Have a low(er) fat summer

Hello,

With summer having started around the 21st of June (yes, that’s when summer starts, or so says the BBC) with any luck you, me and the GetFit team will see the sun a little more and enjoy lighter and warmer evenings.

However, the summer months bring with them their own unique healthy eating challenges. We may find ourselves heading out for alfresco dining at pubs, cafes and restaurants, either here or whilst on holiday or be invited to, or hold our own, BBQ’s and summer parties.


Because even though summer is typically seen as the perfect time for salads, light meals and outdoor dining, I find it can often be ambushed by heavy sauces, fatty meats and creamy dips…


And I have to confess to being a heavy dipper!


So what can be done to stop this summer from becoming a ‘Summer of Fat’?


I asked around the GetFit office and asked the guys to confess to their summer time weakness and I can now bring you the GetFit's Top 5 ‘Summer of Fat’ alerts…


Number 5 - Ordering lower fat dishes when dining out (especially on holiday)


Eating out is an enjoyable experience that need not stop just because you are following a healthy eating or weight loss plan. But dining out can be fraught with danger, especially when ordering abroad! However with a little pre-planning it can be made healthier.


Wherever and whenever you dine out you can decide before you set out that you are going to have just one or two courses and try eating a light snack e.g. a couple of crackers to take the edge off your appetite.


Also, look for dishes described as ‘grilled’, ‘chargrilled’, ‘poached’, ‘stir-fired’, ‘steamed’, ‘cooked in own juice’ or with pomodoro or wine sauce (and if you’re abroad and your language skills are rusty, or non-existent like mine, translate these words before heading down to the local tapas bar).


Number 4 - BBQ meat madness… Using lower fat meats or ‘vegetarian’ options


With several Aussies in the office, this comes as no surprise.


There are so many meat alternatives available it would be impossible to list them all her, but sausages, burgers and even ‘fake’ bacon can all be found in almost all supermarket aisles.


However, check the fat content per 100g to help you choose lower fat meat-free alternatives. A guideline figure is 9% fat (9g fat per 100g) maximum, but you will find many lower fat meat-alternative foods containing 5% or less fat.


If the idea of a no meat BBQ is just unimaginable, look for the leanest meats you can find, and shock horror, remove the skin of the chicken pieces, as this part contains the majority of the fat.


Serve your meat-alternative products with a large portion of colourful salad or vegetables.


And if you’re watching your carb intake for any reason, leave the bun!


Next week I'll reveal the GetFit teams Top 3 summer fat alerts...

Willpower eh? now what is that exactly..

Two weeks ago I talked about the opposite of willpower, which I called "other power"

Essentially I was looking for those things "outside ourselves" that could help in tackling problem habits which most of us don't want to continue in our day to day lives.

What is it we all mean when we talking about having "willpower"?

It's one of those funny things, we all have an idea of what willpower means to ourselves personally, but I was struggling to come up with a decent definition.

This being the internet I goggled willpower and let the democracy of internet search give me the definition (thanks Wikipedia - interestingly there isn't a page on willpower just links to other pages)

·  Self-discipline, training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for personal improvement

·  Self-control, the ability of a person to exert his/her will over the inhibitions of their body or self

So something about training the mind and the ability to exert control over your own body / self. This is really interesting because I often hear people talking about how they "have no willpower". We often don't think that willpower is something we can train - like a muscle - but surely it must change throughout our lives - so there must be a way for us to change it for the better - to be more focused on what we want.

The second part interesting part of willpower that is the idea of control. Surely the only thing that we have control over in our lives are our choices. But I find myself deciding to do one thing one day, but the following morning deciding that the exact opposite of what I want...

It's like there are many different "me's” all deciding different things at different times. Usually it's whatever is easiest or what will give me a little bit of comfort at that particular point.

Thinking about willpower in this way - is a bit more fun than thinking "I'm weak" or "I just can't do it" - but as a little argument within me, where different “me's” want different things.

The GetFit.com willpower training method

Based on this, the psychology team at getfit.com have developed a fun little training technique based on "self-talk". Self-talk is the way we talk to ourselves about what we are doing. But with this training method you are going to name the different "you's" that are talking when there is a situation that you feel Willpower is required.

We've all seen the cartoons with Donald Duck with an angel duck on one shoulder, and the devil duck on the other. I don't think that this is a helpful way of viewing the different "you’s" that you might appear when making a decision, but it gives you an idea of what I mean... Remember that both "you's" will be looking to make your life better, just going about it in different ways.

1. When a challenging situation arises - recognise it
- After all if you just react on instinct you won't be thinking at all

2. Stop and take some time to be aware of your thoughts and feelings
- This is where you can recognise the different "you's" who want different things

3. Give a little description to the different "you's" that are present
- This one is tired and wants a treat, this one is thinking about fitting into jeans.....

4. Act as a judge as to what type of "you" each would result in
- This first one will only look after my short term needs, this second one is thinking for the long term

5. Make a decision based on what you want to be in the future
- I'd rather be able to fit into jeans than have a treat just now

6. Just do it - no more thinking - you've made the decision, move on.
- Don't get caught up in guilt or brow-beating, you've made a decision - accept it and whatever goes along with it.

Remember that there is always some trial and error with learning anything new. Willpower is just you being clear with yourself about what you want and that there are some costs associated with getting what you want.

Of course willpower is not the entire picture, for the next few weeks we'll be tackling how to establish healthy habits - so willpower can take a back seat!.

Just can't shake this feeling.....

Wow - Hasn't everyone been sick recently?

At our offices, out with our friends and especially at home with family we've been noticing how there are a lot of sniffles, coughs and slightly panicked walks to the toilet.....

This got us thinking about, what if anything can we really do about it?

Most magazines have articles about the next wonder fruit / herbal supplement etc. to boost your immunity. While we're not going to say none of those articles have good information, at some point I guess we need to face reality and ask -

What can we do if we are sick? and how do we get well sooner?

Of course I think everyone got the message about hygiene a few years ago when H1N1 (Swine flu) reached epidemic levels both on the ground and on the media headlines. There was some great adverts which literally showed what a sneeze could spread... But while being aware of hygiene is important, particularly when dangerous infections are spreading, I think most people accept that they will catch the odd sniffle

But just to say that once you are sick you may as well just get on with it, might not be the best idea.... Surely if you have an infection, why put yourself in a place where you can catch another? Avoiding places that have a large numbers of people moving through it, or places where the ventilation is not great, means that avoid being exposed to any other "bugs" that are out there.

This is not always easy - you have a job, you have kids, you have responsibilities - but an awareness of this fact can help you reduce some of the non-essential tasks that might expose you to further illness.

There is no cure for the common cold. I guess we all know this but it doesn't stop us from dosing up on every vitamin and cold remedy we can get our hands on..... This is a sensitive point, because cold and flu remedies don't claim to make you better quicker. But it's a point that needs to be repeated once in a while. If taking medications that give you the impression that you are better, will reduce some of the other points in our list, then are they the best idea? I guess all that can be said here is that cold remedies are not cold cures..... so you need to take care of yourself in other ways as well.

Smoking, Alcohol, Reduced sleep and high fat foods can reduce your natural immune response. I guess these aren't revolutionary things to hear, but it links to the point above - if you don't feel sick, you can kid yourself that you're over that bug and just get on with life... or the old friend comfort eating raises their head and gives you the excuse to "get a treat" instead of what you might eat if you were thinking about your health. We or our friends have all taken a cold remedy before a night out on the lash... I guess the question is, how long do you want to have a cold for?..

We've been talking about the power of the mind a bit recently. The power of optimism to overcome infections is well documented. People who are more pessimistic tend to get more coughs /colds and take longer to fight them off. Incredibly enough - optimistic people have a bigger immune response to a virus or germ contact. While you can't just decide to be more optimistic, you know what they say knowledge is power - changing your outlook could help!

The main reason why coughs and colds go up during the winter is because of the weather. But not in the way you might think. Cold weather itself cannot cause a cold or "a bug". The best answer to why that we have heard is because cold weather encourages most people to stay indoors with other people, and then allows the injection to be spread around more. So ironically, not letting the weather dictate what you do, might improve your chances of catching something.... this really just goes back to the first point about avoiding situations where you are more likely to catch a cough or cold.....

Why is it so hard to do what's good for us?

It struck me this morning that if I did everything that I suggested to people when they ask for some advice, I'd be the healthiest person in the world! (I'm not, by the way)


But I'm not the unhealthiest person either. Thinking about this some more, I saw that it's never as simple as doing what you're told, or even doing what I know is good for me.
   I've realised that it's not even as simple as doing what I've already decided to do...


The shocking truth (and it is a shock to discover it again and again) is that with all the will in the world, I can't decide to be a healthier or happier person - I need something else to help me along the way.


This week, I thought we'd revisit some of the tried and tested methods that we use at getfit.com That don't include willpower - you might call this "other power" as they rely on things other than yourself.


The Bribe / The Bet / The Buddy

Creating some positive social pressure can make things more interesting.

For example I have a friend who bet a mate that he would lose 2 stone by his birthday - if he didn't, he would wear a tube top out on his birthday. Needless to say - he lost the weight. But there are less extreme examples that this....

The Bribe - is about getting something that you want - from someone who is supportive of your efforts

The Bet - is about the pain of defeat or the sweet taste of victory, a competitive friend /frenemy is ideal

The Buddy - just telling other people about your plans makes you 30% more likely to suceed - but only tell the people you could label a "cheer leader", keep it quite from those you might call "the nagger"


Bring some awareness to it - but don't react

So often it's easy to just react to the day....

The stressful situation at work kicks of the thought "here we go again.... they always do this"
That thought is not nice - you could say it feels like a hot poker - you've got to get rid of this feeling
Instinctively you reach for something that will distract you from that feeling - a biscuit, a cigarette,
sometimes you don't even have time to react and instead you just ignore that feeling and it festers.

By the end of the day (or the week) you feel horrible and end up using food, alcohol or something else as a coping mechanism to get you feeling "back to normal"
There is an alternative - it's not a quick fix, but it does get easier with practice....

When that event happens, take 3 minutes out of your day - stop.
Notice your breathing
Notice your body (your feet, legs, back, shoulders, arms, neck & head)
Notice how you feel (don't let your mind take over on this - stick with the feeling)
Notice what thoughts you are having (treat them as you would a cloud passing in the sky - there is no need to engage with your thought at this stage.

Holding all of your experience lightly, just tell yourself that it's ok, that this is my experience and I can feel it fully.

Take the last 1 minute just to stick with your breathing, however it is, and be aware of your entire experience.

Don't tell yourself what you must or mustn't do - just act as you feel you should with a new awareness of how you are feeling.

Both of these techniques are used through the GetFit Health Coach program.
Along with a personal health assessment and lifestyle analysis there are six programs to help tackle healthy eating, being more active, worrying, problems with sleep, low mood and stress management.

What is Happiness Anyway?

A conversation we're having at getfit.com right now is about happiness and what it means to be "happy".

Our sister site TheWellnessShop.co.uk addresses what it is to feel down in the dumps with our programme Beating the Blues. But we thought that it could be a good idea to take some time to think about what happiness is from a personal perspective, and like everything we do, a scientific perspective.

The best scientific description of what it means to be happy is the PERMA theory from the area of postive psychology. This week we'll be tweeting about these and giving little thought on how you can start seeing the positives in your life (even if things aren't going so well).


Because like the saying goes "you are what you eat”,

We think it's not too far from the truth that "you are what you think"

At least that if you focus on the negative, it's much more likely that you'll be a negative person. So to give the opposite a go for this week, we'd encourage you to focus on the positive or see the good aspects of whatever happens. Missing the train can sometimes mean that the next one is less crowded...


Positive emotion: This is the "feeling good" aspect of being happy


Engagement (being in the flow): This is the "absorbed and challenged" aspect of happiness


Relationship (and social connections): We are social beings after all, so feeling supported and loved is a vital aspect of happiness


Meaning (and purpose): Happy people tend to have something that gives their lives meaning - This can appear as religion for some, family for others. But I guess it could be thought of as that thing that gets you going and inspired...


Accomplishments *(and winning): It doesn't need to be winning at the expense of someone losing. Accomplishing a difficult task or finishing an adult learning course gives a sense of growth and development. It could be as simple as getting through a difficult day without giving in to negativity


Just remember that you can have all of these things but your outlook on them is just as important.
Some people call this optimism...



A Happy dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favourite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favourite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favourite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favourite thing!

12:00 pm - Lunch! My favourite thing!

1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favourite thing!

3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favourite thing!

5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favourite thing!

7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favourite thing!

8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favourite thing!

11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favourite thing!

Thinking about summer Swimsuits

Oh boy, here comes the summer. At GetFit.com we love the sun, but aren’t too keen on the swimsuit stress that is on the Horizon.

Like everything in the health coach program, we believe that planning is so important if you want to achieve a goal either for your health or wellbeing. So this week we are thinking about the small steps that you can put in place to hit the pool, beach, park or sundeck without that niggling feeling that it would be better if there was a little less of you to be exposing…..

Basically we’ve whipped around the office and come to the conclusion that there are three ways to address this stress.

Method 1: Avoid any event that might include swimming or people who are likely to whip of their clothes and sun worship…… We’ve decided while this sounds good, it then cuts out all the places and people we like in the summer

GetFit.com rating: 1/10

Method 2: Accentuate the good, boost your confidence and think positive……

We like this method, as what goes on inside will show on the outside. No matter how your look, if you’re worried and feeling shy, your face will be wrinkled and your posture will be slumped over. This does not help with your outward appearance; you’ll also be less relaxed and “emotionally turned in”.

Ask yourself what do I like most about my physical appearance, and what will help me accentuate it? For example if your eyes are a feature you like, then sunglasses might not be the way to feel your best, however a fashionable hat with matching outfit might be the perfect way to stand out and feel comfortable.

GetFit.com rating: 7/10

Method 3: Accept what you can and can’t change, then work on what is reasonable……

Some people (myself included) are just not suited to skimpy… frankly revealing swimsuits. But regardless of size or shape some things can always be improved.

Aim 1 - Posture Perfect: With a great posture, you look taller, more confident and friendlier.

Aim 2 – Proportion: if top and bottom are more balanced, then differences between body parts will be less extreme. So (maybe counter-intuitively) toning on chest, shoulders and arms may be a really important part of balancing when the lower areas of the body are a concern

Aim 3 – Belly and Back: Closely related to posture, it’s not just how you hold your self, but how your body holds you. There are some specific exercises for the natural belt of muscle that holds everything in – read our tweets for some of these!

Aim 4 – General fitness: Having a healthy sheen rather than a panting sweaty mess can really increase your confidence about your body in general. This will reduce the stress when it comes to the “swimsuit event”…

GetFit.com rating: 8/10

In practice a combination of method 2 and 3 has got the GetFit.com Summer Seal of approval. So watch out for this week’s tweets around how to put method 2 and 3 into practice for BOTH GENDERS!

To help you get started now, before the pressure starts mounting we’re offering 50% off membership at getfit.com This includes a full health and wellbeing report, and programs to tackle fitness, healthy eating, a good night’s sleep, and challenging that thoughts that can kill your confidence… just enter the code “SUMMER” at the checkout.

The sunshine vitamin – Vitamin D

We are lucky enough to live in a country that has a lot of wealth and resources. Most of us will not struggle to meet the basic requirements of living and have diets that, even if they can be a little excessive sometime, meet most of our body’s nutrient requirements. However there is still one nutrient deficiency that is widespread in most developed countries – That nutrient is vitamin D.

This is not a completely new story; the Victorians battled epidemics of rickets which caused bone growth to be stunted and the characteristic “bow-legged” deformity that affected them from the remainder of their life (if not treated). These are extreme symptoms but they illustrate the power of vitamin D.

In modern times, in industrialized countries, serious deficiency in children has been eradicated, but a shocking 25% of the UK population does not have adequate stores of vitamin D in their body (during winter months). The problem is worst in the most vulnerable in our community – pregnant, elderly and young children, but this is still an important issue for most people.

So what are the effects? – the best reasons to top up this summer.

Bones: Vitamin D is the main gatekeeper for calcium in your body. Too little and your body starts stripping your bones of calcium. This is the cause of osteoporosis and osteopenia (bone pain and weakness that can effect even adults!)

Brain: Vitamin D has effects on the brain. There is growing research into vitamin D and mental health through the lifespan from Schizophrenia to depression.

Cancer and diseases: Low vitamin D levels linked to Cancer, Heart disease, diabetes and general immune health.

95% of the vitamin D in your body is due to the sun, while vitamin D is present in foods (oily fish, eggs, and fortified cereals) these are not an important as what you do in the next few months.

The rule of thumb for vitamin D and sun

-      The season needs to start with an S (that’s spring and summer)

In countries that are at a higher latitude (that’s close to the north of south pole), the angle of the sun during winter means that the UV rays that your body uses to make vitamin D is filtered out. So the warmer summer months are the only time you can create and store your own vitamin D

-      You should have a short shadow

The middle of the day, when the sun is above you the UVB rays will be at their strongest. At this time, your body will create a good amount of vitamin D with just 15 minutes exposure to 5% of your body.

The lesson here is, you don’t have to sunbath, you don’t have to burn and you don’t need to be an outdoors-sort-of-person to get enough vitamin D. So when your outdoors for a long time sunscreen and hats are a great ideal to protect against damage to your skin, but 15 minutes outside at lunch will do a lot to top up your vitamin D ready for the long winter, which is really a famine in terms of this key vitamin.