Wesley Weight Management Blog

Hydration for Health and Performance

2012-01-16T09:41:00.006+10:00

The human body can be broken down into two basic compartments – lean mass (i.e.. muscle, bone, tissue) and fat mass (i.e. essential fat in the brain, bone marrow, organs and storage fat).

Lean mass is approximately 73% water
A 1 to 2% dehydration level will not make you thirsty, but will negatively affect your physical and mental performance (i.e. poor stamina, poor concentration)
The body can last up to six weeks without food, but it can last only one week without water

Water is essential to good health

Water is a key component of blood, which carries nutrients and oxygen to all the cells of the body
Water is a key medium for the body to remove waste products
Water is used in many metabolic functions (i.e. energy production)
Water is a vital component of tissue that helps protect the organs, joints, muscles etc
Water is the lubricant for the brain and joints
Water is vital in regulating body temperature
Water helps to maintain skin health and appearance

How much water should you drink each day?

The answer depends on your body size and daily activity level. On average an adult will lose between 1 to 3 litres of water per day. Water is lost through urine and faeces, sweat and breathing.

This deficit is made up from moisture in the food that we eat and beverages we might drink. Some beverages like coffee or beer contain substances that cause a diuretic effect (i.e. caffeine, alcohol). These do not help to replace lost water. Therefore as a general rule of thumb it is a good idea to drink at least 2 litres of water each day in addition to other beverages.

This may seem like a lot at first, but over a few weeks your body alters its hormone levels and drinking the water will become easy. If you are exercising regularly you may need to drink more water to match your losses (i.e. increased sweating).

Dehydration

Dehydration occurs when the water content of the body is too low. This is easily fixed by increasing fluid intake. Symptoms of dehydration include headaches, lethargy, mood changes and slow responses, dry nasal passages, dry or cracked lips, dark-coloured urine, weakness, tiredness, confusion and hallucinations.

If you regularly don’t drink enough water there can be an increased risk of kidney stones and in women urinary tract infections. There is also limited evidence to suggest an increased risk of some cancers including bladder and colon.

Ways to incorporate water into your daily schedule

Buy a bottle of water where you know the volume. That way it is easy to calculate how much water you have consumed throughout the day
Buy a water bottle that comes with a sports cap so you can take it with you to any activity
Half fill a water bottle and freeze it overnight. When you take it with you the next day, you can top it up and have cold water for several hours
Have a 2 litre jug of water in the refrigerator and finish it by the end of each day
When dining out, ask for a jug of water for the table
Replace some of the coffee and tea you might normally drink during the day with a glass of water. Aim for no more than 4 caffeine containing drinks per day
Form the habit of having water with lunch and dinner
Add a slice of lemon or orange to water to give it a hint of flavour
Using sports water is fine, but be careful, some of them are quite high in calories and they can be an expensive way of replacing your lost fluid
Discuss your program with a doctor if you have high risk factors, or a known problem with your heart

Healthy & Happy New Year

2012-01-05T11:48:00.004+10:00

Christmas is over...

...So where to from here?

Now that the silly season for 2011 has passed, we are faced with a new year ahead. At this point of the year it is a good idea to re-evaluate where we are at with our life plans. The New Year also gives us an opportunity to set New Year’s Resolutions. Ask yourself what do I want to achieve in 2012? This can be your ultimate target for the year and it forms the basis for setting smaller goals.

Re-setting goals

Think of your resolutions as new goals for the year. Set short-term goals to accompany your longer term goals. A good way to approach this is to include goals that encompass a variety of aspects of your life:

Extrinsic e.g. Eating habits, food choices, exercise, shopping, reading food labels, health outcomes, etc
Intrinsic e.g. Comfort eating, stress management, self-esteem, negative thought patterns, assertiveness, etc

This ensures a thorough approach. Write down your goals and put them somewhere noticeable (eg. office / study / fridge / back of toilet door / etc) so that you are continuously aware of your target.

Remember to re-evaluate your goals along the way so that they are still relevant for your current situation. This also helps with motivation.

Some guidelines for setting goals include:

Keep it real - Make your plans realistic and achievable. Consider your lifestyle and how realistic your resolutions are.

Be specific - Set specific goals so that you know exactly what you are aiming to achieve and so you are able to measure your progress.

Plan - Think ahead and be prepared. This definitely applies to food and exercise - know what events or activities are coming up and re-arrange your original plan accordingly. Take a few minutes prior to the occasion to organise when you will have your meals and what you will have.

Planning is also important for anticipating potential obstacles that you may encounter along the way, and determining possible solutions early. This process is useful for minimising their impact or avoiding them all together.

Anticipate setbacks - Ok. So let’s say the Christmas / New Year break didn’t go exactly to plan. Don’t worry – it’s not the end of the world! We have a new year ahead of us remember! The important thing is to remain focused. Return to your normal routine with meals and exercise as quickly as possible and keep in mind that one meal or one day is not going to make a significant difference in the overall scheme of things.

Dealing with setbacks is part of the behaviour change process. Don't get downhearted if you experience them; see them as an opportunity to learn about yourself instead. Avoid “all or nothing” thinking and learn to accept your mistakes and then move on.

Reward yourself - Develop a system of non-food related rewards for behaviours that support your goals. Don't wait until the very end - set milestones and reward yourself as you go.

Overall, take it easy, keep it real, and remember your goals and resolutions are an ongoing process, not an overnight transformation.

We hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and Happy New Year from the staff at WWMC!

Want to Improve Your Fitness Levels in 2012?

2012-01-05T11:20:00.011+10:00

How does the body respond to training?

Peripheral: Increased capillary density for greater oxygen delivery to the working muscles
Structural: Stronger bones and ligaments, increased muscle size
Central: Strengthening of the heart muscle and its ability to pump blood around the body, improved lung ventilation and function
Functional:Improved coordination of movement patterns

In general, the body becomes more efficient at doing the same amount of work.

Why should you continue to improve your fitness?

By further increasing your exercise capacity, you continue to increase your survivability across all forms of mortality. In fact, by every 1 MET increase (a measure of exercise intensity) in your peak exercise capacity, you could increase your chance of survival by 12%.

Elements of a well rounded fitness program

Cardiovascular or Aerobic Training

Resistance Training

Stretching / Flexibility

Are you including each of these components in your current regiment?

The FITT Principle
1. Frequency— Number of sessions per week
2. Intensity—A measure of how much work is done during exercise (% of maximum heart rate)
3. Time—Duration of session
4. Type—Type of activity

Tips for Maintaining Motivation

Set Goals—Choose a sporting event to work towards (For example, run the Bridge to Brisbane or cycle the Wilson HTM Brisbane to the Gold Coast Challenge). Write down your goal and share it with others
Choose an activity that you enjoy and build in variety—one repetitive activity can become boring or increase your risk of injury
Involve the people around you—family, partner, friends or join in a team sport or running/ cycling club
Reward yourself with a massage or something you enjoy when you achieve your goals

Improving your Training

Incorporate the principle of “Overload”

A greater than normal load or stress needs to be placed on the body in order for adaptations to take place. If you are finding that your progress has begun to plateau, you may need to look at manipulating some of the variables in the FITT principle to create overload and therefore continue to increase your fitness.

This could mean– exercising for longer, increasing the intensity or changing the type of activity.

Include Interval Training to improve your fitness
Get technological and use a Heart Rate Monitor to train in the right heart rate zone to get the results you want (for example at 65-75 % of Max Heart Rate—the ideal intensity for fat burning as it utilises your aerobic metabolism)
Incorporate rest into each week. It is important to avoid overtraining as it can limit your performance and increase your risk of injury

What is interval training?

Interval training is a form of exercise which involves bursts of high intensity work (intervals) followed by low intensity periods. By training in this way, you are using both of the body’s energy production systems:
- aerobic (low intensity phase)
- anaerobic (the high intensity phase)

The aerobic system is the one that allows you to exercise comfortably for long periods without feeling short of breath, and uses oxygen to convert fat stores into energy.

The anaerobic system, on the other hand, uses energy stored in the muscles (glycogen) for short bursts of activity such as sprinting, jumping or lifting heavy objects. This system does not require oxygen and the byproduct, lactic acid, is responsible for that burning sensation in your muscles after a high intensity effort. During the recovery period of interval training (following the high intensity bout) the body tries to ‘repay’ the oxygen debt.

Benefits of interval training?

This type of training promotes the body’s adaptation response leading to improved performance and fitness.

Physiological adaptations include:

Building new capillaries and an increased ability to use and deliver oxygen to the working muscles
Strengthening of the heart muscle
Muscles develop improved tolerance to lactate
This means you can work harder or perform better without fatiguing as quickly

Types of interval training

Interval training can address different components of fitness. You may focus on improving cardiovascular fitness (running, cycling, swimming, rowing etc), or consider incorporating interval training into your resistance training regime to enhance your muscular endurance.

Practical Aspects

Interval training can be quite stressful on the body, so it is recommended that sessions be followed by a day of rest or recovery. As interval training primarily focuses on improving fitness, it would be of most benefit to individuals wanting to maintain their weight, hence during the maintenance phase of your program. This is because your exercising heart rate exceeds the ’fat burning zone’ during interval training - the focus is on improving fitness rather than burning fat. Because your heart rate does peak in this type of training, your body needs carbohydrate as a fuel source, hence it is recommended to have a small carbohydrate snack (i.e. banana, honey on toast) before this type of exercise).

Resources

http://www.acefitness.org/default.aspx
http://www.sparkpeople.com/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

2012-01-05T09:31:00.002+10:00

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic hormonal disorder that affects fertility, physical health and emotional wellbeing. It is thought to affect 12-18 % of reproductive aged women across Australia.

Symptoms of PCOS may vary between individuals and in severity. Not everyone with PCOS will have all the symptoms and very few women will have the same set of symptoms.

The principal signs and symptoms of PCOS are related to menstrual disturbances and elevated levels of male hormones (androgens). Menstrual disturbances can include delay of normal menstruation, the presence of fewer than normal menstrual periods, or the absence of menstruation for more than three months. Menstrual cycles may not be associated with ovulation and therefore may be quite heavy.

Symptoms related to elevated androgen levels include acne, excess hair growth on the face and body (hirsutism) and male-pattern hair loss.

Other signs and symptoms of PCOS include:

obesity
elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance
sub fertility or infertility
elevated cholesterol
hypertension
multiple, small cysts in the ovaries

PCOS increases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes and recent research in Sweden found increased rates of gestational diabetes, pre-term birth, stillbirth and pre-eclampsia due to PCOS. The exact cause of PCOS is not known; however there appears to be a connection with genetics, insulin resistance and lifestyle factors.

Being overweight worsens insulin resistance and the existing symptoms of PCOS. Some women with PCOS will only show symptoms once they gain weight. The symptoms of PCOS can therefore be reduced if a healthy weight and lifestyle is achieved.

12 to 18 percent of women of reproductive age have PCOS. This increases to up to 30 per cent in overweight women. With the obesity epidemic in Australia, the prevalence of PCOS and the severity of the symptoms of PCOS are both likely to increase. This means a healthy lifestyle and weight management is important not only in treating PCOS, but also in preventing it.

References

Obesity and Infertility

2012-01-05T09:21:00.003+10:00

Obesity is correlated with decreased fertility and suboptimal pregnancy outcomes.

In women, early onset of obesity favours the development of irregular periods, absence of ovulation and infertility during the reproductive years. Obesity in women can also increase the risk of miscarriage and impair the outcomes of fertility treatments and pregnancy, when the body mass index exceeds 30 kg/m2. Insulin excess and insulin resistance are thought to be the main factors at play here. These adverse effects of obesity are specifically evident in polycystic ovary syndrome. PCOS is associated with a 5-10 fold greater risk of type 2 diabetes, with the age of onset being 30 years younger than the general population. In pregnancy there is an increased risk of PCOS patients developing gestational diabetes (type 2 diabetes).

In men, obesity is associated with low testosterone levels. In massively obese individuals, reduced spermatogenesis may favour infertility. Moreover, the frequency of erectile dysfunction increases with increasing weight.

On the positive side, considerable evidence shows that weight loss in PCOS can lead to the return of ovulatory cycles, decreased acne and hairiness and improved fertility. The weight loss has to be at least 5% of body weight, but surprisingly, does not require a return to the normal range.

See Wesley Weight Management Success Story, Helena Schulke’s Channel 10 News Story on ‘Fertility Fears.’

References

Queensland fertility Group
Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity: December 2007,volume 14- issue 6

Formal vs Incidental Exercise

2011-11-08T11:08:00.003+10:00

When most people hear the word exercise they think of gym programs, organised sport and brisk morning walks. Whilst this is exercise, it is more accurately defined as ‘formal exercise’.
In addition to this however, the exercise you obtain from going about your daily activities is known as ‘incidental exercise’. Everyday tasks such as shopping, gardening and hanging out the washing can also offer health benefits similar to the benefits of a structured exercise program.
Regular exercise can:

Help prevent heart disease, stroke and hypertension or high blood pressure
Reduce the risk of developing Type II Diabetes and some cancers
Help build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints therefore reducing the risk of injury
Promote psychological well-being

Although formal and incidental exercise are different, they are both important. It is therefore recommended that you should partake in a combination of both types of exercise according to the Australian recommendations, which are outlined below:

Formal Exercise

The Australian Guidelines for Exercise recommend that you partake in 150 minutes of planned formal exercise per week. Ideally, you should aim to build up to five sessions per week for 30+ minutes each session. Exercise should be performed at a moderate-intensity; this should cause a slight but noticeable increase in your breathing and heart rate. If you’re exercising to lose weight as well as keeping healthy, it is recommended that you exceed these recommendations.

A general guideline for weight loss is:
Energy expenditure > Energy intake

This means that you should burn more energy than you consume through eating. Aim to accumulate 300 minutes per week, such as five one hour sessions. Formal exercise should consist mostly of aerobic activities such as running, brisk walking, cycling, and swimming as they are best for cardiovascular health.

Resistance exercise should also be included in your program to build and maintain muscle strength and to keep bones and joints strong. The recommendation for resistance exercise is to complete 10 strength exercises, with 8 to 12 repetitions at least twice a week.

Remember: If you haven’t been involved in formal exercise recently or you have a problem with your health, you should always see your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Incidental Exercise

It can be hard to find time to exercise in today’s world with busy work schedules, family obligations, and hectic weekends. But maintaining good health is vital and should not be overlooked. Reaching the recommended amount of physical activity may not be as difficult as you think! The key is to increasing incidental exercise, and therefore change some of your daily lifestyle habits to promote more movement.

The following are some ideas to assist you in reaching your exercise goals:

Take the stairs – instead of taking the lift or escalator, use the stairs and give your glutes and thighs an extra workout!
Shop till you drop – whilst shopping use a basket when possible and carry your shopping bags to the car instead of using a trolley
Extra walking – when driving to work or shopping, park your car further away than normal and walk the extra distance. If you take public transport, hop off one stop early and walk the extra distance
Whilst at work - walk and talk if you are on a cordless or mobile phone; go for a short brisk walk during lunch; speak to someone in person instead of sending an email or calling them on the phone
Around the home – ditch the remote control and stand up to change the channel, or exercise during the ad breaks. Do the gardening, hang the washing out instead of using the dryer, or take the dog for a walk
Involve the whole family – organise weekend activities which encourage the whole family to be active and spend quality time together. Some suggestions include bush walking, cycling, learning to surf, indoor rock climbing, and backyard cricket

Stay Motivated

Sticking with your fitness program can be a hard task! Many start their exercise regime and then stop because they are bored or the results come too slowly. People begin exercise for different reasons. You need to decide why starting exercise is important to YOU!

Here are some tips to keep you from throwing in the towel:

Set goals - be SMART therefore set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time focused goals. Challenge yourself through your exercise program whilst still being SMART. Consider both the short and the long term to give yourself something to strive for.
Start slowly - you’ve heard the saying “too hard, too fast”, you don’t want to burn out and be forced to abandon your program due to injury or pain. Begin your exercise at a comfortable level and slowly progress as you feel you start to improve.
Think variety - consider various types of exercise to keep boredom at bay. Alternate walking or running with swimming, or move your indoors routine outside - weather permitting!
Track your progress - an exercise diary may be useful to keep a record of each session; track what you did, how long you exercised for and how you felt afterwards. Documenting your efforts can help you work towards your goals and serve to remind you that you’re making progress.
Have fun - what makes you tick? You’re more likely to stick with an exercise program if you’re doing something you enjoy. There is a wide array of choices out there if you think outside the square. If you’re not sure, have a go and you might just discover a new love!

References
www.health.gov.au
www.mayoclinic.com/health/fitness/sm99999
www.haddinsfitness.com.au/

Don't Be a Mug with Your Caffeine Consumption!

2011-11-08T09:59:00.004+10:00

What happens to caffeine in the body?

Caffeine is absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream

Peak blood levels occur between 30 and 60 minutes after consuming any products containing caffeine

It passes into all body fluids, including breast milk and all body tissues, including the foetus in pregnant women

Nearly all (99%) of caffeine is broken down by the liver. The breakdown products are excreted in the urine

How long the effect of caffeine lasts in the body depends on age, weight, sex, hormonal state and health. The half - life of caffeine in adults is usually 2.5 to 7.5 hours. It is longest in women taking oral contraceptives, pregnant women and in some diseases, particularly liver cirrhosis and pulmonary oedema

Infants and children do not eliminate caffeine as efficiently as adults and the effects may last for 3 - 4 days.

What are the effects?

Caffeine has many stimulating effects in the body. It stimulates the central nervous system and also increases:

         - Adrenalin release
         - Heart rate and blood pressure
         - Depth and rate of breathing
         - Blood sugar levels
         - Blood cholesterol levels
         - Stomach acid secretion
         - Urination
         - Appetite suppression

The extent and effects of caffeine on the central nervous system depend on the amount and frequency of caffeine consumption and an individual’s sensitivity or tolerance.
A rough guide to the central nervous system effects of caffeine is given in the following table, but some people, including children, are adversely affected by caffeine at a level of less than 100 mg, whereas others may need considerably more than 300 mg before adverse effects are noted.
It is also worth noting that caffeine (consumed as tea or coffee) is associated with premenstrual tension, particularly anxiety symptoms. The greater sensitivity to caffeine pre - menstrual may be partly due to a slower clearance rate.

The effects of caffeine on the Central Nervous System (CNS)

The following table gives a guide of what can happen to your body when you consume low levels of caffeine, and when you consume a level more than your body can tolerate:

To be safe, limit caffeine intake to less than 200mg per day. A good rule of thumb is to not exceed 4 caffeine drinks / serves per day. For example: 2 cups of instant coffee, 1 cup of tea and a can of diet cola. The caffeine in these 4 drinks is about 210mg. Try having a glass of water for each caffeine drink throughout the day.

Because caffeine can suppress the appetite, it is vital that you do not replace morning tea or afternoon tea with a caffeine drink. Skipping these mid-meals promotes slowing of your metabolism and overeating at the next meal.

How much caffeine do you consume each day?

The caffeine content of drinks varies considerably with the strength of the drink and the type of brewing process. There is also variation with the plant variety, conditions of growth and harvesting, roasting and drying procedures.

The information below enables you to estimate your daily total caffeine intake.

Break the habit in 3 easy steps

Decrease caffeine intake to below the recommended dosage by keeping track of what you drink
Use tea not coffee, or decaf coffee
Increase water intake

Tips for Improving Men’s Health

2011-10-10T11:51:00.007+10:00

A man’s health can be likened to that of a car; however the difference is that we cannot trade it in once we have done a few too many kilometres! We are stuck with the same chassis for life so it is therefore beneficial to service it on a regular basis.

Most men typically do not like to talk about their health because they have the attitude 'If it isn’t broke, why fix it?' However like a car, some simple maintenance can prevent the problems occurring in the first place.

Strategies for men to keep trim and healthy:

Don’t skip meals – Have 3 main meals (including breakfast everyday) plus 2-3 snacks.
Eat more vegetables – 5 serves (2.5 cups per day)
Watch the portion size of meat:

           - The size of your palm is a good approximation in serving size
           - Trim all visible fat off the meat
           - Remove skin from chicken
           - Have fish at least 2 meals per week

Exercise – Recommendations are for 30 minutes of activity most days of the week
Alcohol – Moderate your intake; try starting with a couple of glasses of soda or sparkling mineral water before your first drink
Coffee – Keep to a maximum of 3-4 coffee/teas per day and use trim milk over full cream

The benefits servicing your health:

At work – Thinking clearer and faster because as we got older it helps us keep up with the younger people in the office.
Easier home life – More energy for quality time instead of sitting in front of the TV. More energy means more things done around the house, with the kids and on those projects that never seem to get done!
Live longer – Men who manage their healthy weight have lower incidences of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes than overweight or obese men.
Better social life – Eating well leads to being slimmer which means clothes fit better making going out easier. It also leads to better skin and hair.
Better performance – Men who are overweight or obese have more issues with sexual performance/desire than healthy weight men

But the good news is that men have an advantage over women in losing weight:

Men are more muscular – This means their basal metabolism (the amount of calories the body burns everyday) is generally quicker/higher. This results in a man being able to eat more food and still lose good amounts of weight. It also means more calories are burnt when healthy eating is combined with exercise.
Men often have less emotional attachments to food – Therefore men do not tend to overeat when they are feeling emotional.

How to be a Food Label Detective – Make informed decisions about what you eat!

2011-10-10T11:34:00.004+10:00

Lite, All Natural, 93% Fat Free, these are just some of the common nutritional claims made by food manufacturers that are meant to be eye-catching and entice you to select their product over another variety.

Investigation Step 1: Always proceed with caution as nutritional claims can be misleading and it is important to read the whole label.

Lite/Light – Does not always refer to fat content and can simply be a description of the colour, taste or texture.
All Natural – Usually this product has no added colourings, flavourings or preservatives. Don’t assume something natural is always healthy. For example, cream is all natural but only healthy in moderation.
93% Fat Free – It is still 7% fat! Depending on the type of food and how much you eat it may or may not be a good choice.
Reduced Fat– Indicates the fat content is 25% less than the original product though it may still be a high fat product. Remember that a ‘low fat’ product must have less than 3g fat per 100g and ‘fat free’ product must have less than 0.15g fat per 100g.
Cholesterol Free – Does not mean the product is low in fat.

Investigation Step 2: Collect quality nutritional evidence from the Nutrition Information Panel. Download your Pocket Guide to Healthy Food.

Energy – First look at the total energy and the amount of fat in the food. If the energy is high whilst the fat content is low, you can assume the majority of the energy would be coming from carbohydrate or sugar.
Carbohydrate – Products with less than 10g of sugar per 100g are a good choice. If the product contains fruit (e.g. Yoghurt) allow for 25g of sugar per 100g.
Fat – Products with less than 10g per 100g but consider the product type and serving size. Minimal saturated and trans fats are the most desirable.
Fibre – Select high fibre products (greater than 10g per 100g).
Salt – Try select ‘low/reduced salt’ products with less than 120mg of salt per 100g.

Remember: Use the ‘per 100g’ section of the nutrition panel to compare calories and fat between products. Check that the serving size stated is the same as yours and adjust accordingly (e.g. If a serving size of yoghurt is 100g, you may need to double it!)

Investigation Step 3: Interrogate the ingredients list, these are always listed from greatest to smallest by how much they weigh. Also, be wary of disguised names for sugar and fat including:

Sugar – Sucrose, maltose extract, high fructose corn syrup
Fat – Milk solids, shortening, vegetable oil

Now use your detective skills to compare products to find the guilty food criminals - the less desirable products. Try to select a product that contains less fat, sugar and overall energy and you can reduce your overall calorie intake without eating smaller portions!

Marathon Madness

2011-09-06T09:04:00.013+10:00

Marathon Madness – Not dissimilar to the weight loss journey.

Marathon – check!

I have always loved exercise ever since I can remember, so it was only a matter of time before I was bound to make the decision to complete a marathon. So at the close of 2010, I decided that in 2011, I would complete my first marathon and what better one to do than the local event here at the Brisbane running festival. The furthest I had ever run prior to this was 24km so I knew that I had my work cut out for me. The race date was August the 7th giving me 8 months to prepare with 4 months solidly focused on the marathon and marathon only. So I had my long term goal… now I just had to figure out how to get there.

Goal setting - short term and long term. Mapping out my goal.

With something like a marathon, similar to weight loss, planning and mapping out short term goals and how I was going to get to my target comfortably was imperative. So first up I had to review where my fitness was at. So like in the walk consults, I performed a blood lactate test on myself, hired a coach and started to look at my availability for training. I decided to get a coach so that I could detach myself emotionally from what I was doing. If someone else told me I was doing enough and not to do too much, I was much more likely to follow the program. Once I put my data together and I knew my aerobic (fat burning) zone and running paces, I could start to work with my coach to put together a training program. I knew that my body could realistically run 5-6 days a week before injuries would start to pop up, so I worked on a 5 day per week program with an extra recovery run/walk and cross training session on the bike or in the pool. I also had to work on my technique and strength to make sure my body could cover the distances efficiently, so I had 3 sessions of that in my program as well. I had chosen a half marathon race 4 months out from race day, so I could then review my fitness and program and then another 10km race about 6 weeks out to help determine if my training was on track for the marathon. The most important thing about a marathon is training load and not doing too much so that you can get to race day without any injuries and in good health. Gradually building up and reviewing my progress helped ensure this.

Preparation and regular reviews

There is no cutting the corners in marathon preparation. I knew that would only cheat my results and so I made this my priority. I had to do my best to get 80% of the training sessions in and get to know my body so I could tell when I needed a break or to mix things up a bit. Body awareness is huge in achieving any physical feat. Without knowing when you need to have a day off and when you can push through, will make all the difference to achieving that goal. So I had my program, I knew my pacings and zones for the training sessions and I had the mental capacity to stick to it and make it my main focus outside of work. There were tough weeks when work or family became a priority and consumed my time or illness was creeping up on me, however the most valuable tool I gained throughout this process from my coach was that once I had missed a training session then it was too late, it was done and there was no point in trying to make up for it in my next training session. Something that translates into weight loss very appropriately. If you have a bad day and you eat too much then that was a bad day. The next day you just have to get on with it and back on the program, there is no point in not eating all the meals in the meal plan the next day as that will slow your metabolism down and play havoc with your hunger. The best thing to do in that situation is go for a walk to get some extra calorie burning and boost the metabolism.

Maintenance and training – finding what works

The program was periodised out in phases. The first few months, base fitness was the focus to prepare my body with adequate physiology to train aerobically or to utilize fat efficiently while exercising. The following stage was to pick up the intensity and do some hard work to improve my fitness, then the following phase was maintaining that fitness and working out what would work race day. Like weight loss it’s a step by step process, you have the active weight loss phase and then transferring all your knowledge into maintaining. This is what continues forever, working out what works best is imperative as this is often where people start to have trouble. This last phase was one of the most important phases in the marathon process as well, working out what to wear, how much water to take on board and when and what to eat without upsetting my stomach and so on.

The race

Well my first marathon was appropriately gruelling and tested me more than anything before. With all the preparation and time spent training and early nights and following a meal plan to fuel my body for the training, it was still harder than what I had mentally prepared myself for. The week leading up I significantly dropped off my training and continued to eat as if I was doing the big kilometres to prepare my body for what it was about to go through. The first 30km were easy; it was all about not going too fast, pacing out and getting to the end. Very similar to what we tell clients with weight loss. Losing too much too quickly may not be maintainable. Following a plan that is easy to adhere to and taking part in exercise that is enjoyable and something that can be done long term, will ensure long lasting lifestyle change. After the first 30km I started to hit trouble, I started to hurt. Mentally I had to be tough as my body was hurting almost to the point of concern. I started to get calf cramps at 32km, then the heart burn started to kick in, then the nausea and at 39km - the final 3km seemed like a marathon in itself. I did question my ability to get to the end but I knew that I had come this far I just had to keep going, one foot in front of the other. Then there it was, the finish line, I barely knew what my body was doing and had no emotion. All I knew I needed was water, shade and a seat. I had made it. Marathon – check.

Weight loss – a marathon effort.

The weight loss journey is not dissimilar to my marathon feat. You have to name your goal, work out what steps you need to take to get there, be organized and plan, acquire the help you need and allow time to see what works for you. It is a process not a result. It is not about the race, it is about the training or processes you need to take to get to the race day or your desired result. You learn a lot about yourself on such a journey and hopefully you can take it all on board and continue to apply and use these tools going forward. Weightloss is not just about what physically happens with your body changing shape and the changing figures on the scales, it is how you change emotionally and like the marathon, it is mentally tough and testing at times but that will be what gets you through. You must make it a priority and make time for yourself to do what you need to do in order to reach your goals. The result is satisfying and long lasting.

Managing Stress

2011-09-06T08:33:00.012+10:00

What Is Stress?
Stress is the body's natural reaction to events or situations that may confuse, frighten, anger, excite, please or surprise us. Stress can be pleasant or distressful depending on our perception of that event. Stressful situations cause the body to produce adrenalin, which increases heart rate and heightens the body's state of stimulation.

Stress can be caused by a number of different factors. These include school, families, social lives, sport, study/exams or an unexpected crisis. Long-term stress can cause a gradual build up of tension and predisposes us to developing stress related conditions.

Stress and Performance

If you are aware of the signs and symptoms of stress, then you can learn to stay within your optimal zone.

People generally tend to eat more when they are under-stimulated, when they do not have enough to stimulate them e.g. bored at night time, or overeating can also occur when experiencing excessive stressful symptoms. Examples of this are fatigue at the end of the day, constant demands from home, social and school pressures, stress placed on yourself to look or feel a certain way or shape.

Stress Management

Efforts to manage weight are sometimes disrupted by stress, that is, you eat in response to stress. If so, it is important that you develop successful stress management strategies.

You cannot avoid all stress, but you can learn to cope effectively with it by becoming aware of how your body responds to it. Identify the environmental situations that prompt your stress and even if you cannot change the nature of the stressor, you can change your reaction to them.

Stress management is a three-part process:

1. Awareness – recognise that you are stressed.

Be aware of symptoms and situations where stress may occur eg. work demands.

2. Learning to deal with stressors.

Using awareness as a cue to relax and using appropriate techniques, eg. muscle tensions relaxation techniques, mental clearing and deep breathing exercises. Also, exercise and sleep more. Sleep at regular times, have a regular routine that you follow before you go to bed and avoid caffeine prior to going to bed.

3. Applying Stress Management to everyday situations

In any stressful situation, there are three alternate courses of action:

Avoid
Alter
Adapt

Following are some further suggestions that may help you deal with stress

Remind yourself that you aren’t totally responsible for other people’s moods or feelings.
Keep a favourite inspirational message handy to focus on when you’re having a bad day.
Learn to say no! Saying no to extra projects and social invitations takes practise, self-respect and a belief that everyone every day needs quiet time to reflect and to be alone.
Take a moment to relive a happy time in your life.
Listen more.
Do something that will improve your appearance. Looking better can help you feel better.
Set a timer for 15 minutes – put your feet up and relax.
Remind yourself that there’s no one in this world more important or less important than you.
If someone criticises you, consider it calmly. If what has been said is correct (in part or full) try to remove the defect and thank the person for pointing it out to you.
Do your best and leave the rest.
Learn to ignore what you can’t control. Learn to control what you can.
Write your problems down on paper or talk about them with a good listener.
Consider starting and ending your day with a period of quiet reflection.

Modifying Recipes for Healthier Eating

2011-09-06T08:28:00.010+10:00

To modify recipes to reduce the fat content of dishes that you already cook, you can do three things:

1. Substitute high fat, high calorie ingredients with low fat, low calorie ingredients

2. Reduce the quantities of higher fat ingredients in your recipes

3. Eliminate any high fat ingredients entirely

1. Substitute

Substitute high fat, high calorie ingredients with low fat, low calorie ingredients. In the table are listed some common ingredients that you can substitute with:

The following low fat and low energy ingredients have long shelf lives, so you can keep them in your pantry or fridge to substitute at short notice:

2. Reduce

If a high fat or high energy ingredient cannot be substituted, try using a little less of it. For example, in baked products you should be able to reduce the amount of fat by a quarter to a third without changing the final product too drastically. Remember that if you remove moisture, you need to replace it. For example, to make up for less oil, you may be able to add a little more water or low fat milk.

3. Eliminate

If a high fat or high energy ingredient is not strictly necessary (i.e. it is used for presentation or flavour), you can remove it. For example, you can omit nuts, avocado or olives from salads and bacon from pasta sauce.

Experiment

To lower the fat content of your recipes requires some experimenting. This can also add variety to your recipes. Here are some ideas:

Fat helps to add flavour to food, so reducing fat may reduce the flavour in some recipes. Remember, fat is just one flavour. So add herbs and spices, sauces such as chilli, oyster, fish, include a small amount of wine or stock to incorporate new flavours.
In baking, fat can add texture, flavour and moisture. Start out by choosing low fat milk, use egg whites and use soft cheeses such as ricotta. If you are reducing the amount of oil in baking, it is important to try and keep the amount of liquid the same, so top up with low fat milk or fruit juice.
Fat being used as a thickener can be replaced by adding a small amount of cornflour dissolved in cold water to sauces, pie fillings and casseroles. Gelatine is also a great way to add texture to desserts and it doesn’t require cooking.

Low fat cooking methods can include baking, braising, grilling, steaming, dry roasting, stir frying and microwaving. Microwaving is a great way of cooking without fat, as moisture is easily retained. It also prevents pre meal snacking by reducing cooking time, aromas and the opportunity to sample the food. Tips for microwave cooking include:

Use a slightly vented lid or pierced plastic wrap to maximise heat and moisture retention.
Do not allow any plastic wrap to touch your food during cooking.
If you want to retain more moisture, place a dampened paper towel on top of your food.
To retain heat but reduce moisture, place waxed paper on top of your food.
If cooking meats, use a double layered pan so that the fat drips to the pan below.

Additional tips for low fat cooking methods include:

When baking foods, use a rack or rotisserie; or wrap the food in foil.
Sauté or brown foods such as onions in a non stick pan with juice, stock or water.
Instead of frying, use a non stick frying pan, or use stock or a cooking spray.
With casseroles and stews, trim fat before cooking and cool once cooked and skim any additional fat off the surface.
When cooking vegetables, try steaming, microwaving, dry roasting, stir frying.

The following items are also handy tools to have in your kitchen to assist with low fat cooking.

Non stick cookware and baking pans
Grillet pan or griller
Food processor or blender
Steamer
Storage containers suitable for both the freezer and the microwave
Garlic press
A good set of sharp knives.

Can I afford to eat fruit and vegetables and stay healthy?

2011-09-06T08:24:00.004+10:00

With the impact of natural disasters in Australia over the last year, it has certainly taken its toll in hiking up the price of food and our fruit and vegetables, the most commonly talked about being our beloved banana! So, are fruit and vegetables really more expensive than processed foods and how can we still stay healthy and manage our budget to keep on track? Keep reading on to find out how to stay healthy by filling up on top-quality energy from wholesome foods such as fruit and vegetables and avoid empty poor quality nutrition from overly processed foods.

Even though fruit and vegetable prices may have slightly increased recently, when you compare prices per kilogram you will find highly processed, packaged and advertised foods are still more expensive and less healthy than fruit and vegetables. A good way to compare products is to check the price per kilogram of the food you buy. A lot of supermarkets are now displaying 'unit pricing' in the form of price per kilogram or price per 100g. So you can use this to compare different brands of the same product as well as different foods that serve the same purpose. It is obvious to compare the cheapest per weight of a snack food, but how about comparing the cost to something healthier. An example (*taken from ‘The Real Cost of Healthy Food’ report card visit www.gofor2and5.com.au, please note $ can vary in local areas) compares a rolled up fruit bar at $25.80 per kilo to an average of $4.30 per kilo of apples, or another example is potato chips at $19.90 per kilo compared to popcorn kernels at only $3.00 per kilo.

Really, kilo for kilo there’s nothing cheaper than fruit and vegetables, but sometimes we need some help to shop smart and save dollars along the way!

Some top tips to help keep to budget and serve up yummy healthy food!

1. PLAN (yes we have said it before and here we go again!)

Please take the time to plan your weekly menu (take 5 small minutes now, it doesn’t take long) and then write a shopping list…this is a sure way to save both time and money. If you know what you are going to cook over a week, it is much easier to buy everything you need at the grocery store during one big shop. Always being prepared will help to avoid the last minute dashes to the corner store where the prices are usually far higher than at the supermarket or at your local fruit and vegetable market.

2. SHOP SMART

Spend a little bit of time looking through supermarket brochures and the Internet to find the bargains and if you can buy cheaper in bulk and freeze! Sometimes we can find fruits and vegetables really cheap or close to ‘best before’ date, so why not buy more of them and freeze them (you can cook them e.g. apples) and put them in individual containers to freeze and use later in baking or making smoothies.

Don’t forget to keep the pantry essentials such as rice, pasta, rolled oats, tinned fish, tomatoes and legumes (e.g. lentils, chickpeas) stocked up as they are great for bulking up meals and can be stored a long time.

Remember, try not to shop when you are hungry to avoid the impulse buy and if you cannot resist then maybe consider online food shopping and get them delivered to the door.

3. BUY IN SEASON

Aim to only buy seasonal fruit and vegetables, as they are generally fresher and more affordable. There is good reason why grapes are more expensive in winter as they are usually not local but imported and hence come with a hefty price per kilo. If you are not sure what is in season, often food and cooking magazines will have an article on “what’s in season this month” or why not search the Internet. Try to get to your local weekend produce markets whenever possible. Grab a bargain and again if you have the freezer space buy in bulk and freeze or go later in the day when sellers are trying to clear their stock.

4. BUY LOCAL

Please try and buy local (via markets, independent greengrocers) when you can, not only may it be cheaper but hopefully it is supporting the local farmers. Remember to read in supermarkets and fruit and vegetable shops where the produce is coming from, this can save on food miles and save you dollars. So why not try to buy at markets or independent greengrocers, farmers markets or there are now a few options for home delivered fruit and vegetable produce sourced from local farmers.

5. COOK SMART

So, once you have shopped well and loaded your fridge with fruit and vegetables – now what!

Try to search magazines, the Internet and look for recipes that show a cost per serve and recipes that are loaded with vegetables or fruit. If you are home late and about to pick up the phone to order takeaway, stop and remember there are loads of options of meals that you can make in large amounts and portion out into containers from relatively cheap ingredients e.g. curries, stir-fry’s, pastas. Try a cook up over the weekend and freeze meals for the week.

Rice, pasta, potatoes and fibre-rich legumes (e.g. lentils and cannellini beans) are a nutritious base to meals and can extend dishes such as soups and casseroles. Try to reduce the portions of more expensive protein sources (meat, fish, chicken) and bulk up the meals with vegetable options.

6. USE UP LEFTOVERS

Make sure you have lots of good containers to store leftovers and use them for lunch the next day or freeze them (remember do not re-freeze if you have already defrosted the meal) for a quick frozen dinner during the week.

Make vegetable stock with any vegetables that are not looking so fresh or anything you know you won’t be able to use before it expires. You can make the stock into a soup or freeze it for risotto or a base for stews later on or you can stew up fruit for a crumble too.

7. FROZEN OR CAN?
Frozen vegetables are excellent quality and can be cheaper and mean you always have some vegetables on hand.  Also frozen fruit like berries are great for baking, smoothies, cereal, or just a snack on its own and can often be found on special. ‘Cans’ too can be healthy and very convenient to have on hand and are just as healthy as fresh. Make sure you read the label and choose no-added-sugar fruit varieties and no-added-salt vegetables.

8. WHY NOT GROW YOUR OWN?
Got a garden? Great! If not why not try to grow some yourself? Growing your own vegetables is a great way to save money. Even if you cannot manage a vast garden with corn, lettuce, carrots, beans, strawberries and so forth, most people can manage to grow a few herbs in a pot and that can save a lot of money and waste and adds fabulous flavour to dishes!

Practical Tips for Healthy Eating Out

2011-09-06T08:22:00.004+10:00

Eating out

Eating out doesn’t have to be avoided if you are losing weight or maintaining your weight losses. Once you are at a restaurant consider these practical suggestions to support your healthy eating habits.

Eat before you go out

Eating before you go out assists in taking the edge off your hunger especially if you aren’t ordering immediately. This also helps with avoiding the nibbling that can often happen. Eating before you go out might be a piece of fruit, vegetables or a bowl of salad.

Request a glass of water upon being seated

Focus on sipping the water instead of nibbling on the bread or having a high-kilojoule cocktail.

Be the first person to order

Whether deciding on a main meal or dessert, ordering first will help you keep your resolve and stop order envy. If you know exactly what you want, skip looking at the menu.

Customise your meal

Be assertive. Don’t be afraid to order what you want, prepared the way you want. You are paying for the meal. Request that the chef reduce the oil in cooking your meal and ask for your vegetables with no butter or oil. Ask for cream, dressings or sauces to be omitted or at least put on the side. Beware not to use all the on the side dressing as this amount is often more than the amount normally placed on your meal.

Avoid fried foods

Avoid dishes that are fried, basted, scalloped, pan fried, sautéed, stewed or au gratin.

Foods to choose might say

Boiled, baked, braised, grilled, poached or roasted.

Cream!

Watch out for the “cream of…” dishes. Cream sauces, cheese sauces, gravies, hollandaise sauce should be avoided.

Quick Tip: Substitute the word ‘cream’ for ’fat’ eg: ‘Cream sauce’ becomes ‘Fat sauce’...Not so appealing is it!

Be better informed

Refer to your Fat and Calorie Counter book to find out the dietary information to assist in making healthier choices prior to eating out. Knowing where you are eating out in advance assists with time for making healthier meal choices.

Breakfast foods

Avoid the traditional high fat breakfast items (eggs, bacon and sausages) and order fresh fruit, lean ham, hot cereals, low fat and natural yoghurts, bagels with jam or reduced fat cream cheese. If having eggs, try poached eggs and include vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, tomato and asparagus.

When choosing steak

Choose lean steaks like fillet mignon, flank steak or sirloin and choose smaller cuts.

Lots of selection

Choose a restaurant that offers a varied menu with many alternatives rather than a limited menu.

A La Carte

Considering ordering ‘la carte’ to get the foods that you want.

Potatoes

Order a baked potato rather than chips.

Side orders

Refuse side orders such as chips if you don’t really want them. They are better not on the plate than having them there and saying you won't eat them.

Desserts

Avoid desserts, or if you are going to include a dessert, look for a fruit option. Try sharing your dessert with someone else.

Take some home

If the portion size is too big, request a take home container and put the extra in the container before you start eating. Some restaurants don’t allow the “doggy bag” – just check with them.

Eat slowly

Eat slowly to fully enjoy your meal and the atmosphere and that you didn’t have to prepare, cook or clean up the meal. Try eating half your main course and then taking a break. After the break, if you feel full take the other half home with you.

Controlling your Hunger

2011-08-08T10:19:00.002+10:00

When you are trying to lose weight, there is nothing worse than insatiable hunger! Here are some tips to try and keep your appetite at bay.

Eat regularly and don’t skip meals.

When you leave a long gap between meals, it is easy to overeat at the next meal due to excessive hunger. Eating small, regular meals will allow you to control your portions.

Are you really hungry?

Do you physically need to eat or is something triggering you to want food? Physical hunger is when your stomach is rumbling or you may feel light feel light-headed or dizzy. There are many eating cues that can influence you to eat when your body does not need sustenance. These can be particular people, places, circumstances as well as thought and emotions. Emotional or psychological cues such as stress, feeling depressed, bored or anxiety are very common and it's important to devise strategies to deal with them in order to maintain your weight. Strategies include going for a walk (get away from the kitchen!), having a relaxing hot bath with a good novel or calling a friend to talk things through. For successful weight loss and weight management, it is important to learn the difference between physical hunger and the psychological inclination to eat and be able to control these urges.

Let yourself feel a little hunger

It is okay to feel hungry sometimes when you are losing weight. Even after a meal or snack it is okay to not feel completely full. Try to learn to be more comfortable with this feeling. The next meal is always not that far away.

Eat your vegetables

Vegetables not only are full of nutrients, but they contain high levels of fibre which help keep hunger at bay. Adding plenty of vegetables to your meal also increases your meal size without adding additional calories and makes your stomach feel fuller! If you are feeling hungry between meals or snacks, ‘free vegetables’, such as carrot, celery, beans, capsicum are low in calories and good to nibble on to get you through.

Keep sipping on water

As the saying goes, “Don’t confuse thirst with hunger”. Are you really hungry or perhaps just thirsty? Water helps control your appetite and help fills you up. Carry a drink bottle with you during the day and have a glass or two of water with every meal.

Eat slowly

Take the time to sit down and enjoy the flavour and savour the taste of your food. Eat your meal in a similar way a wine taster savours a fine glass of wine. Take a moment to enjoy the foods visual appearance and aroma. When taking a bite, be mindful of the foods taste and texture. Maximise it’s exposure to your taste buds. Eating slowly and mindfully will give you more satisfaction and control over your eating.

Get enough sleep!

Two particular hormones which control weight and appetite are called ‘Leptin’ and ‘Grehlin’. Research* has shown that these hormones can be disturbed with lack of sleep. Leptin is produced by fat cells and allows us to feel satisfied after a meal. Ghrelin triggers our hunger. Studies have found that sleep deprivation decreases leptin and increases levels of grehlin. This makes us not feel as satisfied after a meal and leads to cravings for carbohydrates and high fat foods. It is recommended we aim to have at least 7 hours of sleep per night to keep your body healthy and help promote healthy eating.

*Chaput JP, Després JP, Bouchard C, Tremblay A. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jan;15(1):253-61.

Van Cauter, E. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, November 2004; vol 89: pp 5762-5771.

Taheri S, Lin L, Austin D, Young T, Mignot E (2004) Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index. PLoS Med 1(3): e62. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0010062

Benefits of Resistance Training

2011-08-08T09:59:00.002+10:00

When we first hear the word resistance training, we immediately think heavy machines, dumb-bell weights, gym rooms, mirrors and big muscley blokes. So we ask ourselves ‘How is all of this going to benefit my wellbeing and weight loss?!’ Resistance training is the action of any form of resistance, that can be your own body weight, a theraband, water or weights. The more muscle you have as your body composition, the faster your metabolism, therefore making it extremely beneficial for weight loss. In addition to that, studies prove that resistance training has profound effects on the musculoskeletal system and can contribute to the maintenance of functional abilities, prevent and limit osteoporosis, sarcopenia and accompanying falls, fractures, and disabilities (Winnett. R., & Carpinelli. R., 2001).

Recommended exercise dosage to the general population for individuals with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight management or general health concerns is lower intensity, continuous exercise for at least 30-60 minutes for as many days as possible. This recommendation is great for fat reduction; however research now shows that to improve results, this type of exercise should be used in conjunction with some kind of resistance training. A study from the American Heart Association shows that resistance training actually complements aerobic training to obtain better overall health, strength and movement. Both modes of training have positive effects in most areas, including:

aerobic exercise, which tends to accentuate the improvements in VO2 max (maximal oxygen uptake)
muscular endurance
decreased percentage of body fat

Whereas resistance training greatly improves:

basal metabolism
muscular strength
lean body mass.

Therefore, the potential benefits of resistance training, as an intervention to reduce these diseases, suggest that it should be another component to exercise routine.

A misconception by the general public is that resistance or strength training is difficult, time-consuming and that they have to lift the heaviest weights in the gym, which could ultimately cause injury. In fact, Winett et al., (2001) highlighted that resistance training is safe, is a relatively simple activity and does not have to involve heavy weights and can take minimal time to gain benefits.

Feigenbaum and Pollock (2000) suggest that two sessions of 15 to 20 minutes resistance training to be most beneficial. As well as gaining strength, it is noted that bone mineral density can be increased in site specific areas (i.e. femoral head, and lumbar spine) due to the mechanical stress that is loaded on bones and ultimately provide the maximal oestrogenic response in correspondence to resistance training (Winnett. R., & Carpinelli. R., 2001).

While we are strengthening our bones, joints and muscles through resistance training, let's discuss why it is so good for weight management. Traditionally to create a caloric deficit for weight loss and control, it has been recommended to do low to moderate intensity physical activity. Even though this is true, to maintain or gain further reductions in weight, muscle mass maintenance and fat loss, resistance training increases muscle mass therefore helping metabolic responses via increasing the resting metabolic rate. This is due to the increase in protein turnover as a result of the resistance training, which in turn elevates the basal sympathetic nervous system activity and overall increases calorie expenditure due to muscles having to be repaired.

Resistance training improves:

quality of life through increased muscular and joint strength allowing everyday tasks to become easier
decreases the risk factors associated with osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, bone mineral density
increases resting metabolic rate
decreases central obesity
reduces glucose metabolism
decreases resting heart rate and systolic blood pressure.

So the benefits are many and varied. A lot of great reasons to slot this type of exercise into your routine 2-3 times per week.

References

Preventive Medicine 33, 503–513 (2001)

doi:10.1006/pmed.2001.0909, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on REVIEW

Potential Health-Related Benefits of Resistance Training1

Richard A. Winett, Ph.D.,*,2 and Ralph N. Carpinelli, Ed.D.†

*Center for Research in Health Behavior, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0436; and

†Human Performance Laboratory, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York 11530

Published online September 12, 2001

Feigenbaum MS, Pollock ML. Prescription of resistance training 32.

for health and disease. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1999;31:38–45.

Pollock ML, Franklin BA, Balady GJ, Chaitman BL, Fleg JL, Fletcher B, Limacher M, Pina IL, Stein RA,WilliamsM, Bazzarre 32:412–6.

T. Resistance exercise in individuals with and without cardiovas- 63. disease: A scientific advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2000;101:828–33.

Resistance Exercise in Individuals With and Without Cardiovascular Disease

Benefits, Rationale, Safety, and PrescriptionAn Advisory From the Committee on Exercise, Rehabilitation, and Prevention, Council on Clinical Cardiology, American Heart Association

Michael L. Pollock, PhD¹; Barry A. Franklin, PhD; Gary J. Balady, MD; Bernard L. Chaitman, MD; Jerome L. Fleg, MD; Barbara Fletcher, MN, RN; Marian Limacher, MD; Ileana L. Piña, MD; Richard A. Stein, MD; Mark Williams, PhD; Terry Bazzarre, PhD

Managing Time: Time (And Weight) Management

2011-08-08T09:50:00.003+10:00

Have you ever said? “I just don’t have the time.” It takes time to develop eating plans, cooking healthy meals, be physically active, housework, do your 9-5pm job and spend time with the family. “I just don’t have the time” is probably the most common excuse people give to avoid taking good care of themselves.

Your time demands represent choices and priorities you have made and continue to make daily.
No one has any more time than you do. Time management is the variable factor within all of us.

The objectives of time management are to reduce wasted time, increase time spent on enjoyable and healthy activities and ultimately improve your wellbeing.

Time management can help you answer these questions:

How do I use my time?
What are my major time commitments?
Are there interruptions, “time wasters” or procrastination?
Are there activities that could be removed from your schedule or shortened?
Is my life in balance with work, relationships, self-care and weight management?

Ideas for Managing Time:

Be responsible: First and most importantly, take responsibility for how you spend your time.
Be consistent/ realistic: Figure out your top priorities in life. Keep a small written daily log of how your time is used for one week, in 15 or 30-minute intervals. After a typical week, compare your time with your prioritised list to determine whether they are consistent. Also ask yourself the question, “ will I be doing this in 6 months time”?
Be less of a perfectionist: Perfectionists lose a lot of time by compulsively over-doing many tasks that could require much less time for an acceptable outcome.
Get organised: How much time do you lose each week due to poor organisation? Reorganising or developing a system for you at home and work could save many hours of wasted time down the road.
Make a list: At the beginning of each day, take five to ten minutes to make a list of what you want to accomplish that day. Prioritise the list by designating items that are crucial for that day versus those that could wait. To avoid procrastinating, divide them up into smaller segments that are more quickly and easily accomplished.
Use an organiser or diary: There are many portable systems available that will help you plan your day, schedule your time and prioritise “to do” lists.

Negotiate and delegate: What tasks do you currently do that someone else could handle? Are you uncomfortable asking for help?
Without making time for exercise, you get into a dangerous place where you sacrifice the very activity that keeps you healthy. Eg. For those who have limited control over the rest of their day because of work hours and after-work commitments, exercise may be best scheduled in the mornings.

Time management will help you free up wasted or over committed time. Also ensure to schedule in leisure time or non food rewards for achieving your goals.

“Enjoy your leisure time. Take time to relax, do something that gives you a chance to unwind and feel at ease.”

What is your Eating Style?

2011-08-08T09:32:00.002+10:00

Most people evaluate their eating behaviour throughout the course of a day, but how useful is this to us, could it be causing more harm than good? It is very common that people will consider themselves ‘good’ when they believe they have eaten reasonable proportions of healthy food and ‘bad’ and ‘naughty’ (or worse!) when they believe they have eaten too much unhealthy food.

Does this sound familiar? Labeling yourself as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in this manner can be unproductive. We are often our own worse critic and most of the time it is only negatively impacting on ‘yours truly’. Why not do yourself a favour and try a different approach and put your powers of self-evaluation to better use, use them more constructively and focus on the positives’ first and then consider how you can plan to eat more appropriately in future.

So, what is appropriate eating?

Appropriate eating can involve all of the following five elements:

1. PLANNING

Plan, plan and then plan some more! Those people who are successful at improving their weight (and maintaining their weight) all know that planning is one of the major keys to weight control. As long as you plan appropriately (for example, by allowing for a special food….‘treat food, highly desired food, sometimes food’, occasionally in your overall daily food plan) you can still eat a wide variety of foods.

2. SLOW DOWN when you are eating!

Another common trait is that people eat food too fast and do not take the time to maximise the potential enjoyment of food. Food that is eaten rapidly is wasted, not tasted! Try to practise a ‘mindful approach to eating’, chew slowly and really appreciate the food using a mixture of senses….smell, taste and sight. Remember to pause to savour each mouthful.

3. IS IT NUTRITIOUS?

Consume good quality foods that provide vitamins and minerals. Choose foods from the major food groups, namely fruit, vegetables & legumes, lean protein sources (lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes), dairy (milk, yoghurt, cheese) and carbohydrates (bread, cereals, rice, pasta). Choosing a variety of foods within and across the food groups is also very important.

4. PORTIONS and FREQUENCY

You can enjoy a wide variety of foods, provided you do so in moderation. When assessing whether your consumption of a food is moderate, you should look at how often you eat that food and how much of it you consume (is your portion size too much?).

5. APPROPRIATE SETTING

Eat at an appropriate time (e.g. between 6.00pm and 8.00pm for dinner) and place (e.g. the dining room or kitchen table). Avoid engaging in other activities such as watching television, talking on the phone or working on the computer so that you are not distracted from enjoying your meal.

So, what is inappropriate eating?

Inappropriate eating is just the opposite of the above!

Unplanned, spontaneous or not within your daily calorie limit
Eaten too quickly
High in calories but low in nutrients
Eaten too much or too frequently
Eaten in an inappropriate setting.

Making inappropriate eating more appropriate

Over time and with practise, before you eat any food, ask yourself, “Is this an appropriate or inappropriate choice?” If the answer is “appropriate”, that is the green light to eat the food – just make sure you eat slowly so that you enjoy it! However, if the answer is “inappropriate” or if you are not sure, you should pause for a moment and ponder your options:

Do not eat the food - a favourable outcome for obvious reasons
Eat the food - an unsatisfactory choice which could cause you to feel upset, eat more and gain weight
Take a few moments to consider how to include the food in your meal plan making a potentially win-win situation if you can find the calories. You could do this by:

Try eating a small amount of the desired food – ‘small tastes’!
Postponing consumption of the food to a meal/day when you can fit it into your calorie limit
Moderately increasing your physical activity during the day
Decreasing your food intake slightly over the next few meals (but no skipping please!)

Lets say it again – PLANNING!! You will notice that most of the characteristics of appropriate eating relate to planning. A food can be eaten inappropriately or appropriately – the difference is in the planning. It really is worth just a few minutes out of your day to take the time to plan.

Download a weekly planner to assist your healthy eating.

How To Get The Most From Vegetables

2011-07-05T09:22:00.002+10:00

Vegetables contain large amounts of vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants, which are essential nutrients for our health. They are also low in calories and high in water, which can assist with weight maintenance.

If fresh vegetables are not affordable or available, frozen or canned vegetables are also a great alternative. Whilst freezing and heating may damage some water soluble vitamins, they still can provide adequate amounts of nutrients.

The best way to cook your frozen or canned vegetables is to steam them. This will prevent further leaching of nutrients which can occur when boiling them in water.

When buying fresh produce, try to choose Australian products to support our Australian farmers. Choose seasonal or local vegetables and eat them as raw as possible - to maximise your nutrient intake!

Ways to Enjoy Canned or Frozen Vegetables

Use a combination of canned vegetables to make a quick soup, using the water from the cans
Microwave or steam frozen vegetables and add a small amount of sauce or condiments for additional flavour, such as oyster or sweet chilli sauce or garlic and ginger
Use canned tomatoes and jalapeño peppers to make salsa to top your chicken breast or lean steak
Make a salad using canned corn, kidney beans and green beans
Add some tinned mushrooms, peas and carrots to your stir fry

Dogs and Exercise

2011-07-05T09:09:00.005+10:00

Recommendations for maintaining optimal health include:

To be fit and remain healthy
Get in 30 - 60 minutes cardiovascular exercise on most days and
To engage in 2 - 3 sessions of resistance based exercise per week.

So when we become the guardian of a furry, four legged companion, we know that the same cardiovascular requirements apply for them…..So we do it; well most of us do because we know that we have to look after our pets.

However when we don’t have someone else to go for a walk with, be they human or canine, we don’t tend to exercise as religiously.

Enhance motivation from your pet:
Pets can bring a lot of joy; they are a great way for a family to bond as well assisting with our exercise routine. Dogs have so much energy and their enthusiasm to get out of the house and go walking each day is precisely why having a pet will help you stay true to your exercise routine. Getting out for a walk with your dog is a great way to get our 30 – 60 minutes in daily. Not only will you feel great after you get your exercise in for the day, but you will also keep your dog happy and calm.

Ways to benefit from your differing walking needs:

People often comment on their dog stopping and exploring can be a hinder on their walk however, this is a great opportunity to get some resistance exercise in. While the dog is doing this, do some squats or some lunges.
These days most people take the dogs to the enclosures found at parks, this does not get you off getting your steps in! Walk around the circumference of the park, do steps on park bench within the enclosures or when playing fetch, constantly move to a different corner of the enclosure.
Safety is always of concern, especially when exercising when it is dark. Having a dog by your side is a great way to keep safe, especially when the days are shorter.
It's social! You will find that when you are walking your dog around your neighborhood, you will come across other people also walking their dogs, especially in the dog parks. This is a great way to meet new people and find exercise buddies to do laps with while the dogs are running around.
Get it done in the morning where possible. This will benefit both you and your pooch. You are much more likely to find an excuse by the end of the day when night is fast approaching or you are tired from a day's work and hunger pains are setting in. Your dog will benefit and be a lot calmer throughout the day as they will have expelled energy walking with you instead of digging up the lawn while you are at work!

In addition to the exercise benefits that both you and your dog receive from your regular walks, you are also having quality bonding time with ‘man's best friend.’

Obesity in Our Youth

2011-06-08T12:56:00.004+10:00

These days, it seems we’re constantly being bombarded with the message that Australians are bigger than ever before. It was big news when we over took the Americans to take the crown as the most overweight country in the world and now more than ever the health benefits of weight loss are being touted in the media.

Some may think that our obesity crisis is a normal result of our aging population (after all we all put on a little ‘pudge’ as we age – don’t we?) However, recent reports published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that obesity is not only rampant in the older generations, but it’s increasing rapidly in those who are in their prime.

According to the report on the recent National Health Survey conducted by the ABS, 21% of Australian women aged between 18 and 24 years are overweight while a further 15% are classed as obese. In young men aged between 18 and 24 years, there is a similar story with 28% classed as overweight and 12% classed as obese.

These results show the need for urgent action from our young people if we, as a nation, stand any chance of reducing the incidence of obesity and the co-morbidities that go with it. And while the negative impact of obesity on health is clear, big improvements to health can be gained by small to modest losses in weight (5-10% of initial weight).

With modest changes to lifestyle, our young people are able to regain their health, vitality and make a big difference to the health of the country. If you’re craving the opportunity to make a real difference in the world, here’s your chance. Not only will you be contributing to a healthier society, but you’ll be reaping the benefits on a personal level as well. This is an issue well worth some time and attention in the day to day life of every young Australian.

Before attempting to lose weight by changing your diet or tackling an exercise program, remember to consult an Accredited Practicing Dietitian. Their expert advice will help to ensure you’re on the right track.

References

References from WWMC June Broadcast

2011-06-08T12:55:00.000+10:00

Obesity in Youth

National Health Survey: Summary of Results, 2007-2008 (Reissue), ABS
Thomas TR, LaFontaine TP. Exercise, nutritional strategies, and lipoproteins. In Roitman JL, senior editor. Resource manual for the guidelines for exercise testing and exercise prescription. 4th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins, 2001

Foods That Boost Immunity

Bendich A. Carotenoids and the immune response. J Nutr 1989;119:112-15.
Watson RR, Prabhala RH, Plezia PM, Alberts DS. Effect of beta-carotene on lymphocyte subpopulations in elderly humans: evidence for a dose-response relationship. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:90-4.
Chandra RK. Nutrition and the immune system from birth to old age. Eur J Clin Nutr 2002;56:S73-6.
Dardenne M. Zinc and immune function. Eur J Clin Nutr 2002;56:S20-3.
Bogden JD, Oleske JM, Lavenhar MA, et al. Effects of one year of supplementation with zinc and other micronutrients on cellular immunity in the elderly. J Am Coll Nutr 1990;9:214-25.
Hawley HP, Gordon GB. The effects of long chain free fatty acids on human neutrophil function and structure. Lab Invest 1976;34:216-22.
Barone J, Hebert JR, Reddy MM. Dietary fat and natural-killer-cell activity. Am J Clin Nutr 1989;50:861-67.
Nordenstrom J, Jarstrand C, Wiernik A. Decreased chemotactic and random migration of leukocytes during intralipid infusion. Am J Clin Nutr 1979;32:2416-22.

Hunger Level Scale – Is It Hunger or Habit?

2011-06-08T12:44:00.002+10:00

It is important that you learn to distinguish between physical hunger and the psychological inclination to eat. Physical hunger is generally accompanied by symptoms such as abdominal pain or discomfort, dizziness, light headedness, headaches or a feeling of emptiness in your stomach. Your body needs nutrition every 3-4 hours, hence some of these symptoms should occur 3-4 hours after your last meal. Physical hunger is a useful and appropriate eating cue.

Psychological inclination to eat is when you are influenced to eat or drink in the absence of physical hunger. It can stem from cues such as social situations, your surrounding environment or from within you. An example of psychological inclination to eat is craving chocolate because you were given a box and you know that it is in the pantry. Your body does not actually need the specific nutrients in chocolate – it cannot tell you what type of nutrition it needs; it can only exhibit general physical symptoms when it needs nutrients. This craving is purely psychological.

It is important that you learn to distinguish between physical hunger and the psychological inclination to eat. The following scale can help you determine your level of physiological hunger, start and stop eating at an appropriate time and differentiate between physiological hunger and psychological inclination to eat:

Using the Scale
The best way to use the scale is to follow three steps:

Before eating, rate your level of hunger using the scale
Five minutes after you have started eating, rate your level of hunger again
Rate your hunger when you have finished eating.

Try using this scale the next time you eat a meal. People who are successful at weight loss generally wait until they are at a rating of 2 or 3 before they eat, and then they only eat to a rating of 6.

Foods that Boost Immunity

2011-06-08T12:26:00.003+10:00

With winter now upon us, it’s important to be prepared for the onslaught of colds and coughs that can go around. And what better way to be prepared than to strengthen the body’s natural defence system. Improving your immunity is as easy as eating a wide range of nutritious foods, however, as outlined below some nutrients in particular will give your defences that extra boost!

While the temptation may be to use supplements rather than make good food choices, research has shown that supplements are not necessarily as safe or effective as food-derived nutrients.

Beta-Carotene
Is an important antioxidant and will increase immune function. The best sources are carrots, sweet potato and green, leafy vegetables. So start including some in your diet now, before the winter bugs attack! Research studies have shown that the amount of beta-carotene in two large carrots consumed daily has a measurable immune boosting effect.

Vitamin C
Vegetables and fruits are the preferred sources, with broccoli, strawberries, oranges, and orange juice containing high amounts. There appear to be no adverse effects from these higher doses of vitamin C, so eat up on these nutritious immunity boosters!

Vitamin E
Researchers have found that individuals eating vitamin E-rich foods (avocado, asparagus, olive, sunflower, safflower oils and apples) tend to have improved immunity. However, increasing vitamin E intake to high levels through supplements can impair immune function. So stick with food sources.

Zinc
The mineral zinc has “cold-fighting abilities” and the best sources include wheat germ, tahini, chickpeas and most breakfast cereals.

Foods that interfere with Immunity
Just as the right foods and nutrients can boost your immune function, other nutrients may have a negative affect when if comes to immunity. Fatty foods, in particular, impair your immune cells’ ability to work with research showing that animal fats in particular can have an immunity lowering affect. So it’s best to avoid the deep fried take out food and cut all visible fat off meat.

So remember to eat well and you’ll stay well this winter season. And remember to consult an Accredited Practicing Dietitian before attempting any dietary or lifestyle change. Their expert advice will help ensure you’re on the right track to good health over winter.

References

Exercise Your Way Through Winter

2011-06-08T12:15:00.003+10:00

As we start to feel that cool crisp change in the air and with the morning and evening drawing closer together, motivation levels and regular exercise compliance can start to dwindle. Keeping enthusiasm, motivation and exercise levels high for the next few months can be easy with plenty of options to stay out of the cold and be safe with less sunlight and shorter days. There are many benefits of regular exercise, in addition to weight loss and management; it will help keep you fighting fit and healthy with a stronger immune system, therefore limiting the amount of coughs and colds that you may pick up during this time of the year. Below are four strategies to help maintain your levels of exercise over the next few months.

DVD, Wifit and I-Phone applications
With the developments in technology, there are no more excuses!! These devices are a great alternative in the cooler months as they can increase your heart-rate and can provide an overall body workout while in the comfort of your own home. On your I-Phone there are options ranging from yoga and running to resistance training and many more depending on your interests. So start searching on that I-Phone today!!

Walk in pairs
If you love your morning or evening walks but feel it is becoming harder to maintain due to the shorter days, why not walk with a friend, partner or family member to feel more secure and help with that commitment to exercise regularly? By having a partner, you have made a commitment to each other to stay motivated. This is also a great time to join a group/activity that you can do inside. Whether it be signing up to dance classes, joining up to a gym for three months or finding a community group that you can join, will help maintain your spirit throughout these colder months.

Make the most of exercise on the weekends
As weekdays become harder to exercise around work hours and less sunlight, make the most of your time on the weekends. Exercising on the weekends allows you to do this as a family and with friends, i.e. go for walk/ride all together, go to the park and play a game such as soccer. Also due to not being committed to racing off to work, you can walk, run or cycle later in the morning. In the winter months there are a lot of community and organized fun runs/walks on weekends that you can participate in which helps you stay fit and motivated.

Manage your time
With light restrictions, instead of making the annual excuse, you might just need a little readjusting in your exercise routine. Walking or riding to and from work is a great way to manage your time and exercise. This is a great alternative as it is not as hot and it can be done before you start your working day. If your work is too far to walk/ride, an alternative is to park 20 minutes away, meaning you have scheduled a 40 minute return trip into your daily routine. Make use of your lunch break. Rather than using the hour to sit at the computer, make use of this time by packing your exercise gear and take 20 minutes to go for a walk. Incidental exercise can also be a great way to get your steps up! Instead of couriering documents to another office or going to the closest coffee shop, go for a walk and get steps up.

Incorporating exercise into your daily routine is always possible. Just because the days are getting colder and shorter, does not mean there are no options for exercise. With all the technology available and the use of improvisation along with good use of your time, it is easy to get exercise in all year round.

Fibre – Fuelling a Functional, Healthier Body

2011-05-06T09:58:00.002+10:00

Dietary fibre is the indigestible part of cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables. It passes relatively unchanged through your stomach and intestines, keeping your digestive system healthy.

There are three main types of fibre:

Water insoluble fibre
Found in fruits, vegetables and wholegrain breads and cereals; this type of fibre adds bulk to your stools. Bulk allows your bowel to push stools through your intestinal tract more easily; reducing constipation and associated problems such as haemorrhoids.

Water soluble fibre
Found in oats, barley, legumes and fruits; this type of fibre slows the emptying of food from the stomach, thereby decreasing hunger. It also helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels (in conjunction with a low fat diet) by inhibiting the production of LDL (bad) cholesterol in your liver.

Resistant starch
Resistant starch can deliver some of the benefits of insoluble and soluble fibre above. It resists digestion and passes through to the large intestine where it acts in a similar manner to dietary fibre. Natural resistant starch is insoluble, fermented in the large intestine and a prebiotic fibre (prebiotic fibres boost beneficial probiotic bacteria in the gut and can decrease the effects of other types of fibre such as gas and bloating). Other types of resistant starch may be soluble or insoluble, and may or may not have prebiotic properties. Sources include cooked navy beans, uncooked banana, cold cooked potato, lentils, cold cooked pasta, pearl barley, cereal and wholegrain bread.

Fibre and Your Diet – so how much should I be having?

For adults, the recommended daily intake of fibre is 30–35 grams; significantly more than the current average intake of 15–20 grams per day. (Please note that children and adolescents’ recommended daily fibre intake is lower than adults’ recommended daily fibre intake). Disorders that can arise from a low fibre diet include constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Diverticulitis, heart disease and some cancers.

Fibre needs to absorb fluid in your bowel; so if you are consuming the recommended 30 grams of fibre each day, you should drink 2–3 litres of non caffeinated fluids per day. If your fibre intake is greater than 30 grams, your fluid intake will probably need to be greater as well. Without enough water, your stools may be solid and difficult to pass.

If you are currently consuming less than 30-35 grams of fibre each day, we recommend that you increase your fibre intake gradually over the next two weeks. (If you increase your intake too quickly, you are likely to experience abdominal discomfort, bloating and wind as your bowel will not be accustomed to that amount of fibre.) Use the table below (or alternatively your Calorie and Fat Counter) to determine your fibre intake. If necessary, select foods that increase you fibre intake.

* Note that meat, dairy products, eggs, fats and sugars do not contain any dietary fibre.

Who should increase their fibre intake?

Everyone! While everyone should be ensuring adequate quantities of fibre, it is even more important for the elderly as their digestive system tends to slow with age. Fibre is also very important and helpful for diabetics as it slows the glucose absorption from the small intestine into the blood and therefore stabilising blood sugar levels.

Since high fibre foods are typically low in fat, they help to slow the emptying of the stomach and blood sugar levels tend to remain lower. Due to an increase in satiety, a high fibre diet can help people with weight loss, as overall quantity and associated calories tend to be lower.

Top tips for increasing your fibre intake

Below are some simple tips to help with keeping your fibre intake above 30 grams per day:

Leave skins on fruit and vegetables wherever possible (e.g. potatoes, carrots, cucumber and apples)
Choose wholemeal or wholegrain breads, rices and pastas
Choose high fibre breakfast cereals
Choose fresh fruit instead of juice (dried fruit and canned fruit also have more fibre than juice)
Use unprocessed bran, wholemeal flour and wholemeal bread crumbs in cooking whenever possible (e.g. in scones, biscuits and schnitzels)
For snacks, choose high fibre foods (e.g. high fibre cracker biscuits or fruit)
Add high fibre vegetables to salads (e.g. corn kernels or sweet potato)
Add legumes to soups, casseroles, salads, pasta sauces and dips.

This last tip is important. Legumes are known as ‘nature’s super food’ as they provide fibre, protein and low GI carbohydrate. They are also low in fat and energy. However, very few Australians eat legumes on a regular basis. Legumes include dried peas and beans such as lentils, kidney beans, butter beans, split peas and baked beans. They are a versatile food and can be added to salads, casseroles or stews, curries, pasta sauces, stir fries, rissoles or patties, soups and dips.

Legumes can be purchased dried in packets or pre cooked in cans; however the most economical way to purchase legumes is in packets. Dried legumes need to be soaked for 4-24 hours before cooking. After soaking, the water should be discarded and the legumes should be rinsed to remove the ‘flatus factors’ (wind producing substances). Canned legumes have already gone through this process, but it is still advisable to rinse them well before use.

Is Leaving Food on Your Plate Such a Waste?

2011-05-06T09:18:00.015+10:00

When we try to change our eating and exercise behaviours, it is useful to reflect on your personal history and see how it may have shaped your life: your childhood can have a very big impact on current behaviours!

One such area in your personal history is reflecting back on family meal patterns. You may recall that your parents may have conditioned you to believe that wasting food was sinful, either because food was expensive or because there were other people in the world who were starving. This is particularly true for people who grew up during the depression or war years, or even for people whose parents grew up during that time. It is likely that you were not allowed to leave the table unless you “cleaned your plate”: that is, finished every mouthful.

If you can relate to the statements above, trying to ‘practise the habit’ of leaving food on our plate, may help to undo the conditioning to associate leftover food with guilt. To help begin the reconditioning process, you may like to think of it this way: excess food in your stomach is wasted food, just as it is wasted in the rubbish bin. In fact excess food in your stomach is even more of a waste than excess food in the bin, because when it is in your stomach it may lead to weight gain and poor health. Or consider that when you eat the leftover food so as not to waste it, you are in fact treating yourself like a rubbish bin!

Leaving food on your plate is a great habit in situations where you are not in control of your serve size. By practising leaving food on your plate, you will be more likely to leave portions of higher fat foods at occasions such as parties or dining out, and to restrict your intake of highly desired foods to portions you can enjoy in a nutritionally sensible way.

7 steps to help introduce this new behaviour

Many people can find it challenging to leave food on their plate at first, so we have listed seven steps to help you introduce the behaviour gradually:

Start with a food that is not a favourite. At dinner time, cook slightly more of this food so you can leave a few mouthfuls of it on your plate
Aim to leave one mouthful on the plate at first. While this may be nutritionally negligible it can be psychologically important: you teach yourself that you can begin to leave food on your plate. You can leave more food on your plate later
When you serve the food, place the extra mouthfuls to one side. If you are eating with other people, let them know what you intend to do so they can be supportive and remind you of your goal
When the only food remaining on your plate is what you intended to leave, scrape it into the bin immediately
Try placing your serviette on top of your remaining food to indicate that you have finished eating and to reduce your likelihood of starting again
Organise an activity to keep you occupied after dinner (e.g. going for a walk or calling a friend) to help you forget about the food you left behind
As you become more confident, you can gradually apply these steps to foods that you find more tempting.

Note that you do not have to leave food on your plate at the end of every meal: it only applies to situations where the portions that you are given are greater than your usual serves. It is better to avoid the issue altogether by serving yourself an appropriate portion size to begin with.

So, portion control can go a long way to help you keep your food intake within reasonable quantities. A quick refresh on healthy proportions of the major food groups are illustrated diagrammatically below:

Another very simple way to work out your serve sizes is to take a look at your hands!! A portion of meat and meat alternatives should be the size and thickness of your palm, a portion of breads, cereals and starchy vegetables should be the size and thickness of your fist and a portion of vegetables should be able to sit in your outstretched hands:

Exercise and Weight Loss – Getting the Balance Right

2011-03-07T16:23:00.023+10:00

When it comes to exercise, it’s often difficult to know where to start. There are many different approaches from ‘do it yourself’ gym memberships, group exercise, personal trainers. The Biggest Loser television program provides an extreme view of exercise and weight loss. Don’t forget contestants are recommended to consume only 1200 calories per day compared to their pre-program intake of 5,000 plus calories per day reminding us that calorie control is the first step in any weight loss journey. Calorie control comes from the quality and quantity of food we consume.

The Goal

There is no right or wrong answer but you need to find a routine that is going to complement your goals. Are you trying to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight or just improve your fitness? Also it needs to be practical for your lifestyle and still allows time for adequate rest. With weight loss, the primary goal of exercise is calorie expenditure from burning fat as the preferred fuel for our muscles. But if your exercise intensity is too high, then your body switches to burning stored sugars for fuel and tiredness and hunger can set in. Going too hard, too early can also lead to soreness and injury and a feeling of it’s not going to work. So working out with a personal trainer can be great for working up a sweat but not so great for weight loss.

Frequency and Consistency

With any form of exercise frequency and consistency are the key. Establishing some form of physical activity that is a regular part of your routine, 4-6 days per week, is ideal. Choosing the right exercise is simple, walking, gym classes, swimming, riding and even the Wii fit are all good options, as long as you are getting your heart rate up for an extended period, preferably 30 mins or more. Increasing your heart rate to the right intensity means you will burn fat as the preferred fuel source, the longer you do it the more you burn.

Enjoyment

When the alarm goes at 5:30am getting out of bed for something we enjoy makes it a lot easier. So think about an activity you will still enjoy on the days when you are lacking motivation or tired? We recommend walking as the best option because walking means putting on some decent shoes and heading out the door for half an hour. It also is the most efficient way to mainly burn fat during exercise. Other exercises like cycling or swimming are also great for elevating your heart rate and what is even better is varying your routine between all three to really add some spice to your routine. Activities you can do with other people give you that motivation not to miss a session.

Burning Fat = Losing Weight

During exercise fats and carbohydrates are metabolized for energy. As exercise intensity increases the fuel mix needed changes from predominantly fat to stored sugars. Our body stores sugars in the liver and muscles but only enough for several hours of intense exercise so when these stores are used they will need to be replenished through diet. That is what marathon runners do during a race. Burning fat stores is what we want to achieve when losing or maintaining weight is our goal. This occurs at lower exercise intensities. Each kg of fat stored has enough stored energy to power us for 25 hours of walking or150 kilometres at a brisk walking speed.

How Hard
Intensity (or heart rate achieved) of exercise is a critical aspect when it comes to weight loss and weight management. Intensity can be broken into ranges from light through to vigorous which is determined by the energy demands placed on the body. As exercise intensity increases so do the body’s responses, including higher respiratory rates, increased blood flow to the large muscle groups and the greater need for nutrients and fuel.

Heart Rate for Burning Fat as the Preferred Fuel Source
Heart rate and age are often used to estimate a target heart rate range for fat burning
Minimum target heart rate = (220 – age) x 65%

Maximum target heart rate = (220 – age) x 75%

For example, a 40 year old person’s minimum target heart rate is calculated as:

(220 – 40) x 0.65 = 180 x 0.65 = 117 beats per minute

Their maximum target heart rate is calculated as:

(220 – 40) x 0.75 = 180 x 0.75 = 135 beats per minute

So in this example keeping our heart rate between 117 and 135 beats per minute will keep us burning fat as our primary fuel source.

Tips

Heart Rate Monitors (HRMs) are an accurate way of recording your exercise intensity. Another rule of thumb is to make sure you can still hold a conversation while exercising. If your breathing rate is so high that you can’t talk, then you are probably burning sugars and not fat.

Routine
Completing your exercise sessions at the same time each day can be very helpful and enable you to stick to routine more effectively as well as eliminating any exercise-related motivational issues you may have. Initially, you may find that your exercise intensity is the component you find the most difficult to keep up, however this will ease over time as your body adapts to the routine and becomes fitter.

GI Find It Hard to Concentrate Lately

2011-03-07T15:58:00.005+10:00

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking given to a carbohydrate food on a scale of 0 to 100 to represent how quickly it is broken down to its simplest form, sugar, and absorbed into your blood stream.

The longer it takes for the body to break down the carbohydrate, the slower the sugar is released into the blood stream, and the longer your energy levels can be sustained.

Foods that are high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed into the blood stream and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health.

Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They also have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger.

The glycemic effect of foods depends on a number of factors:

The type of starch, physical entrapment of the starch molecules within the food
Fat and protein content of the food and organic acids or their salts in the meal.
Presence of fat or soluble dietary fibre can slow the gastric emptying rate, thus lowering the GI.

Large amounts of fat in foods tends to slow the rate of stomach emptying and therefore the rate at which foods are digested. The GI value of potato chips or french fries for example is lower than that of baked potatoes, yet the saturated fat in these foods will contribute to a much increased risk of heart disease. So it is therefore important to look at the type of fat in foods as well as GI values.

The glycemic index is important for weight maintenance due to the impact is has on your hunger levels through blood sugar control. As low GI foods maintain low blood sugar levels, you can easily control your hunger levels.

Low GI carbohydrate foods are often more nutritious as they can be higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals.

How to Shop for Healthy Snacks

2011-01-06T13:58:00.005+10:00

A recent study on Australian children has found that children and adolescents consume more energy from low nutrient, calorie-dense foods than any other age-group, with the average child receiving 3 unhealthy snacks in their lunch box each day.

Nutrition experts recommend that parents should pack just one packaged snack each day in their lunch box. It is also recommended that this snack is either a wholegrain snack (such as a muesli bar) or dairy-based (such as yoghurt) or a fruit based snack.

Tips for best packed snacks:

Energy: Choose a snack with 600kJ or less
Sugar: Some sugars occur naturally in foods such as milk or fruit. To check for any ‘added’ sugar, check the ingredients list. If sugar is one of the first two ingredients listed, it is likely to be high in sugar
Fat: It is more important to look for the TYPE of fat. Look for snacks that have less than 2g of saturated fat per serve
Sodium (Salt): Check the nutrition label for less than 100mg of salt per serve.

Healthy Snack Ideas (Meets at least 3 of the above criteria)

The following snacks are available at most supermarkets and are suitable for children and adults.

Wholegrain snacks

Carman’s muesli bar ‘bites’ or ‘rounds’ (346kJ)
Uncle Tobys muesli bars (average 560kJ)
Ski D’lite apple and pear bars (363kJ)
Nestle milo cereal bar (334kJ)
Real McCoy air popped corn (439kJ)
A row of rice crackers (415kJ)
Small tin of baked beans – no added salt (460kJ)
Wholegrain crackers or vegetable sticks with salsa, hummus, low fat tzatziki or natural yoghurt

Dairy based snacks

100g tub of Vaalia (French Vanilla 425kJ) or Ski D’lite yoghurt (Vanilla crème 379kJ)
Pauls The Wiggles Yoghurt with Real Fruit Strawberry (369kJ)
Yoplait Go-Gurt Yoghurt Tubes Strawberry (307kJ)
Aunty Betty’s creamed rice (417kJ)
Reduced fat cheese sticks or cubes

Fruit based snacks

Whole fresh fruit (250-350kJ)
Coles Farmland or Goulburn Valley or Sweet Valley Two Fruits in Juice (330kJ)
Golden Circle or SPC Fruit Salad (335kJ)
Golden circle Splurtz Apple and Strawberry Fruit Puree (283kJ)
SPC fruit snacks two fruits in strawberry jelly (376kJ)

School's Back! Lunch Box Ideas

2011-01-05T13:50:00.003+10:00

Children need to eat a variety of foods everyday to stay healthy and help them concentrate and learn at school. However, packing a lunch box and trying to keep it delicious, healthy and interesting can be quite a task for many of us - but it doesn’t have to be if you follow a few simple steps:

A lunch box should always include:

Fruit (fresh is best, but tinned and dried are also suitable)
Vegetables or salad ingredients
A meat or protein food such as lean meat, hardboiled egg, fish or nuts
Dairy foods such as a cheese slice or stick, milk or yoghurt
Starchy food such as high fibre bread rolls, pita or flat bread, fruit bread or grain crackers
Water (frozen water can be used as a freezer brick to keep foods cold)

Suggestions for lunch box meals and snacks include:

Cold pasta spirals mixed with salad vegetables and lean meat e.g. ham, pastrami
Rice with vegetables mixed in it with lean meat e.g. ham, pastrami
Mini pizza with cheese and pineapple
Avocado and lemon with salad on a wholemeal wrap
Bagel with vegemite and low fat cheese
Corn or rice cakes with peanut butter
Grainy crackers with slices of cheese
Plain popcorn as a snack
Yoghurt, low fat milk or low fat custard (freeze overnight to ensure it stays cool)
Small packets of dried fruit and nuts as snacks
Include extra celery and carrot sticks
Fruit

Foods should be simple and easy to prepare, ready to eat and appetising after several hours in the lunch box. Keeping food stored in an insulated lunch box or one with a freezer pack will keep food fresher for longer - particularly important for those hot summer days.

As well as keeping lunch simple, try to encourage children to help choose and prepare their own lunch. Praise children when they choose healthy foods for their lunch box. They may even want to have a Masterchef lunch box competition between siblings for some fun and variety.

Most importantly - don’t forget your own lunch! Set a good example as children learn from their parents more than you may think therefore prepare your lunch and snacks while the children are doing theirs. Make it a healthy family approach for all to benefit from.

Healthy & Happy New Year

2011-01-05T13:48:00.005+10:00

Christmas is over...

...So where to from here?

Research from the United States has found that the average end of year holiday weight gain is 0.5kgs and this weight increase is not reversed over the following year. Regardless of whether your festive season went to plan or could have been better, the silly season for 2010 has passed and we are faced with a new year ahead.

The New Year presents a good opportunity to re-evaluate where we are at with our health plans to set those New Year’s Resolutions. Ask yourself - what would I like to achieve in 2011? Remember, a few parties don’t make you overweight; it’s what you do the other 350 odd days of the year that matters.

Here are a couple of recommendations for getting started:

Make sure you have a healthy environment around you - This means throw away any of those Christmas leftovers – weight loss is hard enough without having fruit mince pies, rum balls, peanuts and boxes of chocolates laying in the house. If possible, give these away to guests, neighbours or even colleagues at work.
Set goals for what you want to achieve in 2011 - what are the greatest advantages with being healthier in 2011? It could be more energy, feeling better, looking better or improved health. Think of your resolutions as new goals for the year. Set short term goals to accompany your longer term goals.

A good way to approach this is to include goals that encompass a variety of aspects of your life:

External goals e.g. Eating habits, food choices, exercise, shopping, reading food labels, health outcomes, etc.
Internal goals e.g. Managing comfort eating, stress management, self-esteem, negative thought patterns, assertiveness, etc.

Write down your goals and put them somewhere noticeable (eg. office, study, fridge, back of toilet door, etc) so that you are continuously aware of your target.

Guidelines for setting goals include:

Keep it real - Make your plans realistic and achievable. Consider your lifestyle and how reasonable your resolutions are. This may also involve starting small, for example, if you are doing less physical activity, maybe set a goal to increase this by one extra session per week and build on it weekly.
Be specific – Set specific goals so that you know exactly what you are aiming to achieve and so you are able to measure your progress. For example, if you want to drink alcohol, how many standard drinks will you have?
Plan – Think ahead and be prepared. This definitely applies to food and exercise – know what events or activities are coming up and re-arrange your original plan accordingly. This could be returning to work or ensuring the kids are all prepared for school.
Anticipate setbacks - Let’s say the Christmas / New Year break didn’t go exactly to plan. Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world! We have a new year ahead of us remember! The important thing is to remain focused. Return to your normal routine with meals and exercise as quickly as possible and keep in mind that one meal or one day is not going to make a significant difference in the overall scheme of things.
Dealing with setbacks is part of the behaviour change process. Don't get downhearted if you experience them; see them as an opportunity to learn about yourself instead. Avoid 'all or nothing' thinking and learn to accept your mistakes and then move on. Does a musician cease playing when an incorrect note is played? Does a tennis player pack up after they serve a fault? They learn from the mistake and grow in experience so that they improve for next time.
Reward yourself - Develop a system of non-food related rewards for behaviours that support your goals. Don't wait until the very end - set milestones and reward yourself as you go. For example, get a massage, buy a new CD or book.

Overall remember your goals and resolutions are an ongoing process, not an overnight transformation.

We hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and Happy New Year, from the staff at WWMC!

References

Stay Cool This Summer – How to Avoid Heat Illness

2011-01-05T13:44:00.007+10:00

Despite what has been an unseasonably mild summer to date, the hotter days are becoming more frequent and it is important to be aware of the dangers of exercising during this time of year. Summer climates increase the risk of developing heat illnesses such as heat stroke when exercising, resulting in many debilitating health complications such as:

Feelings of tiredness, weakness, dizziness and faintness
Dehydration and headaches
Excessive fatigue
Heat cramps

So what can you do to help yourself avoid these possible side effects?

Pre-exercise

Hydrate effectively – Daily water requirements during summer increase to a minimum of 4L per day
Drink 2-3 cups of water 2 hours before and 1 cup 10-15min before undertaking exercise
Avoid hot foods, alcohol and heavy foods that increase your core temperature
Choose lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing as well as wearing a hat
Use sun block with an SPF rating of 15+ or higher

During exercise

Avoid exercise during the hottest time of day; train closer to sunrise or sunset
Drink 1 cup of water every 15minutes throughout exercise
If you feel any headaches, fatigue or irritability or notice your exercise performance decreasing, stop exercising and cool off

Post-exercise

Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace any lost fluids accordingly
Drink 1.5L of water for every kilogram of fluid you lost during exercise
Try to avoid too much sports drink, however for intense exercise above 60min, these may help to further accelerate water intake after exercise in the heat

Remember: Planning ahead for exercise in the heat will assist you in avoiding the health complications associated with heat illness this summer.

References

WWMC January 2011 e-Newsletter References

2011-01-05T13:41:00.000+10:00

Healthy & Happy New Year

Yanovski, J.A. (2000), A prospective study of holiday weight gain, NEJM, vol. 342: pp.861-7.

Stay Cool This Summer – How to Avoid Heat Illness

Quinn, E. 2009, Hot Weather Exercise Safety: Tips for preventing heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash and dehydration’,http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/enviromentalissues/a/Exercise_Heat.htm
Sawka, M.N., Burke, L.M., Eichner, R., Maughan, R.J., Montain, S.J., Stachenfeld, N.S. 2007, Exercise and Fluid Replacement, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 377-90.
Sawka, M.N., Montain, S.J. 2000, Fluid and electrolyte supplementation for exercise heat stress, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 72, no. 2, pp. 5645.

Fast Food = Fast Weight Gain

2010-12-08T14:43:00.007+10:00

Most of the fast food companies operating in Australia are aware of society’s increased interest in nutrition over the past decade, and therefore provide Nutrition Information Panels on their products for consumers. Other chains have printed information or forms that you can request. Having these Nutrition Information Panels on their packaging can appeal to the health conscious individual, but what do these numbers really mean? Ask yourself; if you have read one of these labels before, have you been able to interpret the impact on your nutritional needs?

An average Australian male requires 2000 - 2200 calories per day, to maintain a healthy weight. The average McDonald’s takeaway meal provides approximately 1200 calories (60% of an average male’s energy requirement). For an overweight female trying to lose 0.5kg per week, these 1200 calories are equivalent to her daily suggested calorie intake.

The table below outlines the number of calories that are contained within four typical fast food meals compared with the calorie count of four comparable home made meals.

As a guide, no more than approximately a third of your fat intake should be coming from saturated fat (6). For an average male, this equates to approximately 20 - 25g of saturated fat per day. For a female, following a 1200 calorie meal plan, this is approximately 12g saturated fat per day – with each of the below takeaway meals providing significantly greater amounts.

The table below highlights the saturated fat content contained within the same four fast food meals compared with the home made variations.

Not only are takeaway foods calorie and fat dense, they also distort our concept of meal portions from an early age. Promoting larger meals at cheaper prices, it encourages people to consume far beyond our nutritional limits.

References

Calculated per ‘McDonalds: Nutrition - Know Your Food’ available at http://mcdonalds.com.au/our-food/nutrition
Calculated per ‘Calorie Count’ available at http://caloriecount.about.com/
Calculated per ‘KFC Nutrition Information’ available at http://www.kfc.com.au/nutrition/index.aspx
Calculated per ‘Hungry Jacks Menu available at http://www.hungryjacks.com.au/menu.php
Calculated per ‘Subway’ Nutrition Information available at http://www.subway.com.au/info/our_menu/nutritional_information/
The Heart Foundation. Where to find Healthier Fats. 15th October 2011 available at http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/sites/HealthyEating/understandingfatsandcholesterol/Pages/Wheretofindhealthierfats.aspx

Reference Page

2010-10-12T10:03:00.002+10:00

Alcohol Update

Phillips, P. Carapetis, M. Stanton, C. 2008, ‘Alcohol and diabetes’, Medicine Today Journal, vol. 9, no. 4, pp.73-75.
Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), 2009, Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from alcohol consumption [Online] Available at http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/ds10-alcohol.pdf

Small Loss in Weight, Big Difference to Health

Thomas, T.R. LaFontaine, T.P. 2001, ‘Exercise, nutritional strategies, and lipoproteins’, Resource manual for the guidelines for exercise testing and exercise prescription. 4th edition, Lippincott, Williams, & Amp; Wilkins, Baltimore.
Andersen, R.E. Wadden, T.A. Bartlett, S.J. Vogt, R.A. Weinstock, R.S. 2005, ‘Relation of weight loss to changes in serum lipids and lipoproteins in obese women’, Am J Clin Nutr, vol. 62, pp.350-7.
He,J. Whelton, P.K. Appel, L.J. Charleston, J. Klag, M.J. 2000, ‘Long-term effects of weight loss and dietary sodium reduction on incidence of hypertension’, Hypertension, vol. 35, pp.544-9.
Uusitupa, M.I. 1996, ‘Early lifestyle intervention in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance’. Ann Med, vol. 28, pp.445-449.
Felson, D.T. Zhang, Y. Anthony, J.M. Naimark, A. Anderson, J.J. 2002, ‘Weight loss reduces the risk for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis in women’, Ann Intern Med, vol. 116, pp.535-9.
Williamson, D.F. Pamuk, E. Thun, M. Flanders, D. Byers, T. Heath, C. 1995, ‘Prospective study of intentional weight loss and mortality in never-smoking overweight US white women aged 40-64 years’, [published erratum appears in Am J Epidemiol vol. 142, pp. 369]. Am J Epidemiol 1995, vol. 141, pp.1128-41.
Blackburn, G. 1995, ‘Effect of degree of weight loss on health benefits’, Obes Res, 3 Suppl 2:S211-6.
Tuomilehto, J. Lindstrom, J. Eriksson, J.G. Valle, T.T. Hamalainen, H. Ilanne-Parikka, P. 2001, ‘Prevention of Type 2 diabetes mellitus by changes in lifestyle among subjects with impaired glucose tolerance’, N Engl J Med vol. 344, pp. 1343-50.
Zimmet, P. 2002, ‘Diabetes Mellitus - One of Australia's top six health priorities’, Health Insite [Online] Available at http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/expert/Diabetes_Mellitus___One_of_Australia_s_top_six_health_priorities

Antioxidants and Energy Production

'Better Health Channel and Deakin University’ (2010), [Online] Available at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au.
Valko, M., Leibfritz, D., Moncola, J. and Cronin, M., Milan-Mazura, M., and Telser, J. (2007). ‘Free radicals and antioxidants in normal physiological functions and human disease’, International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, vol. 39, pp 44–84.

Alcohol Update

2010-10-04T16:02:00.057+10:00

The latest Australian guidelines to alcohol consumption are based on ‘standard drinks’. Standard drinks are a simple and effective way of keeping track of how much alcohol you’re consuming. The safe alcohol consumption guidelines are:

For men and women, a maximum of two standard drinks a day
Drink no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion

If you want to lose weight however, or if your triglyceride levels are high, you have poor glucose control or high blood pressure; try to drink alcohol on special occasions only. When alcohol is consumed, our bodies use this nutrient firstly as the fuel source, causing other nutrients (fat, carbohydrates and protein) to be stored.

A standard drink is any drink containing 10 grams of pure alcohol. Different alcoholic drinks contain different numbers of standard drinks as demonstrated in the figure below:

Alcohol and health

Weight gain Alcoholic drinks are usually high in energy (1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories) contain few vitamins or minerals and can contribute to weight gain
Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels) Alcohol in large amounts, and particularly when consumed on an empty stomach, stops the liver from releasing glucose. This may cause hypoglycemia, therefore it is important that when you are drinking, to drink with a carbohydrate-based meal or snack, such as bread or fruit
Raised triglyceride levels Alcohol can increase the levels of triglycerides (a type of ‘bad’ fat) in your blood. High triglyceride levels increase your risk of heart disease. When you have raised triglyceride levels, you’re good (HDL) cholesterol is often too low, which is unhealthy
Impaired judgment Impaired judgment can lead to less recognition; therefore you are less likely to make healthy food choices
Others Other affects of alcohol include toxic effects on your organs, and hypertension

Are there any benefits from drinking alcohol?

Some research has suggested that there may be a cardiovascular benefit from drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, particularly red wine. If you do not already drink alcohol, it is not recommended that you start for this reason.

Tips for sensible drinking

Use plain soda, mineral water or low joule tonic water as mixer
Go for the ‘low energy’ content drinks rather than the higher ones
Count how many standard drinks you have, as the numbers add up over a long evening out
Skip salty foods like chips and salted nuts when you’re out, which make you thirsty (and wanting more to drink!)
The best drink to quench your thirst and is GREAT for your waist line is simply water
Drink slowly from a small glass and have a glass of water as a ‘spacer’ between your alcoholic drinks

Reduce your risk

The Australian Government has recently put together a report addressing national guidelines for alcohol consumption, which can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/ds10-alcohol.pdf

References

Antioxidants and Energy Production

2010-10-04T15:01:00.092+10:00

Oxidation is a term used to describe energy-producing reactions within each cell of the human body. Technically speaking, it’s a transfer of hydrogen atoms or electrons from one molecule to another. The end products of oxidation are water, CO2 (carbon dioxide, which we breathe out) and energy which drives cell function. As our activity levels increase, we require more energy (oxidation reactions) and our breathing rates increase to remove the increasing CO2 levels. The types of food being eaten by an individual will also affect the level of oxidation in the body.

Oxidation also produces substances called ‘free radicals’ and our body can naturally cope with a certain amount of free radicals at any one time. However, once a threshold is reached, an overload of free radicals may cause cell damage and health problems leading to heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes and cancer.

Free radical production is also accelerated by stress, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, sunlight and pollution. So our lifestyle choices can lead to added stress on our cells in the form of excessive free radicals.

The good news is that antioxidants that neutralize free radicals are found in certain foods. Antioxidant contained in nutrients include vitamins A, C, E, zinc and selenium. Other dietary food compounds, such as the phytochemicals in plants and zoochemicals from animal products, have an even greater antioxidant effect than vitamins or minerals. Phytochemicals include lycopenes in tomatoes and anthocyanins found in cranberries.

How do I achieve a good intake of antioxidants?

Antioxidants are found in abundance within grain products, fruit, vegetables and beans. Eating a range of vibrant colours in fruit and vegetables allows you to get in a variety of different antioxidants. It is always better to get antioxidants through food sources rather than through supplementation.

Foods and their Antioxidants

Carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potato, tomatoes, rockmelon, peaches, apricot
Antioxidants - vitamin A and carotenoids

Oranges, lemon, lime, capsicum, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries and tomatoes
Antioxidant - vitamin C

Nuts and seeds, wholegrains, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil and liver oil
Antioxidant - vitamin E

Fish, shellfish, red meat, chicken, eggs, grains and garlic
Antioxidant - selenium

Oysters, red meat, poultry, seafood, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, beans and nuts
Antioxidant – zinc

Common PhytochemicalsSoy, red wine, purple grapes, cranberries, tea and pomegranate
Antioxidants - flavonoids/polypenols

Tomato, tomato products, pink grapefruit and watermelon
Antioxidant - lycopene

Dark green vegetables, broccoli, brussel sprouts and spinach
Antioxidant - lutein

Flaxseed, oatmeal, barley and rye
Antioxidant - lignan

References

The Importance of Cooking with Weight Loss

2010-10-04T13:00:00.007+10:00

Cooking – some people love it while others hate it! If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, you’ll quickly realise that cooking is central to your success. Too often we are tempted to take the easy option and order take away or eat meals out which will make long term weight loss or weight maintenance very difficult.

So what is the answer? How do you make cooking less of a chore so that the excuses not to cook stop creeping in to your head? The answer for most people who lead very busy lives is that it must be quick. But quick is not the only answer. You must also find the motivation to get into a routine of cooking your meals each night and avoid the temptation of picking up a take away on the way home. Finding the motivation to cook regular meals may not be easy but here are some things to think about which will help to make cooking easier:

Make sure your meals taste good!
Plan meals in advance so that you know what you’re making and don’t give yourself the option of having something else
Be organised and have all the ingredients at home so that you don’t have to go to the shops on the way home
If there are other people at home get them involved too. This will help to reduce the amount of time it takes to prepare and cook the meal
Cook a large enough meal so that there are leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day
Consider the health benefits. Who really knows how much or what type of fat is going into the Thai takeaway or pizza you’ve ordered
Food portion sizes tend to be far larger when you order takeaway or eat out, which is not desirable for weight loss

Eating take-away or dining out regularly does not allow you to control your daily food intake. You will find that your daily saturated fat, energy and salt intake will very quickly exceed your requirements which will of course lead to weight gain and other long term health problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Like most things, eating take away and enjoying meals out is fine in moderation. However when take away meals, which are high in calories and served in large portion sizes, become part of routine weight loss, weight maintenance and long term good health are very difficult to achieve.

Try these healthy, quick and delicious meal ideas to stop you pulling in for mid week takeaways!

Classic Chicken Stir Fry

Stir fry chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. Use a spray of canola oil for cooking.
Once cooked, add red capsicum, snow peas and broccoli. Add 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and ½ tablespoon of soy sauce.
Remove from heat. Top with fresh basil leaves and bean shoots.

SAM: Steak, Avocado and Mushroom

Season steak with dried thyme salt and pepper and cook to your liking on the BBQ.
Spray a large field mushroom with cooking oil, cut a large red chilli in half and de- seed, then grill the vegetables on the BBQ. Trim green beans, boil the kettle and cover the beans with hot water.
Serve with a tablespoon of avocado, fresh coriander and a wedge of lime.

Fish and Salsa

Cover fish with lemon, salt and pepper wrap in foil and bake in the oven.
Cut fresh basil, mint, large red chilli and spring onion and sprinkle over the fish once cooked.
Serve with broccolini and a side of salsa: diced tomato, cucumber, red onion + balsamic vinegar.

Vietnamese Beef

In a food processor, mix one stalk of lemon grass, 2 garlic cloves, juice of 1 lime, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and ½ tablespoon of peanut oil.
Thinly slice strips of beef and coat in the marinade you’ve just made.
Mix together shredded lettuce, grated carrot, thinly sliced cucumber, fresh mint and basil leaves.
Cook the marinated beef strips, serve on top of salad top with fresh bean sprouts.

Lamb with Vegies

Choose lamb back strap or another cut of lamb with all the fat removed, sprinkle with equal amounts of sumac, sesame seeds and thyme.
Cut zucchini into quarters, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill together with chunks of red capsicum.
Trim green beans, boil the kettle and cover the beans with hot water. Mix all vegetables together and sprinkle with 30g low fat feta cheese.
Serve as vegetables with the lamb.

A salad you won’t complain about!

Cook chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic + ½ a bacon round per person all fat removed in non stick pan.
On a plate place lettuce leaves, snow peas, thin slices of red onion. Top with cooked chicken and bacon pieces.
Sprinkle with low fat ricotta cheese and crushed walnuts (3 per person) dress with balsamic vinegar.

Mexican Beef Cups

Cook beef strips in a frying pan using spray oil.
Add small pieces of broccoli and capsicum and stir in burrito mix (adding water to make it saucey).
Serve in lettuce leave cups with a dollop of low fat sour cream and topped with freshly diced tomato.

Bon Appétit, send us through your favourite healthy recipes!

Small Loss in Weight, Big Difference to Health

2010-10-04T12:12:00.032+10:00

Although it is a widely communicated fact that being overweight increases your risk of developing a number of serious health conditions, what isn’t so well known is how even small a loss in weight can make a big difference to your overall health!

Recently, there have been a number of scientific studies published that reveal a small loss in weight (5-10% of initial weight) results in significant improvements in blood cholesterol blood pressure and blood sugar control. For example, those who are considered overweight at 80kgs, will be significantly healthier just 4 to 8kgs lighter. Also, these small reductions in weight reduce the risk of osteoarthritis and risk of contracting some cancers and other chronic diseases.

A recent study (involving 500 men and women at risk for type 2 diabetes) showed that the onset of diabetes in this group was avoided during the study when subjects achieved these 5 outcomes:

Weight loss of 5-10%
30-45minutes of physical activity on 4 – 5 days a week
Low fat diet (<30% total calories)
Low saturated fat intake (<10% total calories)
15g fibre per 1000 calories (for example 1 medium apple = 3g fibre, 1 slice of wholemeal = 2g fibre, ½ cup of mixed vegetables = 4g fibre and 2 tablespoons of muesli = 3g fibre)

While these 5 simple actions led to an avoidance of type 2 diabetes in this study, they may look like ominous changes to some (particularly those who may have attempted this sort of lifestyle change in the past). However, with diabetes being a key contributor to death and disability around the world the benefit of these changes far outweighs the challenge of implementing them.

While it’s clear that small amounts of weight loss results in many long term health benefits, taking the first step can be difficult. Before attempting to lose weight, exercise more, decrease fat and increase fibre in your diet, consult a dietitian. Their expert advice will help to ensure you’re your on the right track. Remember it only takes 5 – 10% of your initial weight to make some dramatic health improvements.

Adapted from: LaFontaine, TP. Roitman, JL.http://www.vhct.org/case2500/benefits.htm

References

The Benefits of Stretching

2010-08-30T11:35:00.010+10:00

For many people, stretching seems to be that unnecessary part of the exercise session that is both time consuming and for no foreseeable benefit. It is quite often squeezed into the remaining few minutes of the session, pushed aside to later or even left out all together.

But are you in fact significantly limiting your potential exercise and fitness gains by neglecting stretching on a regular basis?

Recent studies have suggested that stretching may in fact be important for all individuals, for a number of reasons. Benefits for undertaking in regular stretching throughout or after an exercise session include:

Improved flexibility, stamina (muscle endurance) and muscular strength
Reduced muscle tension and soreness
Improved body alignment and posture
Decreased risk of injury and aids in faster recovery from injury
Improved circulation
Improved mental alertness by reducing anxiety, stress and fatigue
Makes you feel better throughout exercise and post-exercise

There are a few different types of stretching available and depending on the activity level and time constraints you have, will determine which best suits you. The easiest and often the most effective is a type known as static stretching. This simply involves increasing the length of the particular muscle group that you would like to stretch and then holding that position for 15-30 seconds. Although there is a wide range of research available on stretching, a proven stretching protocol is detailed below:

Increase the stretch to a point of muscle stretch, not into pain
Hold the stretch for between 15-30 seconds
Perform for both sides of the body and try to include all major muscle groups
Perform this 3 days per week

Stretching is an easy and often relaxing way to wind down from exercise. Make time for stretching in the last ten minutes of your gym session or at the end of your regular walk.

To help you get started we have put together some upper and lower body stretches. Click here to view our stretching exercise sheets

References:

Malliaropoulos, N. Papalexandris, S. Papalada, A. Papacostas, E. 2004, 'The Role of Stretching in Rehabilitation of Hamstring Injuries: 80 Athletes Follow-Up', Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 756-759.
Octavian, C. 2010, 'The Importance of Good Flexibility and Stretching Movements in Fitness and Body Building Training', Body Building Science Journal, vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 97-107.
Shrier, I. Gossal, K. 2000, 'Myths and Truths of Stretching - Individualized Recommendations for Healthy Muscles', The Physician and Sports Medicine, vol. 28, no. 8, pp. 1-11.

Snacking the Healthy Way

2010-08-30T11:21:00.005+10:00

It is often debated whether snacking between meals is healthy or not. Having a scheduled snack between main meals is a good way to control hunger and prevent over-eating at lunch or dinner. However, continuously snacking or picking at food can be an easy way to increase your energy intake and can lead to weight gain.

Healthy snacking is:

Plan a scheduled morning tea, afternoon tea or small supper
For the average person, the calorie content of a snack should be around 100-200 calories or approximately 420-840kJ
A snack should contain minimal saturated fat

Having a snack that contains a source of protein will additionally help keep you more satisfied. Snacks containing protein are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Healthy snacks:

Fresh piece of fruit
200g tub of low fat yoghurt *
Dried fruit and nut packs (40g) *
Fruit and nut bar *
Slice of raisin toast with a spread of ricotta *
2 small pikelets with jam
Rice/corn thins with low fat cheese spread/hummus/vegemite
Vegetable sticks with hummus dip
Muesli bar (Carmen's muesli bar is an excellent brand)
Skinny cappucino/latte/flat white *
Small tin of baked beans *
Tinned fruit
Up and Go *
Rice crackers or vitaweats with low fat cheese (30g) *
Air-popped popcorn
Boiled egg *
Low fat milk smoothie *

The Highs and Lows of Cholesterol Levels

2010-08-30T10:26:00.011+10:00

Almost half of all Australians have high cholesterol levels, but why is this so statistic so significant? What exactly are the risks associated with having high blood cholesterol levels? Often we hear that having high cholesterol is unhealthy, but we aren't often told why this is the case.

Essentially, too much cholesterol circulating in our blood results in fatty deposits developing in our arteries. This causes the artery wall vessels to narrow and they can eventually become blocked which can lead to heart disease and stroke (1).

Cholesterol is a type of fat that is part of all animal cells. It is essential for many metabolic processes in the body and is found in certain foods; however there is no need to eat foods high in cholesterol (2). High cholesterol foods are often foods that are also high in saturated fats and these foods should be limited in a healthy diet. The foods that are likely to increase your cholesterol levels include fatty meats, full fat dairy products and most takeway foods, cakes and pastries.

Health authorities recommend that cholesterol levels should be no higher than 5.5mmol/L if you have no other risk factor present (1). The most important thing you can do to reduce your cholesterol levels is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes:

Maintain a healthy body weight
Reduce your intake of saturated fat
Eat low fat dairy products
Remove visible fats from meat and skin from chicken before eating
Choose margarines and cooking oils containing polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats
Eat fish 2-3 times per week
Increase your intake of foods that are high in soluable fibre and antioxidants, such as fruit and vegetables
Exercise for at least 30 minutes per day
Avoid smoking

If you are doing the above and still have high cholesterol you may need to try medication to get your levels down. But even with medication, it is important to maintain a healthy diet, healthy weight and exercise regularly.

References:

2009, 'National Heart Foundation of Australia - The Dietary Fats and Dietary Cholesterol for Cardiovascular Health Review, www.heartfoundation.org.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/Tick%20ShoppingList%20Retail%202009-06.pdf

Mann, J. Truswell, AS. 2002, 'Essentials of Human Nutrition', Second Edition, New York: Oxford University Press.

SLEEP More, WEIGH Less

2010-07-02T12:44:00.011+10:00

Did you know that under-sleeping can lead to poor performance and impaired judgement and has also been linked to depression, obesity, diabetes and hypertension. A new study of 1,200 people showed that the average Australian adult gets less than seven hours sleep a night, below the seven to eight hours recommended by sleep experts.

A study by Columbia University, found people who slept four hours or less per night were 73% more likely to be overweight or obese. Also, people who habitually slept for five hours had 15% more ghrelin, a hormone which increases feelings of hunger, than those who slept for eight hours. Those who slept for less time were also found to have 15% less leptin, a hormone which suppresses appetite. "These differences are likely to increase appetite, and therefore contribute to obesity" Dr Taheri states. The subjects in the study also tended to eat more sweet and starchy foods when sleep was cut short.

While research continues, sleep still remains one of the body's most mysterious processes. We do know that sleep is absolutely necessary for survival and even occasional sleeping problems can make daily life feel more stressful or cause you to be less productive. Sleep loss also affects growth hormone secretion that is linked to obesity and impairs the body's ability to use insulin, which can lead to the onset of diabetes. It is paramount that we discover more about this activity where we spend a third of our lives - sleeping.

There are prescriptions and non-prescription drugs, herbs, remedies, technologies, etc that may help you get a good night's sleep. Some work for some and not for others.

Here are some tips you can try at home tonight. These tips are intended for the average adult, but not necessarily for children or persons experiencing medical problems:

Imagining - Think of a hammock - you're up off the ground, wrapped in a cocoon of comfort, swaying gently in the open air. The sun is warm on your face and there's a cool breeze blowing you back and forth. This visualisation helps you "see" what the reward for sleeping will be, getting you more in the mood to sleep. Visualisation has proved helpful in developing the appropriate brain wave patterns for sleep.
Magnesium - Has a calming effect on the nervous system. It is part of bones and cells, especially the smooth cells of arteries, and assists in the absorption of calcium and potassium. Over 300 enzymes in our body need magnesium to function properly. It is so important, that the brain stores a "safety supply" to have in the event of a drop in the magnesium reserves.
Nutmeg - Grind fresh nutmeg and serve it with warm low fat milk and a touch of honey. Milk is naturally high in calcium and rich in tryptophan; together they can be a powerful tranquilizer (and very delicious).
Hot foot baths - In the Eastern World, a hot foot bath is a traditional remedy; it draws blood from the brain to calm a racing mind. Try soaking your feet in a hot bath with a cupful of Epsom salts and a few drops of lavender essential oil, which will soothe you. Your feet absorb the magnesium from the Epsom salts and relax you further.
Stomach rub - Soothes down the digestive system and helps bring about deeper relaxation. Lie on your back and place your hand on your belly button. Begin to make small circles in a clockwise direction as you gently glide your hand over your stomach. Let your circles gradually become bigger and bigger. When your circles reach the outside of your stomach, gradually reduce their size until you are back at your belly button again. Reverse the direction; repeat the whole series with your other hand and do this several times. Doing this with lavender oil can create an even more relaxing experience.
Listening to an audio book - The brain works like a tape player - with one main auditory loop that processes words. If you fill that loop with an interesting book, there's no room for your own worrisome internal narrative. Especially helpful for those who have continuous thoughts running through their heads.
Deep breathing - Take a deep breath in then slowly release out - focussing on your breathing causes your mind to get distracted from your worries and focussed on your breathing. Doing this for a few minutes can relax your mind and help you get a more peaceful sleep.
Turn it off - Sleep experts suggest refraining from doing work, watching television, or being on the computer at least an hour before bed time. This allows your brain to start to 'wind down'.

Gangwisch. D, Malaspina. D, Boden-Albala. B, (2005) Inadequate Sleep as a Risk Factor for Obesity: Analyses of the NHANES I; COlumbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY.

Taheri. S, Lin. L, Austin. D, Young. T, Mignot. E, (2004) Short Sleep Duration is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index. PLos Med 1(3): e62. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0010062.

Major Fast Food Outlets Required to Disclose the Number of Calories in their Food by 2012.

2010-07-02T11:39:00.006+10:00

Businesses with more than 200 outlets across Australia, or with 50 in Victoria, will have to display the amount of calories in their food under new Victorian State Government legislation by 2012.

As people order their Big Mac or bucket of crispy chicken, they will be able to see on the menu or on the display board how many kilojoules come with it. (Note: 1 calorie equals 4.2 kilojoules).

Victorian Premier John Brumby says his government is making it compulsory to display the details in a bid to cut down the rate of diabetes and obesity.

'The reason we are doing this is because we have a runaway epidemic in Victoria, right across Australia, particularly with diabetes,' Mr Brumby told reporters.

He said there are up to 270,000 Victorians with diabetes, with a further 20,000 becoming diabetic every year.

'This is a runaway train and we need to drag it back - the best way is by healthier eating and giving consumers information about their eating choices.' Mr Brumby said.

'Many people don't realise that if you eat a big hamburger, with a big coke and a big bag of chips that will be around half of your daily food intake.'

'Many people also don't realise the calories in a large Coke, almost 1,000kj or 20 teaspoonfuls of sugar.' Mr Brumby continued.

Health groups also support the move.

VicHealth Chief Executive Officer, Todd Harper said the plan was likely to be followed by other states.

'I have no doubt it will be popular initiative with consumers and hope that fast food outlets that fall under the threshold will voluntarily adopt it.' Mr Harper said.

'Until now, fast food companies have managed to keep kilojoule counters out of their displays but the time has come to put health first.'

Jane Martin, Senior Policy Adviser for the Obesity Policy Coalition, says clearer labelling on menus will help consumers 'sort the fat from fiction at a glance.'

'Many consumers would be surprised to find that some seemingly innocuous items such as frappes and smoothies contain one quarter of an adult's recommended daily energy intake,' Ms Martin said in a statement.

'To make matters worse many products with healthy sounding names are at the top of the worst offenders list.'

She says some of the highest kilojoule products have names such as Blueberry Blast, Garden Goodness and Green Tea Venti.

'While some of these products contain valuable nutrients, few people would realise that there's less than a 100 kilojoules difference between a Big Mac and the McDonald's Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad,' she said.

Story courtesy of Bigpond News.

Modifiable Risk Factors that Explain 90% of Stroke Risk! ‘Interstroke Study’

2010-06-25T14:07:00.020+10:00

A modifiable risk factor is a health risk which is in your control. Age, gender and genetics are non-modifiable factors as we cannot change them. A modifiable risk factor however, can be eliminated with the correct lifestyle.

A recent study of 6,000 people from 22 countries called 'Interstroke' evaluated risk factors of stroke. The study showed that 10 risk factors are associated with 90% of the incidence of stroke and that most of these can be changed by lifestyle.

A stroke can be devastating resulting in death or a lifetime of physical impairment. The good news from this study is that many strokes can be predicted and the resultant burden of the disease reduced by following certain measures. Of the modifiable risk factors, blood pressure (hypertension) control was identified as the most important.

Five modifiable risk factors of hypertension, current smoking, abdominal obesity, diet and physical activity accounted for 80% of stroke.

When additional risk factors such as having Type 2 Diabetes, a high alcohol intake, psychosocial issues, abnormal apoliproprotein ratios and cardiac causes (such atrial fibrillation or flutter, previous myocardial infarction or valve disease) are taken into account these 10 risk factors account for 90% of the risk of stroke (1).

The following are key strategies for significantly reducing the risk of stroke:

Maintain a healthy weight
Limit your salt, processed and takeaway food intake
Eat a balanced diet of vegetables, fruit, fish, poultry, meat, nuts and seeds, low fat dairy and whole grain carbohydrates
Limit alcohol intake. Aim for no more than 2 standard drinks per day
Go to your GP for a check up regularly
Monitor your cholesterol levels
Quit smoking
Measure your waist regularly
Exercise daily - aim for at least 30 minutes
Get treatment for depression or stress

Unlike cardiac disease where there can be a lifetime of medication in order to reduce risk factors, the above strategies are all about leading a healthy lifestyle and that is free.

(1) O'Donnell. M. J, Xavier. D, Liu L, et al. Risk factors for ischemic and intracerebal haemorrhagic stroke in 22 countries (The Interstroke Study): Lancet 2010; DOI: 10.1016/S01140-6736(10)60834-3. Available at: http://www.thelancet.com/

Weight Loss Improves Immunity: New Study

2010-05-04T13:10:00.011+10:00

By losing just six kilograms obese people can prevent and even reverse the effects of Type 2 Diabetes and coronary artery disease, according to a new study by the Garvan Institute.

Excess body fat triggers the production of immune cells that attack the body instead of their usual function: protecting it. These altered immune cells can harden the arteries and cause Type 2 Diabetes. But the good news is that by losing as little as six kilograms, obese people can reduce the level of these damaging immune cells in their body to the same levels found in lean people.

So you don’t have to lose lots of weight to reduce your health risks - and there is a cheaper way to boost your immune system than buying expensive antioxidants and fish oil supplements. A loss of six kilograms may just be enough.

Are You Getting Enough Sleep to Lose Weight?

2010-05-02T10:29:00.002+10:00

In the last 40 years, the average duration of nightly sleep has decreased by 1-2 hours (1), a time during which the number of people classified as overweight or obese has doubled. It's been hypothesised that there is a correlation between these two trends: and it's not just because more waking hours means more time to eat.

Research has found that sleep deprived rats eat more than rats that are allowed normal amounts of sleep (2,3) . And several studies with human subjects show that people who sleep less are more likely to be overweight (4).

The cause is believed to be two hormones that regulate appetite and energy expenditure: Ghrelin and Leptin. The level of Leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, is decreased with sleep deprivation; and the level of Ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, is increased with sleep deprivation. So if you are trying to lose weight it's important that you are getting enough sleep.

How Much Sleep is Enough?

There's no perfect level of sleep for everyone, but the following table identifies the 'rule-of-thumb' amounts most experts have agreed:

Age / Sleep Needs Per Night (hours)
1-2 months: 10.5 - 18
3-11 months: 9-12 + 1-4 x 0.5 - 2 hour naps
1-3 years: 12-14
3-5 years: 11-13 hours
5-12 years: 10-11 hours
11-17 years: 8.5-9.25 hours
Adults: 7-9 hours
Older adults: 7-9 hours

To determine your own sleep needs, assess how you feel with different amounts of sleep.

How Can I Get More Sleep?

Make sleep a priority - don't make it the thing you do when everything else is done. If you have a daily planner; schedule sleep into it.
Drink a glass of milk before going to bed. Milk contains the amino acid Tryptophan, which may facilitate sleep.
Don't eat in the 2-3 hours before going to bed and aim to go to bed feeling content (i.e. neither full nor hungry). Going to bed hungry can affect your sleep as much as going to bed on a full stomach.
Exercise on a regular basis; avoiding the three hours before your bedtime. Some people exercise close to bedtime in the hope it will exhaust them; but this tactic can backfire as exercise stimulates the body by increasing your heart rate and metabolism.
Reduce your alcohol consumption. Although alcohol may help you fall asleep, it can disrupt your normal sleep pattern during the second half of the night and leave you feeling tired.
Avoid caffeinated drinks and foods after midday. This includes coffee, tea, cola and chocolate. If you are having trouble sleeping; try avoiding caffeine entirely and see if your sleep patterns improve.
Avoid smoking in the six hours before your bedtime (nicotine is a stimulant).
Avoid drinking too many fluids before bedtime to minimise night time urination.

References:

1. National Sleep Foundation, 2002, 'Sleep in America'
2. Danguir J and Nicolaidis S. 1979, 'Dependence of Sleep on Nutrients' Availability' Journal of Physiology and Behaviour vol. 22, pp. 735-740.
3. Everson CA, Bergmann BM, Rechtschaffen A. 1989, 'Sleep Deprivation in the Rat: III. Total Sleep Deprivation' Sleep vol. 12 pp. 13-21.
4. Hasler G, Buysse D, Klaghofer R, Gamma A, Ajdacic V, et al. 2004, 'The Association Between Short Sleep Duration and Obesity in Young Adults: A 13-year Prospective Study' Sleep vol.27 pp. 661-666.

Can You Lose Weight Without Exercise?

2010-04-11T09:37:00.004+10:00

Wouldn't it be great if all you needed to do to lose weight was watch what you eat. No gyms, no perspiration or hard work... If you've heard people claim to have lost weight without exercise, you may be wondering if it's possible.

You Can't Maintain Weight Loss Without Exercise

Sure, you can shed kilos through calorie restriction alone, but the truth is that you can't maintain weight loss without exercise. Without exercise you will lose more water and muscle tissue than body fat. Losing muscle and water may look great on the scales, but it slows your metabolism and makes it easier for you to regain weight.

Exercise improves your body composition, meaning that you will have a larger proportion of metabolically active muscle tissue. And when your metabolic rate increases it's easier for you to lose weight and maintain your weight loss.

Additional Benefits of Exercise

Exercise is not just about weight loss. The health benefits of exercise include:

Reduced levels of body fat, especially abdominal fat
Increased metabolic rate
Lower blood pressure
Higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol which protects your arteries
Lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol which clogs your arteries
Lower risk of developing diabetes
Improved muscle strength
Improved bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis
Increased energy levels and improved fitness
Sleep regulation
Improved mood and fewer symptoms of depression.

How to Start an Exercise Program

Don't feel overwhelmed by the prospect of starting an exercise program: something is better than nothing. You don't need to start running marathons to lose weight: in fact a more moderate, comfortable exercise regime will be more manageable in the long term. Daily walking is a great habit, particularly with a friend to share the time. To burn fat, aim for a pace where you breathing rate is elevated but you can still talk.

For more tips on how to exercise for weight loss, see our articles on Exercise for Weight Loss and Maintenance and Finding Your Motivation to Exercise.

Eggs: Cracking the Misconceptions

2010-03-15T11:06:00.019+10:00

There are so many confusing messages about eggs. How many you should eat? And will they increase your cholesterol levels or your intake of dietary fat? Here we set the record straight:

How Many Eggs Can I Eat per Week?

You can eat up to six eggs a week - even if you have heart disease or Type 2 Diabetes (1).
You should eat eggs on a regular basis as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Will Eggs Increase my Cholesterol Levels?

No. The main factors that increase blood cholesterol are saturated and trans fats, and eggs contain very little saturated fat and absolutely no trans fat.

Should I Eat Eggs if I am Trying to Lose Weight?

Eggs are a great source of protein, and protein-rich foods help you feel fuller for longer which can help with weight control.

Furthermore, eggs are nutrient dense, meaning that they contain a high percentage of vitamins and minerals compared to the amount of energy they provide. They contain the highest quality of protein of all foods, as well as more than a quarter of your recommended daily intake of iodine. Eggs also provide a rich source of nutrients that protect you from disease and promote cell regeneration, including omega 3 (healthy) fats, selenium and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin (2).

So go ahead and enjoy eggs any way you like them - poached, sunny side up, scrambled, in an omelette or just plain boiled. Eggs are cheap, easy to prepare, tasty and nutritious!

References:
1) Egg Nutrition Advisory Group, 2008, Position Statement: The Role of Eggs in a Healthy Diet
2) National Heart Foundation of Australia, 2009, Dietary Fats and Dietary Sterols for
Cardiovascular Health

Social Support in Weight Loss

2010-03-14T13:41:00.001+10:00

It’s important to define what support you want from your family and friends when you are losing weight. You need to decide who you want to support you, and just as importantly what type of support you want.

Some people want their friends and family to totally ignore what they eat and whether they exercise; they prefer that their spouses never comment on their weight loss efforts. Other people wish to be praised every time they do well and ignored when they slip. And yet other people wish to be monitored and told outright that they don’t need a second helping, or that they shouldn’t buy chocolate at the supermarket.

Consider what type of support has worked for you in the past and what might work best for you in the future. And think about who you want to support you. We’ve listed some scenarios below to help you brainstorm. Think about if you want support and who you want support from:

- Ignore my weight management efforts completely (never mention them)
- Reinforce my successes and ignore my setbacks
- Monitor my weight management behaviours with verbal reminders
- Never offer me anything fattening
- Offer me whatever everyone else is having and let me decide
- Eat differently when they're with me
- Encourage me to exercise
- Comment on my physical appearance
- Ask how my weight management efforts are progressing
- Ask how they can help
- Ask me how much weight I've lost
- Comment on how well I'm doing
- Be there for me in difficult times
- Prepare low fat foods for me to eat.

It’s important to be confident in your knowledge of the kind of support that you want, otherwise well meaning family and friends may inadvertently perpetuate problems.

Healthy Eating for Healthy Weight Loss

2010-03-12T10:01:00.012+10:00

To lose weight the healthy way you need to eat a balanced diet at all times. The following tips will help you lose weight without compromising your health:

- Eat every three hours so you don't feel hungry (as an added bonus, your metabolic rate increases by approximately 5% every time you eat). Don't skip any meals (especially breakfast) and try and finish your last meal before 8.00pm.

- Your main meals should be portioned as follows: at least half of a small plate of vegetables, a quarter of a plate of starch type products (e.g. rice, pasta, potato, corn, and noodles) and a quarter of a plate of lean cooked meat. See the graphic to the right.

- Limit your intake of dietary fat, especially saturated fat. You can achieve this by choosing low fat dairy products, trimming visible fat off meat, taking the skin off chicken and choosing lean cuts of meat (meat with minimal visible marbling). When you are preparing your meals, choose low fat cooking methods such as dry baking, roasting, barbecuing, stir frying, steaming, poaching or microwaving.

- Consume at least two pieces of fruit every day (avoid dried fruit and fruit juice as they are high in calories). A calorie counter book is a useful tool for finding fruits that are low in calories, or visit the Calorie King online calorie counter.

- Eat at least five cups of salad and vegetables every day. Salads and vegetables are great for adding bulk to your meals.

- Limit your intake of foods that are high in sugar and fat. Not only are these foods high in calories, but they won't sustain your energy levels for periods of time. Examples of foods that are high in sugar and fat include cakes, biscuits, chocolate, lollies and takeaway meals.

- Maintain variety in your diet by experimenting with different herbs and spices, sauces and marinades.

- Drink 6 - 8 glasses of water every day. Limit drinks that are high in energy such as soft drinks, cordial, sports drinks, flavoured milk drinks and cafe drinks such as full cream lattes, cappuccinos and hot or iced chocolates.

Planning Nutritious Meals

Good nutrition requires planning:

- Make a shopping list of foods that you need to purchase, then take the shopping list to the supermarket and stick to it. Don't shop when you are hungry as you are likely to purchase foods that you don't need.

- Read food labels and choose alternatives that are lower in fat and sugar.

- Prepare healthy meals at home and take them to work: you may need to purchase an insulated lunch box.

- Look through recipe books or find healthy online recipes through Taste or the National Heart Foundation. It's important to enjoy variety in your diet.

- Modify your favourite recipes by substituting high fat ingredients with low fat alternatives, or by reducing the amount of high fat ingredients.

And don't forget that you can't lose weight the healthy way through calorie restriction alone. If you try and lose weight through calorie restriction alone you will lose more water and muscle tissue than body fat. Losing muscle and water may look great on the scales, but it slows your metabolism and makes it easier for you to regain weight (see our article Can You Lose Weight Without Exercise for details).

To lose weight the healthy way you need to eat well AND exercise, specifically perform 250 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week. (Moderate intensity exercise is defined as a level where your breathing rate is elevated, but you can still carry out a conversation.) A great way to start an exercise program is to walk around your neighbourhood.

If you need professional assistance with your eating and exercise program, it's a good idea to make an appointment with a Dietitian.

A Healthy Weight Guide for Pregnancy

2010-03-01T12:37:00.017+10:00

Many women take steps to improve their health when they are pregnant or planning a pregnancy: they quit smoking, stop drinking and eat healthy food. A lesser known (but no less important) consideration is maintaining a healthy body weight. In this article we'll provide you with some guidelines to help you maintain a healthy weight before conception and during pregnancy:
1. Pre-Conception

Your weight at conception is one of the most important factors in determining your pregnancy outcomes. You should aim to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in the healthy weight range prior to conception.

2. Pregnancy

In 2009 the American Institute of Medicine updated its guidelines for how much weight a woman should gain during pregnancy:

Pre-Pregnancy BMI / Recommended Total Weight Gain
Underweight / 13-18kg
Normal Weight / 11-16kg
Overweight / 7-11kg
All classes of Obesity / 5-9kg

And for multiple births:

Pre-Pregnancy BMI / Recommended Total Weight Gain
Normal Weight / 17-24kg
Overweight / 14-23kg
All Classes of Obesity / 11-19kg
These new guidelines have been adopted in response to health issues, including an increasing incidence of infertility, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, larger birth weight babies, longer hospital stays and more effort required to return to pre-pregnancy weight.
Four trends are driving these health issues. The trends are an increase in the number of women:

1. Gaining too much weight during their pregnancy
2. Conceiving at larger pre-pregnancy weights
3. Having multiple births
4. Giving birth to their first baby later in their lives.

The American Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women seek advice from health professionals such as Dietitians and Exercise Physiologists to discuss diet and exercise until 12 months post partum. For advice about achieving and maintaining a healthy weight see an Accredited Dietitian, or if you are in Queensland you can visit a Dietitian at the Wesley Weight Management Clinic.

Reference:
Rasmussen, K and Yaktine, A. 2009, Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Re-examining the Guidelines, American Institute of Medicine

Outsmarting a Weight Plateau

2010-02-24T17:18:00.011+10:00

You've been checking the scales each week and progress is steady, you'll achieve your weight loss goals in no time! But suddenly the scales refuse to budge... It doesn't make sense! You haven't changed your diet and you haven't skipped an exercise session...

It's disappointing, it's frustrating and it's called a weight plateau. But the good news is that you aren't the first to experience it, and that you can take steps to outsmart it:

Maintain your Metabolism

When you restrict your calorie intake it's almost inevitable that your metabolism will slow. Try incorporating more resistance training into your exercise program to maintain your metabolically active muscle tissue and eat small but regular meals.

Adjust Your Exercise Routine

As you become fitter your body becomes more efficient at performing a given exercise, i.e. you burn less energy. To burn more energy, try changing the type of activity that you do to challenge different (and less efficient) muscle groups. Try cycling, swimming, rowing, using a cross trainer or learning to use different equipment at the gym.

If you don't want to change your activity type, you will need to exercise at a slightly higher intensity. You can increase the speed or incline of your walks, the resistance on your exercise bike or your swimming speed in the pool. At this stage you may wish to consider purchasing a heart rate monitor to make sure that you are still exercising in your fat burning zone.

Reduce Your Stress and Anxiety Levels

Chronic stress means chronically elevated levels of a hormone called Cortisol in your body, which may predispose you to storing fat (1). If you are feeling stressed or anxious, investigate some stress management techniques.

Be Honest with Yourself

How long has it been since you weighed your meat portions or measured your cereal serves? Should you be counting that thick slice of raisin toast as one serve or two? These little things might not seem like much, but added together they determine if you gain weight or lose it.

Start weighing your food portions and recording your intake of food, including calories. Recording can be cumbersome, but it might just be enough to help you identify where the problem lies.

Are You Really at a Plateau?

Are your clothes feeling looser but the scales aren't moving (or even moving in the wrong direction)? It might be the case that your body composition is changing, i.e. you are gaining muscle tissue (which is heavier than fat). This is possible if you have changed your exercise regime to include more resistance training, or you have changed the type of exercise that you are doing. To find out if you have gained muscle, measure your waist and hip circumference instead of stepping onto your scales.

The benefits of exercise, stress reduction and healthy eating extend beyond losing weight - they bring out the best in your body. So focus on enjoying how you feel rather than focusing on the number on your scales. If you have lost weight you are probably feeling more healthy and energetic, and that's something to celebrate.

How to Set Weight Loss Goals

2010-02-23T14:46:00.001+10:00

Before you change your lifestyle you need to set realistic goals, have realistic expectations and devise a master a plan for action: you can't just wake up every morning and react to what happens. At the Wesley Weight Management Clinic we recommend that people set SMART goals; goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely:

Specific

- What do you want to achieve?
- What would you like to change or improve on?
- Why do you want to reach your goal weight?
- What aspects of your lifestyle do you need to change to lose weight?
- Are there any habits that are holding you back?

Measurable

Set goals for the number of:

- Hours that you will sleep each night
- Litres of water that you will drink every day
- Minutes of exercise that you will do every week
- Healthy meals that you plan to cook / not skip.

Attainable

Allocate sufficient energy, time and effort for your goals. And make them flexible and realistic. For example, to achieve your exercise goals when you are busy you may have to shorten your exercise sessions or focus on incidental (non-planned) activity such as walking.

Realistic

Accept your body's natural ability to lose weight - otherwise you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Many people find it difficult to lose more than half a kilogram per week.

Make your goals achievable and if you succeed sooner than anticipated it will increase your confidence. Expecting that you will be ready to run a marathon the year after your first personal training session can be soul destroying!

Timely

Give yourself ample time to achieve your goals. When people place too much pressure on themselves to lose a particular amount of weight it can lead to anxiety. Or when they progress too quickly with exercise they suffer injuries.

Don't forget that weight loss is a marathon not a sprint. It takes time and perseverance to change ingrained habits, but with hard work, dedication and professional weight loss support you'll achieve your goals.

10 Tips for Weight Maintenance

2010-02-19T15:08:00.010+10:00

If you've worked hard to achieve your weight loss goal, you'll want to enjoy your healthy weight for life. Here are our top ten tips for weight maintenance:

1. Monitor Your Weight

Check your weight each week (don't weigh yourself too often it's natural for your weight to fluctuate daily). Use your bathroom scales, or find a pair of pants that are comfortable at your goal weight and identify if they get significantly tighter or looser.

It's normal for your weight to fluctuate by 1-2 kilograms, but if you notice your weight increasing on two or more consecutive weeks try one (or a combination) of the following three actions:

1. Decrease your calorie intake
2. Increase the duration and / or frequency of your exercise sessions
3. Be honest with yourself: are there any areas of your lifestyle, behaviour or environment that have changed?

You should set an upper and a lower limit on your weight (a Dietitian can help you set appropriate limits). If you hit your upper or lower limit, seek professional help from a Dietitian or Doctor as soon as possible. And don't procrastinate for too long - it's much easier to reverse a 1-2kg weight gain than it is to reverse a 5-7kg weight gain!

2. Monitor Your Eating Patterns

Keep a food diary to ensure that you are eating the right amounts of food from each of the five food groups. It may sound tedious, but a food diary helps you to check that you are eating regularly. Try to maintain a consistent eating pattern, including weekends and holidays.

3. Exercise

To maintain your weight you need to exercise at a moderate intensity (a rate at which your heart rate is elevated but you can still carry out a conversation) for at least 250 minutes per week. Try walking for 30 minutes on five days of every week. For the fitter members of the audience, you can try vigorous cardiovascular exercise such as jogging for 20 minutes a day on three days of the week.

If you want to change the shape of your body or strengthen your muscles, try resistance training, or performing exercise against an opposing force such as water, free weights, weight machines, a theraband, a fit ball or even your own body weight. Resistance training increases the proportion of lean body tissue (muscle) in your body contributing to a higher metabolic rate, as well as improving your posture, flexibility and strength. If you are interested in starting a resistance training program, it's best to have a program designed by an Exercise Physiologist or a personal trainer.

4. Continue to Set Goals

The goal of weight loss is change, whereas the goal of weight maintenance is no change. It can be hard to maintain your resolve when you don't see results for the effort you are putting in. To account for this, try setting other life goals that are better enjoyed at a lower weight (e.g. joining a community walking group or travelling).

5. Reward Yourself

When you were losing weight you were probably enjoying the associated rewards: complements from friends, the excitement of fitting into smaller clothes and a dropping body weight. You'll have to devise a new set of rewards to keep you motivated during weight maintenance: treat yourself to a massage, buy a book or have a manicure of pedicure at the end of every month. You'll need to reward yourself for at least the first few years after weight loss.

6. Enlist Support

While you were losing weight it's likely that you received encouragement from family, friends and health professionals. Weight maintenance can be just as difficult as weight loss at times - and it can be a more isolated process. But it doesn't have to be that way. Tell the important people in your life that maintaining your healthy weight is important to you, and that you'd like their support and encouragement for the long term.

7. Stay Vigilant

It's easy to become complacent when you achieve your weight loss goal. People sometimes fall into the trap of thinking, "I can have an extra scoop of chocolate ice cream - I've lost a lot of weight and I'm feeling really good". Just because you've lost weight it doesn't mean that extra calories don't add up anymore!

It's important to treat yourself from time to time, but it's also important to recognise when extra treats are creeping into your diet too often. By keeping a food diary (or just listing your treats on a notepad) you can identify how frequently you are indulging. You should consume no more than 2-3 treats per week, and try to limit your treats to a 200 Calorie portion.

8. Be Organised

It's hard to manage your weight when the rest of your life is in chaos. Leave plenty of time to relax, sleep, shop for healthy foods, prepare healthy meals and exercise.

9. Maintain a Healthy Level of Self Esteem

Don't link how you feel about yourself to your weight. Be happy with you weight and proud of the weight loss that you have achieved.

10. Don't Use Food to Stabilise Your Moods

If you are feeling stressed or upset, find a non-food related way of calming yourself - go for a walk or call a friend.

Lastly, don't forget that weight maintenance can be just as challenging as weight loss (if not more so in the first two years). But it gets easier with time, and by following our advice you will be well on your way to success.

How Much Dietary Fat Should You Consume During Weight Loss?

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Fat contains twice as many calories as carbohydrate and protein, so it makes sense to reduce the amount of fat in your diet if you want to lose weight.

However you shouldn't eliminate all fat from your diet. Your body needs some fat for vitamin absorption, hormone regulation, the health of your heart and the protection of your vital organs. And you need some fat in your diet to enjoy the flavour and texture of your food.

How Much Dietary Fat Should I Consume During Weight Loss?

Females:
Fairly healthy with normal cholesterol and triglycerides: 40g fat per day
At risk of heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes: 30g fat per day

Males:
Fairly healthy with normal cholesterol and triglycerides: 50g fat per day
At risk of heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes: 40g fat per day

How Much Dietary Fat Should I Consume to Maintain a Healthy Weight?

Fats should not contribute to more than 30% of your daily calorie intake, but many Australians consume more than 40% of their daily calorie intake from fat.

Assuming that you will remain fairly active when you reach your weight loss goal, you should consume the following levels of dietary fat:

Females: Fairly healthy with normal cholesterol and triglycerides: 65g fat per day
At risk of heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes: 55g fat per day

Males: Fairly healthy with normal cholesterol and triglycerides: 85g fat per day
At risk of heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes: 70g fat per day

To find out how much fat is in your favourite foods, visit the Calorie King website.

In summary, it's important to moderate your intake of dietary fat but don't eliminate it completely. Choose foods that are high in healthy fats such as monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and omega-3 fats. And limit your intake of foods that contain unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats) as they increase your blood cholesterol levels.

Menopause and Weight Loss

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Many women associate menopause or the use of hormone replacement therapy with weight gain. But what are the facts? And what can you do about it?

In both women and men, there is an increase in Body Mass Index (BMI) with age, with the peak BMI occurring between 50 and 59 years of age (1). Many women claim that this weight gain is caused by menopause, however research doesn't support these claims. Women gain total body weight at a linear rate from age 35 - 65, a trend that is not related to loss of ovarian hormones or their subsequent replacement (2).

Menopause results in body composition changes that could indirectly lead to weight gain. During the menopausal years there is a shift in the distribution of fat from the traditional hourglass figure of the younger woman to a more central deposition in the abdomen.

These changes in fat distribution are independently associated with an increased risk of developing hypertension, abnormal lipid profiles, Type II Diabetes and cardiovascular disease (3). In addition to the change in the distribution of body fat, there is more body fat and less muscle mass. This may decrease resting metabolic rate, which in turn results in weight gain (4).

What's the best advice for women dealing with weight gain in their menopausal years?

Exercise. Try walking at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes a day (in 10 - 30 minute bouts) and partake in bi-weekly resistance training sessions. This prescription is supported by a study that demonstrated numerous health benefits for exercise in menopausal women, including loss of abdominal fat and overall body fat (5).

References:
1. Kuczmarski RJ, Flegal KM, Campbell SM, Johnson CL. 1994, 'Increasing prevalence of overweight among US adults, A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1960-1991' Journal of the Americal Medical Association, 272:205-11
2. Davies KM, Heaney RP, Recker RR, Barger-Lux MJ and Lappe JM. 2001, 'Hormones, Weight Change and Menopause' International Journal of Obesity, 25:874-879
3. Sturdee D, MacLennan A. 2007, 'The weight problem', Climacteric, 10:2
4. Smith K. 2005, 'Exercise Can Help Control Body Changes During Menopause', Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, 22(10)10-11
5. Asikainen T, Kukkonen-Harjula K, Miilunpalo S. 2004, 'Exercise for Health for Early Postmenopausal Women', Sports Medicine, 34:753-778

Alcohol and Weight Loss

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At the Wesley Weight Management Clinic we're often asked if drinking alcohol can hinder weight loss. Here's our answer:

To lose weight, you will probably need to moderate your alcohol consumption. We don't want to demonise alcohol (or any other food or drink) - we're strong believers in the saying "all things in moderation" and you still need to go out and enjoy yourself when you are losing weight. But it's important that you appreciate that drinking alcohol will hinder your weight loss efforts.

Alcohol is High in Calories

Alcohol contains 70 calories per serve. To put this into perspective, the following meals contain the same number of calories as three standard drinks:

- 100g lean pork/steak/chicken breast + 2 cups of salad
- 1 x 95g can tuna (98% fat free) + 4 Vita Wheat crackers
- 1 Weight Watchers Beef Burgundy frozen meal + 2 cups of vegetables

These meals provide important nutrients, vitamins and minerals, which can't be said for alcohol: alcohol calories are 'empty calories', or energy without any substantial vitamins or minerals. Additionally, alcohol may directly promote fat storage by slowing fat and carbohydrate digestion and increasing appetite (1).

If you were on a 1500 Calorie a day meal plan during weight loss and chose to consume 500 of these calories from alcohol (approximately 4 x 375mL cans of regular beer), you would need to provide all your essential nutrients from the remaining 1000 Calories. This may be difficult; and it's possible that nutritional deficiencies may occur over time.

And if you consumed 1500 Calories of food per day plus 500 Calories of alcohol per week (approximately 4 x 375mL cans of regular beer), you might gain 5kg of weight per year!

Can Alcohol be Beneficial to My Health?

The risks of consuming alcohol far outweigh any possible benefits. There are health benefits from drinking alcohol, but these can be obtained by drinking as little as half a standard drink per day (2).

How much Alcohol is Safe to Consume?

The Australian Alcohol Guidelines have recently been updated (3) and consist of four recommendations:

1. For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury (note that it is no longer considered safe for men to drink four standard drinks per day).
2. For healthy men and women, drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.
3. For children and young people under 18 years of age, not drinking alcohol is the safest option. 4. For women who are breastfeeding, pregnant or planning a pregnancy; not drinking is the safest option.

What is a Standard Drink?

See the image to the right. Note that there is no standard glass size used in Australia: you will often be served more than one standard drink.

How can I Reduce My Alcohol Intake?

Try the following practical tips for reducing your alcohol intake:

- Eat before you drink alcohol: food fills you up, slowing your drinking pace and possibly slowing your absorption of alcohol
- Drink water or a diet soft drink before drinking any alcohol and avoid salty foods while you are consuming alcohol
- Sip alcohol slowly and put your glass down between sips
- Intersperse your alcoholic drinks with non alcoholic drinks such as water or diet soft drinks
- Dilute wine with ice, water, juice or natural mineral water; dilute beer with diet lemonade or soda water and mix spirits with diet soft drinks or soda water
- Choose light beer over full strength
- Don't let other people 'top up' your glass: be more assertive and do not to let peer pressure make you drink more than you want to
- Avoid 'shouts' or get a glass of water when it's your turn to buy a round
- Volunteer to be the designated driver to avoid peer pressure to drink.

So go easy on the alcohol when you are trying to lose weight and you'll reap the rewards.

References:
1.National Health and Medical Research Council (2003), Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults Commonwealth of Australia
2.Lewis S, Campbell S, Proudfoot E et al (2008) Alcohol as a Cause of Cancer, Cancer Institute NSW, Sydney
3.National Health and Medical Research Council (2009) 'Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol' Commonwealth of Australia

Non-Hungry Eating: How to Take Control

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If you eat when you aren't hungry you may be finding it difficult to lose weight. Here are some tips to help you fight the urge to eat when you aren't hungry, a habit which we call 'non-hungry eating':

What are Your Eating Cues?

When you understand why you eat when you aren't hungry you can take positive steps to prevent it from happening again. Do you eat when you are feeling down or lonely? When you are engaging in certain habits or activities? Because the weather is gloomy? Or simply because food is put in front of you?

Next time you catch yourself heading to the pantry when you aren't hungry, think about your motivations for wanting to eat. Then you can work toward re-gaining control of how you respond to your cues. Try removing the cue (e.g. take the packet of chips away from the TV room if you eat when you watch TV). Or you can actively respond to the cue in a different way (e.g. call a friend instead of heading to the kitchen when you are bored).

Don't be disheartened if you don't succeed in changing your habits straight away. Change is a process that takes time, dedication and the courage to persevere - even when you don't succeed.

Measure Your Hunger

Be aware of when you are engaging in hungry eating because hunger is an appropriate cue to eat. To ascertain your level of hunger, try using the following scale to rate your hunger before eating, then five minutes after you have started eating and then again when you have finished your meal:

Rating / Physical Sensation
1 Starvation, physical pain
2 Definite physical symptoms: headache, low energy, light headed feeling, empty stomach
3 Beginning of physical signs of hunger
4 Could eat if suggestion was made
5 Neutral
6 Satisfied
7 Feel food in stomach
8 Stomach protrudes, beginning of mood alteration
9 Bloated, definite mood alteration
10 Definitely full: physical pain and numbness

People who are successful at weight loss generally wait until they are at a rating of 2 or 3 before they eat, and then they only eat to a rating of 6.

Remember that you are in control of how you respond to your eating cues. And when you control how you respond to your eating cues, you can start to control your weight.

Reference: Kausman, R. 1998. If Not Dieting, Then What? Allen & Unwin

Find Your Motivation to Exercise: 10 Tips

2010-02-18T16:30:00.011+10:00

Struggling to get out the door for your afternoon walk? Or finding that extra hour of sleep more appealing than hitting the pavement for your morning stroll?

Despite being well aware of the benefits of exercise - and knowing how great you will feel after exercising - you may find yourself struggling with motivation. Read on for some tips:

1. Adopt an Exercise Buddy

Exercise buddies keep you accountable - there's nothing like the commitment of knowing that someone is waiting for you. Walking groups or cycling bunch rides are a great way to meet people, and as your fitness improves, other people who have greater fitness will spur you on!

2. Walk to a Beat

Listening to music can motivate you during exercise, resulting in longer, more enjoyable sessions. If music isn't your thing, try listening to books on CD or podcasts.

3. Try Something New

Try cycling, aqua aerobics, water running, walking, swimming or even dancing. There is a form of exercise that you will love out there - you just may not have found it yet!

4. Just Do It

Sometimes overanalysing can be detrimental - you just need to get out there and exercise!

5. Enter Fun Runs and Walks

You don't have to be a serious runner or athlete to enter races, most have 'walker' divisions. Aim to do a fun run or walk to sustain interest and give yourself a goal to work towards.

6. Schedule It

Book an appointment with yourself and prioritise exercise just like you would any other appointment.

7. Exercise Early

If you want to get something done, do it before other tasks and responsibilities accumulate. If you exercise early you will benefit from an elevated metabolic rate for the remainder of the day, which means you are likely to burn more calories. If you can't fit exercise in early, try to do it before you get home. Once you get home, it can be difficult to go back outside!

8. Be Prepared

Keep a bag of exercise clothes at your work or in your car - you never know when you may be able to fit in an exercise session. If you are going to exercise in the morning, organise the gear you need the night before.

9. Keep Track

Keep an exercise diary, or use a heart rate monitor to measure your exercise intensity, duration and calories burned. When you meet your exercise goals, treat yourself to a non food-related reward. When you are pressed for time, a pedometer is a great way of measuring your incidental exercise.

10. Be Flexible

Don't worry too much about missed exercise days, but try to identify the barriers that prevent you from exercising and address them.