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We all have our times of ‘weakness’ when we are watching our weight, on a diet or trying to eat healthy. However many of us feel that after a little ’splurge’ on foods such as alcohol, desserts, junk food etc when tend to become unmotivated and discouraged from carrying on the good work. You MUST be STRONG! Just because you have let the gremlin out of the bag doesn’t mean you can’t put him back inside (even if he’s running around for a few days). Here are few tips to remotivate yourself, get back on the band wagon and regain the self control;

1) Ask yourself what went wrong to cause a moment of weakness? Fatigue, lack of planning with food, emotions, boredom etc. This way you know the signs next time it comes round and are able to realise this before they turn into actions.

2) Put up a little sign either on the pantry or fridge door, this can help turn the light bulb on when you are not all there (subconscious eating), it can be a great trigger to bring you back to realisation of what’s about to happen. For example ‘ I will avoid picking on food when I am bored’.

3) If you do splurge then use it as a motivator to do really well for the next few days or week- ‘ok I had the extra piece of chocolate cake, it tasted great, I enjoyed it and now I feel I don’t need anything for the next few weeks’ as an example.

4) EXERCISE- one of the best ways to feel better about yourself and to maintain weight is to exercise after a splurge, this then helps reduces the calorie intake and won’t have you gaining the weight you have tried to hard to lose.

If you want to feel great and full of energy then you need to eat foods that are lively and full of goodness. There are many foods on the market that may not necessarily be ‘unhealthy’ for you but they aren’t healthy either. If you think you eat pretty well then take step back and analyze how much packaged foods are in your pantry of fridge. Again, you may think you are doing well with not having chocolate biscuits in the house but do you live on other dead foods such as rice crackers, corn flakes, 2 min noodles, white flour crackers, some muesli bars etc. The reason I call them ‘dead food’ is that they have been under heating processes which kills off many food enzymes and nutrients (just like what happens if you leave vegetables in a boiling pot of water for too long). Dead foods usually lack the vitamins and minerals our body needs per day thus, many of us are falling short of meeting our Daily Recommended Intakes. Everyday your body needs a certain amount of nutrients coming in to support metabolic processes in the body; we get this from our food. If we don’t get this from our food our body retrieves it from our stores and thus slowly deficiencies can occur. For example if you don’t have enough calcium in the blood stream, your body will take it from the bones therefore deteriorating your bone health.
Moral of the story….eat foods that are full of nutrients and life, everything you eat has a consequence, make it a positive one.

It’s that time of year again when the weather is getting warmer, the clothing layers are decreasing and the end of year functions are on the rise. Lifespark has a few tips on how to get yourself looking great for these occasions and a guide on how to prevent throwing your ‘Get ready for Summer’ routine out the window!

Firstly, start early if you have an event coming up, don’t leave getting in shape to the last minute. Depending on your goals, give yourself at least 8 weeks to get into a healthy exercise and eating routine, last minute diets are not good for the body and you are likely to put that weight back on after the event.
Write your goals down and how you will achieve them. Have it somewhere visible like on the kitchen door, pantry cupboard, on your dressing mirror or anywhere you will see it often so it is always in the front of your mind. Too often we say we will do things but without the constant reminder, motivation can go astray- make it a reality!

Having a rise in the social life shouldn’t be blamed for any weight gain. Yes it can make losing weight a little harder but at the end of the day you are in control of your OWN ACTIONS! Having the right action plan can help.

Tips for the jolly season:
1.       Free alcohol at functions does not mean drink excessively.  Alcohol is high in calories and is usually the main culprit for weight gain over this season. 1 glass of wine equates to around 130 calories- about a 30min walk per glass.
a.       Drive to the functions. If you do want to have a few, make an effort to count the drinks, have water in between them , exercise the day of and the next day to burn off excess calories.
2.       Watch your food intake; you will eat again. You do not need to scoff everything just because it is free or available.  If you do over eat, make an effort with exercise and food the next day. McDonalds will not help the situation.
3.       Have a plan of attack- think about what could possible jeopardize your weight loss routine and have a plan for it. For example if you are foodie, then avoid standing next to the nibbles table. Involve yourself in conversation and don’t think about it. Have some healthy snacks before you go so you are not hungry.

Meal ideas for the day after:
Breakfast:
Mixed fruit salad with low fat yoghurt sprinkled with bran flakes and mixed seeds.  Or a vegetable packed omlette.
Lunch:
Large mixed green salad with a variety of your favourite raw veges, piece of wholegrain toast and a protein source such as a boiled egg, lite cottage cheese, tin of tuna/ salmon, chicken, etc.
Dinner:
Keep it light with half your plate being low starch vegetables, watch your portion size with carbohydrates and meat. Go for something like grilled salmon with a rocket and pear salad and small kumara or potato. See more recipes on the website.
PLAN, PLAN, PLAN

If you need help with accountability or motivation give Lifespark a call today and we can help with a tailored food plan to suit your goals and timeframe so that you can look great and maintain it.