Metabolic Menu

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Wow! How many of us feel like this? How many of us know how to find our way back? How does this resonate with you? Does it Make you sad or happy?

The Comparison Trap! Don't get caught in it ..

Happy Weekend People!! Here is something to observe over the next 2 days ..

When you stress eat, you’re using food to solve a problem.

Only it’s a problem that food can’t solve.

Here’s a wild idea: Give yourself permission to eat whatever you want, but you HAVE to pay attention to why you're eating those specific foods.

Use it as a learning experience.

Once you’re aware of the trigger, decide what to do about it.

Secrets of people who are naturally thin

How can they eat whatever they want and never gain a pound?!”

People have been asking this question about folks who are thought to be “naturally thin” for decades.

In a nutshell:

Dont make assumptions about anyone based on their weight. Most of all, don’t assume that someone with a large or small body size got there because of what they eat or how active they are.

Genes are powerful at any size.

We know genes affect weight and body composition in complex, overlapping ways.

We also know humans, on average, have gotten much bigger in just one or two generations—way less time than it would take for our genes to evolve through the process of natural selection.

To make sense of such a dramatic shift, we tell ourselves that we evolved to seek food, to eat lots of it when we could, and to store the excess calories as fat. And when food wasn’t available, our ancestors’ survival depended on their ability to downshift their metabolism to conserve as much energy as possible.

But as a team of University of Cambridge researchers showed in a 2019 study, genes act just as powerfully on people who are extremely thin as they do on those with severe obesity.

Which means that natural selection didn’t give everyone genes that would eventually make it too easy to gain weight and too hard to lose it.

It also gave some people a metabolism and perhaps appetite that would help prevent them from gaining weight.

Nature, it seems, is biased toward diversity.

PS these two love hunting

Does TV rot your brain?

Not all sedentary activity is the same.

Watching TV is associated with a higher risk of dementia later in life. But using a computer is linked to a lower risk.

Cognitively active behaviours—using a computer, reading, playing chess—require intellectual engagement.

You’re still sitting down, but your brain is up and running. You’re seeking information, getting lost in a great story, thinking several moves ahead.

Or at least that’s the idea.

We suspect the links between dementia and how you spend your leisure time aren’t quite this black and white.

In a nutshell:

Context matters.

To qualify as watching the most TV, a participant had to watch at least 4 hours per day. To fall into the least TV category, they watched less than 2 hours a day.

Regularly challenging your mind may help you stay sharp.

PS challenged my mind every day!

Is junk food bad for mental health?

The research is pretty clear…
A diet heavy on “junk food” isn’t great for your physical health.

That’s no surprise to anyone, of course.

But can it negatively impact your mental health as well?

In a nutshell:

While food choices may affect how people think and feel, their mood can also influence what (and how) they eat.

What we do know is that healthy eating is only one piece of the overall equation.

Focus first on finding ways to eat more minimally-processed foods—especially vegetables and fruit—which are packed with nutrients that support mental and emotional health. Add more than take away.

PS - too much sugar??

Can you teach an old muscle new tricks?

“Age is just a number.”

This sentiment gets one important detail completely wrong:

Age is a lot of numbers.

Weight. Heart rate and blood pressure. Glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Vitamin, mineral, and hormone levels.

Once you hit your 60s, most of them start moving in the wrong direction, if they haven’t already.

Deeply intertwined with those numbers is one that’s almost never measured: skeletal muscle mass.

Age-related muscle loss leads to a decline of strength and functional ability, which in turn leads to a higher risk of falls and any number of chronic health conditions

With a smaller, weaker, less healthy, and less functional body, it’s only a matter of time before an elderly person loses independence.

But is that decline inevitable?

In a nutshell:

As we age we should train less and recover more
Focus on strength above all else
And optimise protein intake

PS having a senior recovery moment

The surprising power of a friendly text

Ever notice how….
… you just feel a little lighter after a laugh with friends, or a heartfelt convo with a loved one?

Those kinds of positive social interactions can directly boost your mental and emotional well-being.

But here’s a less obvious benefit: Strong social connections might help people eat better, too.

Do you need a reality check?

“I wish I looked as good as them!”

Comparison is the thief of joy, as they say, and nowhere has that become more apparent than on social media.

What should you do?

Conduct a social media audit
Consider whether it's a fair comparison?
Be careful about criticisms

PS hard to compare when you are so unique!

Does it matter if we walk or run?

Humans are born to move!

We also have a unique drive to argue about movement.

That’s especially true when we talk about the relative importance of walking vs. running.

Quickly ..

Life doesn’t move at a steady pace. Train accordingly.

A real-life hunter wouldn’t have begun with the binary choice of walking or running, or doing either one at a steady speed.

The first challenge was finding something to hunt. That meant finding fresh tracks and following them wherever they led.

More often than not, the trail would’ve taken them across a variety of terrains, with any number of obstacles, each of which they would’ve navigated at whatever pace made sense.

Sometimes they had to move as fast as possible, but at other times they had to stop altogether to study tracks or calculate their next move. They would’ve also stopped to rest when their prey stopped.

Thus, the “best” fitness strategy, and the one most aligned with what our bodies evolved to do, would incorporate a range of speeds and a variety of challenges.

Get loaded.

Prehistoric food didn’t carry itself back home.

The bigger the prey, the more there was for the successful hunter to transport.

For most of us, the closest equivalent would be carrying bags of groceries from the SUV to the kitchen.

But think of all the evolutionary adaptations that go into a seemingly simple domestic task.

We bend and twist as we lift objects of different shapes and weights. We carry them up and down stairs and over and around obstacles.

A good workout program, designed to enhance or optimize quality of life, should incorporate similar movements—lifting and carrying, pushing and pulling, bending and straightening.

In the process, you’ll challenge and develop your balance, grip strength, and core stability—all of which are important for maintaining health and independence as you move through the modern world.

Now is time to catch up on sleep!

But what comes first? Poor sleep or burnout?

Psychological stress and sleep deprivation can both be bad news.

Poor sleep increases feelings of stress. Part of what makes stressful things, well, stressful, is that they’re often out of your control. You can’t tell your boss to stop emailing you or wish away your child’s bad grades.

But you can improve how you manage the stress you have.

And sleep is an important factor.

What is suggested is, even if you can’t remove stress, getting better sleep may lower your perception of that stress compared to getting worse sleep.

More sleep is nearly always a good idea. Most adults should get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night.

Less than that amount is associated with a host of maladies: heart and kidney disease, diabetes, and stroke, just to name a few.

One caveat: More sleep isn’t for everyone.

Too much sleep, especially sleep that’s not restful, can be an indicator of problems with physical or mental health, and should be evaluated by a doctor.

What makes people eat more?

Many people find it hard to leave food on their plate.

But what’s the difference between those who leave a restaurant with a doggy bag… and those who finish every morsel?

Food gobbling makes overeating more likely
Portion size matters!
Eating slowly is an awesome tool! There are a lot of tricks to accomplish this.
(find ones that work for you!)

PS Jess always asks for a doggy bag!

Did you know that changing your mind makes you smarter?

As you gain knowledge, it’s only natural to be confronted with evidence that challenges your beliefs.

The more I learn the less I know!

Thing is, some people are open to changing their beliefs—and some aren’t.

What’s the difference between them?

Intellectual humility is related to qualities like:

Openness
Curiosity
Desire to learn

Which makes sense: People who are willing to change their mind are probably game for taking in new information.

Another experiment showed that people who were more intellectually humble were less judgemental. (That definitely comes in handy as a coach.)

Finally, the scientists found that people who were more intellectually humble were more adept at evaluating whether evidence for or against a belief was strong or weak.

So they actually did a better job at determining which arguments were legit and which ones weren’t.

This is my belief every time I meet a new client!

PS Jake looks pretty smart, right?

Is holiday weight gain inevitable!

Not always .. but what are we up against? Food and alcohol and competing demands for your time and presence are the two I battle with most! But helps me?

The more strategies I use, the better for me - mine are daily weighing myself and exercise - I use JEFF wherever I am.
I try and feed my body and not my stress and always aim for the middle ground. Eating to 70-80% full and eating slowly is a big plus!

What are yours?

http://ow.ly/3bnL50LApN2

⤴ Plus, 3 ways to feel better when you’re exhausted and weary.

Book an online consultation with me for 30 minutes!

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I love the holidays!
Full of social events, farewells, office parties, last exams, Christmas lights and loads of tempting treats. For some of us it’s a nightmare – we’ve just started a new eating plan, vowed to fit into that bikini or terrified to fall off the wagon. And, we get it, focusing on friends and family is tricky if you’re stressed about sticking to your nutrition plan and are constantly surrounded by delectable enticing plates of carby foods!

A couple of Tips from Me

Visualise

Head into the holiday season with a clear vision of what success looks like for you.
This will give you a north star when you’re making decisions about where, when and if you’d like to indulge. Where are you in your journey and how would you like to feel on January 1st when the hustle and bustle of the holiday season ends?
If you have a competition, need to make weight or want to stay as dialled in as possible, maybe FOCUS ON FUN NOT FOOD this holiday season!
Or, maybe your goal is to maintain and cut yourself some slack to allow for a few more Christmas mince pies? That’s cool too and there’s no right or wrong answer.
This definition of success will allow you to clearly assess if your actions are bringing you closer or further away from your goal. Then, you can tweak and change behaviour accordingly!

Prioritize

Grab a calendar, write down all of your engagements and commitments and prioritize! Depending on the vision you’ve created and the level of flexibility that vision allows, you can decide which holiday events are most important to you.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

~What foods can you get any time of the year? Think store-bought brownies at the office party.

~Which foods are truly special and only come around during the holidays? Think grandma’s Christmas mince pies or Mom’s pumpkin fritters? Or what about Tams meringue pudding??

~When will it be easiest to stay on track? Think restaurant meals with menu options or a bring and share that allows you to pick what goes on your plate.

~When would you like to be more lenient? These are probably the occasions when those special foods may be around! Think the biggest.

Once you have the dates laid out, decide where and when you want to indulge and when it makes the most sense to stick to the healthiest options possible.

Optimise

Consistency over time is where the magic happens. To ensure that a few more indulgent meals don’t add up and slow down your journey to your goals, optimize the days when you don’t have much going on and really commit to making healthy choices that fuel your body.

Who can help?

Partner, friend, coach (nutrition, lifestyle or athletic!) you name it! Enrolling others will let them hold you accountable when you’re needing a little extra support to stick with it. As an added bonus, telling others about your goals will also make them more real for you.

Mostly - Trust (and Be Kind to) Yourself.

No one is perfect and it’s important to remember that balance and flexibility are necessary parts of any lifestyle habit that is going to stick long term. Remember that the hard work you’ve been putting into getting to know your body and what makes it tick isn’t going anywhere this season and it will always be there for you to come back to!

I’ll be posting a lot more about the holidays – stay tuned.

And we wonder why we get hopelessly lost!

It's the weekend, baby!

But, hold on, what does that mean? Is your Friday the gateway drug to the rest of the weekend? Because It's Friday, because It's Saturday, because It's Sunday - can also become, because it's Thursday (technically the weekend)?

If you are battling with this thinking - it could be some patterns that are sabotaging you, and with some help from a nutrition coach (Me) we can work towards sustainable habits and processes that you can rely on every time!

Sleep is a wonderful thing.

It makes us feel good. Helps us recover. And helps us get leaner, healthier, and stronger.

"I am not losing weight - I am getting rid of it! I have no intention of finding it again!!"

I just love this - definite and non-negotiable!

What are your non-negotiables when it comes to staying healthy?

MOTIVATION MONDAY - or is it?

If you have ever done a JEFF TOGETHER workout with Seri and Jay at 6 in the morning – you will know that Jay likes to send us fairy dust motivation. And I laugh every time he flicks his fingers at the screen because it has to be the most common question I get asked – how do I stay motivated? It’s kind of like – how can I hold my breath for longer??

Most of us feel really motivated when we start something new — a new workout program, a new diet.

But inevitably, we reach a point where we’re just not that into it.

We might even beat ourselves up, thinking, “Other people are motivated all the time. What’s wrong with me?”

The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with you. Accomplishing big goals has very little to do with feeling motivated all the time.

Motivation is what gets you started. After that, it’s basically about just doing what needs to be done until you eventually get where you want to be.

Motivation may return periodically. But it’s never guaranteed. It’s like any other emotion (happiness, sadness, etc). It will come and go throughout your journey.

So if we can’t rely on motivation to always be there, what should we do to ensure we remain consistent and focused during our journey?

Here are some tips!


1. Have a strong “why”

Your “why” for embarking on your journey is your answer. It’s what will keep you going on the tough days. It’s what turns it from an “I NEED TO DO THIS” to “I WANT TO DO THIS”

Each of us needs a “why” that cuts directly to our core — something we can turn to on the DAYS where we just don’t want to complete that workout or track our food.

When you’re determining your deepest “why”, I have an exercise you can use. It’s called The “5 Whys”, and it was originally used by the Toyota Motor Corporation.

It’s very simple. When you want to accomplish something, you ask one “why.” “Why do I want to accomplish this?”

Then, whatever answer you come up with, ask why again. And so on, five times.

Be really honest with your responses. When you reach that final “why”, you might be surprised at the answer!

You get the idea! Now it’s your turn. What do you want to achieve, and why? Write it down!

2. You don’t need motivation — you need systems.

My husband, Mitch, always maintains that if it wasn’t for his systems he would be the biggest procrastinator on the planet!

Systems help us prioritize what to do and when to do it. They also remove a lot of the effort and willpower we think are required to get things done.

3. We don’t want feelings to drive our behaviour.

Many of us have the sense that if we feel tired or sad or discouraged, we should do tired, sad, and discouraged things. And of course, it’s critical to honour and express your feelings because it’s a release and helps others understand what you’re going through.

But when it comes to sticking with a nutrition program, letting our feelings drive our decisions can get us in trouble. (For example, if you had a bad day at work and let those feelings drive you toward choosing chocolate for dinner, that may not be conducive to your goals!).

Here is what I recommend instead: notice and accept your feelings in the same way that you can notice a cloud passing by overhead.

Our moment-to-moment feelings don’t have to determine who we are or what we choose to do. Simply knowing this can make it easier to carry on when we don’t feel like it.

4. Have a growth mindset and see life as a series of skills you can learn

Rather than beating yourself up about the fact that you haven’t yet reached your goals, try adding on the word “yet” to your sentences.

For example:

“I haven’t reached my weight goal yet.”

“I haven’t run a marathon yet.”

“I haven’t gotten that promotion yet.”

Adding the word “yet” to these sentences gives them a sense of resilience. Where you are in life right now doesn’t dictate where you’ll be in 3 months, 6 months, or a year.

Resilient people don’t just “try harder” or “have more willpower”. Resilient people see any process as a skill that can be developed.

You may have also heard of a “Growth vs. Fixed mindset”.

People who have a growth mindset believe their talents can be developed through hard work. People with a fixed mindset believe their talents are innate gifts.

Research suggests that people with a growth mindset achieve more than those with a fixed mindset because they worry less about looking smart and put more energy into learning.

Here are some examples:

• Fixed: “I suck at running.”
• Growth: “Running has been really challenging for me.”
• Fixed: “I’ll never be good at following my nutrition plan on the weekend.”
• Growth: “In the past, when I’ve tried to stick to my nutrition plan on the weekend, I didn’t have much success.”

What do you think – can you spot any ‘fixed mindset’ examples in yourself? How could you reframe your language towards a growth mindset?

I hope these tips help and show you that you don’t need to feel constantly motivated to achieve your goals. All you need is a deep “why”, powerful systems, and resilience.

Some of the biggest challenges I find, in trying to keep a healthy lifestyle, are these poor habits that seem to creep in; skipping meals to lose weight, drinking calories in the form of sugar, eating too few fruits and vegetables, eating too little protein and not moving enough!