We can scare ourselves into inaction by thinking we need to make GREAT BIG radical changes all at once.
It is the small, sustainable changes we put in place each day, one at a time, that make the biggest difference in our lives.
There is a small but dedicated group of training clients who have taken on the MET Fitness 6 Week Challenge, making changes to the way they eat, train and take care of themselves.
There is another group, who are quietly watching from the sidelines, perhaps waiting to see how this goes, wondering if they could take on the Challenge for themselves.
The thought of making changes to our daily habits can be daunting; it took the Challengers a couple of weeks to get used to the idea, prepare themselves mentally, emotionally and physically, and put in place the planning they knew they needed for success.
I am so impressed with the thought, creativity, dedication and consistency shown by the Challengers over the past four weeks; they are learning to pay attention to the quality of food they choose to put into their bodies and they have made fitness a regular part of their day.
They are beginning to understand that it is not about being 'perfect', it is about paying attention to your life - YOU get to decide how you live!
I am equally impressed with the continuing curiosity, learning and desire shown by the observing group, to live healthier lives, to find ways of making that work for them.
Making changes in your life that you know need to happen takes time - making the decision to start takes an instant.
Change one thing for a week to give yourself that sense of achievement and the confidence to know you can reach the next goal, and the next.
Whatever your health or fitness challenge, write it down, make a plan and set the date. Go!
I once heard someone say they didn't eat salad because they couldn't live on "boring rabbit food".
This surprised me because all the salads I eat are full of color, crunch and most importantly - FLAVOUR!
Salad doesn't need to be boring and if you call a couple of sad iceberg lettuce leaves and a wrinkly tomato a salad, think again and get creative!
Use whatever
vegetables are in the fridge and for a complete meal, make sure there's some good quality
protein into the mix, for example, tofu, chicken or fish
Get creative with colours, choose vegetables (and even fruits) you've never thought of using before.
Start with some kind of base, like spinach leaves or rocket.
Finely chopped cabbage & grated carrot is the usual base for coleslaw, try using wombok (chinese cabbage) instead; this works especially well with corriander.
Red: capsicum, radish, tomato, apple, red onion
Radish is my new favourite, thinly sliced, it adds a great flavour and texture.
Orange: carrot, slow roasted pumpkin or sweet potato, orange segments (go well with finely chopped fennel)
Green: alfalfa, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, bok choy, beans, cucumber, grapes, peas (throw in a handful of frozen peas and let them defrost in the salad), spring onion, shallots
Lightly steamed vegetables like potato, cauliflower and broccoli also work well once they have cooled.
Dressing: I'm all for it. Low-fat? No Way.
Did you know that without any fat content absorption of vitamins A (eg. carrots, asparagus, broccoli) D, E or K are inhibited? Use dressing sparingly, a tablespoon is plenty.
For creamy coleslaw dressing that delivers flavour and health benefits, use a tablespoon of natural yoghurt and balsamic vinegar; for an extra bite add a teaspoon of wasabi or horseradish cream to the yoghurt instead.
Replace olive oil with flaxseed and mix with balsamic vinegar for an omega 3 boost. Make sure you buy cold pressed flaxseed oil and always store it in the fridge.
Experiment with herbs: finely chopped handfuls of parsely and mint are great with leafy greens and tomato (take that "rabbit food" guy!). Fennel is very much in season right now and gives a light aniseed flavour. I also like to sprinkle some pumpkin and sunflower seeds on top for a nutty crunch.
Limited only by your imagination (okay, and possibly allergies) try different combinations of flavours and textures. Unless you keep gourmet rabbits, they won't get a look-in!
Regular exercise is important but will not result in body fat reduction if what you are eating has more energy than you can use - and we ALL overestimate how much we move and underestimate how much we eat.
In other words, you can't out-train a bad diet.
A study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine measured 50 participants hormone levels before, during and after a 10 week diet.
This was a diet in the conventional sense, where the calorie intake was severely restricted well below sustainable levels so it is unsurprising participants could not maintain this when the study finished.
Aside from the control group, there was an 'exercise only' group and four dietary groups, each with different variations of energy carbohydrate and protein.
Participants did a 30 minute resistance circuit program three times a week at a Curves gym (sponsors of this study) and all groups except the control experienced significant reductions in waist circumference.
The conclusion: "Exercise alone has minimal impact on measured outcomes with positive outcomes apparent when exercise is combines with a hypo-energetic (low calorie) diet.
Greater improvements in waist circumference and body composition occurred when carbohydrate is replaced in the diet with protein.
Weight loss in all groups was primarily fat and stimulated improvements in markers of cardiovascular disease risk, body composition, energy expenditure and psychosocial parameters."
What this means is that eating more protein than carbohydrate, in smaller portions, they lost body fat, reduced their waistbands and felt better.
If you are participating in the MET Fitness 6 Week Challenge, you will feel the benefits of eating enough protein at each meal, including feeling satisfied until your next meal as well as having more energy.
