Monthly Archives: August 2014

Do you lack discipline and need more willpower?

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Whatever It Takes!Do you want to know how to get more Will power? Here are some basic easy to follow steps to increasing your will power fast. To help you stick to your weight loss guidelines.

First know that motivation and will power wanes for all of us. Myself included. Below is something I use with myself and clients when it comes to ‘how to stick’ to your diet or exercise program.

Ideally I want you to create a habit that is an ongoing part of your lifestyle, just like you brush your teeth, you also eat healthily and you exercise regularly, not because you are being ‘good’. More on that soon, but for now….

How to get more Will power:

Renew your willpower by meditating or deep breathing daily. Don’t expect too much and know that you will drain will power from somewhere else if you are being disciplined or having to make many hard and fast decisions, which means you may lack in discipline in other areas.
So the less routine daily decisions you have to make the better. (What I mean is put food and ideally exercise on auto pilot and be organised with it and do not leave it up to decisions to be made at the last minute about whether you feel like training or what you feel like eating.)
How to do the breathing exercise:

Sit up ideally so you stay awake, breathe slowly in through your nose and aim to almost fill up your stomach with air. You should notice your stomach raise as you inhale and fall back in as you exhale.

Know that being over tired doesn’t help, however this can be overcome partly by applying the breathing. And personally I’ve found it does work. Give it a try and let me know how you go.

if you’d like more help with your health and will power don’t hesitate to leave me your details and I’ll personally give you a call to see what you could do to get results now.

Gluten free for fat loss yes or no? the following is what I tell my clients..

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gluten freeSo if you are thinking of, or have tried gluten free or grain free for fat loss or health you have probably heard conflicting stories.

The experts can’t agree and where is the evidence coming from for the debate? There are many schools of thought, a lot lead by large corporations with budgets to make but here’s my take on it;

If you’ve ever tried going grain or wheat free you will know what I’m talking about when I say that without eating these things regularly, not only does your fat disappear fast, but your overall energy levels are increased dramatically and so is your health as a whole.

Q – Do I believe in gluten free?

A – I think it’s a bit of a band aid solution, but it works.

Why? A few reasons in my book: grains are meant to be fermented (as in the human bodies digestion has developed over thousands of years and is used to (depending upon the culture) consuming fermented grains (meaning they are soaked before they are eaten).

The soaking process helps the grain become digestible which effects your body in several ways. From an aesthetic point of view it stops the body from becoming swollen caused partly by an inflammatory response from eating it, plus
it makes the grain more digestible and stops it from releasing it’s phytates within your digestive system, potentially blocking the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals from the rest of the food you are eating see more about soaking here.

Q – Can I just replace everything with the gluten free alternative?

A – for the reasons mentioned above, grains, all grains even wheat alternatives like soy, rice, millet and other ‘gluten free alternatives’ are still often sprayed and genetically modified. (And they are still grains which need to be treated like grains before eating them or avoided for better health). So the short answer is no its better to not simply replace wheat with gluten free and ‘she’ll be right.

If you buy the organic version of the above you are safe from the pesticides and genetic modification problem, but I’d still advise you soak them to improve your health.

Pesticides are the other problem. Grains are a highly sprayed crops and also genetically modified to withstand the pesticide sprays. None of these products are suitable for human consumption, however ‘within a certain level’ the governing bodies say that it is safe, this is another argument altogether. What you want your family to consume is completely up to you. Also what grain companies are allowed to put on their crops and what they put on them are two different stories. (I do have insiders knowledge on this one, although you don’t have to look far for the answers if you want them.)

Click here for some more info on the Organic debate.

All of these reasons are why I say – avoid wheat and your health will improve dramatically and your waist will shrink.

The results speak for themselves when you cut these things from your diet, cravings are reduced, energy levels are lifted… Try it for yourself and you will see. In my opinion it’s definitely one of the biggest ‘bang for your buck’ fat loss and nutrition tips that makes a difference.

If you have any questions about how to get your health and weight loss on track feel free to contact me here for a free coaching call.

Fast Easy Raw Chocolate slice that you will love! – and so will the kids, don’t tell them its sugar free

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choc slice

Ingredients for raw nut and chocolate slice

130g raw almonds (soaked overnight if you can works best)
75g raw cashews
250g pitted dried dates
65g desiccated coconut
80g coconut oil
40g organic cocoa
¼ tsp Celtic sea salt
20g raw honey

Method

(personally I find this version toooo sweet, so next time I’m going to omit half the honey or add more dedicated coconut)


1. Grease and line a baking tray
2. Add nuts to the Processor and chop for 10 seconds or until very chopped.
3. Remove nuts and place aside.
4. Add dates and desiccated coconut to the processor and chop for 10 seconds or until a fine mixture.
4. Remove dates and coconut and put aside
5. Melt coconut oil on a low heat for 2 minutes
6. Add all the ingredients To the processor and mix on low to medium for 30 seconds
7. Place on the baking sheet and mark the slice with lines to create squares.
8. Refrigerate the slice it tastes best.

This recipe was adapted from a thermomix recipe 🙂
Enjoy..

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Or contact me here for your free coaching call to help you get your nutrition on track

 

Shin Splints, How to Fix Them – Plus Do You Really Need Orthotics?

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People who play sport which involves running are more prone to shin splints. The cause of shin splints is unknown but it is said to be caused by the Tibialis Anterior muscle pulling on the tibia (a bone in the lower leg) which then causes inflammation. Shin splints are a stress reaction to overuse or exercising beyond your strength/stability levels. Flat feet, incorrect running technique and wearing the wrong type of running shoes can also cause shin splints. See how we fix that below…

The boring parts: The Tibialis Anterior (the sore muscle during shin splints) is a muscle located in your lower leg. It originates from the tibia (front shin bone) and it inserts into your big toe. It is responsible for flexing and inverting (turning in) your foot. Shin splints also called medial tibial stress syndrome refers to any pain that is felt anywhere along the shin to the ankle (along the tibialis anterior muscle).

Shin splints and your core:
Weakness of the pelvic gridle, deep abdominal muscles and glutes, can be a contributing factor to developing shin splints. Lack of pelvis control, especially when running can cause the knee to then deviate inwards towards the other leg when landing. A lack of flexibility in the foot due to a tight Achilles tendon (bottom of the calf) as well as a lack of flexibility at the ankle is compensated by the body flattening the foot and rotating the leg inwards.

Strengthening your core musculature is also imperative, as anterior pelvic tilt (sway back) is a major contributor to putting the weight in the front of your feet and contributing to the shin splints problem.

Orthotics are commonly prescribed to help treat shin splints but they are not the most effective way for correcting shin splints. Orthotics affect foot proprioception more than most footwear because they support the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in a way so that they don’t have the need to function as they normally would without the foot support.

This causes the feet become weaker and weaker, and soon it spreads to other areas of the body including the nervous system. Then the orthotic user has to rely on other aspects of proprioception such as vision, because their feet are in such disarray. Orthotics and arch supports that are used to treat flat feet, fallen arches, and painful feet, it may not support the arch of the foot where it actually needs to be supported.

To properly support any arch of the foot, the heel and the forefoot should be supported, preferably by your own muscles.

What you can do to fix it:

To strengthen the entire foot and all the arches, it’s important to position the foot correctly at all times. This means that in natural stance the heel should be flat on the ground, as should the forefoot, side of the foot and the toes should be allowed to naturally splay apart for proper support.

During running however there’s a lot of arguments ‘for’ running on ones toes and also barefoot, which promotes the full use of the foots architecture and promotes strength development when done correctly.

Exercises to fix the need for orthotics and help eliminate shin splints:
Exercises that can help strengthen the fascia in your foot include, spreading the toes and then scrunching a towel with your toes.

Plus calf raises, lowering yourself very slowly. Do these until it’s uncomfortable to perform them anymore (burning feeling in the arch of your foot), eg. 30-45 seconds of each exercise, rpt x 2-3 times. Then repeat several times per week. See pics below:

foot scrunch

 

 

 

 

calf raises

 

 

 

 

If you need help with any of your aches and pains or running and strengthening advice don’t hesitate to contact Kate for a free call – Click here

 

By Teena Kyriazis and Kate Martin