Many of us believe that we could lose those extra pounds if we did not manage more control with diet and exercise. Health coach Patricia Ordody offers a different perspective for her introduction to 2021, in an article for finews.asia.
January is full of diet schemes and exercise programs – this year perhaps even more so due to the unusual conditions. There are a number of reasons why, no matter how hard you try, your efforts do not lead to the results you want. Here are some different ideas to consider for the new year:
1. Are you eating enough?
Our body is very intelligent and complex. He protects us by constantly regulating his many processes to maintain homeostasis. So when you cut calories significantly, your metabolic rate will decrease to burn fewer calories – otherwise you don’t have enough energy to do all the maintenance processes of life.
Your body will also stick to what you are feeding and you will certainly not release anything you want – such as excess weight – to protect you from “perceived hunger.” Last but not least, without enough nutrition, your body will start breaking down muscle tissue, which will slow down your metabolism again. Needless to say, regular calorie counting and restriction leads to negative emotions, lower motivation, less happiness and more stress.
2. Too much exercise
Stress in any form – social, emotional, professional, environmental, and even the pressure you put on yourself from following a diet and exercising every day – will go hand in hand with all of these. our bodily functions, if they are not brought under control. Long-term pressures will undermine the organisation’s ability to govern itself. Under pressure, he will focus on what he needs to do when he is in danger – things like digestion and metabolism will not be a priority, spoiling the weight loss you want.
You may feel that running 10 km a day or doubling up with high-intensity work are the things you need to lose weight, but they could be part of the root cause . Sometimes we subconsciously, or knowingly, use exercise as an excuse to eat or drink more than usual. Also, if core cortisol levels are raised as a result of stress, strenuous exercise will further raise those levels. The body does not break down fat in the presence of sustained elevated cortisol.
3. Introducing the wrong things
We all have special dietary and lifestyle needs. Habits, activity level, health status, personal preferences, geographical area, age, body type, culture, season, weight level and sleep, all play a part in the nutrition we need on a daily basis. Diet is the theories that do not pay attention to these essential elements. While general nutritional guidelines, such as the Swiss Food Pyramid, lay the foundation, we need to learn when many foods work for us personally and respect our “biodiversity”.
4. Too much food focus
We are what we eat: food and drink make up our blood, hair, tissue, cells, and nails, as well as our thoughts and feelings. But we eat more than just liquids and solids: lifestyle factors are our main food. We are nourished by relationships, physical activity, our environment, career and everything else we see, hear, feel, breathe and interact with.
When our lives are in balance, we generally do not feel the need to compensate through food. It will be a major source of nutrition. Most of us have learned to relate emotion to what we eat: ice cream when we are sad, a burger to celebrate a tennis match, a good bottle of red wine to release from a stressful day.
5. No calories inside
You can’t balance calories just by spending more than you take in. Two hundred calories of Snickers bar leads to different biochemical reactions in your body than 200 calories of broccoli, lean meat, or quinoa. Our bodies are complex and intelligent, with many factors to find the best nutrition, physical activity and balance for you.
You also can’t run a bad diet with nutrients and protein bars, and all that doesn’t help. Quality, quantity, and more importantly the basis of healthy nutrition are central.
Of course there are countless other causes, including the amount and quality of sleep, medical conditions, medications, hormones, food intolerances, and many more that need to be considered, which is why a holistic view of health and weight management is essential.
Tips to establish yourself for success in 2021:
- Drink 2 liters of water a day (just water, or with some natural lemon flavor; Coke Zero or any other drink is not sweetened)
- Walk anytime, whenever you can: Put it together by phone to a friend or check out the to-do list (pharmacy, grocery store, etc.)
- If you want to start exercising, aim low: Plan ten to 15 minutes, three times a week. You’re more likely to do more, but getting started is the hardest part. Even if you only take ten minutes, you want to set yourself up for success to maintain a habit.
- Try not to focus on the things you can’t have but just focus on indulging in healthy eating. This means a salad before the cake piece and a glass of water before the hot chocolate. If you tell yourself not to have something, it will only do more for you.
- Get support: By the age of 40, we have eaten around 40,000 meals: These habits cannot be eradicated overnight.
- Be clear about why you want to be healthier: enjoy playing with your kids more, fit a particular pair of pants, perform better at work, or get second date. We do not change based on what we know; instead, we change based on how it makes us feel.
Patricia Ordody is a professional and holistic health coach and founder of Health and Wealth in Zurich. The 36-year-old Swiss native has worked in banking since 2006. A graduate of Boston University, Ordody is also certified as an international nutrition and health coach.