Enjoy your Xmas Turkey

Most Christmas lunches are packed with nutrients thanks to them containing turkey and vegetables. However all the added extras that accompany the xmas lunch can quickly lead to a calorie overload.
Here are a few tips that will allow you to enjoy your meal without breaking the calorie bank.

1. Turkey is a great option as it is high in protein and lower in fat content than most other cuts of meat.
   
2. Don’t smother your turkey with oil, butter, margarine or lard when cooking it. If you must use oil, just brush a light coating over the turkey rather than pouring or spooning it over.
   
3. Before tucking into your meal, remove the skin from the turkey. Most of the fat is contained in the skin.
   
4. Fill your plate with vegetables of as many different colours as possible and avoid smothering the vegetables in butter.
   
5. If you’re going to use the meat juices to make gravy, make sure you drain off the fat first.
   
6. Avoid adding butter to the stuffing. Nobody will notice the difference when it is smothered in gravy.
   
7. Beware of all the extras such as cranberry sauce and white sauce as they only add calories and little else.
   
8. Drink 2 large glasses of water before eating as this will suppress your appetite and help you avoid overeating.

So make sure you enjoy your Christmas lunch or dinner without suffering the calorie overload that will lead to unwanted weight gain.

Is inflammation putting you in danger?

One of the most common ‘buzz’ words in science these days is inflammation. When most people think of inflammation, they think of your knee swelling up when you cop a knock playing sport however in this case the inflammation we are referring to is a little different.


The correct scientific terminology for what we are discussing today is chronic low grade systemic inflammation. To simplify this further, it is simply swelling on a small scale throughout the entire body within the blood vessels. While we refer to this on a ‘small’ scale, the potential for disease is enormous

In fact for the past decade scientific research is labelling inflammation as the ‘bad boy’ of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and possibly even cancer.

So what exactly is inflammation? Inflammation is the body’s typical response to an abnormal situation. For example if you were to get a splinter embedded in your finger, after a few hours there would be localised swelling and possibly some redness on the skin surface.

Underneath the skin, a hive of activity is taking place. Chances are that the splinter has introduced bacteria into the body that are potentially dangerous. The immune system responds to this quickly and sends a number of different signals, engaging all units to respond to the situation.

The response is swift and ends with the foreign bacteria being attacked from all angles. Once the bacteria is surrounded the immune system sends out an ‘anti-inflammatory’ squad to break down the walls and end the inflammation.

Recent findings suggest that not only do invading micro-organisms like bacteria and viruses set off the immune system inflammation response but even certain foods invoke the same response.


For example, humans have not evolved eating lots of fats and sugars. While small amounts of these every now and then can be overcome, continual intake may result in pro-inflammatory chemicals overwhelming the system.

It is this ongoing inflammation, particularly in the lining of the blood vessels, that is now known to be associated with heart disease, diabetes and a range of other problems. In order to reduce this inflammation of the arteries the following 8 things need to be followed on a daily basis.

1. Choose high fibre, low glycaemic index carbohydrates such as whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit.


2. Eat lean protein at all 3 meals e.g. egg whites, fish, game meat, skinless chicken breast and low fat dairy


3. Consume about 1 handful of unsalted nuts on a daily basis. Eat with vegetables, berries or other fruits or grains.


4. Eat a salad of leafy greens dressed with vinegar and virgin olive oil.


5. Avoid highly processed foods especially those containing sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour or trans fats.


6. Keep serving sizes modest.


7. Maintain a healthy body weight.


8. Complete 30 minutes of physical activity per day that makes your heart rate increase.

If you are looking to reduce inflammation in your body why not let us check your Risk Factors and advise you of what needs to be improved in your lifestyle to help.

As one year ends another year presents new opportunities

2011 is fast approaching and there is no time like the present to consider your current situation and make some plans for next year or think of a realistic New Year Resolution.


Do you currently wake up each day and dread going to work? Do you feel like you’re in the wrong job? Do you often feel down or sad? Would you rather just stay home and watch DVD’s than get out and engage in social activities with friends, family and work colleagues?
It is a normal part of life to have periods of feeling down however if these feelings go on and on for an extended period, it may be time to make some changes in your life? In fact the final weeks of 2010 are the perfect time to reassess things and start to consider what you need to leave behind in your current life in order to move forward.

Is 2011 the year? If so grab a pen and paper and start making some notes about the areas of your life you want to change or develop. Easier said than done perhaps so how do you start this process? Here are some tips to assist and get the ball rolling.
1. Write down the names of some courses that interest you
2. List some self development topics you need to work on and hunt for books to read.
3. Look for a new job
4. Find a hobby
5. Enrol in a new training course

The simple act of documenting these items is often all you need to stimulate a little inspiration and take the first steps toward change.

Change nearly always brings fear as we move out of our existing comfort zone and enter the realms of the unknown. If you can learn to face these fears and embrace positive change you will grow immensely as an individual.


So why not get started now and make 2011 a year you will never forget. If health is what you want to change in 2011 take your own online health check here and see where you can start.

Plan ahead for the ‘Silly Season’

There is no better way to approach this time of year than with a definite plan. Unless you want to begin 2011 carrying around an extra 3-5kgs of weight now is the time to set your goals for the festive season.

Christmas after all is just one day however most of us spend the majority of the month of December attending parties and functions and over eating and drinking. This combined with missed workouts, late nights, holidays and closed gyms can leave us extremely vulnerable to weight gain and, as we all know, it is much easier to prevent weight gain than it is to lose once it is there.

My suggestion is to draw a line in the sand as of December 1 and make yourself a commitment to not gain weight over the month of December. Make yourself accountable to this commitment by sharing it with someone close to you such as your partner, best friend, Personal Trainer or family member. Another idea is to print out your weight as of December 1 in large bold print on an A4 piece of paper and stick it to your fridge or bathroom mirror or somewhere you will see it every day and use it as motivation to keep your weight under control.

It is during this time of year that we give ourselves permission to let go and eat badly and skip exercise sessions. Sure we do need to take some time out and spend some quality time with friends and family at this time of year but it shouldn’t be an excuse to over indulge. Portion sizes are crucial as we all tend to fill up our plate because it’s Christmas or continually snack on treats just because they are around. Why not choose December as a month you aim to increase your water intake? I know this sounds a bit weird but drinking water before you eat suppresses your appetite and having more water and less alcohol over the Christmas period is only going to benefit you.

So what if you do over indulge? Compensate immediately by scheduling in an extra training session and eating a meal or two of only salad or vegetables and drink loads of water. Monitor your weight daily if necessary to avoid the weight creeping back on. A lot of people have holidays at this time of year so skipping gym sessions is not acceptable, in fact you should be doing more sessions while you are on holidays.

I urge you to make that commitment now and look forward to seeing you on January 1 at the same weight as December 1 – you can do it!

Give yourself a Lift

We all do it and pretty much every day but are you lifting correctly? Back problems that arise from incorrect lifting techniques are becoming more and more prevalent in our increasingly sedentary and automated lifestyle. But this doesn’t need to be the case and with just a few correct lifting and bending techniques you can help avoid the unnecessary damage and pain associated with a back injury.

Everyone puts a lot of stress on their backs every day from the process of bending and lifting, even those people who don't have a job that requires frequent heavy lifting. Think of how many times a day you bend down to pick something up whether it be laundry, your pet, a piece of paper, etc. Continued bad form when lifting, even something small, can cause unneeded stress on your back and make it more prone to injury.

There are two common mistakes made in lifting. The first is using the wrong muscles, the back muscles, instead of the leg and buttock muscles. You should always bend your knees when lifting heavy objects so you have a solid foundation for your spine. You should keep your trunk vertical when bending down and lifting something. A horizontal trunk can put pressure on the lower back amounting to hundreds of extra kilograms. This pressure can eventually compromise a disc or sprain or strain a back muscle.

The second common error is lifting an object too far from the body. Get close to what you are lifting. It decreases the pressure on your spine. Try to start with the center of the weight no more than 15 centimetres from your body, then lift the object with a straight back using your leg and buttock muscles. These are simple principles that will help you minimize injury to your back when lifting.

Another important guideline to follow is to limit twisting when lifting. This adds more force to your back. If you must turn when lifting, pivot your feet instead of twisting your back. In addition, always be sure of your footing. A sudden change in footing or a trip can cause enormous amounts of added stress on the back.

Another problem with lifting is fatigue. The more you bend and lift, the more fatigued your muscles become. When muscles are fatigued they are more prone to injury. Frequent breaks when lifting are preferable to help rejuvenate strength.

Always use both hands when lifting and lift slowly and deliberately. The ideal situation is to have someone or something to help you when lifting, but if that's not possible, follow all the above listed guidelines to minimize your risk of injury.

Here at Lifestyle Improvers we pride ourselves on teaching all our clients correct lifting techniques when they are working in the gym. With sufficient practice and reminders, correct lifting technique will become second nature. With any serious or pre-existing back injury we always work with our clients to re-train their habits and re-strengthen the correct muscles to provide that solid base that is required. As always we also recommend the assistance of an allied health professional to assist with the treatment of any back injury and work with us to get our clients back to normal functioning as soon as possible.

Are you out of breath?

When was the last time you took notice of your breathing? Most of us don’t breathe well. We take short shallow breaths and tend to use our neck and shoulder muscles to help. Have you noticed that when you are slumped in front of the TV or your computer that your shoulders rise and fall with each breath? Or have you noticed that when you are stressed or rushing around that your breath becomes short and sharp? Perhaps you have noticed that you hold your breath when you bend down to lift something up or when you walk up a flight of stairs or that your belly bulges when you run for the bus?

Breathing is a fundamental part of our lives and of our spinal stability and is an automatic process and yet most of us take breathing for granted. Our breath has many important functions and poor breathing has been linked to numerous health issues such as heart disease, muscle tension, stress, chronic pain and weight gain. Breathing well ensures we have enough oxygen in our blood for our brain, organs and muscles to function.

The world is changing so quickly around us and we are all becoming busier and busier therefore learning to relax is becoming more and more important and chronic pain is becoming a large community problem. Often we look for a physical reason for our pain and some days it might just be because we are stressed and rushing around and forgetting to breathe properly.

Our breath is an important part of our spinal stability. Our stabilising corset is like a cylinder with a lid and a base. The walls of the corset are our deep abdominal muscles, the base is our pelvic floor and the lid is our diaphragm. When we breathe well, filling the air all the way to the bases of our lungs and rib cage, we allow our diaphragm to work with our pelvic floor for effective core control.

Several studies have documented the relationship between the lid, base and walls of our corset and how they function when we have pain or are pain free. A recent Canadian study found that up to 60% of people with chronic low back pain have altered breathing patterns when performing certain physical activities. Interestingly they found that the altered breathing was not related to pain severity. So whether you have mild, grumbly pain or intense ‘let me go to bed’ pain, chances are you are not breathing well.

So the next time you catch yourself slumping, rushing around and/or stressing or just wondering what you did to aggravate your pain, tell yourself to STOP, sit or stand up straight and take three long slow breaths. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

Are you sitting down?

There’s a pretty good chance you are as we all spend so much of our time sitting down in today’s world. We sit down to eat, sit down in our cars on the way to work, sit at our desks most of the day then get home and sit in front of the TV or computer. The implications are far reaching including reduced spinal health, poor general posture, higher blood sugar, higher blood fat levels, higher waist circumference and a general higher risk of the metabolic syndrome.

In fact a recent study by Professor Paul Zimmet from the International Diabetes Institute in Melbourne regarding Television viewing times (seated) provided some alarming results that everybody should consider before slumping into the couch to watch TV most nights and across their weekends or spending hours and hours in front of their computers or computer games.

The most recent study reported on the association between television viewing and risk of early death and showed that 6 year mortality rate from all causes and from cardiovascular disease causes is significantly higher with increased TV viewing time in adults. Each one hour increment in TV viewing time was found to be associated with an 11% and 18% increased risk of all cause and cardiovascular disease mortality, respectively. Further to this and relative to those watching less TV (< 2 hours/day), there was a 46% increased risk of all cause death and an 80% increased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in those watching four or more hours of TV per day.

For general spinal health, it is crucial to avoid static seated positions especially if at a desk all day. Try eating your lunch while walking or for something different, conduct a meeting while walking. The importance of regular breaks and light stretches cannot be emphasised enough. Likewise if you’re spending extended periods on the couch or in front of your computer it is imperative to get up regularly and take a stretch break. Go and make yourself a tea or coffee or grab a glass of water during ad breaks or stand up and conduct some light stretches every time the clock strikes a new hour.

Of course the best solution would be to reduce your number of seated hours and increase your physical exercise regime which not only reduces your chances of cardiovascular disease but also promotes the release of endorphins (nature’s painkillers) throughout the body and increases the strength and health of your spine and all the associated muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Is your posture limiting your potential?

For those of you already training with Lifestyle Improvers you will already be aware of some of our postural correction exercise techniques. For others, perhaps you are unaware of the limiting potential of poor posture on your everyday movements?

Whenever we start a new client at Lifestyle Improvers we always like to assess their posture at the earliest possible point in their exercise journey. Regardless of a client’s goals, be they weight loss, improved sporting performance or injury rehabilitation, the intensity of our training programs will progressively challenge them and when a system is challenged it is the weakest link(s) that will falter first. Often that weakest link can be attributed to a basic postural deficiency.

Often with a new client, they come to us all motivated, excited and wanting to get straight into complex weight bearing exercises when they are obviously not quite ready for it yet. This initial phase is the most important and requires some patience! I can compare it to building a house in that clearing the block, levelling the ground and laying the foundation is the most important part. But when it’s your house and you’re waiting for it to be built you just can’t wait to see the bricks go up and the roof go on!

According to Kendall (2005), ‘good posture’ is a composite of the positions of all the joints of the body at any given moment, both statically and dynamically, involving a minimal amount of stress and strain, resulting in maximal efficiency to the body. Of course our bodies are subject to many and varied internal and external forces and it is these forces that often create postural problems and possibly lead to injuries in later life. Genetics also play a part as do past and current work environments particularly those that involve long periods of sitting.



In our role at Lifestyle Improvers, as Fitness Professionals, it is not our position to diagnose injury and with any obvious or seriously debilitating condition we would always seek the advice of an allied Health Professional such as a Doctor, Chiropractor or Physiotherapist before pursuing a corrective exercise pathway. However, having a good understanding of the correlations between posture, function, pathology and pain will help us plan the correct training program for you and ensure you ultimately reach your potential.

As a special offer to our readers, mention this article and receive a free posture and lifestyle check by Lifestyle Improvers.

What are you missing out on in your life because you are too busy?

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar then a woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $200 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story.

Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . . How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

If you want to see this performance you can go to YouTube and Click on the Link below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw

High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has already saturated the American food market and is now appearing more readily in the Australian food market. So what exactly is HFCS? Before we define HFCS it is also important to note that some other names are often used to describe HFCS such as maize syrup, corn sugar or glucose/fructose syrup.

HFCS comprises any of a group of corn syrups that has undergone enzymatic processing to convert its glucose to fructose to produce a desired sweetness. It is widely used in the United States as a substitute for sugar and is becoming more and more prevalent in processed foods now available in Australia.

Two recent studies have added more reason for concern that HFCS causes significantly more harm to the body than its mere sugar content would suggest. HFCS contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose which differs from table sugar (or sucrose) which contains a 50/50 split.

In the first study, published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour, researchers from Princeton University found that rats consuming HFCS gained more weight and developed more cardiovascular risk factors than rats consuming equivalent amounts of just sucrose. In their experiment EVERY rat on the HFCS diet became obese while the rats in the control group, who were still fed high fat diets but not containing HFCS, did not ALL become obese.

In the second study, conducted by researchers at Duke University, diets considered high in HFCS were found to result in increased chances of liver damage. Previous research has suggested that large amounts of fructose affected the liver in the same way as excessive alcohol consumption. Another study linked high-fructose corn syrup specifically with a form of liver scarring known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The new study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, found that high-fructose corn syrup worsened the effects of NAFLD.

"We found that increased consumption of HFCS was associated with scarring in the liver among patients with NAFLD," researcher Manal Abdelmalek said.

The researchers analysed the diets and livers of 427 adults with NAFLD, and found that only 19 percent of them never consumed fructose-containing beverages. In contrast, 52 percent of participants had between one and six servings of a fructose-containing beverage per week, while another 29 percent had at least one serving per day. The higher patients' fructose intake, the worse the scarring of their livers.

"We have identified an environmental risk factor that may contribute to the metabolic syndrome of insulin resistance and the complications of the metabolic syndrome, including liver injury," Abdelmalek said.

Abdelmalek noted that NAFLD is a severe problem that cannot be treated and may lead in some cases to liver cancer, liver failure and a need for liver transplant.

Researchers are still unsure why high-fructose corn syrup appears to damage the body more than its extra 5 percent fructose content would suggest. Some have hypothesized that the negative effects come from the massive quantities in which it is consumed -- high-fructose corn syrup is found in nearly all processed foods.

Other researchers have observed that beverages made with high-fructose corn syrup contain high levels of reactive carbonyls, which can damage cells. Still others have noted that the fructose in high-fructose corn syrup is chemically unbonded and thus spreads through the body more freely than the fructose in table sugar.


Of course with all research studies there are two sides to the story and some researchers do not agree with the above information so it is up to each one of us to make an informed decision for ourselves. Personally I would avoid HFCS as much as possible and if you need to consume sugar in any form, the more natural (for example in fruit) the better.

Fast Food Frightening Facts

Do you know the makeup of a standard fast food meal? In this case a standard fast food meal consists of a burger, fries and a coke.

Did you realise that when you eat the above mentioned typical fast food meal you are actually eating almost entirely genetically modified corn! Pretty scary stuff and certainly not good for your overall health.

Let’s analyse the meal a bit further and start with the coke (or other flavoured soft drink). The coke obtains 100% of its calories from a corn derivative being high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

The burger contains beef generally from farm fed cows with controlled diets that usually consist of mainly corn. The cheese which is in most burgers is also produced from these same cows therefore making the burger almost entirely derived from corn.





The bun on the burger contains corn derivatives including HFCS with the remainder of the calories in the bun coming from refined wheat flour and possibly a small amount of soybean oil

Finally the fries and most of the calories that come from these are from the oil that’s soaked into them during the deep frying process. This oil more often than not is either corn oil or soybean oil.

So it’s surprising that we even contemplate eating these meals on a regular basis and perhaps if we really knew how and what they were made from we wouldn’t stop at the nearest drive through next time we are hungry and can’t be bothered cooking.

Clint's Weight Loss Challenge

Don’t become Diet obsessed

As you will see in today’s newsletter, one of our valued clients, Clint from Mulberries Cafe in Morley, is embarking upon a ‘Spring Challenge’ to lose 10 kilos in 3 months. With help and guidance from Lifestyle Improvers we wish Clint all the best in his challenge which will involve a well managed eating plan along with a structured exercise regime.

One piece of advice we can offer Clint during this challenge is not to become obsessed with his diet or eating plan. Obviously Clint wants to do everything possible to get the 10kgs off and while our natural instinct is to focus very closely on our food intake, perhaps maintaining a food diary, counting calories and fat and measuring and weighing every piece of food that crosses our path, it is vitally important that Clint does not focus obsessively on this area.

While being more aware of your food choices, balancing protein and carbohydrates and making sure that you are eating mindfully is important, becoming obsessed with every morsel that goes into your mouth may actually be doing you more harm than good. When we are focusing on one small aspect of life, it actually results in the brain becoming limited in its ability to see the bigger picture. A good example of this is when you buy a new car you suddenly notice more of that type of car on the road as the brain has been focussed on an important decision and has limited your ability to notice other types of cars.

If you have been trying to make dietary changes and find that the more you concentrate on your food intake, the worse it gets it may be time to ensure you are also balancing your dietary changes with other lifestyle shifts that will help support your new eating regime.

Are you dedicating enough time to your exercise and relationships? Are you keeping yourself busy at times when you’re more likely to overeat? Are you putting your dietary changes in the context of your life? Surprisingly enough, in more cases than not, weight loss comes into place once we work towards being happy in all areas of our life.

So if you are avoiding social and family eating situations, cutting back more and more and still not getting results, it may be time to relax a little, evaluate the bigger picture, let go of your need to control every situation and live a little. As long as you keep the basic diet and exercise principles in place things tend to fall in line pretty quickly.

Learning from ‘The Best’

I was having a ‘flashback’ moment recently to the time when I was a fit young cricketer trying to break into the Western Warriors team and I was regularly in contact with some of my sporting idols such as Dennis Lillee, Terry Alderman and Geoff Marsh. Further to this, I was also mixing with the likes of Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Mike Hussey and briefly Adam Gilchrist.

Anyway enough of the name dropping! I must admit at the time I was probably guilty of ‘star gazing’ and didn’t make the most of my opportunities of learning from these elite level cricketers and the other coaches etc that surrounded me.

I thought just being in their presence would automatically elevate me to their level of achievement. This brings me to the point of today’s article which can be translated into any part of our lives including sport, fitness, family, academic pursuits, work, love and relationships.

I think we all have a tendency to romanticize or idealize certain people or achievements. We don’t realise that those individuals that we put on pedestals aren’t any different than we are. What we need to realise is that these people generally possess a wealth of experience, knowledge and habits, in their chosen field, and that if we aspire to reach their level then we need to learn from them.

Now don’t get me wrong, these people are not perfect! Nobody is – we all have our flaws – for example you may seek out Tiger Woods for some golf advice, but you probably would want to discuss your relationship issues with somebody more appropriate!

So have a good look at the areas of your life that you want to improve, and seek out a role model or mentor who is successful in that area and soak up their habits and methods instead of placing them on a pedestal. You may only get one small piece of advice that assists you, but that one piece of advice may be the piece that completes your puzzle.

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

You all know the old saying that Early to Bed, Early to Rise makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise - but how true is it? - and it’s so warm in bed at this time of year who would want to get up early?

Well for any of you that have read any self development literature from Business and/or Life Coach gurus you will have noticed one thing that most of them have in common. They ALL get up early!

There are numerous benefits to getting up early including, missing the traffic, making time to exercise, avoiding crowded gyms in peak workout times, getting work done with less interruptions and your powers of concentration are generally stronger first thing in the morning. All these things add up to a much more efficient and productive usage of your valuable time.

Metabolically it can also assist with weight control to get up early and kick start your metabolism with an early healthy breakfast followed by smaller more regular meals throughout the day.

There is no magic solution to getting up early, you just have to DO IT! Program your body clock so it’s used to going to bed a little earlier and waking up earlier. It’s still vitally important to get your 6-8 hours of rest so if you currently go to bed around 11pm and get up at 7am, why not try going to bed at 9-30pm and getting up at 5-30am instead? You really won’t miss that hour and a half each evening that is probably spent on the couch in front of mindless TV shows. If you MUST watch your favourite program(s), tape them and watch them on the weekend during your leisure time.

If you need help getting out of bed, a couple of tips would include – placing your alarm clock away from the bed so you actually have to get up to switch it off, avoiding the snooze button at all costs or switching the light on straight away when the alarm goes off.

How many times when you ask someone to do something or help you with something is their response ‘I don’t have time?’ Just think if you had an extra hour and a half each day how much more you could achieve?

To see how a few simple adjustments to your lifestyle could help you find those extra hours a week you seem to be short of why not go and fill out your very own lifestyle check .

Rediscover How Time Out can help you

If we were to turn the clock back twenty years, generally, Dad would finish work at 5pm, Mum would have spent the day cooking, looking after the kids and cleaning the house and families would be home together by 5-30pm. The evening would be spent eating a home cooked meal together at the table, then relaxing in front of the television or spending time on some other personal interest or family pursuit. Weekends would be filled with 1-2 social engagements, playing with the kids, watching them play sport and enjoying plenty of down time.

Fast forward to 2010 – families are lucky to be home together by 8pm, Mum and Dad generally both work, fast food in front of the TV becomes a regular habit and the kids are either in their room or detached from society with their i-Pod headphones on! Many people also do more work on their computers when they get home and also work at least some of the weekend. Social engagements are crammed in wherever possible and as long as everyone’s schedules allow for it!

In order to optimally balance such an intense existence, allowing you time to switch off regularly and have the opportunity to escape an often harsh reality is absolutely crucial. Whether this translates into a night or two each week reserved only to sacred self or family time, some time for exercise or regular trips away we all need time to think, reflect and relax. When was the last time you had such sacred time for both you and your family? If you had to think about it, perhaps it is worth scheduling some into your frantic life on a more regular basis. Not only will your mood benefit, but your stress hormone levels will reduce and your health will benefit as a result.

How to avoid post-workout tiredness

Do you ever finish a workout feeling great and then a couple of hours later feel like you’ve hit a wall and could fall asleep straight away?

In order to maintain peak energy levels throughout the day, you need to re-fuel with the right food immediately after you train. That means eating snacks containing carbohydrates to replenish lost glycogen stores and protein to aid in muscle repair and recovery. Ideally aim for 200-300 calories for every hour of exercise and a two to one ratio of carbs to protein. These snacks should be easily digestible as your body will still be working on repair and recovery of your muscles and not so much on digestion.

Some easy suggestions are as follows ;

Sliced Turkey, Cheese and Apple or Banana slices – the turkey provides your protein and the fruit provides your carbohydrates.

Natural Juice and Nuts – the nuts provide an excellent source of protein (but you should only need a handful) and the natural fruit juice will provide the carbs.

A Tuna and Salad Wholegrain Sandwich – the tuna provides the protein and the bread provides the carbohydrates.

Yoghurt and Muesli – grab your favourite yoghurt and add half a cup of muesli to cover your protein and carb requirements.

On the flip side, there are some foods to definitely avoid post workout such as Chocolate Bars, Processed Muesli Bars, Protein Bars, Chips, Pretzels, Muffins, Pastries, Lollies, Ice Cream, Hamburgers, Cappuccino’s and Latte’s.

These foods tend to be laden with sugar and/or fat and are sure to sap your energy in no time and destroy all the good work you achieved during your workout.

If you want to have your lifestyle checked out all online why not fill out one of our Health Check’s. Here at Lifestyle Improvers we recommend the Metabolic Jumpstart eating plan which would back up the above information and provide excellent nutrition solutions to cover your entire day.

Happy snacking!

How to make your workouts more effective without increasing effort

Sounds crazy right?! But I can assure you this is proven and can be backed up by researchers from Harvard University.

During a recent study, on Hotel room cleaning attendants, the Harvard University researchers studied over 80 Hotel cleaning staff from 7 different Hotels. It was agreed that Hotel cleaning staff are physically active in their daily jobs and on average clean 15 rooms a day at an average time of 25 minutes per room. The cleaning involves changing bedding, vacuuming, scrubbing and lifting things.

Now this particular study questioned whether most of the cleaning staff actually realised that the work they were doing was in fact good for their health? So the researchers split the workers into two groups with the first group being informed about the benefits of exercise and how many calories they were burning while doing their cleaning work each day, and the second group were simply told the benefits of exercise but were not told how many calories they were burning or that their work constituted a good form of exercise.

The researchers ensured they studied the existing lifestyles of the workers as well as giving them various health tests including weigh-ins. The study was conducted over 4 weeks and the researchers ensured none of the workers had changed their lifestyle habits during the study (such as commenced an exercise program, become a smoker or given up smoking etc etc). In addition to this the Hotel managers ensured each worker received similar workloads over the 4 week period.

The results were very interesting with the group that had been informed daily, about the benefits of the exercise they were doing in their daily work routines and how many calories they were burning, showing a significant reduction in body weight, Body Mass Index, Waist to Hip ratio and Blood Pressure. The other group that were not told of the calories they were burning or the benefits of the exercise they were doing in their normal day to day jobs, showed none of these improvements.

This is a classic case of the Placebo Effect and reinforces the power of our brains in relation to the results we get from our exercise, diets etc. There is a great lesson to be learned here that if you strongly believe in your own mind that the exercise you are doing is going to improve your body, chances are it will!! This can be applied to other aspects of your life as well – the power of visualisation and the brain should NOT be underestimated.

To see if you have enough activity in your daily routine already why not fill out your own online health and lifestyle check

Who’s number 1 in your life?

This is a question we all need to ask ourselves from time to time and hopefully in most cases the answer is you? Now this may sound a little selfish, particularly if you have small children, but in order to achieve a healthy and happy balance in your life you must make time for yourself. An excellent analogy for this is to imagine on a table in front of you are a small glass jar, a number of small stones and one large stone. Now if you pile all the small stones into the jar first, there will not be enough room for the large stone to fit in at the end. However if you place the large stone in first, all the small stones will fit in around it. Of course in this analogy you are the large stone and all the other priorities in your life are the smaller stones.

Some people are already very good at achieving this balance and can easily put their own needs ahead of others and these people tend to be happier and better functioning people as a result. On the other hand, there are people (especially mothers) who put everyone else’s needs before their own and these people tend to often feel exhausted, drained, resentful or just plain cranky.

The irony of this situation is, while you may be perceived as selfish by putting yourself first, failing to place your basic needs such as health, self care, exercise and time alone before the needs of others actually tends to make people function at a level that is far below their best. As a result of this, the people closest to us or of most importance, whether that be family, friends, clients or associates do not get to interact with us when we are at our best, so at the end of the day nobody wins.

Generally people can be put into two categories either ‘me for me’ people or ‘me for you’ people. Those in the first category tend to self care first as they know they will then be at their best for others. Unfortunately those in the second category tend to be forever chasing their tails. So in concluding I urge you all to place that ‘big rock’ into your jar first and let everything else fall into place around it.

To find out exactly what part of your life you need to focus on to make sure you are at your best for others why not fill out a Lifestyle Health Check. This will show you what you can work on today to make sure number 1 in your life is looked after first.

Diets are not for Everyone

For most people starting out on an exercise program the issue of diet, and or dieting, will be discussed early on in the piece. Here at Lifestyle Improvers, we highly recommend Matt O’Neil’s Metabolic Jumpstart program to all of our new clients. No doubt you have heard through various media outlets about numerous other types of diet whether that be high Protein, low Carbohydrate, low sugar or various detox types of diet. So which one should you choose?

Recent research shows that 90-95% of people who lose weight through dieting regain 115% of the weight lost within 5 years. These are pretty damning figures. Perhaps a better approach to weight loss is to introduce lasting changes to our eating habits rather than follow the latest fad diet?

So to help kick start your new lasting healthy eating habits I have included my 5 top tips as follows ;

1) Eat Breakfast – a good healthy natural breakfast not only helps get your metabolism firing first thing in the morning, but also significantly decreases the chances of overeating later in the day.

2) Focus on Nutrient rich, energy sparse food – this could actually mean you need to eat more rather than less? If you’re confused by this what I mean is adding nutrient rich foods such as vegetables or various forms of protein instead of cutting out things from your diet. The exception here is highly processed foods which should be replaced by natural nutrient rich alternatives.

3) Reward rather than deprive – if you must have some treats, use them as a reward rather than trying to cut them out completely. So if you’ve stuck to your eating plan all week allow yourself a small reward at the end of the week. Research has shown that total deprivation of treat foods can lead to increased consumption at a later date.

4) Think before you eat – make sure you pay attention to what and how much you’re eating. Try eating at the table and away from the TV, chew each mouthful of food to completion before reaching for your next mouthful, put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls and finally, drink a large glass of water before eating your main meals.

5) Don’t let the scales rule your life – if you dread your weekly or daily weigh in then do away with it. Seeing a good or bad number on the scales will influence your mood and quite possibly your eating habits. Your clothes will tell you how you’re going.

Good luck to you all as you embark on a new long lasting healthy eating lifestyle.

The Importance of Carbohydrates

After attending a very busy and informative weekend at the Australia wide Fitness industry convention in Sydney, it is only fair that I share some of the knowledge I have obtained with our loyal members at Lifestyle Improvers.

One of the lectures I attended was presented by well known Nutritionist Susie Burrell who has a very high profile in Australia and regularly appears on commercial TV to share her knowledge on Nutrition.

With so many different diets available to the general public, it sometimes becomes difficult to determine what we should and should not be eating, and when we should and should not be eating. One common perception particularly in the fitness/weight loss industry is to limit or eliminate carbohydrate intake in the evenings.

As Susie explained, many people who exercise first thing in the morning will starve themselves of carbohydrates the evening before thinking that if the body has little or no carbohydrates available then it will burn fat instead. This perception is in fact incorrect and in fact the metabolic pathway that sees fat being broken down and utilized as a fuel source, actually works better if some glucose (carbohydrates) are still available within the body.

This not only means that when you train you will more likely burn fat, but also be able to train harder and longer as a result. This also does not mean you should be demolishing massive bowls of pasta the night before your workout, but a small amount of carbohydrates (10-20g) which can be as simple as a half a glass of low fat milk or a couple of crackers.

So why not give it a try and see if it works for you?

How are you behaving?

We have just returned from a Rippa weekend of learning and personal development in Sydney at the FILEX convention (Fitness Industry Expo). So we thought it only fitting we shared what great information we learnt that can make a huge impact on your lives.


Our first one comes from the opening keynote address and boy did this one hit us right between the eyes. Titled, "Building Rippa Relationships" and delivered by Bruce Sullivan. He was funny, engaging and all the right ingredients for a keynote speaker but he delivered an absolute knockout message that floored us and the rest of the people in the room. Believe me there was some big fellas and gals in the room and I even saw a few tears coming from them.


He initially put to us that everyone means well. However our intentions don't match out behaviours. We are all out of alignment so to speak. Fair point and taken on the chin.

He then moved on to point out we need to be

1. Conscious and live in the moment more. Be present with partners, workmates, kids and family


2. Make your behaviour match your intentions and let them show. If you think your wife/husband/partner looks beautiful, tell them. Not good enough to intend to!!!


3. Don't be neutral, meaning you are either adding or taking away from a relationship


4. Stop using busy, lazy or stupid as an excuse. Not now, wait till I finish .......

Bruce's underlying message was don't try and change all and sundry - change yourself first. Can you see how you changing your mindset, attitude or behaviours may impact positively on your relationships? Rippa now stop making excuses and do it.

I will leave you with two gold nuggets he passed on and if you get this, I believe our stress levels will nose dive markedly.

1. Understand the facts of life. Good things happen, bad things happen and gravity is constant. Point being things happen and sometimes there is no rhyme or reason why, they just happen.


2. Fix problems and don't complain about them. Whether it is your fault or not; fix it. Then the problem is gone. Simple isn't it.

If this sounds unremarkable and uncomplicated to you - great. Because I am sure this was his aim. KISS (keep it simple st---d) The knockout blow came when he ran us through the birth of his daughter. They were quickly informed there was a heart problem and a chance she had down's syndrome. Between them they decided to go full out and live their intentions out in their behaviours. The slides showed the most remarkable family snaps of them all playing, skiing, horse riding, first days of school and lots more adventures.

Bruce and his wife accepted that this had happened to them and their daughter, they didn't complain they just fixed the problem by accepting it and living every day consciously, showing their intentions loud and clear and never being too busy. Bang; we were floored totally.

Join the resistance movement

Resistance training is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the aim to increase strength, muscle tone, mass, and/or endurance. The external resistance can be dumbbells, rubber exercise tubing, your own body weight, bricks, bottles of water, or any other object that causes the muscles to contract. Even lifting bags of sand and shifting big bulky tires around an oval is a form of resistance training.

Resistance training is based on the principle that muscles of the body will work to overcome a resistance force when they are required to do so. When resistance training is undertaken repeatedly and consistently, muscles become stronger.

There are many physical and mental health benefits that can be achieved through resistance training. Weight management is one of the most valuable as muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. But resistance training can help preserve and enhance muscle mass and reduce body fat. As you build muscle mass, your body burns calories. Even when you are not exercising, these cells still burn up energy making it easier to control your weight. Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it!!! Research shows that physical inactivity is the second leading preventable cause of death and with Australians getting fatter and fatter.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that women will develop large, bulky muscles from lifting weights. The average woman does not produce significant quantities of the male hormone testosterone that cause you to really bulk up. Males are the same. Although there is much more testosterone in the male body the effort and dedication required to get big bulky huge well developed muscle definition takes years. A few sessions a week for 30 minutes will not make you turn into a big, bulky muscle machine but it will dramatically increase your health and wellbeing.

Here are 3 tips to take on board before starting resistance training or if you are involved in resistance training go back and re focus on these factors.

• Warm up and cool down properly including stretching.
  
• Balance your training so that you are working muscles on the front and rear of the body. An imbalance in strength between muscle groups can lead to injury
  
• Make sure you train the deep stabilising or core muscles appropriately. These include the rotator cuff in the shoulder and the deep stabilisers of the low back and neck.

So good luck with your resistance training and I hope these tips help. If you are seriously looking to improve the quality of your lifestyle and need any assistance why not request a Risk Analysis Health Check Diagnostic

Should we greet the Easter Bunny with open arms?

With Easter upon us I thought it a good opportunity to discuss the merits or demerits of those lovely chocolate gifts that are so kindly delivered at this time of year by the Easter Bunny. I have seen a lot of articles recently debating the pros and cons of chocolate and below is my take on the argument.

Believe it or not there are many health benefits to be obtained by eating chocolate, however the chocolate referred to is chocolate in its purest form that is as close to the cocoa bean as you can get. Unfortunately most of the chocolate we see (and eat) is full of added ingredients such as Cocoa Butter, sugar, lecithin, vanilla and milk.

So what can we possibly benefit from eating chocolate then I hear you say? Well the secret is in the cocoa content of the chocolate. The more cocoa, the less of the other ingredients mentioned above. Generally the highest cocoa content is found in dark chocolate and the higher the cocoa content the more antioxidants you will find. These antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals, which are nasty little molecules running amok in your body and causing aging and disease. The antioxidants bond to the free radicals and remove them from your body via digestion and other means.

Some common antioxidants you may have heard of are contained in things such as Red Wine, Green Tea and Blueberries however dark chocolate has even more antioxidants than any of these. Another benefit is that antioxidant rich diets have been scientifically linked to a lowered risk of heart attacks, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, arthritis, asthma and Alzheimer’s disease. So we can say that chocolate is good for you when the above is taken into account.

The main down side to the argument is the fat, sugar and caffeine content of all chocolate. As mentioned before the higher the cocoa content the less cocoa butter and therefore less fat contained in chocolate. As for sugar, a strong dark chocolate bar contains approx 10-15 grams of sugar which compares to 22 grams in a glass of orange juice or 29 grams in a cup of yoghurt. With the caffeine, an average bar contains approx 27 milligrams of caffeine which is about half what you would find in a can of coke and a third of what you would find in a cup of coffee.

So for next Easter a small amount of dark chocolate might just be the perfect gift to satisfy your friends sweet tooth while providing the many benefits to their body

If you want to assess your own lifestyle to see what health risks are present, request we send your very own Risk Analysis Health Check.

Be ready for your nutrition traps when travelling

A big trap for people who travel often is allowing their nutrition habits to slip while they are away from home. Whether it is interstate or overseas flights, country car trips or daily business trips where most of the day is spent in transit, our diet plans often end up going out the window. Well here are my tips for helping you stick with your good eating habits when your ‘normal environment’ has changed;

1) Pack for the Plane/Car trip – rather than falling into the fast food trap or having to eat less than ideal plane food, take some appropriate snacks with you. Fruit, nuts or healthy sandwiches are a great alternative and only require a small amount of planning prior to your trip.
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2) Avoid the ‘empty’ liquid calories – it’s easy to quickly load up on calories if you allow yourself sugary soft drinks or alcohol that you wouldn’t normally drink at home. Stick to water or black or green tea if possible and if you must indulge in alcohol for business purposes drink slowly and try to space your drinks out with a water in between.

3) Keep a food diary – plan out what you are going to eat prior to leaving and stick to your plan. Recording exactly what goes into your mouth keeps you accountable and less likely to slip up.

4) Study the Menu – if your travel includes business lunches or dinners, make sure you choose wisely from the menu and fill up on sides of vegetables such as broccoli or asparagus rather than chips.

5) Avoid ‘impulse’ eating – if you’re at a function and ‘finger food’ is being passed around, think before you just grab one of those sausage rolls or deep fried treats or better still eat beforehand so you don’t feel hungry and become more likely to succumb to the food on offer.

6) Fruit and Vegetables are your friends – fill up on fruit and vegetables at every opportunity to help avoid ‘snacking’ on chocolates, cakes or lollies.

7) Earn a reward – if you’re away for an extended period and you stick to your healthy eating plan, reward yourself with one ‘treat meal’ at the end of your trip. This doesn’t mean you go crazy and order everything on the menu!!

So good luck with your travels and I hope these tips help you get home in the same shape as you left!

If you are seriously looking to improve the quality of your lifestyle overall why not request a Risk Analysis Health Check Diagnostic

Did you know Tea can lower blood pressure?

I’ve been doing some reading lately about different sorts of tea and their various benefits so I thought I would share some of my findings with you.

You have probably heard many times over about the benefits of Green Tea so I won’t go into that today, apart from highly recommending it. Instead I’m going to look at a couple of not so well known teas and share some of their benefits.

First looking at Chammomile Tea and research has shown that Chammomile Tea can help to control blood sugar levels, which is great for diabetics and non-diabetics alike. It has also been indicated that controlling blood sugar levels can help you to lose body fat.

Another benefit is that some of the natural compounds in Chammomile Tea assist with counteracting the effect of estrogenic pesticides and other chemicals that our bodies are exposed to from our food sources and environment.

Chammomile Tea is also well known as a relaxant and a cup about an hour before bed can help with preparing you for a good night’s sleep.

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The other tea I’m interested in is Hibiscus Tea. A study I was reading recently indicated that drinking Hibiscus Tea daily can lead to a mild but helpful reduction in blood pressure. The study, from an American Heart Association conference, showed that volunteers who drank Hibiscus Tea had a 7.2 point drop in their systolic blood pressure compared to the control group who drank a placebo beverage and recorded only a 1.3 point reduction.

Other studies show that drinking any sort of tea will provide some benefits, which makes sense, as every different kind of tea contains some form of antioxidants in varying levels. So next time you’re thinking of having a hot drink why not try one of the many different forms of tea available.

If you are seriously looking to improve the quality of your lifestyle overall why not request a Risk Analysis Health Check Diagnostic