One of the main reasons people fail to lose weight when on a diet is lack of motivation. It is so easy for us to just fall back into our old routines rather than follow a consistent steady plan of action to achieve real fat loss success. If we can make our ROUTINE something that is healthy and promotes weight loss, then we can stop worrying about being motivated and simply do our “normal routine” and lose all the weight we want.

Below are 5 simple tips that you can begin implementing as part of your daily routine to help you lose all the fat you want.

You’re finally embarking on your family holiday! But when you reach your dream destination you  realise, along with your swimsuit, you’ve packed a bad case of the flu. Leisure sickness is a very real phenomenon. Why do people get sick when they finally have downtime?

Changing gear

When we’re stressed and busy we can keep running on adrenalin, which boosts our immune      systems – we literally don’t have time to get sick in order to meet the demands of life. But at the same time your body is releasing the stress hormone cortisol, which shuts down immune cells.

So, when you stop running around and the adrenalin stops you’re left with the cortisol in your system. All someone has to do is sneeze in your direction and you could be down for the count.

When people are building up to a holiday they incur what we call a sleep debt. That might be because they are busier at work or they might stay up an hour or two later each night to finish things off at home, and over a course of the week before you go away it’s equivalent to losing a whole night’s sleep.

You really have to be quite fit to take a holiday, particularly if you’re travelling overseas. People can be ill not just from bugs attacking their immune system, they can be ill from being exhausted. They’ll be doing more than they normally do and if they happen to get a cold they will feel it a whole lot more.

There’s also the theory that leisure sickness is in the mind, particularly for those who are so used to being busy they don’t really know how to unwind.

A Dutch survey of more than 1800 people aimed to investigate leisure sickness. Some respondents said their symptoms were due to difficulties transitioning from work to non-work, to stress associated with travel and to balancing a heavy workload. Those who identified themselves as workaholics or perfectionists tended to have a much harder time relaxing than others.

Striking a good balance

‘Not everyone will get sick on holiday but if you want to limit the risk, try not to have those extended periods of stress where the body is going to need to catch up and re-balance itself because you’ve pushed yourself out of balance,’

We can all cope with difficult times, but if they become too long, the body is going to have to rebalance at some point. It usually takes this opportunity during your holiday.

It is suggested that being organised and planning a holiday in good times so you can manage your work and family life in the lead-up to your break. Planning holidays can often demand your time   before you go away and that can compound the stress, it can be a mad rush, so you need to plan the transition to the holiday a lot better.

Pre-holiday stress busters

Leading a balanced life and managing your stress can help eliminate leisure sickness.

Learn to relieve stress: It takes different approaches for different people. For some people it is exercise and for the more social among us it is talking to people, or maybe you need to get away from people and have “me time”.

Talk to someone: If it’s something that counselling is going to help with then talking to someone who can help you manage the way you think can be helpful. But if it’s just sheer workload, then it’s just about managing your time and perhaps asking for help. Get plenty of rest: There’s evidence to show that if you’re sleep deprived before you get onto a plane it’s harder to get over jet lag. If you have no sleep debt you’re in a much better position. It takes one day to get over a one-hour time difference.

The biggest majority of New Year’s Resolutions have gone by the wayside before January is over and most won’t even be remembered six months later. And the reason is pretty simple: Most are made in response to something negative — a habit or situation that the person wants to change or end. And therein lies the problem – it’s hard to develop momentum from a negative response.

It is always easier to move toward something rather than away from something.

If you’re going to make a New Year’s Resolution this year, make one with a high probability for success. Make a Resolution to develop a life plan.

Most people are in a free-fall through life, careering from one  crisis to the next. They wake up one day and 10, 20, 30 or more years have passed and they’re nowhere near where they thought or hoped they’d be.

Working with a life plan you’re much more apt to be excited by what the future brings even if you succeed at attaining only a small part of your plan. A life plan should address all areas of your life including finances, health, relationships, career, spiritual and even recreational. While a lot of our focus tends to be on financial issues like increasing income or decreasing debt, or health issues like losing weight or quitting smoking, the undeniable truth is that a life lived out of balance isn’t a life of quality at all.

If you were going to build a new house and you had this idea for a fabulous master bedroom suite, you wouldn’t rush out and start building the master bedroom. You’d have a complete plan before you started. When you approach resolutions and goals in the same manner, you end up with a much better chance of achieving success.

There is little doubt our coffee consumption has been on the rise over the years, and it’s clear our taste (or need!) for a coffee is rising as well. 

Calories in coffee: just how skinny is your skim milk latte?

The calories in a coffee come from: 1. the milk used and, 2. any sugar that is added. Let’s look at the milk first, where the most common choices are full cream or skim milk.

The average or “medium” size coffee is approximately 400ml . You can also get a “small” serve which is approximately 300ml and a “large” which we’re guessing is around 550ml! Now the actual coffee is only 20ml per shot, and we’ll assume you get one shot in a small, two in a medium, and three in a large. So the net milk content of each coffee is around 280ml, 360ml, and 490ml for a small, medium, and large serve.

Now we don’t usually look at calories but we look at the fat content. As this example is done on calories you can still see how much the effect is.

Full cream milk contains approximately 65 calories per 100ml whereas skim milk has approximately 35 calories per 100ml. The difference between these in terms of calories is nearly half, so that’s something to think about, especially when you also consider you are getting less saturated fat by choosing skim milk.

The big difference in calories at 100ml translates into even more when choosing your coffee size and milk type: 

You can see the big difference in calories consumed if you go for a full cream milk coffee versus a skim coffee. Also note the big difference between a small and a medium serve, and especially between a small and a large serve! 

Sugar in your coffee

Sugar in your coffee is another source of calories because each serve of sugar contains 15 calories. Have one sugar per coffee per day and you’ll be adding 105 calories to your week. If you regularly consume two coffees per day and have two sugars then it’s 420 calories per week, which is the equivalent of running for 60mins!

So a very easy and obvious way to reduce the calories in your coffee is to reduce or stop having sugar. If this sounds too hard, try gradually reducing the amount of added sugar over a few weeks rather than going cold turkey!

And don’t be fooled into thinking ‘natural’ or brown sugar is any better than white sugar for calories: it isn’t. 

So what if you love/need coffee?!

If you really love your coffee and can’t think of giving it up then what do you do?! Don’t despair, we aren’t expecting you to stop entirely, and there are some good options for reducing your calorie intake from coffee:

• Go for a smaller serve coffee: if you change down from a medium to a small you’ll save 50 calories for a full cream coffee and 28 calories for a skim coffee. Over the course of a week at just one coffee per day that’s 350 calories and that’s the equivalent calories to going running for around 45mins!
• Go for a skim milk coffee: a lot of people like the creaminess of a full cream coffee but if you make the switch to a skim coffee you’ll be decreasing your intake by 84 calories for small serves, 108 calories for medium serves, and a whopping 147 calories for large serves! Again, over the course of a week these numbers really add up!
• Go for a no sugar coffee: as you can see above the calories from sugar can really add up. Start by reducing the sugar added eg from two to one, see how that goes and then try reducing even further. Another trick is to add the sugar yourself (baristas can be a bit liberal) and only use half or less of the standard sugar serve.
• Go for a long black coffee: if you really want to reduce your calories from coffee then a non-milk coffee is the ultimate way to go. Be a real connoisseur with a short espresso shot or a long black. You’ll definitely still get the pick me up effect from the caffeine but will save yourself thousands of calories each year!

Your body image is how you think and feel about your body. Body image involves your perception, imagination and emotions. It does not necessarily reflect what you see in the mirror or what other people see. It’s also affected by how your body feels to your own touch. Poor body image is often linked to dieting or eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating.

Many people try a lot of different diets that do not work. Some people diet because they have a poor body image, rather than because they want to be a healthy weight. While it’s important to maintain a healthy weight, constant dieting can lead to physical illness and depression, especially if your weight goes up and down after dieting.

Some people think they are overweight
Some people think they are overweight when they are not. Here are some statistics:
45 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in the healthy weight range think they are overweight.
At least 20 per cent of women who are underweight think that they are overweight and are dieting to lose weight.
Body image has some cultural links – for example, some research shows that Asian women, after moving to Australia, take on body image and diet habits that are not common in their own countries.

Weight loss from diets does not last
Australians spend up to one million dollars a day on fad diets that have little effect on their weight. Even if you remain on a weight loss program, it is likely that you will regain:

• One to two-thirds of your lost weight within one year
• Nearly all of your lost weight within five years.

Dieting affects your health and your mental state
Women who diet frequently are more likely to:

• Binge eat
• Purge food (vomit)
• Restrict food intake too much
• Over exercise
• Have poor health
• Become depressed
• Develop an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia.

The weight loss seesaw
Research has shown that nearly every young woman and nearly half of all middle-aged women have dieted to lose weight at least once. The ‘weight loss, weight gain’ seesaw may put you at risk of heart disease and other health problems. Some studies have shown that just one cycle of weight loss and weight gain is a risk factor for the development of heart disease later in life. People who diet frequently have a much higher risk of eating disorder.

Body mass index
Men and women should aim to have a body weight within the healthy weight range. One of the measures of healthy weight is the BMI (body mass index) measure. This can be calculated using the BMI calculator. BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.

If you use the BMI calculator for children, make sure you check it against the reference growth charts that are linked to the calculator.

If you are concerned about your own or your child’s weight, consult with your doctor, paediatrician or dietitian.

Women need fat on their hips and thighs
It is normal for women to have fat on their hips and thighs. Frequent dieting will not remove this fat. It is vital for:

• Fertility and breastfeeding
• Prevention of osteoporosis
• Healthy skin, eyes, hair and teeth.

Men also worry about their body image
Men are under increasing pressure to have an ideal body:

• 17 per cent of men are on some sort of diet.
• An increasing number of men are undergoing cosmetic surgery.
• More men are buying grooming products.

Where to get help

• Your doctor
• Maternal and Child Health nurse
• Your child’s Child Health Record – for information about the growth charts
• An accredited practising dietitian, contact the Dietitians Association of Australia
• Paediatrician
• Psychologist or counsellor

Things to remember

• Our body image may not be accurate. Many people think they are overweight when they are not.
• If you diet, you will almost certainly gain any weight lost back again once you stop dieting.
• Frequent dieting affects your health and can make you depressed.

This article was found on the following site, for more information on this article please click the link below.

http://www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au/hav/articles.nsf/pages/Body_image_and_diets?open

It’s important to have healthy bones, to help avoid things like fractures and osteoporosis — when bones become fragile and brittle and break easily.

We reach our peak bone mass (how strong our bones are going to be), around the age of 20, so there’s a great window of opportunity for kids and teens to maximise their peak bone mass by building strong bones in childhood. And it’s crucial to then maintain bone strength through to menopause and beyond.

The key ingredients in terms of building bones and keeping them strong are:

Calcium
Great sources are all dairy foods, including low-fat products. While dairy is a quick and easy source of calcium, there are also other options including fortified foods and drinks.

Exercise
Bones need the stress of our body’s weight through them, to grow and remain strong. So weight-bearing exercise is crucial. This includes activities such as walking, skipping, jogging, netball, etc. It’s also important to include weight-training, as there is a direct correlation between muscle mass and bone strength.

Sex hormones (oestrogen and testosterone)
Women need oestrogen in their body for bones to take-up calcium. So anything that interferes with our oestrogen levels (such as having been a young, anorexic teenager; or an elite athlete whose menstruation ceased) means we’re at greater risk of osteoporosis. Lower testosterone levels are also a risk factor for men.

Vitamin D
The presence of vitamin D assists our bones in absorbing calcium. The best source of vitamin D is sunlight (there’s not as much in foods and it’s not as well absorbed). This doesn’t mean sunbaking … it’s important to stay sun-safe. But about 6-15 minutes of incidental sunlight, four or six times a week, supplies an adequate dose.

For more information visit: www.healthybones.com.au

Welcome to our Winter Winners. We have designed a package that combines all the things to make sure that you succeed in your health and fitness goals. Check out the list below of the things included in the fantasic package.

YOU CAN ONLY SUCCEED.

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· One full personal training session a week for strength and toning—You will work with your trainer one on one to tone and become strong. Your trainer will guide you to reach your fitness goals.

· Two fun and fat burning cardio sessions a week—Being in a group with others to get your cardio sessions in each week is not only a heap of fun but will also help you reach your goals quicker. More cardio means more fat burning.

· Food education and nutritional advice . We will assist you with your menu planning and food selections. No one wants to cook separate meals for them selves or the kids while they are watching what they eat. We will help you select the correct foods and menus for the  entire family.

· Goal setting. A success route planned out— You will discuss with your trainer what your goals are and together you will decide how you are going to achieve this. We will put together a step by step plan from beginning your journey towards your goals and the progress until you reach them. They may be small steps and small goals or they may be huge.

· Fantastic continuous motivation— At TTBBB we are passionate about what we do and we are excited  about health and fitness. We will help you stay motivated towards your goal at all times.

· A fantastic Massage—Treat yourself to a great massage after your training session and reward your hard work.

· Two assisted supermarket shop to help with your food planning and preparing—We will  accompany you on a supermarket trip and help you with your decisions in choosing food for  yourself and your families menu plans.

· Attend our fortnightly group discussions— Share with us how you are getting along, any tips that you might have for others and celebrate your goals and achievements with other likeminded people as you reach them.

(This package must be purchased as a 10 session package to receive all benefits listed above. Single sessions purchases not available)

Most people want to lose weight, instead of concentrating on being healthy and fit.

For example, Sports people do not try to look good, they just look good as a result of what they do. If the general population adopts the same approach, then instead of trying to look good, they should concentrate on doing well in their chosen pursuit. That might be as simple as beating your time in a four kilometer walk, or improving your tennis club ranking. The psychological pressure is not anywhere near as great and the end goal is more easily achieved.

It should mean that we are looking for a way to keep warm and what better way than to get outside and get moving. Once you start moving there is no way you will be cold anymore.

I have found that everytime I get cold now at home, instead of putting on more clothes, I now do some exercise. So I get up from the couch, run for 1 minute on the spot then get on with what ever I was doing. When I start to get cold again, up I get, maybe some push ups this time.

You will be suprised how much extra homework exercise you will fit into the week if you take on my approach.