Also known as fad diets. UGH! 🚩🚩

Did you know that if you are told to completely cut out certain foods and/or food groups from your diet, you’re actually going to crave them more? Because these restrictions lead to cravings, overeating and increases your likelihood of binge eating, developing an unhealthy relationship with food and becoming deficient in the many of the essential vitamins and minerals that we are required to consume due to restriction and deprivation.


On that, let’s talk about nutrient density and its importance:

We can break this down into two main groups:
higher in energy/calories, fewer nutrients = low nutrient density

higher in nutrients, fewer calories/energy = high nutrient density

Low nutrient dense foods are those that are processed, higher in saturated/trans fats, sodium and sugars. 

Higher nutrient dense foods are those higher in fibre, nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins & minerals.

It’s beneficial to eat a variety of food sources that are of a high nutrient density as they are going to supply us with many essential nutrients that our bodies need for long-lasting energy and health. This is going to support you in feeling better, performing better and generally being your best self!

This is not to say you should never eat a packet of chips or enjoy a pizza (pineapple on pizza anyone? ) because these foods are also delicious and bring us so much joy!

It’s more about highlighting a focus on your overall eating patterns by becoming aware of your food choices and finding your balance. What foods make you feel good, and what don’t? Build your own personal menu of foods that work best for you. Sustainability is key!

There are many ways that we can use the timing of our meals to our advantage.

Before Training:
You can really get the most out of your training sessions by the food you eat and how hydrated you are. It is recommended to eat roughly 1-2 hours before training with a focus on consuming a meal or snack that is rich in carbohydrates and easy to digest.

For example:
– raisin toast with jam
– crumpets with banana and honey
– bowl or cereal with chopped fruit and yoghurt
– fruit smoothie

After Training
It’s important to appropriately rehydrate and refuel the body after a training session. It’s recommended to eat within the first 60-90 minutes after your session  – with a focus on including rich carbohydrates and lean protein to replenish muscle fuels stores and promote muscle repair and growth

For example:
– lean meat and salad roll
– pasta with bolognese sauce
– fruit and muesli with greek yoghurt
– tuna on crackers with a piece of fruit

 (before and after training nutrition will vary depending on the timing and intensity of your session)

Breakfast time
Eating breakfast improves your energy levels, concentration, metabolism and reduces your likelihood of over consuming foods of high energy later in the day. Set your alarm for 10-15 minutes earlier so that you can fit in breakfast, if you have a morning commute take a prepared meal with you for the journey or keep your breakfast options in the work fridge so that they are there upon your arrival. Aim for a source of protein and rich in carbohydrates to give you that energy and keep you satiated afterwards.

For example:
– wholemeal toast with avocado, tomato and boiled eggs
– porridge with fresh fruits
– muesli with fresh fruit and yoghurt

Throughout the day
When you are eating consistently you will have a consistent supply of energy.
It’s important to begin to identify your hunger cues and how you are feeling in these moments so that you are giving your body what it needs.

Eating Slowly
This habit can help you to become more aware of your choices, calibrate your physiological hunger and fullness cues while increasing satisfaction with your meals. When we’re rushed, stressed or too busy we rarely take the time to savour our food or sometimes even chew it properly – our digestion suffers and it increases chances of over-eating.

– Sit down in a calm environment with minimal distractions
– Put down your utensils in-between bites
– Set aside time to eat
– If you find yourself rushing, that’s OK – put your utensils down and re-focus.

Just like protein and carbs are essential to our diets, so are fats!

In the 1980’s and 1990’s there was a ‘low-fat’ craze and fat (especially saturated fat) became the public health #1 enemy… but it was found that people who were overly focused in ‘low-fat’ products ended up eating a-lot more processed foods, focused on ‘badness’ of a particular nutrient rather than eating high-quality delicious food mindfully, felt less satiated with their meals and ended up eating more overall, ate more foods with processed sugars and salt to make up for missing fat and focused on the nutrient itself rather than their broad diet as a whole.

Dietary fat has a variety of roles within our bodies:
– Provides us with energy and nutrients (fats are the most energy-dense macronutrient)
– Helps us make and balance hormones
– Support our cell structure and growth
– Protects our vital organs, our brain and nervous system while aiding their function
– Helps the transportation of vitamins

We thrive best when we have a variety of fat types that occur naturally in different types of foods. Some fats are healthier than others.

The four main types of fats are:
Saturated (found in beef, pork, lamb, eggs, full-fat dairy, coconuts and cocoa. They are also found in manufactured and packaged foods)

Polyunsaturated (includes omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids – having a balance of both is essential to our diets. Found in foods such as marine life, nuts and seeds and various plants)

Monounsaturated (found in olive, peanut and canola oils, avocados, nuts and seeds)

Trans (present in processed foods such as baked goods, processed meats, fried and takeaway foods. These are recommended to be reduced and/or avoided as they increase the level of ‘bad’ cholesterol in our bodies and lower the level of ‘good’ cholesterol. They increase inflammation in the body which increases our risk of heart disease)


In short…

Rather than focusing on labelling something as ‘bad’ – always look at the bigger picture. Look at how we eat, why we eat, where we eat and with who we are eating with. Eat a wide selection of diverse, whole, less-processed food sources to support your body’s function whilst minimising or eliminating refined and processed foods containing industrially produced fats.

Importance of Hydration
Water is essential. Every cell, tissue and organ in our bodies needs water so that our bodily functions and processes are able to take place such as:
– Maintaining our core body temperature
– Keeping our joints lubricated and protected
– Digesting food while absorbing and transferring nutrients
– Getting rid of waste products.

Our body weight is made up of 50-80% of water (dependent on lean body mass) so when we are at risk of becoming dehydrated it’s important to up your water game! We lose water through sweat, especially during physical activity or when we are under heat stress, breathing and urination.

Signs of dehydration include:
– Increased thirst
– Headaches
– Dark coloured urine
– Irritability
– Dry mouth, tongue and skin
– Feeling light headed or faint
– Feeling really tired.

We need a constant intake of water throughout the day to ensure that we are balancing out these hydration levels and avoiding dehydration.

How much water should I be consuming?
As a baseline, without taking into considerations the various factors of water loss such as physical activity, it is recommended for:

Men to consume about 10 cups per day (2.6L) and
Women to consume about 8 cups per day (2.1L)


How Can I Stay Hydrated?
It’s recommended to drink even before you feel thirsty so that you have a consistent intake. Some tops tips are to:
– Keep a water bottle with you all day, wherever you are
– Create a routine, this could be having a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning or having a glass of water before every meal/snack
– Track your water intake
– Keep chilled water in the fridge for those really hot days or use an insulated water bottle to keep that water nice and crispy fresh
– If you don’t enjoy tap water, add some flavouring or fresh fruits such as lemon or strawberries to make it more enjoyable and increase your likelihood of consuming more water.

 “Detoxing and going on a juice cleanse will help my body reset”

It’s simple. No.

Our bodies naturally detoxify themselves and get rid of waste, all thanks to our vital organs like our lungs, skin, kidneys and liver. It’s what keeps us alive!

Juice cleanses severely decrease your intake of energy, which we outlined in “if I eat less I’ll lose weight” is NOT sustainable – as soon as you finish your juice cleanse you’ll be hungrier and your likelihood of overeating increases!!

They claim to heal and reset your gut – which has no scientific evidence, by the way… but the foods we are required to eat for good health does this for our gut microbiome..

Can you see the trend here?

You can assist with these processes yourself by eating an abundance of nutrients from a variety of whole foods, reducing your alcohol intake, reducing your intake of processed foods that are high in saturated fats, sugar and sodium, consistently getting your body moving through various types of physical activity, creating a good sleep routine and keeping well hydrated with healthy fluids…

Without giving in to silly diet trends with bold claims 🙂

Food preparation is one of the most important components when it comes to creating healthy and consistent nutrition habits. But sometimes the idea of Meal Prepping can be a little overwhelming – either you have no idea where to start or the process can be so monstrous you just want to hide from it!  

So this week is all about how to manage your meal preparation so it becomes a regular practice, making your food choices healthier and more consistent week in and week out.

2 STEPS TO LEVEL UP YOUR MEAL PREP GAME PLAN:

1. Allocate time in your schedule
Each week it is super important to allocate time into your schedule to get those meals and snacks prepared for the week ahead. Try to be consistent and prepare your meals on the same day each week so it becomes part of your regular routine.

Consider the following:
???? What are your busiest days of the week?

When you’re most stressed and most likely to resort to ordering uber eats, or raid the pantry for some unhealthy snacks that fill those cravings instantly. These are the days where it is most important to have those pre-made nourishing, easily prepared meals sitting in your fridge to turn to when your feeling of stress, fatigue and tiredness kick in so you don’t have to feel so tempted to make those unhealthy choices because the healthy option is easier!

????What suits your schedule, or feels more manageable for you?

You can allocate one larger chunk of time to do everything in one go from deciding what to make to finishing the cooking, or allocate multiple smaller blocks of time for each component of meal prepping (see step 2 for a breakdown).

eg.. “I will do my grocery shop and then I am going to allocate 1 hour to prepare my meals” this is called a habit stack. Identify a habit that you already do (grocery shop) then stack your new behaviour on top (meal prep for one hour) this is an effective strategy to increase your likelihood of changing behaviours.

2, Break Down the Tasks
Successful food preparations can be broken down into 4 components:

1. Deciding what to make
Find that new recipe you wanted to try and decide what you want to have in the fridge waiting for you. When deciding what you will cook ensure you think about how much time it will take (ie. how complicated your recipes are) and how balanced your choices are – try to have a good mix of vegetables, carbohydrate and protein sources across your week so you’re getting lots of variety and your body is getting a good mix of nutrients.

2. Make your shopping list
Who doesn’t love a well prepared and organised list?!

3. Go food shopping and stick to your list
Tick those items off as you go to ensure you have everything you need.


4. Cooking time
Cooking all of your meals at once can help you save lots of time and lots of extra dishes!
Make it fun – put some music on and get dancing! Get the family involved in the process and teach them some simple, fun & interesting cooking skills

Hot tip: when making your shopping list, consider shopping for seasonal produce. Seasonal produce is picked at its peak growing time, this means you’re really going to be getting great quality. It will be extremely fresh, tastier and more nutrient dense while chances are it will last longer in your fridge too!
It’s also a bang for your buck! When particular produce is in season, there is an abundance of supply from our farmers which means prices are on the cheaper side ????????

Check out what’s in season here http://seasonalfoodguide.com/

When we lift weights and eat protein we can fall into the fear that we’re going to start looking like a body builder – those lean athletes with massive muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger who get their guns out on stage in a tiny mankini!

The truth is that behind these bulging biceps and shredded abs, there is an IMMENSE amount of science, dedication and hard work over many years of intense training and strict nutrition to achieve this look (in many cases steroids play a large part too).

For females it takes another level of intense (and we mean INTENSE) dedication to actually become what we consider as ‘bulky’ compared to males too, because females have lower levels of testosterone and human growth hormone (the key hormones involved in the muscle building process). 

So, when you join a gym and start lifting weights while also focusing on better nutrition (which will most likely include introducing more protein) your chances of looking ‘bulky’ as a result is quite slim, especially if we are in a caloric deficit. In fact, it is scientifically IMPOSSIBLE to build bigger muscle mass while eating in a calorie deficit. 

To build up you’d need to be focusing on a strict diet, training 5+ days per week in an intense weight program and eating in a calorie surplus.

So if you’re not doing all those things, but you do notice more muscle or feeling more ‘firm’ after getting into weight training and/or eating more protein, this is likely due to fat loss – the layers of fat that have been covering your muscles before are shredding away, leaving the feeling and look of more firm muscles behind. And that’s what most of us with fat loss goals WANT, right?

It’s great to shift our focus – what are the positive effects of lifting weights and eating more protein? Well let us tell you! ????

As a result of weight training you’re going to:
~ improve your muscular strength, which further protects your joints from injury
~ reduce loss of muscle mass, which is important as we age
~ improve physical function, balance, mobility and flexibility
~ improve your sense of wellbeing – boosts in self confidence, body image and mood
~ prevention or control of chronic conditions and pain management

While consuming your recommended amounts of protein will:
~ aid in the increase of your muscle mass and strength
~ keep your feeling fuller for longer and satisfied after your meals, which helps reduce those late night snack cravings
~ keeps our cells healthy and helps to fight off infections

So.. enjoy your strength training for improved health and enjoy a protein-carbohydrate rich meals after training to replace your energy stores, aid with repair and maintain muscle mass ????

We promise you won’t start bursting out of your tops like the Hulk any time soon!

Follow this link to identify your daily serves of each food group:

https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrition-calculators/average-recommended-number-serves-calculator

In conjunction with this, it’s beneficial to limit intake of foods that contain saturated fat, added salt, sugar and alcohol.

*Did you know: once alcohol is consumed, our body makes it a priority to metabolize it – which means it will stop metabolizing anything else in order to take care of alcohol right away – as there is no where to store alcohol in our bodies. Therefore, anything else you are eating won’t metabolize as well.

Sure, you are going to lose weight if you begin eating less energy (calories) than the amount of energy you are expending..

BUT!

We cannot stress this enough… that focusing on reducing your calorie intake to extreme lows over a long period of time can actually do the opposite effect on your body!!

To keep it simple our total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) has three components:

BMR Basal Metabolic Rate
The energy required to keep your body functioning at rest or simply, to keep you alive!
For example breathing, digesting food, circulation and body temperature control, just to name a few!)

Thermic Effect of Food
The amount of energy required to digest, absorb, transport, metabolise and sore nutrients that we consume – different macronutrients require different amount of energy to process.

Physical Activity Expenditure
The amount of energy we burn each day and through physical activity (any work done beyond our BMR) such as sitting, walking, running, jogging or your peachi training sesh????

(This is where your calculations from last week’s link for daily energy needs come in handy – if you missed it visit https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/eat-health-calculators)

Now… if you have a sudden drop in energy/calorie intake (also known as a ‘crash diet’) or consume under your TDEE over a long period of time this results in a decrease in metabolic rate where your metabolism starts to slow down with other side effects such as dehydration, weakness and fatigue while our hormones that regulate appetite, hunger and satiety rise significantly and cravings rise.

This dieting cycle of restricting food leads to increased feelings of deprivation, increases the desire to eat and causes cravings for certain foods, especially because diets tend to exclude major food groups (which we learned last week – our body needs to survive!)

And as you act on these intense cravings, the chances are that you will over-consume and binge eat, which leads to weight gain and begins to increase negative feelings about yourself (guilt and shame) because the perception is that you have ‘failed’ your diet and will most likely lead you into the cycle below.

In conclusion, chances are that your ‘diet’ is going to be reversed. So, lose weight quickly while starving, only to gain most of it back (or more) and feel much hungrier than when you started, or, lose weight slowly, for good, adapt improved eating habits, implementing regular physical activity and FEEL BETTER overall – which one would you choose?

Firstly, let’s look into energy balance.
We get energy from food and we expend energy to move and stay alive – this fundamental biochemical relationship between our energy in and out is known as energy balance. So….
– if we take in more energy than we use, we gain weight
– if we take in less energy than we use, we lose weight
– if we take in the same energy as we use, our weight stays the same (below)

Sounds simple right? But, there are many things that affect energy balance. Such as appetite, foods that are consumed, calorie absorption, psychological factors, energy burned at rest, through exercise, non-exercise activity or by metabolising foods.

What we are trying to say here is there is no perfect number and we cannot determine a specific amount of calories/energy that you must be consuming everyday because there are many underlying factors.

What’s important is to ensure that you are eating enough and paying attention to how you are feeling (key point on your food diaries!) so that your body is functioning optimally and making changes according to your goals. Whether that be adjusting energy intake  or energy output; for example getting better sleep so that you have more energy to get physically active, meal prepping so that you are eating enough and getting enough sources of carbohydrates, protein and fats in your meals to keep you satiated and to avoid snacking in the afternoons/evenings on discretionary foods or packing snacks with you when you know you’ve got a busy day at work or on the road.. chances are if you are fatigued and there is a large gap between the timing of your meals your body is alerting you that you need to eat.
This as a whole focuses on a more sustainable approach by changing our behaviours.

Check out this link for an estimate of your daily energy needs:
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/eat-health-calculators

I’m sure we’ve all heard this before – it’s easy to hear this and think that carbs are the bad guy. But to put it simply – we NEED carbohydrates in our diet from several sources to simply function as a human being!

Carbohydrates contain glucose (and many other essential vitamins and minerals), which provides us with a constant supply of energy and is essential for our brain, cells, tissues and organs to function optimally.

When we think about the types of carbohydrates to consume on a daily basis – we want to be having an abundance of those that are slower-digesting and higher in fibre which is going to ensure a slow release of glucose for that sustained energy supply. These sources help us to feel fuller for long, lower your risk of diseases, support your digestive system and boost overall gut health. We get these types of carbohydrates if we choose a wider selection of diverse, whole and less-processed foods such as:
– Fruits and root vegetables
– Wholegrains
– Beans and legumes

Faster-digesting, lower-fibre carbohydrates can be beneficial too, especially when you need a quick energy boost. These include foods such as:
– Fruits
– Fruit Drinks
– Rice Cakes
– White bread or rice

We are all different – and we all require different amounts of carbohydrates.
Our intake is dependant on, but not limited to, the following:
– how active you are
– how intense, long lasting and frequent that activity is
– how much lean mass or body fat you have (or want to have)
– how old you are
– genetics
– intake of other macronutrients
– what foods you like, prefer and are able to tolerate

Check out your recommended intake by visiting this link:
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrition-calculators/average-recommended-number-serves-calculator

Tip: Use your hand as a portioning tool! It’s always with you, wherever you go ? And an accurate measuring method each time.

By examining your food diary, we can identify what we can identify what we classify as your ‘lead domino’ – the first thing we can look to adjust that will create a positive shift in your nutrition habits and mindset.

You might have one obvious thing, or there might be two or three we can look to change. By focusing on adjusting one (or maybe two) things at a time, it makes it much easier and it makes it much more sustainable too. Once you have your first domino of change down pat, we can look to your next domino and take that next jump forward.

The more detail you can record in your diary, the easier it can be to find your LEAD DOMINO.

For example, if you record your hours of sleep, we can piece together patterns if you’re regularly reaching for that sugary snack on days where you’ve had less hours of sleep.

Or, if you seem to under eat on days that you’ve noted stress.

Your coach will help you identify what adjustments we can look to make first, but if you have something in mind that you know you want to shift as your first priority, let us know and we’ll be there to help you!

Ummm what?! I can increase my metabolism while sitting on the couch?!

‘EPOC’ means Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. It is the state in which our bodies are metabolising and consuming more oxygen than at baseline (when our body is recovered and in it’s normal state).

The body is in EPOC as it repairs, recovers, and returns to its pre-exercise state (ie. as it returns to full recovery).

The best way to think about it is like a car engine, when you turn of your car the engine will still be hot and slowly cool down. Your body’s metabolism and energy needs are higher, and you are burning more calories in this EPOC stage as it slowly brings you back down to pre-exercise baseline.

So that means for up to 36 hours after a workout we’re in an EPOC state, burning more calories in just our every day life compared to what we would on a normal day.

So how do we get into EPOC to take advantage of this body process?

The best method of training is high-intensity interval training, so quick bursts of high energy demand exercises with little bursts of rest in between (think, HIIT training).

Heavy weight training (low reps and really challenging your strength) will also put you into this state as the muscles repair.

Contrast showers is the alternating of cold and warm water whilst in the shower. Having your body to adapt to sudden changes in temperature is highly stimulating as it requires a lot of circulatory and metabolic action that can provide huge benefits to the body!

How?
Well… the warm water causes vasodilation allowing more blood to flow through your veins and cold water causes vasoconstriction allowing less blood to flow.

Due to these changes in vein dilation your circulatory system gets stronger and reduces the chance of circulatory diseases developing. Increased circulation also assists with the transport of nutrients around your body, the removal of toxins and delivery of oxygen.

As cold water reduces blood flow it also reduces inflammation assisting in the reduced occurrence of muscle soreness.

Cold water showers has been shown to increase activity of natural killer cells and leukocytes that help with fighting pathogens thus boosting immunity.

So… how do you get started?

Start off small with 20-30 seconds of cold water at a time increasing to a 1 minute over a few days or weeks. Depending on the season you might go full cold or have a little bit of water and just feel colder than with your ideal temperature on. Then alternate between your hot and cold temperatures.

Try this:
1 min warm/hot water  +  30 sec cold water

x 5 – 10

Make sure to not hold your breathe and that you breathe through it and try to be as relaxed as possible. AND Also always finish with cold water. 

As part of this series you have access to a use our Sauna Sanctuary for a sauna session each week. But just how does it work and what are the benefits?

How does an Infrared Sauna work?
Infrared saunas heat the body by mimicking the sun. They emit infrared heat to warm up your body directly (rather than heating the air around you), meaning your body temperature is increases from the inside out.

Infrared vs. Traditional Steam Saunas
A dry infrared sauna operates differently, producing a therapeutic effect via the infrared waves generated from the heating element, all without the heat and humidity of a steam (Finnish) unit.

Infrared sauna temperatures usually range from 40 degrees to 60 degrees Celsius (much lower than a traditional Finnish sauna). You’ll still produce plenty of cleansing perspiration, but without the discomfort of the oppressive external heat of the steam.

Scientifically, it has been proven that an infrared sauna produces sweat comprised of 80% water and 20% toxins, while the traditional Finnish (steam) sauna produces sweat consisting of 97% water and just 3% toxins. When weighing the detoxifying benefits, there is no comparison – the infrared unit wins every time!

What are some benefits of sauna therapy?
There are many psychological and physiological benefits associated with consistent (and even first time) sauna therapy:

> Increased blood flow and oxygen to tissues, promoting accelerated muscle recovery.

> Decreased pain and joint stiffness, with studies showing benefit for those with rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis too.

> Improved relaxation and sleep quality.

> Improved heat tolerance.

> Improvements in depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue and hayfever bouts.

> Reduced risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, sudden cardiac death and of all-cause mortality.

> During sauna therapy it is even believed that due to a release of endorphins and opioid-like peptides, you have increased feelings of pleasure and well-being as your body is flooded with feel-good hormones.

Not to mention…

Aside from all the amazing benefits we just listed, one of the key reasons we are so excited to have our Sauna Sanctuary is that it will help our Peachi People take time out from their busy schedules to just be still and have some “me time” – to be forced into mindfulness and relaxation to help with stress reduction and “fill your cup”.

It really is the ultimate me-time where you can focus on yourself and allow your body some down time whilst reaping many wonderful physiological effects!

We all set goals at the start of this challenge and we’re off to an awesome start! But as you settle into more of a routine, the initial ‘spark’ of excitedment wears off and life stuff continues (particularly heading toward a very busy time of year for most) this is where we can slowly fall off track – one decision at a time, and that is NOT what we are here for right?

So it’s time to get serious for a minute, and I will be upfront with you and say some of this is difficult thing for a lot of people to wrap their head around and accept. But I know for me when I was able to adapt this mindset (and I’m not saying I have it mastered by any means) it really changed my motivation and perception, so try to keep an open mind and keep those defensive walls down if you feel them rising.

Let’s talk about EXTREME OWNERSHIP. This is an concept by Jocko Willink.

Side note: If you haven’t heard of Jocko Willink before and you like someone to just tell it like it is, I strongly recommend you check him out – he is an ex Navy Seal, he designed a lot of the Seal training and testing and he lead the platoon that the movie American Sniper was about. These days he is a business consultant and has released multiple books on leadership and discipline. He is definitely not for the feint-hearted – his books are very blunt, to the point, and his honesty can be a little confronting. But opening your mind to this concept can really have a HUGE impact on how you stay on track when it comes to health and fitness.

So what is Extreme Ownership?

Quite simply, it means taking ownership of all of your choices – everything is a choice in your life (yes, everything), and it is all about prioritising what is most important to you.

We all have a tendency to blame others around us or the situation we are in when things go wrong.

And the truth is, yes, it’s really easy to blame others! Sometimes t’s much easier to do that than to face facts and acknowledge that we are responsible for things that go wrong.

But at the end of the day we all have the choice to prioritise everything in our lives!

You can’t always control what happens to you but you can control what actions you take as a result.

We all have the same amount of time in a day and we all have things in our lives pulling our attention and focus in multiple directions.

Have you ever looked at someone around you and thought “wow, that person is a superhero, I wish I had their motivation to exercise”?

So what’s the key difference between you and them? They prioritise their fitness and health more than you do.. or at least they’ve been prioritising it for longer than you.

If your goal is important to you then you have to prioritise it!

So this week our goal is to reflect on our choices and own our shit! Every obstacle, reason or excuse that pops up for you, we want you to play a little game…

Introducing… LEGIT OR BULLSH*T?!

Each obstacle, reason or excuse that you notice coming up for you when it comes to your health and fitness – is it really a legit reason? Or is it a bullsh*t excuse you could have worked around or through to take that positive step toward your goal?

Some examples:

Don’t have time to exercise? Some days yes, sure, things are too hectic and it doesn’t done. But if you have a tendency to get stuck at work and miss training in the evenings, then prioritise it and make the choice to get up early and train before work.

Can’t get up in the mornings to train because you’re not a morning person? Why not? Not being a ‘morning person’ is a story you’ve created from the past, but you can change it! You have an alarm clock – set it, make the choice to get out of bed for the benefit of your health!

Go to sleep too late so you can’t get up in the morning? Prioritise your health and sleep over working late and netflix and scrolling aimlessly through your phone until late.

Couldn’t eat healthy because you had to go out for dinner with friends? Choose the healthiest option on the menu, don’t just blow out on the unhealthy option. Suggest a restaurant that you know has healthier foods. Suggest going for a walk with your friends or just for coffee instead and eat your healthy food before or after.

Can’t participate in the challenge this week because you’re sick? Sure, intense exericse might not be a great choice and you should listen to your body when it needs rest (so, tick.. Legit!). But! Does this mean you can’t make healthy food choices, do your best to get good quality sleep and try out the Restorative Back Flow video? Nope! In fact, when you’re sick your body needs nutrients, sleep and recovery practices more than ever!

So, this week play the game LEGIT OR BULLSH*T – share it in your team chat (there’s zero judgement, remember 🙂 ) and let’s have a little bit of fun as we learn to own our shit!

This might sound a slightly left-field title, but you’ll see why this is a really interesting concept to explore and just how it relates to your health and fitness soon…

Did you know there are 6 Human Needs?

These span across all areas of your life – finances, career, family life & relationships – just everything!
> Certainty: think routine, reassurance..

> Variety: almost the opposite of certainty…

> Significance: being recognised, reassured and validated for what you do and who you are by those around you…

> Love / Connection: the relationships in your life..

> Growth: the need to learn and evolve…

Contribution: how you give back and contribute to something bigger than yourself.

Why is it important for us to understand what these are and how we prioritise them?

Quite simply, we will give up our goals and our dreams and compromise our values to meet our needs!

By developing awareness around around which needs we value most, it allows us to identify how we meet our needs (both positively and negatively) – it helps us figure out what drives our habits and behaviours. Which means we can then put strategies in place to combat those ‘negative’ habits and ensure our needs are met in other ways.

LET’S START EXPLORING: 
1. Complete the test! Try and go with your first instinct reaction – don’t overthink each question, just go with your gut and select the answer that you immediately gravitate toward.

https://www.6humanneedstest.com/take-test

2. Reflection time! Think about the obstacles you come across, the frustrating negative habits you seem to keep coming back to or what seems to get in the way of your healthy habits – do they relate back to you proritising those high-value needs and doing what you need to do to fulfil those needs?

Eg 1. You regularly find yourself ditching your planned exercise session for impromptu social time with friends… Is this you trying to fulfil that highly valued need for love and connection? 

Eg. You frustratingly find yourself ignoring the meals you prepped in the fridge and opening Uber Eats… Is this because you value variety and you’re bored of your prepped foods? 

3. Stategy Time! What plans can you put in place to ensure your needs are being met in a more positive and healthy way?

Eg 1: Can you suggest a walk or another movement based activity with friends instead? Or could you walk to your friends house or the restaurant instead of driving? Or plan the socialising for later or another time so you can fit in both the exercise and the time with friends? 

Eg 2. Perhaps cooking a couple of different meal options and putting single serves in the freezer for these moments means you have more variety of options when you’re bored of the plan. Or having a couple of healthy go-to meals on Uber Eats you know you can select instead of being tempted by the burgers and pizza options?

We can’t wait to discuss this this in our team chats!