New Year, New Me!
As we approach the end of the year, many of us are thinking about New Year Resolutions, how we want 2023 to be different. What do we want to achieve and how we can wipe clean the past week of gluttony and start again, this time with fresh motivation to work on our health goals.
New year resolutions to work on your health.
Although, I’m not a fan of “waiting until tomorrow”, one thing I can say, is motivation during the first week of January is high and sometimes this is the push you need to get started. Whether you’ve signed up for a new gym membership or bought a pair of trainers during the boxing day sale, you have made a decision to do something about your current situation. Let’s keep this motivation going beyond January. Focus on making the following changes to your current lifestyle and watch your health transform.
Priortise Protein
When it comes to transforming your health, protein should be top of the list. Most people do not get enough protein in their diets, instead they tend to focus on reducing calories and minimizing essential nutrient dense food. Rather than eating salads, double up on your protein and give your body what it needs. You should aim to have at least 90g of protein daily (this is the minimum). With at around 30g of protein in the first meal of your day.
Start your day with a protein fueled breakfast,
Most people do not eat enough protein. Start by doubling up!
Why is protein so important? Protein is the building block to our body. Every cell in our body contains protein, it is an essential macronutrient that helps to repair and make new cells. Plus it can help to keep you fuller for longer, build lean muscle, reduce muscle loss and speed up recovery after exercising.
2. Eliminate seed oils & refined sugar
Seed oils and processed sugar is every where. Turn over the back of any packaged food and you are likely to see some kind of seed oil or some form of sugar added.
Packaged foods are full of seed oils and sugar.
I know it’s easy to grab a prepackaged food, it’s quick, it’s tasty and you don’t need to go through the hassle of preparing your own food. The problem is eating too many of these are not only bad for your waistline, but are damaging your health. These foods have been linked to metabolic conditions and cutting them out of your diet will move you closer towards your health goal.
3. Add in daily movement
If you’ve never owned a pair of trainers and have decided to sign up for spinning sessions. You may find you attend two lessons and while you recover from the initial delayed onset of muscle soreness, you struggle to get back for more.
You do not need to go all out with exercise. Daily movement can be much more effective than sitting on your bum for 8 hours and hitting the gym for 1. Try and get a quick lunch time walk in. Take the stairs when you can and try standing for part of your day if you have a desk job.
Daily movement can be more important than going to the gym.
4. Sleep
We all know sleep is important, but did you know that having just one night of poor sleep may have a impact on your hormones and interfere with your fat loss goal?
One night of poor sleep can disrupt fat burning.
Here’s what might happen:
Gherlin, the hunger hormone, increases with lack of sleep, so you are more likely to have an increased appetite.
Leptin, the satiety hormone, conversly lowers, so you don’t feel full. This can lead to frequent snacking.
Insulin sensitivity lowers, much may cause you to store more fat. Reaching for a high carb snack may get you stuck in a vicious cycyle of insulin spikes, hunger, frequent eating, insulin spikes and so forth.
Cortisol, the stress hormone, may increase, this may then disrupt your endocrine system, causing weight gain.
Sleep can help with balancing your hormones.
5. Lift weights
I know I said that focusing on daily movement can be more beneficial than hitting the gym, but if you are already moving your body, the next step is to start lifting heavy things.
It doesn’t have to be a barbell, your shopping, your kids, your washing up powder. Anything that feels heavy can be beneficial.
Don’t worry strength training won’t make you big and bulky, but it can have various health benefits.
It can improve bone density. As you age your bones become brittle and weak and this can become a huge problem later in life.
It can help to prevent muscle loss, whilst helping you gain muscle mass. Muscle loss is another age related problem that you could face.
It can improve your body composition. Losing weight is not just about the number on the scale, it’s about decreasing fat while building muscle.
It makes doing normal day to day tasks easier as you age.
Making these changes to your life could move your closer to achieving your health goals for 2023. If you feel you need some extra support in getting started, you can contact me for a free discovery call.
