will you join me?
Are you ready to commit to :
a/ eating well and on plan - 6 days out of 7
b/ making time for exercise rather than excuses, and
c/ being responsible for the skin you live in - and the current shape it's in?
It's time to be accountable - and do what you commit to.
Or, will you let another month slip by, making the same old excuses, blaming the same old things, and still struggling to fit into your clothes properly?
The choice is yours, and only yours...
Get Fit, Lose Weight & Feel Great, Outdoors!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Fat - the good, the bad, the ugly
These days we are just bombarded with information, diets, scientific research and data that can often be based on fashion and incomplete or inconclusive studies. It gets hard to separate the truth from the myths and to know just who or what to believe. We're left floundering in 'trial and error' or 'trial and failure' territory.
Here's what I know.
Low fat:
- whilst eating 'less fat' in our diets can be a good thing...not eating enough fat can be a bad thing.
- Low fat goods aren't always the best for us. Low fat often means more sugar is added for flavour. You have to become a little 'label savvy' and check out the protein, carb & fat grams on the back of your food labels.
- In the late 80s low fat became all the rage...and we were told to eat carbs carbs carbs (I'll cover carbs in another post) for energy. We got fat...and we continue to get fatter as a nation, now surpassing even America in that regard. We went with the mindset - if it's low fat... I can't get fat....or.. I can eat more of it... WRONG.
Full Fat
- we get told eating full fat anything is bad. The thing is, when we start mucking around with things to reduce the fat, like with good natural things like butter, cheese, milk ... then we start to muck around with the way things taste, the natural vitamins that come with these things, (you actually need some fat in milk to allow your body to absorb the calcium) we add in chemicals and more sugar and synthetic vitamins. If eating full fat was so bad...how come we weren't so fat in the 70s before all the low fat stuff came around?
moderation
- now, I know I'm not alone here, many of us aren't too good at the old 'eat whatever you want, but just in moderation' sometimes our stop button has gone on holidays and left us faced to deal with our food demons alone. But there is a lot of truth in this saying. The thing is, if we were to just eat things that were labelled as low fat - what would happen? My guess is, we'd put on weight. The reason I believe this is, that one of the good things about having fat in your diet, is that it makes you feel full. Seriously, if you were to eat, say, 50gm of plain full fat cheddar cheese, as compared with 50gm of a low fat variety, you'd probably feel full after the full fat one, but you could probably eat a little more of the low fat one as it wouldn't have quite hit the spot - and if the old 'no moderation' factor comes into play..you will eat more because you don't feel satisfied. So, effectively, you may be eating less fat calories, but overall, your calories will be greatly increased - but your brain is probably still thinking, yeah, it's low fat, it's okay.
Bad Fat
Now, there is such a thing as 'bad fat' but it's mostly those fats that are known as trans-fats Apparently Australian food labelling doesn't yet require the listing of trans fats on our food labels - but, trans fats are basically fats that are hydrogenated - ie, an oil that has been made solid through processing. Trans fats are included in a lot of processed biscuits and foods. I copied this from the US FDA site:
What is Trans Fat?
Major Food Sources of Trans Fat for American Adults
(Average Daily Trans Fat Intake is 5.8 Grams or 2.6 Percent of Calories)
40%cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, etc.
21%animal products
17%margarine
8%fried potatoes
5%potato chips, corn chips, popcorn
4%household shortening
3%salad dressing
1%breakfast cereal
1%candy
Basically, trans fat is made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil--a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats.
Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is formed when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in some animal-based foods.
Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises the LDL cholesterol that increases your risk for CHD. Americans consume on average 4 to 5 times as much saturated fat as trans fat in their diets.
Although saturated fat is the main dietary culprit that raises LDL, trans fat and dietary cholesterol also contribute significantly.
Saturated Fats
This is the interesting one, and the one that causes a lot of bad press. The fact is, we need to have a little 'saturated' fat in our diet - it is essential for the production of certain hormones, and the absorption of Vitamins A, D & K. But we need to keep a check on it, and be mindful of the amount we are consuming. Saturated fat should only make up about 5% of our overall fat intake. Saturated fat is found in meats, (things like chicken skin), dairy, seafood & eggs. Oils like coconut oil & palm oil are saturated fats. (on another note: please try and avoid purchasing any products that use palm oil or palm kernel oil in high proportions as the farming of these oils are responsible for the degradation of orangutang habitat, and the death of many orangutangs.)
Good Fat
Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Nuts including peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios, avocado, canola and olive oil are high in MUFAs. MUFAs have also been found to help in weight loss, particularly body fat.
Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Seafood like salmon and fish oil, as well as corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils are high in polyunsaturated fats. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.
Cooking with fats/oils:
Whilst we have been bombarded with the 'cook with olive oil' message - it's incredibly important to note that if you want to cook something at a high temperature, you should use a polyunsaturated oil rather than olive as it copes better at higher temperatures than olive oil.
To sum up... we need a little from each 'fat' area - some good & some bad in order to function the way we were supposed to. Ease up on the bad fats, but don't deny all fat.
Here's what I know.
Low fat:
- whilst eating 'less fat' in our diets can be a good thing...not eating enough fat can be a bad thing.
- Low fat goods aren't always the best for us. Low fat often means more sugar is added for flavour. You have to become a little 'label savvy' and check out the protein, carb & fat grams on the back of your food labels.
- In the late 80s low fat became all the rage...and we were told to eat carbs carbs carbs (I'll cover carbs in another post) for energy. We got fat...and we continue to get fatter as a nation, now surpassing even America in that regard. We went with the mindset - if it's low fat... I can't get fat....or.. I can eat more of it... WRONG.
Full Fat
- we get told eating full fat anything is bad. The thing is, when we start mucking around with things to reduce the fat, like with good natural things like butter, cheese, milk ... then we start to muck around with the way things taste, the natural vitamins that come with these things, (you actually need some fat in milk to allow your body to absorb the calcium) we add in chemicals and more sugar and synthetic vitamins. If eating full fat was so bad...how come we weren't so fat in the 70s before all the low fat stuff came around?
moderation
- now, I know I'm not alone here, many of us aren't too good at the old 'eat whatever you want, but just in moderation' sometimes our stop button has gone on holidays and left us faced to deal with our food demons alone. But there is a lot of truth in this saying. The thing is, if we were to just eat things that were labelled as low fat - what would happen? My guess is, we'd put on weight. The reason I believe this is, that one of the good things about having fat in your diet, is that it makes you feel full. Seriously, if you were to eat, say, 50gm of plain full fat cheddar cheese, as compared with 50gm of a low fat variety, you'd probably feel full after the full fat one, but you could probably eat a little more of the low fat one as it wouldn't have quite hit the spot - and if the old 'no moderation' factor comes into play..you will eat more because you don't feel satisfied. So, effectively, you may be eating less fat calories, but overall, your calories will be greatly increased - but your brain is probably still thinking, yeah, it's low fat, it's okay.
Bad Fat
Now, there is such a thing as 'bad fat' but it's mostly those fats that are known as trans-fats Apparently Australian food labelling doesn't yet require the listing of trans fats on our food labels - but, trans fats are basically fats that are hydrogenated - ie, an oil that has been made solid through processing. Trans fats are included in a lot of processed biscuits and foods. I copied this from the US FDA site:
What is Trans Fat?
Major Food Sources of Trans Fat for American Adults
(Average Daily Trans Fat Intake is 5.8 Grams or 2.6 Percent of Calories)
40%cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, etc.
21%animal products
17%margarine
8%fried potatoes
5%potato chips, corn chips, popcorn
4%household shortening
3%salad dressing
1%breakfast cereal
1%candy
Basically, trans fat is made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil--a process called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats.
Trans fat can be found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. Unlike other fats, the majority of trans fat is formed when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in some animal-based foods.
Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises the LDL cholesterol that increases your risk for CHD. Americans consume on average 4 to 5 times as much saturated fat as trans fat in their diets.
Although saturated fat is the main dietary culprit that raises LDL, trans fat and dietary cholesterol also contribute significantly.
Saturated Fats
This is the interesting one, and the one that causes a lot of bad press. The fact is, we need to have a little 'saturated' fat in our diet - it is essential for the production of certain hormones, and the absorption of Vitamins A, D & K. But we need to keep a check on it, and be mindful of the amount we are consuming. Saturated fat should only make up about 5% of our overall fat intake. Saturated fat is found in meats, (things like chicken skin), dairy, seafood & eggs. Oils like coconut oil & palm oil are saturated fats. (on another note: please try and avoid purchasing any products that use palm oil or palm kernel oil in high proportions as the farming of these oils are responsible for the degradation of orangutang habitat, and the death of many orangutangs.)
Good Fat
Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Nuts including peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios, avocado, canola and olive oil are high in MUFAs. MUFAs have also been found to help in weight loss, particularly body fat.
Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Seafood like salmon and fish oil, as well as corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils are high in polyunsaturated fats. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.
Cooking with fats/oils:
Whilst we have been bombarded with the 'cook with olive oil' message - it's incredibly important to note that if you want to cook something at a high temperature, you should use a polyunsaturated oil rather than olive as it copes better at higher temperatures than olive oil.
To sum up... we need a little from each 'fat' area - some good & some bad in order to function the way we were supposed to. Ease up on the bad fats, but don't deny all fat.
Friday, June 18, 2010
City to Surf training
Well, City to Surf is only 8 weeks away - have you entered? If not... get on over and enter now!
Sun-Herald City to Surf enter here
We have registered our Team - Attitude to Burn - Team Ouch! so make sure you join our team and start your fundraising page.
Our City to Surf Jog Squads will be starting in July - email me or call me 0430 605 701 to book in!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Lamb backstrap with pistachio and Brazil nut crust (GF)
Here's a yummy recipe courtesy of nuts for life
35g chopped pistachio kernels
1tb chopped Brazil nuts
2 teaspoons dried thyme
75g low fat ricotta
1 egg white
cracked black pepper
600g lamb backstrap, trimmed of fat
8 chat potatoes and mixed fresh herbs, to serve
1tb olive oil
Preheat oven grill to high. Place the pistachios, Brazil nuts thyme, ricotta, egg white and a little pepper in a bowl and mix until fully combined. Set aside.
Rub the lamb with olive oil. Heat a large non stick frying pan over medium high heat and pan cook backstraps for 3 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove and rest for 5 minutes, then spoon the ricotta mixture over the top of the backstraps, pressing down to form a thick crust.
Place under the grill and continue to cook until the ricotta mixture is set and golden on top. Serve with rosemary potatoes and seasonal vegetables that have been tossed with herbs such as basil, mint and chives.
SERVES 4
Nutrient content per serve
Energy 2380kJ (570kcal), Protein 54g, Total fat 22g, Saturated fat 7g (32% of total fat), Monounsaturated fat 10g, Polyunsaturated fat 3g, Carbohydrates 33g, Fibre 9g, Sodium 175mg
~10g nuts per serve
Off to the snow?
So, ski season is now upon us, and you're all set to head down the slopes... or are you?
In order to get the most out of your time in the snow (apres stuff aside) you need to make sure your fitness and leg strength are ready for the more than ready for the task at hand!
You need to ensure you have a good base of cardiovascular fitness combined with muscular endurance to ensure you remain as injury free as possible.
A few exercises that you SHOULD be doing regularly to improve your muscular endurance are:
Squats
Lunges or walking lunges and
The Bridge or hip extension (with or without leg raise as shown here).
These need only be bodyweight only (no weights required) and should be incorporated regularly into your routine to assist with the correct muscles.
Always remember to warm up sufficiently and cooldown/stretch at the end of your routine.
Goal setting for success
Now that winter's here, it's even more important to have clear goals to help keep you motivated and active during the cooler months.
It is extremely important to use realistic strategies for achieving your health and fitness (as well as other) goals. Many people try to change too many things at once, which can dramatically increase your risk of failure. Using the SMARTER acronym can help you to set goals and develop an effective plan to achieve them.
Specific – avoid the use of vague goals such as ‘I want to be fitter’. Instead, make them specific, such as ‘I want to lower my cholesterol/blood pressure’ or ‘I want to improve my Biological Age’.
Measurable – you should be able to measure and monitor your goals (partly so that you can identify progress). It may be something like ‘I want to lower my blood pressure to 120/80’ or ‘I want to be 10 kilos lighter’ or ‘I want to make my Biological Age" lower than my Chronological Age’
Achievable – Make it an attractive goal. If you don’t really want to achieve the selected goal, you are much less likely to succeed. For instance, many people fail to give up smoking because they are doing it for someone else, or they feel pressured to do it. Often, it’s only when they REALLY want to give up smoking that they can then achieve this. Therefore, try to choose a goal that would make you feel great if it happened.
Realistic – to ensure your goals are realistic, you must be capable of achieving that goal. A confidence scale can be a useful tool – Rate how confident you are ofachieving your goal, on a scale of 0-10 (0 = not confident at all, 10 = extremely confident). If you scored less than a 9 or 10, identify what can help move you towards a 9 or 10; can you get help from friends or employ an expert. Breaking your final goal down into small achievable bit sized chunks or ‘mini-goals’ that can be measured on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis is very helpful. Focus your attention on these ‘mini- goals’, but always have the end-goal in the back of your mind.
Time-framed – try to be realistic when setting a timeframe. If you plan to accomplish things too quickly, you will get disheartened and probably fail. Write a realistic timescale, then write down all the barriers to achieving your goals and try to come up with a plan to overcome them.
Evaluate – It is crucial to measure, record, recognise and reward your progress. This will give you extra confidence and make you realise that all your good work is paying off.
Reset – once you have achieved your goals, set new ones based on your new internal standards. Achieving one goal can often be the catalyst for continuing and sustained success, so strike while the iron is hot!
It is extremely important to use realistic strategies for achieving your health and fitness (as well as other) goals. Many people try to change too many things at once, which can dramatically increase your risk of failure. Using the SMARTER acronym can help you to set goals and develop an effective plan to achieve them.
Specific – avoid the use of vague goals such as ‘I want to be fitter’. Instead, make them specific, such as ‘I want to lower my cholesterol/blood pressure’ or ‘I want to improve my Biological Age’.
Measurable – you should be able to measure and monitor your goals (partly so that you can identify progress). It may be something like ‘I want to lower my blood pressure to 120/80’ or ‘I want to be 10 kilos lighter’ or ‘I want to make my Biological Age" lower than my Chronological Age’
Achievable – Make it an attractive goal. If you don’t really want to achieve the selected goal, you are much less likely to succeed. For instance, many people fail to give up smoking because they are doing it for someone else, or they feel pressured to do it. Often, it’s only when they REALLY want to give up smoking that they can then achieve this. Therefore, try to choose a goal that would make you feel great if it happened.
Realistic – to ensure your goals are realistic, you must be capable of achieving that goal. A confidence scale can be a useful tool – Rate how confident you are ofachieving your goal, on a scale of 0-10 (0 = not confident at all, 10 = extremely confident). If you scored less than a 9 or 10, identify what can help move you towards a 9 or 10; can you get help from friends or employ an expert. Breaking your final goal down into small achievable bit sized chunks or ‘mini-goals’ that can be measured on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis is very helpful. Focus your attention on these ‘mini- goals’, but always have the end-goal in the back of your mind.
Time-framed – try to be realistic when setting a timeframe. If you plan to accomplish things too quickly, you will get disheartened and probably fail. Write a realistic timescale, then write down all the barriers to achieving your goals and try to come up with a plan to overcome them.
Evaluate – It is crucial to measure, record, recognise and reward your progress. This will give you extra confidence and make you realise that all your good work is paying off.
Reset – once you have achieved your goals, set new ones based on your new internal standards. Achieving one goal can often be the catalyst for continuing and sustained success, so strike while the iron is hot!
If you slept in this morning...
You missed the most glorious sunrise... and here's part of our workout this morning on the beach (Partner Over & Under):
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tips to Help your kids eat well and move more
Matt O'Neill ( of Metabolic Jumpstart) has recently introduced a Healthy Kids Jumpstart, and has shared some tips to help your kids eat well and move more...
Helping an overweight child 363kb PDF
Helping the fussy eater 290kb PDF
Tips for healthy family eating 397kb PDF
Boosting family physical activity 260kb PDF
Why should adults join the Healthy Kids Jumpstart?
Because when adults walk the talk they set a positive example for kids, who mirror their behaviour. It's a chance to break the cycle of obesity. Join us!
Attitude to Burn is an official partner of Metabolic Jumpstart
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Is losing weight your main goal over winter?
Rather than resorting to hibernation and extra layers of clothing to hide under, would you rather lose weight over the winter months?
If so, we have an extra incentive for you to help you along the way over the next 3 months.
For every kilo you lose, we will give you 1 week's free group training.
Lose 8 kilos - and that's 8 weeks of group training for free! ($240 value!)
Register your interest today by calling Caroline on 0430 605 701 and kick start your winter weight loss goal now!
We've also got 2 metabolic jumpstart programs to give away to the 2 first entrants!
If so, we have an extra incentive for you to help you along the way over the next 3 months.
For every kilo you lose, we will give you 1 week's free group training.
Lose 8 kilos - and that's 8 weeks of group training for free! ($240 value!)
Register your interest today by calling Caroline on 0430 605 701 and kick start your winter weight loss goal now!
We've also got 2 metabolic jumpstart programs to give away to the 2 first entrants!
The plans for the long weekend
Well, for those of you who are going away for the long weekend, I hope it's a safe drive, great destination, and relaxing time. With some exercise of course thrown in for good measure. Don't forget to :
a/ go for a good walk, jog or mix of the two
b/ add in some bodyweight strength exercises such as pushups, situps, squats, lunges - see if you can find somewhere to attempt some pullups or inverted rows for good measure.
c/ stretch
For those of us who aren't going away, here's the plan:
SATURDAY
7am - Running Group (meeting at Bulli Surf Club carpark) - 25 minutes non stop for the Couch to 5km program and 8k for the 5-10k program runners.
8am - Bodyweight Blast at Bulli High track (off of Jardine St)
SUNDAY - No sessions
MONDAY - One X Train Session at 10am at Thirroul
a/ go for a good walk, jog or mix of the two
b/ add in some bodyweight strength exercises such as pushups, situps, squats, lunges - see if you can find somewhere to attempt some pullups or inverted rows for good measure.
c/ stretch
For those of us who aren't going away, here's the plan:
SATURDAY
7am - Running Group (meeting at Bulli Surf Club carpark) - 25 minutes non stop for the Couch to 5km program and 8k for the 5-10k program runners.
8am - Bodyweight Blast at Bulli High track (off of Jardine St)
SUNDAY - No sessions
MONDAY - One X Train Session at 10am at Thirroul
Monday, June 7, 2010
What training is best for fat loss?
Interval training of course! A few years ago experts decided that slow steady exercise (HR max of about 140bpm) was the exercise that best utilised fat reserves as a source of fuel. Of course, we now know better and know that whilst this may be the case, we actually need to burn as many calories for as long as we possibly can to get maximum benefits from our exercise program. Of course, interval training is the way to go.
Attached is a report to provide you with a beginner's guide to the best way to lose fat PLUS new advanced interval training research AND 5unique interval training methods.
There is something in there for everyone who wants to lose fat and is sick of not getting results from cardio.
Click here to download the report.
Attached is a report to provide you with a beginner's guide to the best way to lose fat PLUS new advanced interval training research AND 5unique interval training methods.
There is something in there for everyone who wants to lose fat and is sick of not getting results from cardio.
Click here to download the report.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Personal Training spaces now available in Thirroul
We currently have some vacancies available for personal training sessions.
If you:
- are tired of making excuses
- tired of the same old gym routine
- want to get accelerated and measurable results
- are willing to commit 100% to your program
then we want to help you!
Call us now on 0409914397 or email us on info@attitudetoburn.com.au to ask about our 6 week accelerator packs.
There is a limit of 10 available!
If you:
- are tired of making excuses
- tired of the same old gym routine
- want to get accelerated and measurable results
- are willing to commit 100% to your program
then we want to help you!
Call us now on 0409914397 or email us on info@attitudetoburn.com.au to ask about our 6 week accelerator packs.
There is a limit of 10 available!
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