February 23rd

The issue with calories intake associated with diet and weight loss/weight gain has been around for a long time.

There have been 2000, 3000 and all the way down to 800 calorie a day diets.

Most people think, especially when they are in the mood to diet, that less is always best.

They are right partly but only to a degree. A calorie is not always a calorie.

Look at the difference between an apple which is approximately 50 calories and a doughnut which is a good couple of hundred calories.

If you used the logic of a calorie is a calorie, then you could class an apple the same as a quarter of an apple? A lot of people would consider this a fair trade off and take the doughnut every single time.

So what should you do?

If you take the doughnut every time, you will get the following.

An increased sugar rush, followed by a sugar low, leading to a craving for you guessed it, yet more sugar!!!!

If done regularly, you will heighten your chances of becoming diabetic, which can lead to a change in your life that you definitely wont enjoy!!

Your skin wont have a glow, in fact increased refined sugar like this is likely to lead to skin problems such as acne, rashes, redness and speeds up the ageing process.

Like we said at the start, there is absolutely no way you will be able to stop at one doughnut, especially a quarter of a doughnut!!! Once you have a craving for sugar, its very difficult to stop and will lead to a diet rich in sugary and fatty snacks, studies have shown this time after time.

If you consumer the apple every day and focus on natural, nutrient giving foods, you are likely to stabilise your blood sugar levels, which means more regular and constant energy levels.

You are likely to fend off serious disease, as most fruit and vegetables contain cancer fighter anti-oxidants, as well as a host of other vitamins and minerals vital for good health.

Any time your diet is healthy, your skin in healthy and you WILL have a glow about you, try it and see if im right.

Once you get used to good healthy food, you wont want to go back to the sugary foods, not only for their downside but because you simply wont feel good when you eat them.

Time to change your life!

February 18th 2011

When we measure ourselves against everyone else, there will always be someone better than you if you give yourself enough examples.

If you are training well consistently, you may be training up to 6 days a week, you may be eating smaller nutritious meals, you may be resting and sleeping very well, in short, you are doing extremely well with your health  and fitness programme.

You may cycle a lot, you may swim a lot but perhaps you don’t run because you may have a knee problem.

Despite all of this, an excellent example in anyone’s language, some people may write themselves off or talk themselves down because they may be comparing themselves to a david beckham. They may say that they can’t run up and down the field like him, and therefore not measure their fitness in a very accurate or positive manner.

I have had such conversation with many 50 somethings believe it or not!! In one way it is great that they are comparing themselves with beckham and his amazing fitness levels, on other level though, its not great when you put yourself down when doing it!!

Most 18 year olds would never achieve beckhams fitness levels, and im talking about a lot of gym goers too! To get to beckhams level, a lot of things need to happen along with extreme dedication, which most people are not prepared to give in the pursuit of athletic perfection. In fact, a lot of professional footballer’s aren’t!!!

So when you’re comparing yourself, if you are exercising 3-6 times per week, you are in the upper half of the population, because most of the population doesn’t do this.

If you are eating 5-6 smaller nutritious meals per day, you are in the best half of the population, because most of the population doesn’t really care what they eat, according to recent statistics.

If you drink water throughout the day to keep you hydrated and performing well, then you are definitely in the best half as most people drink tea, coffee or sugary drinks.

So the bottom line is, as long as you are doing the simple things very well, you are much healthier than most people and likely to be that way for the rest of your life, as long as you keep practicing these habits!!

Have a great weekend and stay active!!!!