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How to lose that post-Christmas bulge...
Written By: Lea Woodward
Over-indulged at Christmas & New Year? Feel full, bloated and unhealthy yet again?
It's that time of year when we all promise ourselves we will get fit this year, we will lose those extra pounds and we will join a gym and keep going beyond March - it's going to be different this year.
And this year, it CAN be different. There IS an alternative to trying every new fad diet that's around; there IS an alternative to joining a gym and giving up after a couple of months when you're not really getting anywhere; there IS a way to help you look and feel as great as you should do, all day, every day.
The alternative is finding an approach that works for you - finding the diet that makes you feel at your best by identifying your metabolic type and finding a way of fitting exercise into your daily life so it doesn't feel like an effort or chore that has to be fitted into your already hectic schedule.
Did you know that it can take only 20 minutes of exercise, five times a week to make improvements in your fitness? Or that there is a unique diet that identifies the foods that are right for you? By identifying your individual needs, you will identify not only which areas of your health & fitness you need to work on but also which ones you don't, so you can save yourself wasting time and money on things that just don't work for you.
Working with a Metabolic Typing Advisor helps you identify the foods that are right for you as an individual - by doing this and eating right for your metabolic type, your weight should normalise, your energy levels should improve and your cravings should reduce if not disappear. And if it sounds expensive, it's not - you can be typed and have a consultation for the cost of a pair of boots! How's that for good value? - A diet that's right for you to help you achieve optimal health for the rest of your life for the cost of a pair of winter boots!
And if you are exercising and trying to lose weight, science & research have proven that the most effective combination of exercise is a moderate amount of cardiovascular exercise with more resistance training. So for those of you, who pound the treadmill, swim several hundred lengths or do yoga, Pilates or other aerobics classes, thinking that all those calories you're burning are bound to help you lose weight, think again. You are much more likely to lose weight by replacing some of the cardio exercise with some weight training.
Yes, weights. Most women think lifting weights is for men only - scared they'll get big muscles and look butch. Genetically women don't have the right makeup to gain the same amount of muscle mass as men so they're unlikely to get too big and weight training has a massive beneficial impact on preventing osteoporosis in later life.
And before you rush off to join a gym, you might be interested to know that the weights machines in the gym are unlikely to do you much good and can even cause injury and faulty movement patterns. A far more effective way to train is to use one of those big bouncy balls that you may have seen - called a Swiss or Stability Ball, some dumbbells and a mat. This is all you need to do a workout at home that strengthens & conditions your whole body and helps flatten your stomach at the same time.
But to ensure you are exercising safely, correctly and doing the right exercises for your body, it's worth consulting a qualified fitness professional, ideally a C.H.E.K. trained professional. These are practitioners who have had some of the highest training available and are trained to perform comprehensive assessments and design exceptional programmes that will get you to your goals faster & more effectively. Unlike other trainers, they will address more than just physical fitness and ensure that your programme fits into your lifestyle and is sustainable in the long term, not just something you do with them and then forget about it once you've finished.
If you think it's too expensive, then consider how much money you'd have wasted by joining a gym and only going for 2 or 3 months. Why not put this money towards ensuring you have a personalised approach to your health & fitness that works? After all, what's your health worth to you?
About the author:
Lea Woodward is a fully qualified Health & Wellbeing Coach. She specialises in exercise for women, weight loss and corrective postural exercise. She is C.H.E.K. trained and is a certified Intermediate Metabolic Typing Advisor. Using a holistic approach, Lea addresses all 6 foundational factors of health to help her clients feel at their best for long term health. Visit www.activOne.co.uk for more information.
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