re busy but you still have time to watch TV and you still have time to check facebook? Get up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later. Problem solved.

Your Trainer Liz

Life is yours

~ By Ralph Marston ~

Life is difficult, life is unfair, life is challenging and sometimes painful. And life is so very good.

There are frustrations, tragedies, disappointments, setbacks, heartbreaks, and absurdities. The simple joy of being outweighs them all.

Life is good, because within its realm, anything is possible. Life is good, because no matter how far you fall, there is always a way to climb back up again.

You can complain, fret and worry about all the problems in your life, but you’ll be wasting your time. Or, you can choose to focus on why and how life is so good, and on what you can do to take that goodness and make it even better.

Not only is life good, it’s uniquely good for you in your very own way. The possibilities for expressing your purpose are limited only by your imagination.

Remind yourself often of the great and wonderful value that you already, always have. Life is good, and in this moment that’s bursting with possibilities, life is yours.

Your Trainer Liz

Our Deepest Fear - Inspiring Quote

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. You’re playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

- This inspiring quote by Marianne Williamson

Your Fitness Trainer Sydney

Wise Mind Accepts

I was just sitting on the lounge, and remembered something powerful once told to me a few years back, ‘wise mind accepts’. I was feeling tired, drained and unmotivated. Why well mostly due to my thoughts. I was thinking about reputations and how some people don’t say sorry. ‘Actions speak louder than words’, while actions are something I take most notice of, sometimes it would be nice to hear the words too. Why do some people not say sorry? To say something good comes out of every bad situation, whether true or not makes no different.  A genuine sorry, can be felt, can be heard and you can see it.  I once thought reputation was everything. But I have learnt of recent that while reputation can be tarnished, character will outshine. If someone wants to make up lies to protect themselves, bully, be unethical, let it be. If people have chosen to believe lies, let it be. I can’t change others, I can change myself. It all starts with the man in the mirror.

Note to self, wise mind accepts.

Why wise mind accepts? Some things are thoughts, some are fact. I assume what you think. I know sorry would important to me, but that’s just my value.

Time to reenergize myself, mind over body!

Your Fitness Trainer Sydney

Beware of Salt

Are you aware of how much salt is in your foods?

Salt is made from sodium and chloride. Sodium is in many of the foods you eat day to day including cereals, yogurts, dried fruits, canned tunas and your ‘healthy’ frozen meals. The food doesn’t have to taste salty to have high levels. Check the labels, some foods labelled as healthy have alarmingly high levels of sodium. One meal and you can have consumed a day’s worth of sodium.

We do need salt, but most of us consume too much. Sodium controls fluid balance in the body. Too much salt is linked to high blood pressure, which puts you at risk to cardio vascular and kidney disease. It also causes fluid retention. Too little sodium may cause low blood pressure.

We need 460 mg a day for good health. The National Health and Medical Research Centre’s (NHMRC) advises that adults should aim to consume no more 1,600mg of sodium in order to prevent chronic disease. It is estimated that most of us consume double this.

Try for a day recording the sodium you consume. Just one processed meal per day can have you eating through your limit.

-       McDonalds Crispy Chicken Tandoori Wrap: 955 mg

-       McDonalds Might Angus Burger: 1360 mg

-       MDonalds Large Chocolate Milkshake: 411mg

-       McDonalds Large Fries: 435 mg

-       John West Tuna & Bean 185g, roasted capsicum: 700mg

-       Coles Tuna Sweet Chilli 95g: 555mg

-       Lite n Easy, Braised Chicken & Almonds frozen meal: 1370mg

-       Burgen Rye Bread, 2 slices: 325 mg

Reading labels:

Check the % of daily intake column on the label. This percentage will be based on the NHMRC target. Alternatively check the quantity per 100g to compare different foods.

1.       Low salt/sodium: up to 120mg/100g

2.       High salt/sodium: more than 600mg/100g

Tips to reduce sodium:

1.    Avoid processed meats, fast food and canned foods. Choose fresh.

2.    Prepare meals yourself so that you are in control.

3.    Use herbs, spices, lemon or vinegars for flavour rather the pre made sauces or marinades.

4.    Do not put salt on the table at meals.

5.    Try gradually reducing your salt intake with meals, taste buds do adjust.

 Your Fitness Trainer Sydney

Eating Out? Check the Menu Online First!

When dining out it can pay to check the menu beforehand online and do a bit of researching so that you make the right decision on the day.

I recently went to Outback Steakhouse with a group of friends and therefore for their benefit and mine I’ll use this restaurant for an example.

If you were to order the wings and cheese fries for entrees, and split between 5, how many calories, fat and sodium would each person be consuming (figures from calorieking)?

Wings per dish (not including the cheese sauce):

Calories 2145

Total fat 185 g

Sodium 3711 mg

Cheese Fries:

Calories 2136

Total fat 151 g

Sodium 2344 mg

Per person consumed (assuming 5 people each ate the same amount):

Calories 856.2

Total fat 67.2 g

Sodium 937.6 mg

How much sodium, fat and calories should you be consuming?

As a very rough guide as it is dependent on numerous factors (figures from Calorie Fat and Carb Counter 2010):

Female:

Calories 1200

Total fat: 30

Sodium: 1600 mg

Therefore by just consuming appetiser a female you would have consumed 71% of her calories, 224% of her day’s fat, and 59% of the sodium intake for the day.

Male:

Calories: 1500

Total fat: 40

Sodium: 1600 mg

Therefore by just consuming appetiser a male he would have consumed 57% of his calories, 168% of his day’s fat, and 59% of the sodium intake for the day.

This is just an appetizer! Chances are each person would then go on to consume a drink, main and then maybe a dessert....

It’s not too hard to work out why we have an over weight population!

Your Fitness Trainer Sydney