Four healthy things I have learned this month.

One of the most important parts of being a health and fitness professional is to keep yourself well-read and on top of your game. It would be quite easy to learn just enough to get me by, but after many years in an ever changing industry with new science and new methods coming into the public domain constantly, you can never stop learning.

On that note, here are four healthy things I have learned this month;

1)  How to make a tasty, savoury, gluten free bread.

I am always trying out new recipes and as someone who is a big fan of the Paleo movement and the message they promote, I often try gluten free breads. However, I find that most of them have been very sweet and almost cake like, so I was really happy to find this fantastic savoury option, which is really simple to make.

Here’s the recipe:

• 200g almonds
• 260g pumpkin seeds
• 200g brown rice flour
• 85g sunflower seeds
• 3 tbsp. psyllium husk powder
• 3 tbsp. dried mixed herbs
• 2 tbsp. chia seeds
• Salt & pepper

• Place the almonds and 175g of pumpkin seeds in a food processor and blend until a flour forms.
• Pour the flour in a large mixing bowl with all the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Add in 600ml cold water, stirring the mixture together.
• Leave the bowl to one side for about an hour to let all the water absorb into the mixture.
• Turn the dough out onto a baking tray and form into a loaf no thicker than 5-7cm tall and bake in an oven at 180 degrees centigrade for approximately 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

2.       How to make your own organic chicken liver pate.

Recently I have been made aware of the benefits of eating organ meat on a regular basis, especially livers for their superior nutritional profile. Chicken livers are packed full of protein, healthy fats, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and iron. The problem with buying shop bought pate is it is often full of rubbish ingredients and you cannot be 100% sure of the quality of the livers used – these must be organic as the liver is the chemical plant of the body, therefore if the animal has been fed rubbish then you can guarantee the liver will be rubbish.

So here is a link to a delicious organic chicken liver recipe I have tried and tested and can confirm it’s delicious.

3.       I should spend more time at the athletics track.

This is not something I have learned this month, more reminded myself of. I went for a little track session this week with a few colleagues and after 30 minutes of a mix of 400m, 300m, 200m and 100m sprints at full intensity I was more than ready for a sit down and couldn’t bring myself to jog back up the hill to work. WOW! 

I have been so focused on improving my Olympic lifting technique over the last 18 months, coupled with the fact I no longer play football on a regular basis means my sprint sessions have been few and far between. 

Sprinting is the ultimate high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. HIIT workouts have been widely promoted for their health benefits, including fat burning, improved cardiovascular health, strength gains and time efficiency. The 4 days of DOMS I experienced after this is personal testament to how effective they are for a workout.

4.       Why sleeping naked is good for your health.

    The last thing I have learned this month is something I guess I have always known intuitively as I always sleep more soundly and comfortably this way. Now I have the evidence to back me up I can convince the other half that science is why I insist on this policy at night :-)

Stay healthy!

5 exercise trends you must try in 2015

1. Calisthenics.

Calisthenics is not a new trend, but over the last couple of years it has made a massive comeback and is fast becoming mainstream. It involves no apparatus and consists of exercises designed to increase your strength, mobility, flexibility and in some cases improve cardiovascular fitness at the same time. 

The exercises can be tailored to your needs, so whether you are a complete novice who is looking to be able to get through their first set of perfect push-ups or a gym veteran who wants to bulletproof their core so they can do a human flag, then calisthenics will be the workout for you in 2015.

2. Myofascial release.

If you have ever seen someone in the gym looking in agony as they roll their legs over what looks like an oversized swimming pool noodle, then you may have an idea what myofascial release is.  It is in-fact a soft tissue therapy for the treatment of skeletal muscle immobility and pain. 

Over the last few years certain health and fitness experts such as Dr Kelly Starett have raised the game and highlighted the importance of soft tissue release in maintaining a healthy, injury free, pain free body and the techniques are now widely used by Fitness Trainers to get their clients good results. So next time you see your PT get out a lacrosse ball or foam roller don’t shy away and say no because it could be exactly what you need to help you hit your fitness goals.

3. Outdoor fitness.

It’s all too easy to stay in the comfort of a warm gym and forget about the great outdoors as the perfect playground for getting fit. I don’t mean just going for a jog around the park or go for a bike ride (although they would be perfectly suitable options for a workout), I mean using the surroundings to challenge your body in different ways, for example; using adventure playgrounds and designated outdoor gyms for climbing frames, monkey bars and balance beams to test upper body strength, balance and co-ordination. Jumping over fallen trees in the woods and climbing steep muddy hills on all fours to test explosive power and cardiovascular fitness. 

You could even enter yourself into one of the many outdoor adventure/obstacle races that are becoming the gold standard of fitness achievements. Whatever way you choose to get fit this year, make sure getting outside is part of it.

4. Weightlifting.

Olympic weightlifting is a sport that promotes strength, co-ordination, mobility, flexibility and mental strength, it is the ultimate competition. It is also made up of a range of movements and transitional exercises that if taught correctly and progressively can be hugely beneficial to someone’s strength and overall fitness. 

Whether your goal is to have an athletic physique, improve your flexibility, improve your power and endurance for sports or just want to the satisfaction of learning how to pick up something heavy above your head then learning the foundations of Olympic lifting will be perfect for you in 2015.

5. Combat sports.

Adding a combat sport such as boxing or kickboxing to your exercise regime is a no-brainer. They improve cardiovascular fitness, speed, agility, strength, co-ordination, are a great way of burning fat and firming up your midsection as-well as acting as a great cathartic outlet to improve your mood. 

Many gyms have heavy bags available and most PT’s will be able to provide you with some pad-work to learn the basics, but if you do want to step it up to a good level then there are plenty of dedicated boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts clubs out there. So download the Rocky soundtrack, get your gloves on and make 2015 the year you get fighting fit!

Stay healthy!!

Are you a secret eater but don't even know it?

Eating healthily in the modern era is not easy; it’s not hard either, but it does take planning, commitment and sometimes an iron will.

I have encountered many individuals who are trying to change their diets, eat healthier and lose body-fat over my many years as a fitness professional (many of these finding it a struggle) and I have absolutely no doubt that people do not think they are lying to me about what they eat.  However, I do believe that for many they do not realise what passes their lips each day and do not realise how many extra calories of sugar in particular they are consuming.

Those who know me, or who have read my blogs before will know that I am anti calorie counting, but I do think that it’s important to understand the macro-nutrient breakdown of your diet if you are trying to lose body fat or gain muscle mass.  The macro-nutrients are protein, carbohydrate and fat.  A healthy balanced diet will contain all macro-nutrients, the exact quantities of each will depend on your individual situation. The macro nutrients are;

Protein: Only consume clean protein sources. Grass fed, organic or free range meat and poultry where possible and fresh water, wild fish.  Good vegetable sources can include nuts, seeds, pulses (careful of carb content) and vegan protein powders such as Sun Warrior.

Aim for 0.6g per lb/body weight per day (more if you are training hard or recovering from illness).

Carbohydrate (CHO): Coming from mainly low glycaemic vegetable sources.  Avoid grains, especially anything containing wheat. 

As a guide, if you want to lose body fat, consume no more than 100g of CHO per day.  If you want to maintain bodyweight, 100-150g of CHO is adequate (see my "How much CHO should I be eating" blog for full details).

Fat: A good balance of saturated sources (animal fats & coconut oil), mono-unsaturated fats (nuts, olive oil, avocados) and polyunsaturated fats (seeds, oily fish) will give the body a great source of energy and help keep your blood sugar balanced and your insulin levels under control.  A daily Omega 3 fatty acid supplement is recommended too.

Note: AVOID ALL TRANS-FAT SOURCES (highly processed man made fats found in cakes, pies and pastries).

Ok, this is all very well, but what do I mean when I say, “Are you a secret eater, but don’t even know it?”  I am referring to the fact that despite many of us getting the basics right in terms of eating 3 meals a day that are home cooked, full of vegetables, drinking lots of water etc. We are not making any progress in our body fat and body weight goals.

Why?

I am sure this is down to not realising how much extra food and drink passes our lips that we don’t count as eaten, or in some cases even realise we’ve consumed.

The culprits:

Alcohol:  Ok, we all know when we’ve had a drink, but if you have a heavy night (and we all do), do you really know how much you’ve had to drink?  Let’s do some conservative maths.  If you consumed 1 bottle of red wine (approximately 400kcal), 2 G&T’s (approx 240kcal) & a couple of shots of zambuca (approx 200kcal) on a night out, you have added over 800kcal of (mainly) sugar to your diet.  This doesn’t even count the kebab on the way home and the way you crave junk food the next day and you can see that someone with a particularly social job or a lifestyle that revolves around weekend drinking will have problems controlling their weight, or losing body fat even if they are exercising a lot.  The way round this is simple; moderation!  I know that’s not always possible, but if you want results then knock the binge drinking on the head.

Petrol station queues:  We’ve all been there, standing waiting to be served, your tummy is rumbling and all around you are special offers for chocolate bars, crisps and cakes.  It’s so easy to just throw a little treat onto the counter, eat it in the car and throw away the wrapper before anyone sees, it’s like it never happened.  Again, let’s do the maths.  If you fill up twice a week at the petrol station and each time buy yourself a chocolate bar and a bag of crisps (approx 400Kcal X 2 = 800 Kcal), again it’s easy to see how the calories in sugar and bad fats can rack up without noticing.  I have found the way to get around this is to pay in cash and make sure you fill your tank up completely so you don’t need to go as often.

Fizzy drinks:  This one, especially “sports drinks” really grinds my gears! They just are not necessary.  I actually chuckle to myself when I see someone guzzling a Lucozade whilst having a gentle cycle on a recumbent bike.  I mean they are actually producing a net calorie gain whilst at the gym, shocking!!  So, first of all, unless you are participating in the sporting arena, or taking part in an endurance event of over 90 minutes you have no need for an isotonic sports drink at the gym.  Non sports fizzy drinks are also full of excess sugar calories.  

If you have 1 can of cola per day (140 kcal) it will add an extra 980Kcal per week.  Not only that, each can contains around 40g CHO, which is almost half your daily allowance if you’re trying to burn body-fat.

My advice is to stay away from fizzy drinks, including “diet” versions (for other reasons) and just drink plain water & herbal teas the majority of the time for good health.  This misunderstanding of the sugars in drinks also applies to fruit juices, fruit smoothies, fancy pants coffees like lattes and such like.  Fruit juices and smoothies (if homemade) can be a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals, but be careful not to overload them with high glycaemic fruits. It’s all about the combinations!

Other notable culprits include; 

Grazers – Eating a few chips from your children’s plates or finishing their leftovers everyday does count!

70:30 – Eating well Mon-Fri but blowing out at weekends isn’t going to get you results.

Office cakes – it’s not necessary to have to take a slice of cake just because it’s Jenny’s cat’s birthday.  

Remember, those people who pressure you into eating are just doing it because it makes them question their own life choices.  

You eat too much! – You can eat too much good food.  Focus on portion sizes and food ratios on your plate.  A good fist size piece of protein, a load of leafy vegetables and some healthy fats in the form of some avocado, seeds or some olive oil to dress is how a plate should look. Try using smaller plates too.

I’m not going to pretend I am perfect, but I am fully aware of what I’m eating and what my health goals are and adjust my diet accordingly.  I hope this article has shown you that without even realising it you can add almost 2000kcal or 500g of CHO per week in mainly sugar to your diet.  I’m afraid to say, you can hit the gym 4-5 times per week, but it’s going to make no difference if you are stocking up on that amount of sugar.  

My advice is to really take the time to plan your meals, keep an accurate food diary and most importantly understand what is passing your lips!

Stay healthy!

Weight Loss - it's all in the mind!

To get a body like a film star all you have to do is cut out wheat, dairy, sugar and carbohydrates; only eat for five days out of seven; never eat after 7pm; and on top of that make sure you are eating enough protein to create a new species on the endangered list and guzzle so many supplements it will keep Holland & Barrett in business for decades. 

Yes, according to the glossy magazines this is what it takes to lose weight and get the body you dream of. Sounds easy, right?!

Sarcasm aside, my many years of experience in the field tell me that people who exercise consistently and effectively and have a diet full of unprocessed highly nutritious food will make significant changes in their physical appearance and maintain a healthy weight.  However, many people constantly fall at the first hurdle and find it almost impossible to stick to a healthy living regime. 

Why? I believe it is due to lack of understanding of the many psychological factors that are associated with dieting behaviour.

Habits

Human beings are habitual by nature and from the moment we are born food becomes an essential part of our lives. It’s no surprise to find out that over the years we develop habits and create associations with food that are in some cases controlled by our environment and are not under our conscious control.  So what can be done about this?  Research has shown that breaking habits can be achieved by making small changes in our daily routine and getting out of our comfort zones.  

Completing simple tasks such as watching different television programmes, eating new foods, taking up new hobbies and making new friends can not only enrich your life but help you lose up to 2lb a week before you even start dieting.  

My advice is to begin making small positive changes to your life before starting a diet and fitness regime, as this will not only open your mind to change but give a whole new perspective to life itself.

Behaviour Change

Timing when to start a weight management programme is essential for success.  By this I don’t mean that you should only start when you have no parties to go to; but knowing when you are ready and capable of change before making adjustments to your lifestyle is important.

I believe there are 5 stages to consider. Which one are you at?

1)  Pre-contemplation.  At this stage people are in denial over their need for change.  They embark on diet plans under duress from others and will rarely achieve success.

2)  Contemplation. This is the stage when a person acknowledges that they have a problem and like to talk about it, read about it and think about it.  In fact, they like to do anything except act on it. 

3)  Preparation.  Preparing for action!  This can involve seeking out a personal trainer or gym membership, deciding what foods you are going to cut out of your life and planning your meals.  A key part of this stage is to go public with your intentions to help push you into action.

4)  Action.  This stage is busy and time consuming.  A routine of new foods and exercise dominate your thoughts whilst trying to combat cravings and negative influences.  This is why preparation is vital!

5)  Maintenance. Once you begin to make changes and gain results, your support from peers dwindles.  This makes it essential that you understand that CHANGE NEVER ENDS WITH ACTION. An extensive period of maintenance is needed to engrain the new regime into your life whilst it becomes a new habit, this can last anything from 6 months to a lifetime!

TOP TIP:  Make a list of all the positives and negatives involved in going on a diet.  If the positives outweigh the negatives you are ready for change!

True motivation must come from within!

I am always shocked by the amount of people who try to lose weight due to the pressure of others.  I cannot be any clearer with this statement; “If you attempt to diet to make someone else happy, you will fail!!”

So, in danger of sounding a bit like a bad actor, what is my motivation?  Well I have found success with clients when I ask them to take part in a simple writing task;

Take the time to write down and explain in detail why you believe that losing weight will improve your life. It is important not to focus on why it will make others happy, but to focus on the emotions involved personally to you and why your life will change for the better. This gives you a chance to express the stress, anger and frustration you may be feeling in a way that is very personal to yourself without having to talk it through with anyone else.  The cathartic nature of this task provides a much needed stress relief, but it also gives fresh perspective on a journey that for some has always been just a dream that lip service is constantly paid to.

In summary, losing weight is not as simple as being told by a young, in shape fitness trainer who has no kids, to eat less chocolate.  If you take note of these important psychological factors and begin to plan your regime properly and make sure you are not only ready for change but doing it for the right reasons, you will succeed.

How much carbohydrate should I be eating?

Thanks to over 30 years of institutionally bad advice on the recommended amounts of carbohydrate (CHO), the western world is currently suffering from an epidemic of obesity and related metabolic disease, such as Type 2 diabetes.  For example, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “healthy” food pyramid recommends up to 65% of your diet to be made up of CHO foods including vegetables, fruits, grains, cereal, rice, pasta etc. 

This advice is obviously flawed as there are currently 154.7 million overweight or obese adults in the United States, equating to approximately 35% of the population, this has risen from 13.2% of the population in 1962. The UK isn’t any different, NHS statistics from 2011 show 25% of adults are obese and only 37% have a healthy BMI (height:weight calculation).

What is the link between CHO advice and obesity?  This is a question that many will ask as factors such as change in working culture (less manual labour) and technology have rapidly decreased the activity levels of the nation.  Not forgetting that food technology and media advertising have increased the amount of processed foods consumed.  But they cannot take all of the blame, especially as so many people are “dieting” and going to the gym to increase their activity levels and still struggling to maintain a healthy weight.  

Believe me when I say;

CHO = sugar. 

Excess sugar = stored fat. 

Excess stored fat = weight problems!

So, how much should I be consuming? 

Well, according to Mark Sisson, author of Primal Blueprint, it depends on what you are trying to achieve.

0-50g per day = Ketosis and accelerated fat burning.

Acceptable for occasional one to two day intermittent fasting efforts towards aggressive weight loss, provided adequate protein, fat and supplements are consumed.  Not recommended as long term strategy as it depletes the body of essential nutrient high fruits and vegetables.

50-100g per day = sweet spot for effortless weight loss

Minimises insulin production and accelerates fat metabolism.  Alongside meeting average daily protein requirements (meat, fish, poultry), eating nutritious vegetables, (some) fruits, nuts, seeds and eggs, you can lose 1-2 lbs of body fat per week.

100-150g per day = maintenance range

Allows for genetically optimal fat burning, muscle development and effortless weight maintenance. Dietary emphasis is on vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and animal foods, with grains and processed sugars eliminated.

150-300g per day = Steady, insidious weight gain

This level of CHO is the level that many institutionally funded bodies (USDA, NHS etc) and many commercial “diet” companies recommend.  This continuous insulin stimulating pattern of eating provides perfect conditions for weight gain and the associated health conditions.  Chronic exercise and crash dieting may keep weight down for a period of time, but inevitably metabolic syndrome (inability to control blood sugar levels) will develop and fat levels will rise.  This even happens to seemingly cautious eaters, but a few lbs will be gained every year leading to long term problems.

300g or more = DANGER ZONE

Sweet foods such as confectionary, pastries, sugary hot drinks, fizzy drinks, cakes, excess alcohol etc, which are consumed frequently by many mean that this level is easily exceeded without even feeling full.  It will lead to metabolic syndrome, certain weight gain and a shortened life span.

Common CHO foods and their approximate values;

70g cooked pasta = 51g CHO

1 large baked potato = 50g CHO

1 large baked sweet potato = 35.4g CHO

50 g raw porridge oats = 31g CHO

2 slices of wholemeal bread = 30g CHO

1 small banana = 23g CHO

1 medium apple = 23g CHO

70g cooked quinoa = 15g CHO

70g Cooked brown rice = 15g CHO

100g blueberries = 6.9g CHO

100 g bag of mixed green leaf salad = 2.5g

Sweet treats:     1 blueberry muffin = 46.7g, 1 Mars bar = 40g CHO, 42g Granola Bar = 29g CHO

As you can see by this chart, it doesn’t really take much to end up eating excess CHO in your diet.  So it is vital that you monitor what foods you are consuming, weigh your CHO foods before cooking them and make sure you are eating the optimal amount for your circumstances.

Stay healthy!!

For more information about how to plan a healthy diet or exercise plan, contact me on james@hutchisonpt.co.uk, or find me and my colleagues at All About You Fitness Studio's in Highgate Village, London. 

The Psychology of Weight Loss

If you picked up any health or lifestyle magazine it wouldn’t take long to find an article on the latest celebrity diet and an abundance of advice on how to shift unwanted pounds.  More reliable sources of information on the subject from fitness professionals and nutrition experts give a similar message; eat less and move more.  This of course on face value is correct, if you consume less calories than you burn you will lose weight.  It is also true that to maintain a healthy weight and body you should consume more unprocessed foods and focus on building a menu around fresh fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.  So the question is; if it is that easy, why do so many fail?

I believe the reason for this is because many people do not understand the psychological factors that are associated with dieting success.  These factors range from understanding habitual behaviour, theories of behaviour change and finding true motivation.  If a diet program can incorporate knowledge of psychology it will not only help an individual reach their goal weight, but improve the chances of keeping their weight off for life.

Human beings are habitual by nature.  From birth human development is dependent on the brain creating neural networks that remember actions and feelings so that we are able to learn to survive.  Eating is obviously an essential component of survival so from very early on if our lives we begin to develop a pattern of behaviour that is associated with food.  This could be a certain feeling associated with foods (positive or negative), it could be a particular time you eat or an order that you eat in.  The simple fact is, by the time you have reached adulthood the neural networks associated with your eating habits are deeply entwined with everything you do; so it is no surprise to find out losing weight is slightly more complicated than having a young fit and perfectly toned fitness professional telling you not to eat certain foods.

Professors at the University of Hertfordshire have dedicated many years of research to understanding habits and how they can have a negative affect on life.  In their book, “The no diet diet”, Professors Fletcher, Pine & Penman explain how that changing non diet based behaviours can actually help untangle the web of neural networks associated with eating behaviour.  They suggest that taking time to make small changes in your life such as; reading different papers or magazines, watching different television programs, taking up knew hobbies and taking different routes to work allow the body to break out of routine and make a natural adjustment to its metabolic functioning, resulting in weight loss of up to 2lbs a week. Unlike many other diet books, this has years of scientific research and results to back up its claims.  Looking at this habit breaking task from another perspective can see it as a great way of practising and building up will power before attempting to cut something as addictive as processed sugar from a diet.

Understanding behaviour change cycles are vitally important in planning a successful weight management programme.  For example; a well known theory in social psychology is the theory of planned behaviour.  This theory has shown that a person’s behaviour can be predicted using knowledge of their attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms about the behaviour and said persons perceived behavioural control.  What this means in relation to dieting behaviour is that knowledge of a persons attitude towards food and diets, what they believe others will think of them if they do or do not diet and whether they have the tools to succeed in their weight loss goals can be used to predict their action.  These important nuggets of information should be established during a consultation with fitness professional or a nutritionist, however if you are deciding to seek dieting success with no external help then you should take time to think about and write down the answers to the points I have highlighted.  If you happen to have a positive attitude to the idea of dieting, feel that others will be supportive and you feel you have the necessary will power and support network around you then you have a greater chance of success.

Timing when to start a weight management programme is also essential for success.  By this I don’t mean that you should peruse your diary to find a week where you have no social engagements, but choosing a time when you are ready for change.  Dr. James Prochaska and colleagues have studied behaviour change interventions for many years and have established six stages of behaviour change.  These are; pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination.  Establishing which stage you are at can help determine what is needed to help move on to the next stage and most importantly whether you are ready for change in the first place. 

Pre-contemplation is a term used to describe the stage in which people are in denial over their need for change.  Take for instance a person who is lives on fast food and consumes dangerously high quantities of alcohol.  They may see an article on the dangers of processed food and skip over it or become defensive if any body questions them about their negative behaviour.  Pre-contemplators are not ready for change and usually will only start a weight loss programme under pressure from those around them.  Contemplation is the stage when a person acknowledges that they have a problem and like to talk about it, read about it and think about it.  In fact they like to do anything except act on it.  This stage of change can take some people years to overcome whilst they research their problem deeply in hope of finding the Holy Grail that will send them on the path to change.  Others may contemplate for a short while and move on to the next stage; preparation.  This is quite simply preparing for action.  In the case of dieting behaviour it can involve seeking out a personal trainer or gym membership, planning meals, deciding what foods you are going to cut out of your life etc.  A key part of this stage is to go public.  Fear of failure is something that holds many people back when committing to any sort of change, so going public adds a certain amount of pressure to the situation, but can also be the factor that pushes a person into action.  The action stage of any change period is busy and time consuming.  In dieting behaviour it is a period that seems all consuming whilst a routine of new foods and exercise dominate your thoughts, whilst trying to combat cravings and negative influences that make it their mission to bring you down.  This is why before action the preparation stage is key!!  It is also important to recognise that in most change cycles, individuals get most support from peers before action.  Once someone is visibly changing it is not unusual for external support to dwindle as they believe that you have already succeeded; however every successful change cycle needs a maintenance period in which the new behaviour becomes engrained into a routine.  This maintenance period can last from 6 months to a lifetime before you can safely put yourself in the termination stage in which there is no danger of resorting back to old habits.  In a weight loss programme this maintenance phase is as important as many people lose weight quickly before regaining even more a few months down the line.  Remember CHANGE NEVER ENDS WITH ACTION. 

What these six stages of change show is that there is much more to weight loss than just deciding to go on a diet.  Before you should even consider starting a diet plan it may be worth trying to establish what stage you are at.  Once this is established you can work on getting to the action and maintenance stages.  I imagine if you are taking the time to read an article of this nature you will be at least in the contemplation stage so I recommend a task for you; write down all the negatives and all of the positives involved in losing weight.  Once your list of positives outweighs the negatives you are ready for change.

True motivation must come from within.  Understanding this simple statement is necessary to plan a successful weight loss programme.  As explained in the pre-contemplation stage, those who attempt a weight loss under duress will ultimately fail, which in principle is the same as somebody whose motivation is to lose weight to make someone else happy.

So, in danger of sounding a bit like a bad actor, what is my motivation?  There are two types of motivation; intrinsic and extrinsic.  Intrinsic motivation is gained from an internal satisfaction of completing the task in hand.  Research has shown that if a person has intrinsic motivation they are more likely to complete a task, however in the case of dieting and weight loss it is unlikely they will have an innate desire to lose weight or change their eating habits or they would not be overweight in the first place.  However, what can be established is a person’s true desire to lose weight.  A great way of doing this is to take time to write a letter to yourself and explain in detail why you believe that losing weight will change your life.  It is important not to focus on why it will make others happy, instead focus on the emotions involved and why you think your life will change for the better.  Extrinsic motivation is influenced by external factors such as rewards that are gained from success.  These can be anything from material rewards such as a new clothes or a holiday, to more personal rewards such as improved self esteem from the compliments that others are showering you with.  I suggest that anyone entering a weight management programme should take time to create a motivation wall.  This should contain anything that motivates you to succeed, such as; old pictures of what you used to look like, words and quotes that inspire you, pictures of a beach reminding you of the holiday you are going to take etc.  This motivation wall can be referred to in time of need when you feel like giving up giving you a boost.

So, as you can see the psychological factors involved in weight loss are too important to ignore.  Losing weight is not rocket science, but it is also not as simple as being told to change.  Remember you have to take time to break old habits and form new ones.  You have to understand your behaviour cycles and establish your attitude to change before being able to plan and maintain a new diet.  But before all of that, you need to want to do it in the first place.  Change for yourself and you will experience success and happiness.

Good luck!!

For more information on planning a successful weight management programme email me at james@hutchisonpt.co.uk

Why failure is what most dieters experience

The obesity epidemic is fast becoming a crisis in the United Kingdom.  The term clinically obese is defined as, "a body mass index of 30kg/m squared or greater,".  In fact the NHS released statistics in 2009 that claimed 24% of adults in England were clinically obese, an increase of 15% since 1993.  The same report shows there is a 14% increase in raised waist circumference in adults across the same time scale.

More alarming figures were released in 2010 by top market researchers Mintel, showing that almost a quarter of women in the UK are wearing size 18 clothes or over, that equates to approximately 6.2 million people.

So with obesity problems like this it is no surprise that the diet industry is big business.  There are no official statistics for the amount of money spent on the UK diet industry, but estimates in the US quote figures of between $40-$100 billion.  So for the industry to be making this kind of revenue they expect one thing, your failure.  If every person who put themselves on the (place generic diet brand here) diet actually kept the weight off, there would be no need to sell the memberships, promote the books or champion the potions and powders that bring this miraculous weight loss.

Speaking as someone who has worked in the fitness industry for over ten years I can honestly say the clients of mine who have successfully lost weight and kept it off do two things; first they work hard in raising their exercise levels, not only in the gym or in personal training sessions, but overall in their lifestyle.  This could be exercising outside of the gym by taking up a sport, or just walking more often or cycling with the kids.

Secondly, and most importantly they adopt a sensible balanced diet, which provides adequate nutrition and calorie intake to sustain their daily activities, but a regime they can stick to without falling off the wagon due to treat deprived binges.  So, if the solution is so simple, why do most dieters fail?  I am going to answer this question from a psychological perspective rather than in the more traditional (regulate your blood sugar) sense.

It would be common sense to assume that if a persons attitude towards a behaviour, lets say their attitude towards eating healthier, was positive, then they are likely to participate in that behaviour.  However, it was shown many years ago that the correlation between attitude and behaviour was as low as 0.30 (1 being a perfect correlation).  Over the years there have been many academic studies into attitude and behaviour change, one of the most significant was proposed by Ajzen & Fishbein; The theory of planned behaviour.  This model has shown empirically that a persons actions can be predicted accurately using knowledge of their attitudes towards the behaviour, subjective norms about the behaviour and perceived behavioural control.  What this means when related to a person wishing to diet, is their behaviour can be predicted more accurately by knowing their attitude towards dieting in general, what they believe other people will think of them if they do or do not diet, do they believe they can succeed if they diet and most importantly do they show real intention to change.

Another theory has grown out of this model, mainly focusing on peoples intention to change.  Gollwitzer has proposed the idea of implementation intentions, and has good empirical support to back it up.  The concept can be summed up as planning how to participate in a behaviour that will result in a achieving a desired goal.  The implementation intention requires the person to specify when, where and how the behaviours will be achieved, this will not just provide the person time to evaluate their goals and think practically how to achieve them but also provides an emotional and psychological contract that they have signed.

So, my advice to those who are thinking of dieting, is to look at the situation from a psychological prospective.  Make sure before you go ahead with the latest fad diet in a glossy magazine that you choose an eating regime you believe you can stick to.  Then take time to write down when you are going to start, where it is going to happen (such as eating at home rather than restaurants and spending more time in the gym) and most importantly, how are you going to achieve this.  It is important to prepare meal plans and give yourself three or four small goals each week, such as drink more water, cut out chocolate, reduce salt intake etc.

It is also important to have this implementation intention on paper, if it is sitting as a document on your PC or lap top you are not going to see it.  Print it out, put it up on the fridge or somewhat where you and those around you will see it regularly, and make sure you add your signature to it.  If you do these small but significant tasks, it will greatly increase your chances of achieving your goals and avoiding the gut wrenching guilt of previous failures.

For more information about the psychological perspective of weight loss and exercise goals, contact me on james.hutchison4@btinternet.com.