Ever since I can remember there has been two things in life that I
have always been really passionate about 1. Food :) 2. Exercise :))
No surprise then I was a little chubby (but still cute :)) growing up
and overweight for some of my teenage years. I have always exercised
– gymnastics and ballet when I was really young, athletics,
football and basketball as a young teen and I started going to the
gym and fitness classes at 15. Now I love practising yoga, strength training and just moving my body in general. Exercise and movement is GREAT however, I believe that if you want optimal
body composition it is 95% dictated by what you eat. Exercise helps
for sure but is not effective for reducing body fat if you have a
poor diet.
My thoughts and views on what a healthy diet consists of has changed
dramatically over the years. I have tried many diets and detoxes in
pursuit of a healthy and lean body including weight watchers, cabbage
soup diet, 3 day and 7 day juice cleanses, 3 day British heart
foundation diet, Rosemary Connellys low GI diet and I'm sad to say in
my teens I even tried weight loss pills. I would sea-saw between
a size 8-14 and suffered with skin problems (acne), mood swings and a
bloated tummy from around 10 years old until about 1 year ago!!!
My fascination into diet and health led me to study Nutrition at University and I learnt a vast amount
of useful information. I learnt how to read, understand and write
scientific journals. I learnt about sports nutrition, health in the
developing world, functional foods, nutritional requirements for
children, adults, pregnant ladies..., how to change behaviour/
relationship to food, clinical nutrition – diet for coeliacs,
diabetics etc. and I learnt about how the media often misinterpret,
misunderstand or do not explain the full picture when reporting to
the public on new research. This for me was a real eye opener and I
began to understand why there is so much confusion about what is
healthy and what is not. I have a 1st class BSc in
Nutrition and I won an academic achievement award for my dissertation
on weight loss techniques. However leaving Uni I found what I had
been taught with regards to losing weight and reducing body fat was
not working very well at all!! I recommended healthy eating guidelines popularly known as the healthy eating pyramid to my clients:
6-8 servings of carbohydrates such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice,
granary bread, oats etc. Unlimited fruit and veg at least 5 servings,
2-3 servings of protein and a small amount of fat. And lots of exercise
because its all about creating a calorie deficit right? If you expend
more then you take in you lose weight? I'm afraid it doesn't quite
work like that.
To get where I am today has been quite a journey and the reason I am
writing this article is to save as many people as I can from going through the pain of following fad diets, fad detoxes or following the food pyramid guidelines. Fad diets and reducing calories
make it harder to lose body fat in the long term and make eating and
exercise a chore and an obsession... which is not how it needs to be.
So where am I now you may be wondering ;)
For the past 2-3 years I have stayed around a size 8, I don't count
calories, skip meals or exercise excessively. My skin has cleared up.
My tummy has flattened. I feel energetic, emotionally balanced,
positive and healthy. I believe good health has a knock on affect on
your whole life. Personally I feel more open, confident and loving.
When you love yourself you can truly love others. My relationships
with friends, family, clients is deeper and more satisfying. I no
longer feel bad, ashamed or guilty about how I look or feel. I am
happy and content and I really want others to feel this way. My dream
is that every client, friend or family member that I work with finds
their own place of balance.
It has been hard work getting to where I am today. At times I have
felt confused, disheartened and wondered if it was even possible for
everyone to experience a lean and healthy body... maybe some people
were designed to be slightly chubby ;) But now I am here feeling
healthy, happy and balanced and it feels Effortless! I will be
writing 3 articles which I hope will help you understand how to
achieve optimal health and body composition.
- What should I eat/ the importance of insulin when trying to reduce body fat
- Food intolerances
- The importance of body/ mind cleanses – with emphasis on reducing exposure to and detoxifying environmental estrogens (especially useful for those of us living in London)
Enjoy :))
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