It is, therefore, important to separate the good from the bad.

Supplements are an important part of your workout but you should know the right ones from the fad. No product can be a quick fix formula and if they claim to be, you are better off avoiding them – it is as simple as that. The best that supplements can do is aid the workout – we have to do the bulk of the work ourselves. Supplements are only there to assist you to reach your goal and provide you with the edge that you need to succeed.

You have to work hard for your desired body and using the appropriate supplements is essential. In this regard, L-Carnitine is an excellent supplement to boost your workout if you are looking to get ripped. It will help you to build muscles and burn fat at the same time. It is considered an excellent weight loss supplement that will help you to truly transform your body.

Benefits of L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine helps your body produce energy by using fat. It fosters an environment inside your body that encourages the growth and development of lean muscles and the burning of body fat. It also helps you to deal with fatigue after workout and makes it easier to follow a low-calorie diet. The reason for this is that it reduces the feeling of weakness and hunger. It, therefore, allows you to burn fat, get lean, and strong, at the same time.

Apart from its capabilities of burning fat, it also has a wide range of benefits.  It is an important component for the functioning of your brain and heart along with many other processes of the body.
It is an antioxidant that is used for the treatment of many different ailments. Antioxidants are responsible for fighting the harmful components in your body that are known as free radicals. These free radicals damage your body cells and can cause problems in the DNA. They can be neutralized by antioxidants that help to reduce or prevent the damage caused by them.

This means that it helps the growth and development of your body. It is considered as a treatment for some cardiovascular, muscle, kidney, and liver diseases.

How to get the most out of L-Carnitine?

If you want to get the maximum benefit from L-Carnitine, you must make sure that your dosage is correct. You should read the instructions carefully and take it in the recommended amount.

Carbohydrates are composed of sugar molecules made out of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are commonly found in starches, fibres and sugars. You can also find them in beans, potatoes, pastas, sodas, breads and milk. Here are some tips on how they can help you lose weight.

Take Slow Carbohydrates

In the past, carbohydrates used to be classified as simple or complex. Recent studies show that this is not accurate because they can also be classified as slow-absorbing, which can either be sweet or starchy. Slow-absorbing carbs are your best bet when you want to lose weight because they are digested and absorbed longer. They make you feel full and reduce your hunger cravings. You can get them from grain breads, pastas, oats, bran cereals, plums, pears, fruit loafs, apples and grapes, among others.

Go Low

If you want to lose weight, you should not totally eliminate carbs from your diet. Rather, you should have a low-carbohydrate diet. You can achieve this by eating whole grains, vegetables and fruits daily. They contain lots of vitamins, minerals and nutrients which you can’t do without. Taking them with healthy fats and proteins can even reduce risks of heart diseases and diabetes.

So how low should you go? Experts advise that you take 120 grams of carbs if you’re on a standard 1,200-calorie diet. If you want a higher intake, you can have 150 grams of carbs per day.

Pick Good Carbs

It all boils down to picking good carbohydrates. Picking the good ones can help you lose weight, avoid chronic illnesses and please your eyes and palate. Good carbs can be found in brown rice, wheat bread and whole grain pasta, among others. Here are some ways on how you can use them:

• Take steel cut oats for hot cereals. For cold ones, pick one that has whole wheat, whole oats or other whole grains. You can try muesli, porridge, wheat flakes, wheat flake biscuits or bran flakes. They’re easy and quick to prepare and their fiber content can help your bowel movement.

• In lieu of potatoes, eat brown rice, hulled barley, wheat berries, bulgur or millet. If you must eat potatoes and rice which are fast digesting, limit yourself to one medium potato or half cup of rice.

• For lunch and snacks, take whole grain breads or rye loaf. Having a slice or two daily can help you feel full and avoid unhealthy snacks.

• Beans are good sources of slow carbs.

• Take whole wheat pasta. If you find it too chewy, you can try one that’s made with half white flour and half whole wheat flour.

• Avoid junk carbohydrates found in biscuits, chips, soft drinks, cakes, and sweets etc.

• Go for starchy vegetables like corn, sweet potato, lentils, carrots, chick peas or peas.

• Take two pieces of whole fruit per day. Avoid excessive fruit juice intake since they are often too sweet with their fibre content removed.

 Even if you do lose weight in the short term thanks to a strict diet, you will quickly put it back on once you resume your normal eating habits. You are in fact more likely to put on lots more weight than you lost because your metabolism has slowed down due to the frequent deprivation of food. Your health and your good looks will also suffer as a result of this yo-yo dieting.

The most likely reason for this behavior is that you use food as an emotional crutch whenever you are badly stressed. Therefore the best way to start on your weight loss journey is to do some serious thinking about your emotional eating patterns first. Arm yourself with information about your habits, once you start to recognize the destructive patterns that control your eating you can start to tackle them one by one.

It is a good idea to start a diary or food and exercise journal to help you maintain motivation and hold you accountable. Most people find that they avoid excess food or eating the wrong thing when they know they have to write it down. Record the food intake, the amount of exercise and your emotional state, this will help you to gain control over your food habits and may help you to stay on schedule.

Having 6-7 meals/snacks per day will increase your metabolic rate and keep you from going hungry, therefore helping you avoid the temptation of picking up the wrong foods when you are too hungry to care.

Becoming more active helps in more ways then one, firstly there is less time to think about food. Secondly the endorphins released by the body during vigorous exercise gives a feeling of euphoria that lasts for a long time, helping to eliminate feeling blue and combating the need for emotional eating.

An exercise buddy is another great way to stay motivated and keep on track. Making yourself accountable to someone else will give you a better chance of sticking to the program.

A sensible eating plan that can be followed by the whole family is the best way to stick with it, unreasonable expectations or difficult to prepare diets will have little chance of survival.

After sticking to a sensible eating plan you also deserve a day off, one treat once a week isn’t going to damage all your good work, in fact it is recommended.

These tips will ensure that binge eating will be a thing of the past.

Vanilla Berry Rose-Milk by Rachael Wasiak
1 Small Banana
1 Raw egg white
1 Serving – Whey Protein Isolate(Vanilla)
1/2 Cup Blueberries
1 Cup Almond milk
1 Pinch Vanilla Sugar
1 Small dash of Rosewater essence
Add Love
Mix all ingredients in a blender for approximately 1 minute.
Serve with a long cinnamon scroll (to stir with).

HIT protein balls by kylie griffiths
place 1/2 cup of all natural peanut butter,3/4 cup of soy milk,2 tsps of preferred sweetener and 1tsp of vanilla essence in a saucepan and stir over low heat until mixture reaches a smooth liquid consistency.
Add 2 cups of rolled oats, 1/4cup of chia seeds and 2 scoops of DESIGNER PHYSIQUE CHOCOLATE WHEY. stir well.
Using wet hands roll mixture into balls and roll in coconut, chia seeds or granulated nuts. Store in the fridge

Lucy’s delish protein slice by Lucy Booker
1 cup of muesli
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of coconut
1/2 cup of goji berries
2 scoops of protein powder – choc flavour
Water to thicken (about half a cup)
Place all ingredients into and blender and blend until mixed. Pour into a plastic container and place in your freezer to set. Once set, cut into small squares and replace back into the freezer. Enjoy at your leisure!!

Banana and Blueberry Protein muffins by Lorna Grayson
2 large ripe bananas (mashed)
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup of chia seeds
1/2 cup unprocessed bran
2 1/2 cups of wholemeal self raising flour
3/4 cup of Vanilla protein powder
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup of buttermilk
200gms melted plant spread
1/4 cup raw sugar
Mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly.
Mix all the wet ingredient all then add to the dry.
Makes 24 mini muffins, great for breakfast or morning/afternoon tea. Packed with fibre, antioxidant rich and a great hit of protein…

Tony Sfeir superfood Protein Truffle by kayla thompson
These truffles are loaded with superfoods that will fuel your training!
Ingredients
1 scoop tony sfeir protein powder
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup almond butter
2 tablespoon cacao powder
1/4 cup agave
1 tablespoon gojji berries

Directions
Combine all ingredients in food processor.
Pour into individual cupcake patty liners.
Transfer to fridge or freezer till firm.
Tip: Sprinkle coconut flakes on top before serving.
Enjoy

Protein pancakes by Ellie Burscough
1 cup of wholemeal flour
3/4 cup skim milk
1 Egg
1/2 scoop Tony Sfeirs Vanilla Ladies Slim Whey
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs margarine/butter
1. Pour in all dry ingredients.
2. Melt butter.
3. Add all wet ingredients.
4. Cook in frying pan.
5. Serve with low fat yogurt and mixed berries.

As you go about your workout program, one of the top things that you must make sure you’re aiming to accomplish is to boost your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories all day long. Since fat loss does come down to how many calories you burn off versus how many calories you expend, the more you can tilt the scale towards the expenditure side of things, the faster your progress is going to go.

That said, there are some specific things that you can do with the way that you structure your workout program to ensure that you’re making the most of the metabolic spike you should be noticing.

By pairing selected exercises together, you can target a very large number of muscle groups total in the body, really increasing not only your calorie burn during the session, but the calorie burn you experience afterwards as well.

Let’s have a quick peak at some of the top exercise pairings that you need to know about. Note that for each of these pairings you can either complete all reps of one exercise first and then move directly into the second, or you can choose to perform one rep of one movement and then proceed into a second rep of the next movement.

Squats to Shoulder Press

The first of the top exercise pairings to consider is a squat to a shoulder press. This works great if you perform squats holding a dumbbell at shoulder height because from there, you simply press directly overhead after each rep to move into the shoulder press movement.

Lunges To Bicep Curl

Lunges to Bicep Curl

The next pairing to try out is the lunge into bicep curl. With this one you’ll take one step forward to move into the lunge position and upon rising back up to the start, perform a curl with the dumbbells you’re holding.

Note that you will have to use a lighter weight for the lunge to accommodate the dumbbell curl, so consider taking your reps slightly higher for this exercise.

Deadlift to Bent Over Row

Deadlift To Bent Over Row

The next exercise pairing to consider is the deadlift into a bent over row. This is a perfect pairing for really hitting the back of the body and creating a look that gets you noticed.

To perform it, perform one rep of the deadlift movement and as soon as you reach the bent over position again, pull the weight directly upwards executing a bent over row. Remember to keep the back flat while doing so to prevent the development of back pain.

Plank To Mountain Climbers

Plank to Mountain Climbers

Finally, the last pairing which will really hit the core muscles extensively is the plank into mountain climbers. Mountain climbers are one of the best calorie burning movements out there and will really increase your heart rate just like running sprints would do.

Alternating this with the plank exercise for total core support and development will further help push your muscles to the limit and get you closer to getting a chiselled midsection.

So next time you’re looking for something new to try out with your workout program, consider these exercise pairings. They’ll definitely help you take your progress to the next level.

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If you aren’t taking the time to plan out your diet and make sure your workouts are top-notch for fat burning and strengthening the muscles, you’re going to be hoping on a lost cause.

Let’s walk you through the step by step process of what you need to do to guarantee your success.

Step One: Get Your Diet Down

The very first step is making sure your diet is down solid.  The single most important factor that will determine whether you succeed with this goal or not is going to be the foods that you’re putting in your mouth on a daily basis.

There’s no getting around it – unless you’re eating properly, you just won’t reach the body fat levels that are low enough to see good definition.

When setting your diet plan, you want to make sure your calorie intake is correct first, if you are unsure please see someone qualified to give you a proper nutrition plan.

Second, make sure you’re using a higher protein intake. Protein is going to be a must to ensure your metabolism stays strong and you preserve all your lean muscle tissue.

Also stick to unprocessed carbs and healthy fats.  You could also consider carb cycling so your heavy workout days are high in carbs and your off days are low in carbs.  This will help keep your hunger under control but your energy high.

Step Two: Factor In Your Workouts

Next you have to figure out your workouts.  For best results, use a full body weight lifting workout program as this will increase the metabolic rate the most.  Focus on compound lifts such as squats, shoulder press, bench press, deadlifts, lunges, and bent over rows.

Add some interval cardio training to those sessions but make sure that you still have one day off each week for rest.

Abdominal exercises can be added at the end of the workout if you so choose but keep in mind that training the abs isn’t what gets you a six pack – getting your body fat levels down is, so that’s what you need to focus on.

Step Three: Be Smart With Your Lifestyle

Finally, the last step to get six pack abs successfully is to make sure that your lifestyle supports your goals.  Aim to keep stress levels low and make sure that you’re getting enough sleep each night.  This will help to keep your metabolism higher and prevent the chances that you eat for emotional reasons.

In addition to that, it’ll also help to control the cortisol release in the body, which can actually cause you to store fat in the stomach region.

By leading a proper lifestyle and making sure your diet and workout plan are in place, you will see yourself quickly moving forward to this goal.

Getting six pack abs definitely isn’t easy, but with the right approach and enough determination, it’s a goal that you can strive for and succeed at.

If you are finding it difficult to stick to a healthy diet plan – don’t feel bad you are not alone, the issues are often a lot deeper than just diet and exercise.

According to the latest scientific reports, there is a very strong co-relation between negative body image and the inability to stick to any weight loss program.

People who view their bodies in a negative light (and more importantly, think that others view them in a disparaging manner), tend to be filled with fear and anxiety. Unfortunately, they turn to food or comfort eating to address these feelings.. As a result, the negative feelings turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Scientists from Technical and Bangor Universities conducted a program on weight loss by enrolling obese women into a controlled study for one year. The group of women were divided into two groups;

Group one was advised on the importance of body image, good nutrition, management of stress and general health.
Group two were given training sessions which included group exercises and diet restrictions and lectured on the importance of body image and the difficulties in overcoming emotional eating.

After a year, there was considerable difference in the body weight of the women in group two. They could regulate their diet patterns and maintain their body image. They lost an average of seven percent of their body fat compared to the women in group one who only lost 2 percent. This was directly attributed to the fact that the second group had more knowledge about body image, the advantages and disadvantages and also how to overcome the obstacles which occurred while sticking to a strict pattern of exercise and diet.

With this in mind, if you are trying to lose weight and are aware of the effect your psyche has on your eating habits you will be able to take this into account before you embark on any weight loss journey. If you have a positive body image then you will find it easier to stick to your diet plan. You also need to understand what the barriers to weight loss are in your specific case and what you can do to solve the problem without experiencing any anxiety.

It has been observed in scientific studies that people are able to control their self-destructive behavior more efficiently when they understand why they are doing it in the first place.

If you are able to identify what triggers cause overeating in your case you will be able to regulate your diet better and start to lose weight. When you do begin to show signs of weight loss, your confidence levels will improve considerably and so will your self-image.

Once you reach this point in your life it is unlikely that you will ever put on weight again because you will no longer be a prisoner to your negative emotions.

In order to improve your chances of sticking to a weight loss program it is therefore recommended that you do all you can to improve your body image. You can start by making yourself feel good with nice new clothes, maybe get a makeover, a new hairstyle or get your nails done. Take the right steps to feel good about yourself and arm yourself with information, this will help you with losing weight and keeping it off.

Rob Quatro of Freedom Personal Training

If you’re active, you don’t need to exercise every day, or constantly watch your diet to live a healthy, happy lifestyle according to personal trainer Rob Quatro.

Some might say Quatro is a little controversial, but he is helping turn lives around with his refreshing approach to health and fitness and his 10 week mentoring program to help people to lose weight through learning and getting back to the basics.

Quatro is the owner of Freedom Personal Training studio on the Gold Coast, Australia.  He has more than 24 years experience in the health and fitness industry and has won a host of national titles in body building and power lifting. He was also heavily involved in professional boxing as a contender and trainer to world ranked athletes.

He believes the health and fitness industry has a lot to answer for with a lot of misinformation about training and nutrition.

“People don’t need to train everyday.. it’s about training people to live healthily to bring them back to basics.. Do more with the family, walk to the local shops, don’t use the remote.. get up and change the channels, get moving more, and stop dieting it’s what is going to make you fat,” he urges Major brands and organisations also have a lot to gain from spreading false information about food and food choices.

“Carbohydrates are not bad, don’t be scared of them, people need a variety of foods as every food group has its benefit to the body”, he said There are many people who believe in cutting out all carbohydrates after three in the afternoon, he laughs, “Like the body knows it’s 3pm, time to store the fat! ask yourself where this information is coming from?”

People should take a more patient approach to weight loss as there is no magic bullet or quick fix that is going to work in the long term. To obtain and maintain a healthy body is about creating good lifestyle choices and seeing the good in yourself, love yourself and ultimately reprogram your mind and heart to believe in yourself. he said

“I see skinny people who think they are fat, purely because they have such low self esteem and don’t love themselves,” he said

Quatro’s 10 week mentoring program is aimed at educating people to make the right food choices and to get active, but ultimately it’s about helping people to believe and love themselves through the journey. If you would like to know more about Rob Quatro’s mentoring program you can contact him at http://www.freedompt.com.au

Surviving through, good health, supplements and a role model

Imagine having a compulsion to go to the gym that was beyond your control, crying in the toilet because you are too weak to actually do any of the classes, passing out when you were in a class because you are so malnourished that you don’t have the energy, too scared to look in the mirror but not being able to stop yourself,  hating yourself, hating every day, feeling constant pain, hurt, self loathing, day after day!

That is what Anorexia sufferers feel everyday…..

On the brink of death 26 year old Janice Elizabeth (Mardesic) booked herself into the New Farm Eating Disorder unit six months ago after passing out again from lack of food.  She weighed 42kg with a body Mass Index of 15 and thought she was fat! She knew she was sick and didn’t want to feel the pain anymore.

Janice is one of the lucky ones and it is all attributed to one person who has given her guidance and support. A role model she found on Facebook of all places! Just when she was about to fall into old habits again Janice stumbled upon Sports and Fitness model Justine Switalla while searching Facebook for health and fitness tips.  Now she follows Justine’s advice and the only reason she counts calories is to make sure she is getting enough to build muscle.

But how did it all start?

The young Gold Coaster started dieting at the age of 10 after her brother called her fat and told her no-one would ever like her.  Of course he was only teasing the slim young girl, as siblings do, but she took it seriously.
What her brother didn’t realise at the time was that Janice had already suffered abuse at an earlier time in her life and that one little comment was just enough to tip her over the edge.

Janice Recovering In Hospital

“I had a real fear of not being loved, afraid of growing up, settling down, having a career, responsibility…. it was a debilitating fear, but it wasn’t at a conscious level it was in the sub-conscious,” she said

In what seemed to be an out of control life, not eating was the only thing she felt she had control over… “I could reject sitting down with my family for dinner and that become my comfort,” she said
So when Janice was first admitted into hospital at the age of 16 she was suicidal and depressed but what seems really surprising is that her eating disorder was never addressed!

When she finally got out she turned to alcohol and replaced one addiction for another “I started partying and gave it all up, I didn’t want to do it anymore,” she said
All she was doing was swapping one addiction for another and soon she was back in hospital, but this time it was long term rehab for a drinking problem.

Eighteen months into the rehab Janice lost her appetite again, one day of not eating turned into three, she was very anxious but the doctors said it was post traumatic stress. However once it had taken its grip there seemed no way out “I left rehab and tried settling back into life, I didn’t have an appetite and I ran, exercised and soon I was obsessed with losing weight,  It just snuck up on me,” Janice said

At one stage she said she was standing in front of the mirror screaming at her mother beside her “I’m so fat, I’m so fat…I’m a short fat tree stump, look at me, I’m a short fat tree stump,”  her mother was trying to tell her that wasn’t real, but her body image was completely distorted, “I could see the bones but I even thought they were fat, I just wished I could shrink my bones,” she said

When she checked herself into the eating disorder unit at the beginning of this year she still didn’t want to put on weight but knew something had to change.
“I was sick of feeling constant pain, I was sick of going to the gym, but I had to go to the gym it was a compulsion, I was sick of the torment, I was sick of being miserable,” Janice said

At the unit she was fed through a tube and was forced into consuming 3000 calories a day just to her alive.  Anorexics instinctively know the tricks of the trade so soon it became easy to trick the doctors if she wasn’t continually monitored.  “When I was no longer being watched every 15minuites I used to go out for runs, workout beside the bed, then when the doctor asked I lied and said I hadn’t worked out,” she said.

So strong is the grip of anorexia that it has even the most honest person being dishonest “I could look the doctor in the face and say I had not exercised,” she said. “I learnt to change the bag and mix it with water so I wasn’t getting the calories they were trying to put into me”. Finally once she had put on a much needed 15kg, Janice was released for day outings and still she had every intention of losing the weight she had put on.

Sitting opposite Janice now I see a bright girl who is determined to beat this crippling disease and live a healthy life, Janice wants to share her experience so that it might benefit other anorexia sufferers and hopefully inspire them take action.

“When Justine stepped in and started to talk to me about food and exercise, she said ‘you have to stop being afraid to put weight on’, for the first time in my life I felt someone believed in me,” she said. This friendship is helping her to love herself, believe in herself and to see everything in a different light. “She actually really cares, I trust her and I do whatever she says” Janice said

So when Justine recommended Janice to start taking supplements to help build up her abused body, she did.
“I can’t believe how good I feel now, I have so much more energy since taking Designer Physique’s Pea Protein, Immuno Boost and other supplements,” she said

Today Janice fills her mind with positive thoughts about food and even though she still has her low days she sticks to her routine of eating six meals a day, exercising but not going overboard and taking supplements. “I have so much energy and it feels so good not to spin out half way through an exercise class, she said” Finally after so many years of struggling it feels good to take control “the eating disorder is losing its grip on me,” she said

Well done Janice! The team at Designer Physique want you to know that we are here to help and we believe in you.
The prognosis for most sufferers is bleak,

A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that

• 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease;

• 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover

• The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old.

• 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems

Justine is an inspiration to many women, look her up at www.justineswitalla.com

If you feel you need help with this disorder, your local doctor or hospital should be able to help you find out about what options are available to you.

Balance is the Key

Pick up any magazine or browse a bookstore shelf and you’ll find all sorts of articles and books about diet, exercise and weight loss.  The fact of the matter is, weight is important – obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight is important to every person’s overall health.  That being the case, why is it so difficult for us to get to where we want to be?  We’re not going to get into the reasons we struggle here; we’re going to focus on those things that will help you move forward.  Weight loss is all about forward motion, and these tips will help you maintain the right direction!

Motivation

• First and foremost, motivation is absolutely necessary for a person to see changes in their weight.  Without a strong motivation coming into your weight loss journey, the ability to stay focused is greatly impacted.  If you are just setting out with your weight loss, become very clear on WHY you are losing weight.  The more personal and crystal clear your reason, the better your chances of staying motivated.
• Losing weight is not a quick fix transformation; there is hard work involved.  To aid with motivation, keep a picture of yourself at your current weight where you can see it.  Put a picture of your ideal weight next to the picture of your current self.  Place this side by side in a place where you can see it every day.  There are several things one can do to keep themselves motivated.  Before and after photos can be looked at each day, positive affirmations can be used.  The list goes on and on; the point is to use whatever works – but always use something!

Rest Up!

• Diet and exercise are important to any weight loss.  However, sleep is also a part of the overall plan.  Without adequate sleep – approximately 7 ½ hours a night – the hormones affecting hunger and eating are impacted.  To ensure that you have enough energy to maintain workouts and enough rest to allow hormones to regulate, you set yourself up for success.  Find ways to make sure you get at least 7 ½ hours of sleep each and every night.

Working it at Work

• Most people don’t have the type of job where they are required to move on a daily basis.  In fact, most of us sit at a desk several hours a day.  The affect this has on weight loss can be huge if you’re not careful.  No, you can’t quit your job as a banker to become a personal trainer or some other active profession; but you can add more activity into your workday.  If your job requires typing, take solace:  typing actually burns calories!  However, since this has been a part of your daily routine, it does not suffice to ramp up your weight loss.
• Consider taking short breaks every hour or two while at work.  Just a five to ten minute walk up and down the stairs in your building can get your heart pumping and your muscles moving.  If possible, trade your office chair for an exercise ball.  Sitting on a ball causes your core to have to work and your muscles to tighten.  On your lunch hour, eat a healthy meal and spend the rest of your time on a walk outdoors.  The fresh air and movement will give you energy to get through the rest of your day; a nice alternative to those afternoon dulldrums!

Keeping it real

• Diet is an obvious factor in weight loss.  But not everyone has the same response to foods.  Some people need to steer towards a gluten free diet, while others find a need to stack on the protein.  Some are vegetarian and need to search out whey protein as an alternative to eating meat.
• It is important to try what you must and find what your body responds to.  Keep it real.  Don’t assume that what makes one person feel great makes everyone feel great.  If you want to put on muscle while dropping inches, you may need a bit more protein; and can get that through shakes and bars just as much as you can from a juicy steak.   If your aim is to slim down and tone, but you don’t care much to add bulk muscle, you could keep your meals light, with a bit less protein.  It’s important to remember, though, that protein is necessary in every diet; just sometimes more than others.
• Starting a food diary is a great way to find what makes you tick.  If you’re changing your diet, keep notes of how you feel after eating certain types of food.  Do salads leave you feeling unsatisfied?  Do steaks leave you feeling groggy?  Write these things down and discover what foods your body responds to the best.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

• Stress is a part of life we have come to accept as being ever-present and unavoidable.  However, stress can wreak havoc on the body in more ways than one.  Here, we will focus on how stress impacts weight.
• When stressed, the body has two hormones that go to work, giving the necessary strength to fight or flee from stressors.  The hormones that come into play here are adrenaline and cortisol.  Adrenaline gives a rush of energy.  Cortisol replenishes the body after the stress has ended.  The issue with stress is that we typically endure elevated levels of cortisol for extended periods of time.  The end result is that we are driven to eat more.
• In order to stay on track with weight loss, stress needs to be dealt with quickly and effectively.  See situations for what they are in the grand scheme of your life.  Get moving every day, as exercise is an excellent way to relieve stress.  Spend a few minutes of quiet time each day, perhaps before jumping out of bed.  Find positive affirmations for strength and peace.

Balance is the key

• Most people embark on a weight loss journey as though they are heading into a major conflict, it is well and good to psych yourself up and put a lot of effort into your goal but you need to remember that you will need to keep this up long term so you are far more likely to succeed if you set realistic goals that you can achieve.
• If your goal is to lose 10kgs don’t expect to reach that in 17 days, it is just not realistic or healthy in any way. How hard do you think it would be to cut out all carbs, coffee, sugar etc, etc, all at once? How long do you think that sort of change can be maintained? As soon as the time frame is reached you’d be running to the nearest ice-cream shop. Why not? You’ve lost weight, now you can go back to your old habits again. Wrong!
• By depriving your body of calories your metabolism has slowed down. Now it will be even easier for you to put on weight and in no time at all you will be heavier than you were before you started. Work out a plan to lose ½ kg to 1kg per week. So what if it takes you 10-20 weeks to get there? By the time you’ve reached your goal you’ll be so used to your routine you won’t be thinking about going back to your old bad habits.

Speed up your metabolism

• The best way to keep weight gain at bay is to get your body to burn more fat by increasing your metabolic rate.
• Increase your muscle mass- Muscle requires more energy than fat to run efficiently therefore will spend more calories.
• Drink plenty of water – Yes, you’ve heard this before.
• Have 6 – 7 small meals per day – Stop your body from going into what we like to call famine mode and hold on to fat because it does not know when the next meal is coming.
• Exercise – If you’ve never done any physical activity start by going for a walk around the block, then graduate to a jog or run, the goal here is to increase your heart rate.

Losing weight is not a race.  There is no prize at the end except for a happier healthier you; which is really the best prize of all!