Small changes that make a BIG difference!

When it comes to weight loss, sometimes baby steps are the way to go if you want your progress to be sustainable and you don’t want to end up falling off the wagon. When you’re just starting the plan, it can be overwhelming as it seems like there are so many different things to do.. However, if you just make a few little changes, then these actions can become little habits, and suddenly the whole weight loss process doesn’t seem so overwhelming.

Here are a few tips from you, our lovely members, about what small changes you’ve made that really help make a big difference…

Small Eating Changes

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Six healthy Good Habit Tips for your next BBQ

Use small plates

Research clearly shows that people who choose smaller plates and utensils eat less without even noticing it. The difference can be as substantial as 50% fewer calories consumed, yet everyone reports the same level of fullness and satisfaction. Try borrowing a plate from the kids table or the dessert plate.

Eat slowly

People who eat more slowly eat fewer calories over the course of a meal. BBQs are a perfect opportunity to pace yourself as you mix and mingle with friends and family. The more you’re chatting, the less you’re eating.

Eat healthiest foods first

If you are eating slowly and off small plates, you may as well fill up on the healthiest stuff first. Salads are a great place to start because watery vegetables slow digestion and have very few calories. Try to choose something with …

Don’t Let Weekend Mishaps Ruin Your Weekday Efforts

 
How often do you keep your Good Habits during the weekdays, and spend your entire weekend falling off the wagon? Somehow it’s easier to eat veggies, fruits, and whole grains during the workweek, but seemingly impossible to pass up chips, desserts, and beer after 6pm on Thursday! Weekends often bring all-day indulging, and relaxing.

Take heart—there are things you can do to ward off the weekend woes, even as you make Friday’s and Saturday’s a relaxing departure from your weekday world. Though your schedule may vary widely, dictated by social outings, household chores, and kids activities, you can master the shift with a bit of thought and creativity.

First of all, recognize that weekends are a common problem for most of us striving to maintain health and fitness. Next, diagnose the major pitfalls of your own weekends: Do you make bad …

A – Z of Weight Loss Motivation

“Have you ever wondered what motivation really is? An invisible force? Or practical steps you can take to make sure you reach your goal? Success does not depend on luck alone, so here is an alphabet of ways to ensure your motivation is always at its peak.”

 Adapt the Good Habits Plan to suit yourself. It’s easier to stick to a food plan that suits you so make yours fit your preferences rather than the other way around.

Be specific about your goals. How will you feel when you’ve achieved them? What will you see? What will you hear? Visualise your success!

Create small  goals and rewards o help you keep going. Make goals the right size for you, whether that’s 1lb, 2lb, 7lb or 1st. And make the rewards fit the goals, e.g. a magazine for 1lb, a …

Five Ways to Get Portions Under Control!

On average, we eat way too much at meal times, and often our snacks are supersized. Try these tricks to help get your portions in check the next time you sit down to eat

 Know What Serving Sizes Look Like

Since portion sizes have grown astronomically in recent years to super-sized proportions, it’s good to remind yourself what actual serving sizes are supposed to look like.  90g of meat = deck of cards

• 90g of meat = deck of cards
• Baked potato = computer mouse
•  Fruit = tennis ball
• Bagel = hockey puck
• 1/2 cup chips, popcorn, pretzels, etc. = teacup
• Rice or other cooked grain = cupcake wrapper
• 30g cheese = tube of lipstick
• 30g  nuts = egg
• Pasta = light bulb

 Measure Serving Sizes

30g of cheese, half a cup of popcorn, one cup of cereal — it’s good to …

Visitor Season ~ Stay on track!!!

It’s that time of the year when the weather is perfect and the visitors start to arrive in their droves. Lovely to see them but do their visits play havoc on your waistline?

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Chocolate

With all the recent media hype about the health benefits of this sweet concoction, many chocoholics are rejoicing. But can that solid chocolate heart from your sweetheart really be good for your ticker?

Health Benefits. Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which contain flavonoids, the same kind of beneficial plant compounds found in fruits, veggies, red wine and green tea. Research suggests that these flavonoids may have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Other studies have linked chocolate consumption to reduced blood pressure, enhanced blood vessel function and improved cholesterol levels.

Cautionary Caveats. It should be noted that these protective health effects have been seen primarily with dark (not milk) chocolate, as dark varieties tend to have a higher proportion of flavonoids. The way chocolate is processed can also affect how much flavonoid content is retained. …

Motion and Emotion

“Michelle” was completing a movement on a Gyrotonic^® tower, supervised one-on-one by her instructor. The exercise involved arching her upper back and shoulders. As Michelle finished the motion, she sat up and began to cry. Startled, her trainer first checked for injury; then, sure that Michelle was not hurt, the trainer stopped the session and took her into a back room within the studio for privacy. They sat together until Michelle was calm, and then they ended their work for the day.

Later, as she relates this experience to me in a psychotherapy session, Michelle connects with the fact that she holds chronic physical tension in her upper shoulders. Because she is in body-mind psychotherapy, a therapy that combines talking and working with the body, she is aware that the arching movement in her Gyrotonic session stretched an area in her shoulders and freed the emotions …

It’s All Eggs

It’s been called everything from “incredible” and “Nature’s perfect food” to “lowly.” For years, the egg was maligned by the scientific community owing to concerns over elevated cholesterol levels and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Thanks to a recent media campaign, the egg is now being viewed in a more positive light by health experts and consumers alike. Here’s why:

Health Benefits. Eggs provide a number of heart-healthy nutrients, including folate, vitamins E and B12, omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and the antioxidant lutein, which is vital for eye health. While it was once thought that eggs raised cholesterol levels, scientists now worry more about how saturated fat and trans fat contribute to elevated blood cholesterol. A large egg contains only 1.5 grams of saturated fat, not enough to cause a spike in cholesterol levels in most healthy people (those with diagnosed cholesterol issues should still refrain …

Longer days and warmer temperatures are a sure sign that summer is just around the corner. As millions perform the seasonal ritual of swapping bulky winter togs for skin-revealing summer shorts, many will notice that their skin looks and feels more like alligator hide than a smooth, hydrated surface. The cold, dry months of winter can leave skin parched, dull and flaky, yet preparing skin for summer involves more than a great moisturizer. Beautiful skin starts from the inside.

Consumers often turn to topical treatments to shed their winter pallor, unaware that a diet rich in skin-nourishing nutrients coupled with blood-pumping exercise can revive the dullest winter complexion. Nutrition and fitness professionals can help bridge this information gap by offering consumers a diet-and-exercise prescription for great summer skin.

Skin 101

The skin is the body’s largest organ, accounting for 20% of body weight and serving primarily as a physical barrier …