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Pram Fitness Clean Eating Basics – how to get started with healthy habits

Learning how to live a healthy lifestyle is great for so many reasons! It’s not about starving yourself, it’s about giving yourself delicious, nutritious food to keep you healthy and happy.

I have found that most mums want to eat ‘healthy’ but often the problem is they have no idea where to start? For this reason I have put together the Pram Fitness Clean Eating Basics which are my guidelines and philosophy around eating.

When it comes to achieving health related results it’s important to remember that 80% of your results will come from the very things you put into your mouth.

No matter how much or hard you exercise, if you aren’t fulling your body with the right nutrition you won’t be the best version of yourself until you make the choice to eat foods that are going to give you energy to thrive.

I agree, there is so much information out there and it’s hard to know what the right thing is to do so today I want to talk to you about the things that I have seen work and how you can implement these healthy changes into your life today.

I strongly believe that being organised and prepared is so important when it comes to making good food choices. As a mum you are busy, tired, sometimes cranky and maybe even have a short fuse. This is completely normal but it’s for these reasons that you need to plan your meals in advance so that when your baby is screaming and you haven’t slept for a month or even a year you can still make good choices because you are organised.

Please keep in mind, clean eating by no means needs to be boring, my philosophy is all about flavouring foods with amazing herbs and spices to give the dishes plenty of taste and for you to not miss things like sugar filled sauces that are going to ruin an otherwise healthy meals.

The Pram Fitness Clean Eating Basics are a short compilation of questions that client’s often ask me. Please keep in mind that i’m not a nutritionist and everyone’s specific needs are different so please take this information as general in nature and if you need more personalised nutrition guidance I’d strongly recommend getting in touch with a dietitian to discuss your needs.

Ok, let’s get stuck in…

The Pram Fitness Clean Eating Basics

Why don’t we count calories

You may notice there isn’t any calorie or kilojoule information in this program. We know as busy mums, you simply don’t have time to be calculating the energy of everything you put in your mouth. Also, our bodies have an in built ‘calorie-counter’ that is so much more accurate than any app could be: our hunger and fullness signals. It’s important to listen to your body to give yourself the best chance of achieving all the health goals that you have ever wanted to get in control of.

Why should I eat ‘clean’?

Clean Eating put simply is the lifestyle of avoiding processed foods and basing your diet on whole foods that come in their natural state. The clean eating lifestyle will help you to eliminate toxins from your body, lose weight, avoid diseases and most importantly give you lots of energy to get through your busy day and look after your little one.

The term ‘eating clean’ is majorly overused of late, but it is worth the hype and is something that is vitally important to achieving a lean and healthy body. Think of it as going back to basics. Our ancestors didn’t have supermarkets or pre-packaged meals to pop into the microwave when they got peckish. That being said I don’t expect you to attempt to cook dinner over a fire pit you started in the garden with two sticks, but I do highly recommend that 90% of your shopping trolley be filled with items from the fresh food section.

Rather than feeling like you are constantly on a diet, learning to live a clean eating lifestyle is the key to helping you achieve the results you are after, have more energy, be healthier and feel better than ever.

How often should I eat?

Personally, I believe in eating 5-6 smaller meals per day. This helps to fuel a healthy metabolism and to work towards sustainable and long term weight loss results.

Why do I have to think about portion sizes?

This really is the key, even if you are eating a seemingly healthy diet, if your portion sizes are too big you won’t achieve results – simple. The problem is, when it comes to portion sizes everyone is different. For example, some mums are breastfeeding and require more calories in just to fuel that super important job…

You should never feel overly full. Think about the last time you ate too much, did you filled like you were about to burst? Well at that point it’s too much. Likewise you should never be starving so we are looking for that happy sweet spot right in the middle where you are feeling satisfied but not stuffed.

One little trick I like to tell clients is that it’s best to eat slowly. Sometimes it takes your brain a bit of time to catch up to how your stomach is feeling so if you take your time eating this will give your brain more time to know if you really are full or just eating for the sake of it.

Why do I have to drink water?

Think about it this way. Your blood is made up of 80-90% water and our blood is the awesome vehicle that caries the nutrients around our body and to our cells to keep us healthy. Pretty simple really, when we are dehydrated there isn’t enough water to go around, therefore leaving us feeling tired, sluggish and cranky.

What’s this about protein?

Put simply protein is the building block for our entire body! Protein is made up of amino acids, these amino acids help to repair muscle tissue, look after our skin, ward off disease, gives us our all important energy and helps to look after our hormone balance.

There are 2 types of amino acids: non-essential amino acids (that are manufactured by the body) and essential amino acids (found in food).

There are 22 amino acids, your body can make 13 of them without you ever thinking about it. Your body can’t make the other nine amino acids, but you can get them by eating protein-rich foods. They are called essential amino acids because it’s essential that you get them from the foods you eat.

It is important to know that not all proteins are created equal, some contain all the essential amino acids and are therefore called “complete” proteins – some examples of this are all animal sources of protein such as chicken and fish. On the other hand vegetable sources of protein contain only a few of the essential amino acids and should be combined with other proteins to help them work more efficiently in your body.

Fat…

Throw away your old beliefs about fat and don’t be scared anymore – in fact I LOVE fat – but only the good kind!

Good fats actually help you burn fat – yes this is true! And the other benefits are that good fat helps you to absorb vitamins and minerals, they reduce your sugar cravings as well as helping you concentrate and keep your body full
for longer.

What about Low Fat?

“Low-fat,” “reduced fat,” or “fat-free” processed foods are not as good as they sound. One problem with a generic lower-fat diet is that it prompts most people to stop eating fats that are good for the heart as well as those that are bad for it.

Now that we know more, ‘Low Fat’ is actually a bit of an old school way of thinking. What you need to be aware of is that when food manufacturers take out fat, they often replace it with carbohydrates from sugar, refined grains, or starch. Our bodies digest these refined carbohydrates and starches very quickly, causing blood sugar and insulin levels to spike and then dip, which in turn leads to hunger, overeating, and weight gain.

I don’t understand how carbs work? Should I avoid them to lose weight?

For some reason Carbs have become the devil when it comes to healthy eating and more specifically weight loss over the last few years. This couldn’t be further from the truth, in-fact eating the ‘right kind’ of carbohydrates will help give you much needed long lasting energy to get you through your busy day.

Put simply carbs are sugars that are broken down into glucose which is your body’s main source of energy. If that isn’t enough of a factor to start incorporating carbs into your every day nutrition then you should know that carbs create the fuel that keeps your brain working and your heart pumping – enough said right?

BUT not all carbs are created equal.. There are 2 types of carbohydrates:

1 – Simple Carbohydrates (Otherwise known as bad carbs): Simple Carbs are digested quickly into the body, the energy is stored as glycogen and if not used straight away will be stored as fat. Bad Carbs are usually processed foods that have been altered from their natural state such as cakes, white rice, pasta and lollies.

It’s good to take note that fruit and vegetables are actually Simple Carbohydrates BUT they are extremely different from other foods in this category. When you eat fruit or vegetables their fibre content helps to slow down digestion, actually making them act a bit more like complex carbs so they get a big thumbs up from me. (Confusing I know but bear with me) ☺

2 – Complex Carbohydrates (Otherwise known as good carbs). Complex carbs are an energy powerhouse, they take longer for the body to digest therefore they sustain your energy for a longer period of time. Complex carbs help to stabilise your blood sugar levels and help to improve the 2pm crash and burn that we can often feel. It’s important to know and understand that COMPLEX CARBS are an energy powerhouse and a fat burning machine.

It’s also good to know that while providing much needed energy is a very important job that Carbs look after they also have some other very important functions. They help to protect our muscles, provide nutrients to the intestinal tract that helps to digest food, assists in your body’s absorption on calcium and can help to lower cholesterol levels (just to name a few).

I hope this helps, it’s a lot of information all at once so take your time to ready through, if you have any questions or your want to understand something in more detail please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

I am so happy to be a part of your clean eating journey and i’m looking forward to helping you achieve all of your heath and fitness goals.

Love Karen

x

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I can’t believe it’s brownies…

I first came across Sweet Potato Brownies when I went to a friends house for dinner and they wanted to cook me something healthy for dessert. At that point in time I was completely blown away because they were so delicious and actually pretty healthy too. So over the last 6 months I’ve been playing with the recipe to make it the ultimate healthy brownie.

My challenge to you is to make them, then give them to your kids or partner without telling them what the ingredients are and see what they think…

I promise you will be amazed and never look back to sugar filled brownies again.

Enjoy x

 

Recipe Makes:

Too many for one person for one week

Ingredients

• 1 Medium sweet potato (2-3 cups when grated)

• 2 Eggs

• 1/2 Cup melted coconut oil

• 1/3 Cup honey (or rice malt syrup)

• 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 Cup raw cacao powder, sifted

• 1 Teaspoon baking powder

• 1 Teaspoon baking soda

• 2 and a 1/2 Tablespoons coconut flour

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 185 °C, make sure the oven is hot before you put in the brownies in (very important)

2. Combine grated sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, honey and coconut oil in a large mixing bowl and stir together until they are well mixed together

3. Add cacao powder, baking powder and baking soda and stir

4. Add coconut flour. Tip: Avoid adding too much coconut flour as it will absorb too much moisture which will result in drier brownies so add this flour slowly

5. Mix well, once combined, pour the mixture into a baking tray lined with glad bake (I used a 23cm square tin)

6. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove the tin and cool for 5-10 minutes before removing brownie form the tin

7. Cut them into squares and dust with a little cacao powder

8. Serve with raspberries or strawberries and optional a dollop of greek yogurt

Tip: To be extra decadent as a one off treat: melt some dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water or in a microwave and drizzle it over the top – yummmmmy!

 

I hope you love them as much as I do, they have been a mega hit with my clients so far.

Love Karen x

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New Year Intentions, not resolutions!

With 2017 just starting and the silly season winding down it’s a time when we often look into our lives to see what we want to change for the upcoming year. Welcome to my rant about setting intentions instead of setting resolutions…

 

Setting Intentions instead of Resolutions

I encourage self-reflection. Change needs to occur for growth to happen.

But I don’t believe in setting a New Year’s Resolutions.

Why?

A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. By definition, it’s an action that solves a problem. Though we mean well when we make resolutions, the term has seriously negative connotations.

Instead of resolutions, I focus on setting a yearly intention because an intention is an aim or a plan. An intention isn’t something you can fail at like a resolution; it’s a process you continually undergo through the entire year.

Remember, our words determine our thought processes, so using a positive word promotes change as beneficial rather than an issue we must fix. You are a work in progress, not a mistake! Be positive with your words and choose to set your New Year’s intentions as a lifestyle to work towards rather than a strict deadline to adhere.

 

Working Towards Your Intentions

Once you have had a think about your intentions, how do you stick to them? Learn the ABC’s of goal setting:

A= Accountability

B = Balance, and

C = Consistency.

These three aspects will help propel you towards reaching your intentions every day in 2017.

 

Accountability

Set your intentions and get an accountability partner. I have a lovely friend that is my accountability buddy called Su-Ann.

Su-Ann runs her own business which is a graphic design studio so we are both solo business owners. Once a week (at the same time each week) we set a time to chat through what we have achieved in the previous week as well as discussing any problems or issues that we are struggling to solve on our own. We follow an agenda and while we keep it quite informal we still have a basic structure to follow.

It works really well for us and it helps me to keep on track of what I have said I wanted to achieve.

An accountability partner is someone who is positive and encouraging towards your intentions. They will gently speak when you need a bit of encouragement or they will firmly move you when you need a bigger push. This person will remind you of your intentions and persuade, encourage, and love you as your work towards them.

 

Balance

Nothing in life can happen without balance but it is a really hard thing to master. I don’t feel like I really have it under control most of the time but I do try…

You may fall off the wagon once (or a few times), but the biggest thing to remember is that doesn’t mean you failed. You’ll have great weeks and terrible weeks. The key to realising your intentions is understanding that balance is what makes everything equal.

Try your best to set intentions that allow some space for you to breathe and for you to achieve the mindset that you need for that lifestyle. I know this is a tough one when you are a mum but if you do need a bit of time out to breath and your partner or a family member will support you, make sure you take them up on that.

 

Consistency

Without a doubt, the aspect of consistency is the most important in goal-setting. For change to occur, it must have time and opportunity. The only way for your intentions to truly come to life is with consistency in giving yourself the time to change and the opportunity to change.

Don’t just set it and forget it! An intention is a process that you schedule into your life until it becomes a routine that you look forward to doing.

As an example one of my 2017 goals is to read more, I am going to be consistent with reading because I have set up a mini book club with one of my besties. Once a month we are going to buy a book for each other and then at the end of the month we are going to go out to dinner and discuss the book.

Sounds completely nerdy I know BUT the way I see it is that (A) I get to read more, which is working towards achieving a goal (B) My friend will keep me accountable because we are both working to the same timeframe and (C) I get to spend time with one of my best friends – WIN WIN WIN I say 🙂

I’d love to know what are your intentions for 2017? Let me know in the comments below and let’s work together on making them happen and feeling fantastic about the year ahead.

 

Love Karen

x

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The Christmas Survival Guide – For Mums

As Christmas Carols take over the airwaves, families travel all over the world to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year together. But for fitness mums, it can be a bit tricky to let go and enjoy the festivities…

We must attend (multiple!) parties and host dinners. We buy and wrap all the presents. And somehow, we still maintain a functional life, even if travelling to our Christmas destination. So how does a mum do it all? The keyword is balance.

Here is your guide to stay on track with your fit, healthy lifestyle during Christmas.

Attending a party: Just because you’re invited doesn’t mean your attendance is mandatory. Choose the parties you really want to go to; it’s your holiday after all. Fewer parties mean decreased stress of prepping outfits, finding babysitters and gifts, and over-indulging.

Hosting a party: Keep your stress levels down as much as possible. Remember, a party should be fun. Provide low-calorie beverages (the other fit mums will thank you too!) and healthy food options alongside the yummy, naughty snacks.

Buying presents: Gift cards. The recipient will be happy when it’s paired with a handwritten card and a decent amount to a favorite store. People will also thank you for not having to feel guilty for re-gifting a well-intentioned, but unnecessary present.

Wrapping presents: If you know the perfect something to buy but can’t wrap, get someone else to do it for you. Many stores have gift wrap options. Some even have charity wrappers so you can donate to a worthy cause while not struggling over an odd-shaped present. And if all else fails, just bag it.

Working out: You may not fit your regular workouts in and you may not even get to the gym some days. It’s okay! You’re probably still keeping active with last minute shopping and chasing around your children. If relatives offer to babysit, accept their offer! Unwind with a walk or run, even if you’ve missed a few days. Your body will thank you for having a break from the holiday chaos.

Travelling: Pack minimally. You will save on baggage fees and headaches as you haul smaller suitcases to your destination. It’s also an excuse to buy new clothes if you do end up short on items. Remember that not everything will happen on schedule, so have toys or games for your kids if your plans are delayed or derailed. Happy children mean less stress for parents.

Make This Christmas All About Balance

It’s okay to get out of your fitness and health routine a little during the holidays. Don’t beat yourself up! Not every day will be a perfect food day or a day where you exercised for an hour. It’s all about balance. Treat yourself kindly when you indulge in a sweet by going on a walk that evening. Take the kids to the park and have a bit of fun with them. If you have a cocktail, enjoy it.

My biggest advice is to stay active when you have the time and eat healthy when you can – simple.

Lots of love

Karen

xxx

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Let’s face it cafe bought banana bread is really banana cake!

I have this conversation with mums all the time, they honestly think because it’s called “banana bread” that it’s actually a healthy option. I am sorry to burst your bubble but I can tell you now that coffee shop banana bread, while it’s delicious it is also full of butter, sugar and way more empty calories than you want to be consuming.

I honestly think if you buy it from a cafe, it should be called banana cake because well… that’s what it is.

Let’s put this into perspective. According to the Australian Dietary Guidelines the approximate KJ that an “average” adult requires each day to maintain weight is 8.700kj. Now keep in mind, this number does vary according to your age, height, sex and level of activity so if you do want to find out your specific number you can use this calculator.

So I went online to check out McDonalds and to see what their Banana Bread was made of. Turns out it has a staggering 2,570kj which is 30% of  your daily energy intake AND it contains 12 teaspoons of sugar.

WOW!

Now I don’t know about you but when I am thinking about eating Banana bread, it’s usually to satisfy a snack craving so imagine if you eat that on top of everything else you ate, therefore over-eating by at least 30% of your energy requirements for the day.

I don’t want you to feel like you have missed out so I have come up with a delicious recipe that you are going to love. This recipe makes 12 serves, contains 870kj per serve and is delicious. That’s 1700 less KJ than the version from McDonalds – I know what I would prefer to be eating.

It’s also a great idea to cut up the bread into separate portions and freeze it. Then on days when you feel like a snack of banana bread it’s in the freezer ready for you or your child (if the have no problems with nuts). Just pop it in the oven and eat it hot – it’s soooo yummy!

Give it a go and let me know what you think?

Karen’s Super Tasty Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

2 Cups almond meal
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup water
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Cup honey
4 Bananas (ripe and mashed)
1/2 Cup walnuts
1/2 Cup shredded coconut
1 Cup of raspberries or blueberries (optional but delicious)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 Degrees

Line a loaf pan with baking paper

Mix together almond meal, ground cinnamon, and baking soda in a bowl

Beat two eggs in a bowl. vanilla extract, honey, mashed bananas, and walnuts

Add banana mixture to almond flour mixture; mix until no dry areas are visible. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan

(Optional fold in rasberries or blueberries)

I like to sprinkle some extra coconut and walnuts on top

Bake banana bread in the preheated oven until brown and crisp around the edges, about 50-60 minutes

Enjoy. xxx

Banana Bread Ingredients

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The dangers of the Hollywood mum trap

I’m a little fired up today. And here’s why…

Yesterday I read an article at the dentist in No Idea (Sorry New Idea)
where a Hollywood Actress who’s now a new mum,
was sharing her tips on how she got back into shape after giving birth.

Now I’m happy for her, but here’s my problem with this advice.

New mums read articles like this and get disappointed
with the progress they are making, compared to the
Hollywood star.

Forget Hollywood.

Hollywood is the last place you should look
for any health and fitness advice.

Just think…

When movie stars give birth, they’ve already assembled
a small army of helpers.

There’s a fulltime nanny, chef, driver, personal assistant,
trainer and nutritionist just to name a few.

Imagine having all of that at your disposal?

Imagine not having to wake up 4 times a night
to feed the baby.

Having all your healthy meals prepared for you
by a chef.

Or…

Getting a relaxing massage every 2 days.

Or…

Working out with a full 8 hours sleep under your belt.

Under those conditions with all that help anyone
could look amazing.

See, over the years I’ve met plenty of mums who are frustrated
with their weight loss progress after having a baby.

In most cases they’ve been unknowingly been following poor
advice, which happens all the time.

At Pram Fitness, the mums follow proven advice.

The mums only do exercises and workouts, that are
proven to get results.

And nutrition wise…

I keep it simple, tasty and easy to follow.

In the 30-Day Nutrition Plan I give out to new mums when
they join Pram Fitness, they experience weight loss, anywhere
from 2kg, to 5kg in the first 30-days.

We currently have an offer for you to come along and try
Pram Fitness with our intro offer of 14 Days for $14,
it’s an absolute bargain and a no brainer in terms of giving it a go…

To join our special intro offer CLICK HERE

Have a great day,
Karen

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My favourite breakfast for busy mums on the go go

Bircher to go go, nom nom

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I always look forward to eating something healthy and delicious that is going to get my engine started (ermmm if you know what I mean) fire up my metabolism for the day and give me the energy I need to get through my busy morning.

As a trainer my day often starts very early, the alarm goes off at 5am. I usually snooze once or twice then it’s action stations. I have 30 minutes to shower, dress, fed my dog, take my dog for a quick walk and eat breakfast so as you can imagine breakfast needs to be ready fast so that I can get to my first client and be ready for action when I see them.

This recipe is one of my favourite breakfast options because you can make a big batch of it and have it in the fridge ready to go go. When I scoop the amount I want to eat into a bowl I usually add a touch more almond milk as the consistency is sometimes a bit thick from the oats sitting in the fridge and soaking up all of the liquid.

Oats are a great start to the day as they will give you energy, they taste delicious and they are full of fibre. To put it bluntly, the insoluble fibre in oats scrapes through the intestines, moving food along and helping to prevent constipation – yay!

Eat this bircher cold, portion it the night before, chop up your berries and you are a super organised mum with breakfast ready to go

Bircher to go go

makes: 4 servings (1 serving = 1 cup)

2 Cups wholemeal oats (not quick oats)

4 Teaspoons chopped almonds

4 Teaspoons Pepitas

4 Teaspoons shredded coconut, or coconut flakes

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

Unsweetened Almond Milk

Berries (to add in at just before your eat)

Method

Place oats, almonds, pepitas and coconut, cinnamon in a bowl

Mix well, then add enough almond milk to cover all the dry ingredients

Mix again, then store in a plastic container in the fridge

When you are ready to eat take out your portion and add blueberries to the top for a delicious fruity hit of goodness

Tip: In the morning when you are ready to portion out your oats, add a touch more almond milk to the mixture. Oats soak up a lot of the moisture so it’s good to give it an extra kick in the morning before you eat it.

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Our top tips to help you burn your baby weight away…

Now that the weather is starting to warm up, if getting in shape for Summer is something that is on your mind check out our top 10 tips to help you along the way with a tried and tested action plan…

Get your head in the right space

Cupcakes

It’s important to think about where you want to end up, to have a clear focus of what you ultimately want to achieve.

How will getting to this point make you feel?

Have you ever looked this way before?

How long have you wanted to achieve these results?

Are you really prepared to put in the work that will be required to get to your goal?

Often when I come across temptations, I ask myself “will eating this help me achieve my goal?” The answer was generally No so that gave me the drive not to eat it.

Tell the fork to fork off

ForkOff2

How many times have you sat down to eat and eaten until you are completely stuffed! Think about your last bowl of pasta or even the last meal that you just couldn’t get enough of.

This is a little tip I tell my clients to help them listen to their body and to know when they are full and it’s so simple…

Eat your meal, enjoy it, savor it and appreciate the nutrients that you are putting into your body. Then once you have finished, stop and wait.

Wait for 5, maybe 10 minutes and the food you have just eaten will have started being processed by your body, I guarantee you that your mind will be telling you that you are full and you don’t need any more food.

Give it a go, I can almost promise you that it works every time and as an extra hot little tip, don’t snack on your kids leftovers. Some mums I chat to say that eating their kids food can actually mean a whole extra meal in their day and is one of the big reasons they don’t achieve their goals.

You need to be a strong mumma!

LiftWeights

Muscles do one of two things, they either shrink or grow…

Now before I continue, ladies don’t freak out. When I say your muscles will grow, I don’t mean you will look like Arnold Schwarzenegger when your muscles grow – quite the opposite actually.

Any woman that does strength training will tell you exactly how hard it is to gain any kind of muscle. The female bodybuilders out there have to (ironically) work their butt off for their physique.

Females are NOT hormonally set up to gain a huge amount of muscle, so mums don’t worry!

Ok, now that I’ve cleared that up, how do your muscles shrink or grow?

Hold onto your hat, here is the bad news…

From the age of approximately 30 years, when you don’t strength train, your muscles start to waste away – it’s as simple as that.

I have a saying with my women clients: “If you don’t use it, you lose it”

What is even worse is that muscles can waste away at a rate of up to 0.5kg per year – arghhhh!

When you strengthen your muscles, your body turns into a fat burning machine.

When I talk about strength training this could mean anything from body weight exercises or weight training – basically any kind of movement where your muscles are put under load.

Don’t be a carb-hater!

SweetPotatoWithHeart

With the rising popularity of diets like Atkins and Paleo (that’s been made popular by Paleo Pete) it’s not surprising that people are confused.

I have heard it all from my clients in the past, “Carbs are bad! Carbs are making me fat! I’m going to cut out all carbs, I don’t eat carbs after 3pm” and the list goes on… BUT do you actually know that your body needs carbs to function!

It is true that if you read the pages of popular trashy gossip magazines you will read that Hollywood stars can easily whip themselves into red carpet shape by simply eliminating carbs.

So should we get rid of carbs from our diet altogether? The simple answer is NO but it does depend what type of carb you are eating.

The truth is, you can have your carbs and eat them too—you just have to know how to choose them.

The trick is to avoid processed simple carbs like sugar and white pasta, and to be very careful of foods pretending to be “healthy,” like cereals that are full of sugar and granola bars.

A quick trick is to look at the label and avoid anything that has more grams of sugar than fiber or protein. Instead, fill your plate with a variety of whole, unprocessed starches which will provide nutrients vital to brain health.

I am a huge fan of sweet potato, quinoa and brown rice as my main source of carbs to add to my meals.

Argh… These scales must be broken!

ScalesWithLogo

Have you ever jumped on the scales after being really good with your nutrition for a week and then thought; “WTF, these scales must be broken”.

You wonder how you could possibly weigh the same or (shock bloody horror) higher when you have been eating all the right foods and exercising.

Here is a big tip, make sure you read on…

The scales are the worst measure of success. That’s right, throw them out, get rid of them otherwise they will do your head in.

I feel programs like The Biggest Loser show us completely unrealistic weight changes, sometimes with the contestants losing up to 12kg in a WEEK. Now I don’t know about you, but when I see extreme, fast weight loss like that on TV I instantly feel like the next thing I will see is a heart attack.

Your weight as a woman is heavily dependent on fluid, muscle, fat and hormones which is exactly why the scales aren’t always helpful.

To keep things extremely simple in this area I always ask my clients how they feel in their favorite jeans. While it’s not a super accurate measure it’s a “feelings based measure” and something that I know every woman can relate to.

I have a pair of jeans that I’ve had for at least 5 years, they are my favorite and I know that when I put them on and they fit me like a glove I am feeling good. If I’m struggling to do them up, perhaps I’ve been indulging a bit much and I need to get myself back on track.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it simple and do what is going to work for you.

Ditch the diet cycle

DitchTheDiet

Ok, lets be honest who has had these thoughts before?

1: Your not happy with your body and you want to lose weight. Simple I’ll go on a diet…

2: You deprive yourself for what seems to be forever, you eat minimal food and limited calories to get fast results.

3: You hit your “goal weight”

4: Woohoo! You then go crazy, you eat every food you have been starving yourself of during those 8 weeks or so. You start drinking wine with your dinner, you snack on a bag of chips, you eat all the bread in the house and you binge on chocolate.

5: You eat it all and feel terrible because you have lost control, you have broken your plan and now your body can’t handle these foods.

6: Your bowel movements become irregular and now you feel even heavier than before.

7: Starting tomorrow you will get “back on your diet” and the horrendous cycle continues…

So you’re sitting there thinking – yep I’ve done this before, but what I want you to see is that it’s a vicious cycle that doesn’t get you anywhere.

Now the question needs to be asked; what are you going to do about it?

My advice to all of my clients is not to think about food with a “deprive” mentality. At the end of the day we are all human and we are all going to eat things that aren’t that good for us. It’s going to happen so I coach my clients to embrace it.

There is nothing wrong with having a treat as an occasional food. If chocolate is your weakness, don’t say to yourself – no more, ever! Instead tell yourself that you will have some chocolate at some point in the week but it will be a small amount and you will know in your mind that it is a treat and you should feel good about eating it.

Think about kids, the second we tell them that they can’t have something, what do they do? They want it more than ever, tantrums, hissy fits, I think you get my point.

Don’t deprive yourself, don’t diet, just keep everything in moderation. Eat the foods you love and enjoy – just remember, you need to make this conditional when you are really trying to get to your goal. For example; if you love to have a glass of wine, then make it one night a week, as opposed to five. See what I mean? Remember to compensate with your activity and don’t feel guilty about the glass of wine.

Just effing do it

JustDoIt

Procrastination gets you no-where, I always say “Imagine how good you will feel in just a few weeks if you start today”

Believe me when I say I know it’s not easy. You are generally sleep deprived, your kids have sapped all of your energy and you don’t have a lot left in your tank, but if you get started the more you do it, the easier it will become.

You need to be honest with yourself and work out the reasons why you need to do this, how is it going to make you feel and what positive impacts will there be for your family?

If you work out your WHY, it will make it so much more achievable to stick to your plan.

Don’t be the one to hold yourself back from achieving the body and the life that you have always wanted – you are the one that can make it happen, starting today!

I hope you enjoyed these tips and can incorporate some or all of these steps into your life today!

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