The Magic of thinking THIN!

Mid November, and as the owner of a busy Gym in Hay on Wye I am trying to think of a way to help my members keep the Weight off BEFORE Christmas. By all accounts as a Nation, we put on an average 11IBS in the 5 week run up to Xmas and that is BEFORE the freaking lunch!

The idea that came to me was to perform a full Body Composition Analysis (BCA) via Bio-electrical Impedance for my members once a week to keep them on the ‘straight and narrow’. To be honest it isn’t too big a deal – I doesn’t take long to do and I have all the literature ready, to explain it by e-mail (ideal ranges, and what all the categories all mean) as I have been doing them for about 8 years!

My only requisition was that my ‘max’ would be 15 (or it would start to eat into my time) and those who applied needed to bring in a ‘head shot’ photo. I then developed the charts to plot their recordings, with a space for the photo, name, observations and notes and enough space to do up to 8 readings. Did I mention, it would also be FREE!

Needless to say, I got the required 15 pretty quick!

However I learned a few things straightaway:

1. Always, always ask for the photo BEFORE you do the readings or they do not come in at all - human nature can be ‘somewhat frustrating’ sometimes! (that is my polite way of phrasing it!)

2. Mainly thin people wanted this service. What?!?!

Now I tried asking the bigger ladies and gents, but almost without exception they refused. It’s not like I was asking for a bikini shot even! It seemed they simply didn’t care to share their measurements and stats with anyone – let alone on the Gym Wall (I admit calling it the FAT WALL maybe a little insensitive, but let’s not beat about the bush – it is FAT we are aiming to lose, so let’s embrace it right?).

I have all sorts of plans for the future and it will be an enormous success. I wished they would join. It could just be their answer.

So that leaves me with the ‘skinnies’ (or near skinnies), who ARE on the wall. I admit at first I thought ‘maybe they are all just vain or showing off’ but then I had to factor in I was on it (!), and I really don’t think I am honestly doing the exercise for either of those reasons. So then I reasoned: “for starters then, why am I doing it”?

Easy: I have put on weight around my tummy, and hips, and in mid September, started my OWN initiative, (privately) to get it off. I did my own BCA (very rare) and then took the following precautions:

1. I gave up alcohol

2, I gave up caffeine

3. I started to take alkaline salts

Everything else was clean and I work out hard, so it had to be these constituents holding me down!

Around the time I started the gym fat wall I also gave up sugar. I have now lost 5.3 ILBS at the last weigh-in and there is NO WAY it is going on again whilst I am accountable to all who can see my profile there (and everyone can see it!).

I am going to open this up to ANYONE in the New Year (2012), for the whole year – more on this later.

So I was fascinated as to what was going on. I started to think about what the slim clients had said when they the first BCA done:

“I just want to keep an eye on things”

“My trousers are starting to pinch”

“I KNOW I’ll pig out soon – this’ll be great to keep it in check”…..

For years I have dealt with 100’s of mainly female clients who all, for the main part, wish to lose weight (or to be more accurate body fat).

In addition to my Personal Training, (2011), I have since studied Life Coaching, the best exercise protocols, and done many Nutritional courses, all specialising in targeting this demographic.

But there is a sense of a void, to be honest. (That is one of the reasons I did all the studies, and still do). It will always be there.

I feel the void is probably a lack of true understanding on my part as I have never been overweight.

Sure I put on a few pounds when the kids were tiny but I never really noticed it creeping up, as I’d just had them, to me it was all part and parcel of the process! I remember getting to a 12/14 and thinking “RIGHT, time to address this”. I then starting aerobics, swimming, squash, step - not all at the same time but adding to the mix as I went. (I also welcomed the respite from bringing up my toddlers to be honest!).

But my point is: I knew what I had to do – not all of it (I was not in this industry then), but it was obvious I had to ‘up my game’, get active and eat better. It took about 3 months before I really felt fit but BOY did I love it when I did! (This after 10 years of pretty much doing nothing sports wise!). This was all 16 years ago and I’ve never let up!

It is only pretty recently that I have started to realise that maybe this should be more of an ‘exchange’ and that I should stop feeling guilty that I can’t ‘get’ what happens completely when someone puts on a lot of weight, or has food issues, whether emotional, behavioral or ill educated choices. I have not been there!

PLEASE don’t think I am being snooty here – I have had my fair share of problems in the past that I have also had to overcome – some have been a dangerous like a horrible relationship, and bad company, and some needing hard work to break away from, (another day)!

All I AM saying is that being overweight was never one of them.

So what of this exchange? Perhaps it is time to analyse further what I am nudging towards here. What stops some of us from ‘going over the edge’ here, and yet others fall over and into, with such abandon! There is a middle ground here where we can learn from each other!

This is still a new exploration for me, even though I’m on ‘this side of the fence’, but essentially it is the thinking thin mentality.

It is why the ‘skinnnies’ came to me for BCA – to MONITOR staying on an even keel, pre-empting what MIGHT happen if they don’t take the care that is inherent to them.

What do they all have in common? ….

I take small breaks from writing – it’s important to prevent RSI’s and also to freshen the mind! So I watched ‘Come dine with me’ just now, and there on the screen, ‘set up for me’, were some seriously GOOD examples from two of the very large home-chefs on how NOT to do it! Such as:

• Nibbling away as they cook (I don’t just mean sipping to adjust the tastes, but great big chunks of food)
• Breaking open the booze WAY before the guests arrive! As they cooked
• DRENCHING pork in duck fat (it was later discarded but WAY more than was necessary – about 7 cups full. UG
• Bad food choices throughout – admittedly this was a ‘show case’ for their cooking but they had 5 days of this in a row. Not enough balance displayed guys!

Examples of what is going WRONG are not really my remit here, but it was fascinating to observe! A ‘thinnie’ would not do these things (well most of them!).

Here are some top tips then as to what I believe will help to get into the mindset of a skinny!

(First, just look at the above, [the chefs habits].

And then do the polar opposite!!).

Just before I go on I’d like to state this important fact first:

There are skinnies who do it well, and skinnies who do it badly.

NOTEsorry for some reason this will be underlined from here on and there is NOTHING I can do to stop it - been at it for 10 mins - it will not clear and I am not shouting at you!!

I am referring below, to those who do it well! A skinny who eats well, is aware of toxins in her life and seeks to eliminate them, who exercises wisely and not to some extreme ‘just to lose weight’.

Who never cheats by throwing up or worse, and has optimal health and energy levels, will be infinitely better off than the skinny who smokes to stop eating, thinks about it all the time, or drinks Diet Coke because she thinks that is what she ‘should’ do.

These skinnies are spot-able by their seeking the ‘quick fix’ just like their overweight sisters often do. These skinnies are simply born pretty slim and whatever they throw at themselves will always be pretty skinny. (But often panicking over the tiniest gain). I am not alluding to her here at all!

The truly healthy skinny will have many other positives to focus on in her life (being a good mother, great at her job, a competitive tennis player etc), and does not even think about her weight in a conscious sense. This

is our gal!

• A skinny will still feel hungry but knows it is natural and doesn’t have to be fulfilled straightaway. It is not a ‘bad thing’ that needs addressing. If she feels hungry it is fine to wait until meal time – a little discomfort is normal (animals have to endure this)

§ A skinny will have developed coping strategies for stress or emotional upset without referring to food as their first port of call – they’ll call a pal, go for a walk, visit a therapist, or read a good book on the subject – FOOD is not the answer. It is for nourishment, energy, and pleasure NOT comfort and a leaning post.

§ A skinny will have refined cheating. We all cheat - treats ARE a part of life, and should be! Where the buck stops however, is right there! They are seen as a small part and if you are off the leash for one meal, it will be compensated for with a few clean days of healthy food (as I said, not all apparent skinnies get it right however, and if the waistband pinches they’ll resort to other quick methods to get it off – this is whereeducation comes in)

§ A skinny notices the tightness of her clothes and BEFORE it gets to a point of no return, she is already ON THE CASE.

§ Skinnies plan ahead for the day sure, but do so without panic. By planning I simply mean that in their heads they know where they are in terms of “right I can let loose a little today” or “nope I had chips yesterday, I need to find a salad!” NOT “where is FOOD/a big Mac, I need it now!”

§ Skinnies don’t kid themselves. There is no point in it. They know the only person who’ll suffer is themselves when the buttons start a-popping! They know rationalising a binge is not helpful and it is best not to binge. Period! Similarly – even if no one is looking, it is STILL bad to cheat! Again you only fool yourself!

§ Thin peeps also tend to avoid ‘black and white’ thinking (I see a lot of this). They will – if they do ‘go a bit over’, STILL sustain weight loss as they don’t give up their protocol they just go at it harder. (they’d also probably NOT be on a ‘diet’ in the true sense of the word in the first place).

They keep an internal ledger, a credit/debit account, a balance, and as long as this balance is maintained at an even keel, that’s all that matters – there is no panic or hurry. It is this relaxed attitude to monitoring weight/fat that will see them through long term.

Others will throw in the towel if they feel they’ve ‘blown it’ with one bad meal!

If you are local to me – see if you can get to the Club. I have many more ideas about how to re-adjust your mindset to win and succeed in getting what you want - RESULTS! You may need to completely reevaluate your thought patterns! You may need to stop trying achieve an image you’re not ever going to be. I have always said “if we all ate the same (eating well) exercised (going hard), and at the same rates we would STILL not all look the same. We can teach you how to ‘be in the moment’ as you eat, be mindful, but not obsess; , you may want to reconsider the role food plays in your life. Find the right exercise for YOU, to have fun, meet people, get FIT and then, by happy coincidence, melt fat!

Just do the right thing with our care and you’ll be on the road to success (and not lose patience along the way).

Join the FAT WALL and be proud of those stats – because we are ALL capable of improvement, and we all start somewhere. You’ll have your own dedicated space on which to make your own notes and add to our mutual learning and experience.

You’ll be pushed to do a few things along the way but we’ll (not just me but other members too), give you support and I’ll help you to achieve life long success with tricks of the trade you’d normally pay a lot for. You’ll be asked to forego certain food groups, but one at a time (“Weight & See” my nutritional programme can be your guide here). If you suffer we’ll give you the supplements to take that will help you cope (usually they are what you are deficient in, that made you crave these foods in the first place!).

There will be a few simple caveats (I won’t do anything for free if it is not destined for your success, the caveats will support this).

There is one last thought (as I am here), that has only occurred to me quite late in my Health & Fitness life. It is all to do with self control. Do you remember when we were kids and our mothers/fathers/whatever told us wecouldn’t have something?

Do you do the same to your kids? (of course we all do).

We need to say the same to ourselves! Simples! Just say no – I know it is not supposed to be that easy…..So are you going to stop telling your kids?!

For me - I now want to lose a couple more pounds then seek a totally clear MIND! – I want the clarity I used to feel as a child and am already ON MY WAY!

To join the Fat Wall – call me (Cat Lawford PT), on 01497 822995

Or visit: www.gymandtonichay.co.uk – go to ‘news’

Or join: www.weightandsee.ning.com

Meetings will be every first Wednesday of the month 5 – 5.40 p.m prompt! This is for the Weigh-in/BCA ONLY – the actual information, best nutritional advice you’ll ever get, (from someone who is qualified to do so!), support, tasks and inter-activity will all be on the NING site. If you wish to be there, we’ll be starting this informally on the 7^th Dec then properly on the 4^th January. You need to register with us first! 01497 822995 or e-mail me, Cat on cat@gymandtonichay.co.uk

§ You MUST bring in a head shot to get BCA performed!!

§ Kick all pride out of the window – you’ll be ‘exposed’ as this is what will yield your very success – it works, trust me!

§ You’ll also need to join the NING site and be strictly expected to check in once a week to this for your further instruction, inspirational videos will pop up from me (with further ideas and motivation).

§ You’ll get 40 tasks, easy projects, tips or forgo weeks over the year!

§ You are welcome to decorate your space on the wall;I actively encourage you to personalise it! Bring in your girth measurements too (I will forward you how to do this properly). Make it pretty! It is there for a year!

§ We’d LOVE blogs and thoughts on the wall OR W&S site

You need to give me your e-mail for your continued education over the year – is this the WOW you’ve been waiting for?

ALL THIS IS FREE!

THE BODY is just so interesting!

I have been teaching my FF Yoga for some weeks now and in it we do MUCH thoracic rotation (twisting from the mid back - think of the triangle pose if you know it). Last week my mid back was really SORE and stiff, so I figured it might be I am overdoing it. I then started to experience pain when I inhaled to over 50% capacity.

I have 'been here' before and this was years ago; WAY before Yoga so this needed rethinking!

I posted my problem on FB as I was foxed by it. Fellow traininers suggested stretching the thoracic (already done) foam rolling the thoracic (already done), and nothing resonated until a genuis told me to stretch my scalenes - now THAT made sense as I have not been stretching my neck at all.

Some weeks ago for Candlelight Pilates I asked the members what they'd like me to do for that session (a bit like a DJ asks what records you'd like him to play, I ask what member's muscles are tight). One lady said 'anything but neck Cat - it does nothing for me!'

Me being the slightly paranoid person I am (!), I then assumed EVERYONE was not 'getting anything' from neck stretches and ever willing to please,u took them ot for about 3 weeks. (this takes us to last week)!

MISTAKE.

1. Loads of members need to stretch their necks and

2. I DO and it is my party!!

So I took my ickle dog out that night and as he was running in circles around a field I thought "hey I should do those stretches while I have the oportunity". The stretches worked instantly, and I could breathe unhindered for the first time in days. HOORAY.

But I wanted to know more about WHY!! This is the classic case of Google ONLY WORKING if you have the end of the story before the middle or beginning! If I googled tight thoracic I got millions of stretches I already do/know. If I googled I cannot breathe I got loads on asthma! But if I goggled tight scalenes leading to thoracic..... I get this:

Shortened neck muscles can lead to compression of the neck vertebrae. This tends to make it more difficult to turn or tilt the head. To compensate, many people begin raising their shoulders to create some slack in the tight and restricted scalene muscles found at the side of the neck. Unfortunately, lifting the shoulders can, over time, create its own set of complex, painful and bewildering symptoms and should be avoided at all costs.

Restricted breathing may also be a troubling symptom. As the scalene muscles shorten, they are strong enough to raise the position of the first rib, which they are attached to. The lung is attached to the underside of the first rib. So, when the rib is lifted, it puts strain on the fascia covering the lung, making it more difficult to fill the upper portion of the lung with air. A feeling of restricted lung capacity can be the result.

BINGO!!
I love google too!
I am never going to forego my neck stretches again - it was a scary week!

If you'd like to know the stretches I do for necks (I know many highly effective ones) - please email me and we'll get a sheet to you!

De-tox

The best things come in waves and I won't necessarily train hard all year round (just like footballers taking summer out).

Doing (currently) 21 exercises a week at the Club I have to be savvy to acheive this. There are some that CAN'T get by without my joining in, but on my off weeks I avoid most Cardio workouts and just join in the mind body sessions. Perfect.

In a similar vein - I am human and can't adhere to my own nutritional plan all year round - although I am pretty good. Wheat, milk, trans fats, caffeine, are all out permanently, and I only eat meat OUT (and then if I trust the source). I cook in coconut oil and use flax and olive oils on salads. I ADORE veggies and avoid most fruit (not necessary if you do veggies and high on sugar). So where do I fail? Well, I love wine, but don't drink much, (but it is getting too often), and I keep dipping into Green and Blacks darkest chocolate! I seen to have rediscovered cheese and I have also not been too hot on juicing (which is all part of the plan on Weight & See). And carbs have crept back in and need to be reduced other than post-work out. I love the gluten free bread from the deli but again should be getting more chances to avoid this and eat other forms of decent, less convenient carbs.

HENCE my recent decision to get back on track.

Day 5 was Friday and I had a crashing headache. It is almost like a hang over but weirdly you have a sense of talking ahead of yourself and although you feel VERY muzzy headed you are still sharp underneath it - MOST disconcerting! Sunday now and the headache has gone but (I have had this before) I am still not 'right'. Now the last time I did this I was into it by WEEKS and STILL felt muzzy so I started to take Seratonin - the results were fantastic so I will do this again (along with a sun bed for 6 mins a week). I do recall (In FS Pilates) feeling like a child again in terms of absolute mental clarity. It was a fabulous feeling and I want it again!

The main reason for doing this? I woke up last Sunday and truly felt my age - like I had been run over by a very heavy truck. This (for me) tends to happen when my body is struggling to attain homeostatis - here meaning 'an alkaline state'. ALL bodies are alkaline it is just how much work it takes to get it there that makes us suffer. Wine, chocolate, (even the best Green and Blacks), and cheese (all very acid) , and not enough enzymes (from fresh juices) will all contribute to make the process a harder one and the body WILL object. I reckon just a couple more weeks and I'll be reaping the rewards of this strict protocol. I expect my clients to do it for just 4 weeks, then relax. I am going to presevere til Christmas (another 9 weeks away), then keep it going afterwards. The 'letter to my body' did the trick for me - I really do want to be the best I can be right up til I am 50 - then better again!! I WILL REVERSE THE AGING PROCESS!! Right now I have dark circles under my eyes and am sleeping like never before - all GOOD signs - the toxins are in my blood stream and ready to get gone!! More in a few days time!

letter to my body

This fantastic idea is something I pinched from a newspaper article. They had 4 women write a letter to their body looking at aspects of what their bodies had been through over their lifetimes.

So we did the same! It is SUCH a powerful project and mine got longer and longer (well I am 49!). I simply can't bring myself to publish it here - it is so private and I have been so stupid in the past to my body and how I treated it. But if you'd like to see it on my sister site (which you need to join, but that at least will keep out most scandlemongers!), feel free - but I'd love it if you would leave a comment and also for anyone else who has left an account on the page (one is most moving).

http://weightandsee.ning.com/forum/topics/letter-to-my-body

Oestrogen, the excess of it and what it does..

Here, we look not at ‘overspill’ (muffin tops as in another blog), but lower down to the bottom / top of the thighs. We are talking about the scenario whereby the rest of you is relatively lean but you are having problems getting stubborn fat deposits off your J-Lo.Whereas with muffin tops, we are dealing with an insulin response, a pear shape is often due to high oestrogen levels and as I researched this issue further for this article, I unearthed some astounding facts: Levels of oestrogen have never been higher in the history of mankind than they are today. I’ll come to ‘how’ in a minute but for now you need to know that as the liver tries to modify oestrogen levels it will send them via the bloodstream to where it is ‘safe’ – in this case the adipose (fat) tissue of the buttocks and thighs! The potential sources of oestrogen (or eostrogen mimics) are numerous: white can linings, certain nail polishes and aftershaves, plastic bottles, Teflon coatings, recycled city water, some medications a bad diet, and many more.

To bring your levels DOWN (this applies to men too – think moobs), it is the same old story: LOTS of green vegetables (steamed and never microwaved), less red meat, HIGH resistance training, don’t inhale chemical fumes, and eat more pulses: hummus, lentils, red kidney beans...I have LOTS more advice on this but too little space so if interested, e-mail me, cat@gymandtonichay.co.uk

It’s your duty to look after your booty!

If you go to the gym and tonich website:

http://www.gymandtonichay.co.uk/index.htm

there is a much longer version to be had!

Buddy training

This is something I see in the gym OFTEN and it is gratifying to observe: In training, two can be stronger than one, and as a couple, or as friends, or in a group, you can face the world head on, with a stronger united front (well that’s the idea anyway!).

Now in our 10th year of trading as Gym & Tonic in Hay, I feel I am qualified to speak on the subject of adherence to the cause, and in the case of the gym one thing is blatantly clear: training with a pal works really well and I’ll outline why: ‘Buddy Training’, as we call it in the trade, means you have instant support (as well as in the gym with us), if one of you is not in the mood the other will prop them up.

You’ll feel accountable to each other and so less likely to sabotage your efforts. It is easy to get the blood pumping with two (especially if there is a little harmless competition there!). You’ll encourage and motivate each other, and I am always touched when I see two clients helping each other remember a weights routine, for example. A couple of pointers on this subject though: don’t pal up with Miss Lycra-clad super fit if you are just starting out – this will have the opposite effect, and don’t buddy train with anyone who is capable of constantly bringing you down or encouraging you to head for the cream buns and latte as soon as you’ve finished our work out!

more tips for optimal health!

IF – like the majority of the population, you’ve been sitting on your butts all winter (‘it’s so hard to get out to fitness classes/ train in the gym’, it’s too cold right?), and eating comfort foods ‘I always do inWinter,’ then you may be starting to panic at the thought of a bikini on a beach! Don’t get mad at me for this post – I meet enough of you to know this WILL resonate! So .. what are you going to do? You could keep completely covered up, but the tan will probably be less than enviable. You could go to the shops today and get a whole wardrobe, latest fashions, but in the next size UP? You could neck silly diet pills. Or you could go with your OWN ‘plan X’.... er, what plan X?

It is not too late to lose some body fat FAST - exercise is a great option but it also has to be intense enough to get results. Even then it is only about 30% of the results you’ll get. (A massively important 30% admittedly, so get in there!)

The remaining 70% is down to the cleanest nutrition you can muster. If you followed these simple rules you’ll see the weight dropping off. None of these are controversial to those of us in the know – and you won’t need a Doctor’s certificate to follow this: No sugar in any form, FAR LESS alcohol, no wheat (for a month and see what happens), reduce meat down to 10% or less, LOTS of veggies, LOTS of salads, fewer carbohydrates, and make what you do have the best quality, no rubbish cereal for breakfast ,lots of water, no fizzy drinks at all, drop the caffeine (slowly wean off!), eat more fish and take a good fish oil supplement, and get LOTS of sleep.

Daunting.com? You can get FREE advice anytime

here: www.weightandsee.ning.com