Your question answered:

I am confused by what is good food?  High protein, low fat, low carb?

  I just don't know what makes up the 80 % in the 80:20 principle.

It is easy to get confused by all the mixed messages and seemingly contradictory information out there.

What constitutes healthy food? 
Here are some pointers of what to eat 80 % of the time:

• Food closely resembling it's most natural form (unprocessed)
• A variety of different foods. Eat a Rainbow! 
• Food that agrees with your body.  (If you get a bad reaction or it doesn't make you feel good, don't eat it!) 
• Fresh local food in season
• Organic where possible
• Mostly vegetarian: beans, lentils, seeds, nuts, soya, vegetables, fruit, grains, cereals, plant oils
• Foods free from artificial chemicals and additives:  organic, preservative free, free from flavorings and artificial colours and sweeteners.
• Eat food from each of these groups daily: vegetables, fruit, protein, fats and oils, carbohydrates
• Choose quality over quantity.  Rather eat a smaller amount of good quality produce than a large amount of poor quality food.
• Eat some raw food every day, the enzymes and nutrients are SO good for you.

 

Myths: Low fat, low carb, high protein is healthiest

Fat is good, a food that is labelled "low fat" is not necessarily healthier.  Fat is essential in the diet.  Good fats are natural fats, and generally plant oils/fats are better than animal fats (with the exception of fish oils), generally unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated fats (with the exception of coconut oil, which although saturated is a very healthy fat).  Fat is high in "energy" or calories so don't overindulge, particularly in animal fats.  Avoid trans fats and hydrogenated fats at all costs.

Low Carb is not necessarily healthier.  Carbohydrates are essential.  Your brain, nerve and muscle cells require glucose to function properly and carbohydrate rich foods contain the main source of fibre your bowels need to keep healthy.  However choosing low glycaemic carbs is a good idea.  Lower glycaemic carbohydrates are usually complex carbohydrates, unrefined or wholegrain and include certain vegetables and fruits.  But you can safely assume all fruit and vegetables are healthy (poisonous or allegies excepted). 

High protein is not necessarily healthy although daily protein is advisable.  Too much protein can put strain on your vital organs like your kidneys and digestive tract, especially if accompanied with a low carbohydrate regime.  Eat some good quality protein everyday.  Good quality protein includes: nuts, seeds, fish, eggs

 

 Please email me with further questions.

 

Your question answered:

How can I eat consciously to maintain a healthy weight when I am underweight?

If you are underweight it is important that you eat regularly and that you eat enough to provide your body with the nutrients it needs. If you are living a very active lifestyle and battle to get in enough nutrients you may need to supplement your diet.     

If one of the reasons you are underweight is because you enjoy being slim or "skinny", it is still important that you eat consciously and provide your body with enough nutrients to sustain health.  If your body becomes malnourished you may start to experience undesirable symptoms like dull hair, low energy, muscle wasting, disrupted hormones, broken nails, unusual hair growth, hair loss, skin outbreaks, cracks and sores, gum disease, bowel discomfort, body odour. 

Eating consciously involves listening to your body and nuturing it.  Here are some tips:

• Eat nutrient dense foods like: fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, eggs, fish, cold pressed vegetable oils
• Eat regularly: around every 4 hours to prevent your body entering "fasting" or "starvation" state where it will burn even more of your reserves.
• Eat when you feel hungry: you don't have to eat a lot, but eat something
• Remember to eat, don't skip meals, it will make you lose muscle and upset your blood sugar, leaving you feeling tired, vulnerable, and irritable and compromise your metabolism
• If you have a small appetite don't drink fluids with meals, it will full you up and you may be inclined to not eat enough proper food.
• Make sure you eat enough carbohydrate to preserve your protein for muscle building and tissue repair and other functional activities (not a fuel source).  Eat some carbohdrate at each meal (3 - 7 serves a day). (Fruit, vegetables, grains, cereals all count as carbohydrates).
• Eat protein daily (1 -2 serves) (Beans, eggs, fish, meat, chicken, soya, nuts, seeds, quinoa are examples of protein foods)
• Consider taking a multivitamin and mineral (Usana probably provides the best all round multi vitamin, mineral and antioxidant complex)
• Eat responsibly. Be conscious of not over indulging in "junk food" and unhealthy food just because you can and "it doesn't affect your weight", too many empty calories and many of the additives in these foods will put extra stress and strain on your body which may have lasting repurcussions. 
• Find ways to manage stress, particularly if stress negetively affects your appetite and makes you lose your desire to eat.
• Limit stimulants, if you are already underweight it is best to avoid stimulants like caffeine and sugar

If you are underweight and you feel you are eating enough it might be worth seeing someone to investigate what is going on for your body:  sometimes "wasting" can exist alongside diseases like cancer, or parasite infections or extreme stress or metabolic disturbances, psychological imbalances, nutrient deficiencies and thyroid problems.

Please contact me for any further information.

Your question answered:

What do you consider to be a good breakfast?

Thank you for your question, a good breakfast is one that contains:
 - some good quality low glycaemic load carbohydrates, for example oats, quinoa, pumperknickle bread, rice, millet, sprouted grains, 
    home made or good quality breads (spelt or ancient grain, heavy, wheat free, preservative free), additive and preservative free, fresh 
    fruit, vegetable juice.
 - some good quality protein for example nuts, seeds, eggs, nut butter, hummus, beans, LSA mix, organic natural yoghurt

Some examples of a good breakast might be: 

• Muesli (rolled oats, walnuts, raisins, ground cinnamon, puffed millet, dried coconut, mixed seeds or LSA mix)
• Pumperknickle toast with almond butter (or nut butter- not peanut butter)
• Rye toast with poached or boiled egg
• Fruit salad with a tablespoon of seeds and two tablespoons of natural organic yoghurt

A high carbohydrate, refined breakfast will leave you sleepy or hungry soon afterwards so avoid white toast and jam, or high GI bread and honey, tinned fruit in syrup, cereals like cornflakes and cocopops and rice crispies if you want sustained energy, good concentration and to be fuller for longer.

For more information about breakfast, why not read this post  which details some of the benefits of breakfast and why it is such an important way to start your day.

Your question answered:

I often find it difficult to find the time to eat enough, can you help me?

It can be time consuming to sit down and eat 3 meals and fit in 2 snacks on top of that, especially if you are also preparing these meals from scratch.  It can be very tempting to give in to what I call the "C word"!  Convenience!

So if you are busy, and you battle to fit eating into your day, the first step is to make your health a priority, the second step is to find quick and HEALTHY solutions.  The good news is I have lots of them.

Planning is going to be your number one allie!  Don't worry, planning doesn't have to be time consuming, when I say planning I mean: foresight and anticipation.  What are you doing today, where are you likely to be around meal times, what can you have handy so that you can nourish yourself.

Here are some great little "on the go" and "quick to munch snacks"

• Handful of trailmix
• Muesli bar
• Piece of fruit: Mandarin, banana, bunch of grapes, apple
• Boiled egg and cherry tomatoes
• Handful of cherry tomatoes and some pepitas
• Raw unsalted nuts
• Nutbutter on ryevita
• Handful of olives
• Veggie sticks and humus
• Tuna pita pocket
• Humus and salad wholemeal wrap

If you get home late in the evenings and you are feeling like you don't have time to start to cook a meal from scratch and the take away or pizza delivery down the road is starting to sound very appealing despite your best intentions to eat healthily, then here are some QUICK, no fuss dinner options.

Tuna Salad:  1 tin of tuna, 1 bag of rocket, 1 tin of green beans drained, 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, chopped spring onion, sprinkle of seeds, big squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil (add boiled egg and boiled baby potatoes for some body)

Grilled salmon and steamed vegetables:  Grate a clove of garlic, a knuckle of ginger and rub into a couple of salmon fillets, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top or a drizzle of soya sauce.  Grease a baking tray with some coconut oil.  Put the salmon under the grill or into a hot oven.  While the salmon is cooking, steam some broccolli, beans, carrots and cauliflower.

Pesto Pasta: 1 bag rice noodles, (take 3 mins to cook when added to boiling water, once cooked drain). Stir through half a jar of good quality pesto, add a tablespoon of capers and 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves or rocket.  (Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese or some smoked salmon cut into ribbons or cooked chicken breast).

Omelette:  Eggs, fresh parsley, red onion, sundried tomatoes, mushroom, garlic.  Whisk the eggs, chop up the ingredients and throw them all into the pan and cook until ready.  Serve with some baby spinach or fresh rocket.

There are LOADS of quick, healthy and convenient options.  Please send me an email if you need some more help tailoring solutions to your lifestyle.

Here an expert in exercise and movement, a qualified exercise physiologist shares with you valuable tips on how to avoid injury during exercise.

1.      Warm up your muscles
Warming up our muscles actually decreases your risk of injury. So what
are appropriate warm-up activities – walking is the best or if you are
performing high intensity exercise (i.e. jogging) then work at 50% of
your maximum heart rate. You need to only perform a warm-up for
10-15min and this helps warm the muscles up by increasing blood flow
to the muscles. This is especially important when exercising in cold
weather or if you have a pre-existing injury or arthritis.

2.      Stretching
Stretching needs to be performed after you have ‘warmed up’. Ideally
you should stretch the muscles that you are going to use for the
particular activity, sport or exercise program you are performing.
Choose a few stretches that will stretch major muscle groups and if
you feel particularly tight in an area perform extra stretches on this
section.  You need to repeat each stretch 5 – 10 times and hold each
stretch for approx 10 – 30 seconds. The number of times you repeat the
stretch and/or hold the stretch will be dependant on how tight the
muscle is.  Stretching helps lengthen the muscle, which prepares it
for performing exercise. It is also important that you stretch after
completing your exercise session, especially whilst the muscles are
warm. This aids in recovery and prevents ‘muscle soreness’ from
occurring.
3.      Avoid overtraining or overloading

The old theory “no pain, no gain” is a fallacy. Exercise does not have
to hurt for it to be good for you. In fact, if it does hurt you are
probably doing something wrong. Some soreness is common after
exercising, but if it continues for more than 2 days, then it highly
likely you could be pushing yourself too hard.

If you find you are sore after every exercise session, you may not be
giving your body time to recover sufficiently. You must allow at least
24-48 hours for muscles to recover after a strenuous workout, such as
a ‘resistance exercise program’. On the days you don’t perform
strenuous or resistance exercise, perform low to medium intensity
cardiovascular exercise (e.g. cycling, walking).

When it comes to exercising, you need an even balance of exercise
sessions and rest. Injuries will be more likely to occur when the
intensity of training is excessive. This causes damage to tissues and
undue stress to the body that cannot be adequately repaired during an
exercise session. So if you find you are pulling up sore after an
exercise session you should review your exercise program and check if
you are overloading your body with too heavy weights or too high
intensity activities. Another thing to look at is if you are
exercising too often. If you are starting exercise for the first time
you need to start slowly and build up your tolerance.

The amount of rest your body requires will differ for everyone. Let
your body be a guide. As a general rule women generally require more
recovery time than men, as do older individuals compared to younger
ones.  If you are participating in heavier, more strenuous activities
you will require longer recovery periods for the muscles involved.

If you are still unsure what is contributing to muscle soreness or
reoccurring injuries seek advice from an Accredited Exercise
Physiologist. They can guide and provide you with recommendations to
ensure you are exercising safely and within your body’s limits.

4. Don’t exercise when tired, sick, in pain or have an injury

Do not try to push through pain or continue exercising or playing when
you feel exhausted or tired.
Pain usually indicates a problem or potential underlying injury. You
need to pay attention to the warning signs that your body provides.
Fatigue has been shown to be a significant risk factor in athletic
injuries. If you are sick or feeling generally unwell do not exercise.
Wait until your body is feeling better, you are only putting yourself
at risk of injury or manifesting your illness. Missing one session,
won’t hurt your exercise training program. Listen to your body!

5. Keep hydrated & wear appropriate clothing

When exercising, you can lose between ½ - 1 Litre of water for every
1hr of exercise. Therefore it is important to replenish these losses.
A good general rule of thumb is to drink approximate 500ml of water
every 20-30 minutes during the activity. If you keep your hydration
levels up you are ensuring the muscles don’t fatigue too early and
increase their risk of injury.

It is also important that you dress appropriately during exercise,
especially in extreme weather (i.e. summer, winter). Breathable
clothing is recommended in hot weather, and extra hydration is
extremely important. If you wear thick, heavy clothing this can lead
to excessive sweating, which causes the body to lose heat more rapidly
and may increase the risk of hypothermia. In colder weather, dressing
in layers is recommended. And remember don’t strip off after an
exercise session in cold weather, the extra layers help keep your body
warm and assist in appropriate recovery and prevent injuries from
occurring.

6. Wear appropriate shoes

You feet act as shock absorbers, and therefore are subjected to nearly
high levels of pressure during strenuous exercise. Correct and
appropriate footwear is important to cushion these loads. You must
ensure you wear the right footwear for the particular activity or
exercise you are participating in (e.g. football boots to play
football, running shoes to walk or jog).

If you experience a lot of low back pain, leg or feet pain you may
have issues with how your feet role when they hit the ground. You
should seek advice from a Podiatrist to have your feet examined. A
Podiatrist can also advise you on appropriate footwear for your chosen
activity. Having the correct shoes minimizes your risk of injury.

Remember if the tread on the soles of your shoes has worn
considerably, it probably time for a new pair of shoes. If you
continue to exercise in worn shoes you put yourself at risk of an
injury.

In Conclusion

As more people start recognising the health benefits of exercise and
become more physically active, it is imperative to understand how to
exercise safely. While exercise-related injuries are not entirely
preventable, taking necessary precautions can help to decrease them
significantly.

An individually designed exercise program designed by an Accredited
Exercise Physiologist that focuses cardiovascular and resistance based
exercises will help in injury prevention. You should increase the
duration and intensity of your exercise session gradually to allow the
body to adapt. Do not ignore symptoms of soreness or pain. Address
these symptoms immediately with your GP, Physiotherapist, Podiatrist,
Chiropractor or Exercise Physiologist. Careful monitoring of your body
and exercise regimen not only helps to minimise injury, but also
ensure the exercise is more enjoyable. Otherwise, have fun exercising
and remember to play it safe!

Merendi Leverett
Accredited Exercise Physiologist
(GradDipHSc, BHMSc, MESSA, AEP)
www.merendi.com.au

Benefits of keeping a food diary:

There are many benefits to keeping a food diary, it is definitely worthwhile if you want to change your eating habits or manage your weight.  It is also useful if you want to investigate or overcome an ailment, disease or set of symtoms that may be related to your diet.  You can keep track of what you are eating, what you are feeling and any changes.

1. It will help you to identify what you are doing right
2. It will help you to change your eating habits
3. It increases your awareness of your eating habits
4. It enhances control over your eating
5. It identifies which behaviours and patterns of thinking need to be tackled and the circumstances under which problems can arise.
6. It helps you to see what positive changes you are making
7. It allows you to identify your main sources of calories and nutrients.  This will be of great help in improving and planning how you can lose weight and keep your weight stable.

It is also a great way to hold yourself accountable. 

Sure, keeping a diet diary is time consuming and can be a nuisance if you are busy or can't be bothered, but it CERTAINLY is worth the effort for the benefits it offers.

Join our 7 Day Diary Challenge and find out how you are doing! 

There are many Benefits of Strength Training...

David Keogh, Personal Trainer with Pro-Lifestyles shares 10 Reasons why you would benefit from making strength training part of your exercise routine.

1. Strength training prevents muscle loss. Adults who do not strength train lose between 2 to 3 Kilos of muscle every decade. While cardio exercise improves our cardiovascular fitness, it does not prevent the loss of muscle tissue.

2. Strength training will increase your metabolism. Research shows that adding 1.5 kilos of muscle   increases our resting metabolic rate by seven percent, and ups our daily calorie requirements by 15 percent. The average adult experiences a two to five percent reduction in metabolic rate every decade of their life, so strength training can help make up for that loss.

3. Strength training will increase your muscle mass. Research shows that doing 25 minutes of strength exercise, three days a week can increase muscle mass by about 1.5 kilos over an eight week training  period. After that, muscle mass will continue to increase, but gains will differ from person to person depending on how much muscle has been lost through the years.

4. Strength training will reduce your body fat. Increasing your muscle mass will increase your calorie burn, thereby reducing the likelihood of fat accumulation. Researchers found that strength exercise  produced 2 kilos of fat loss after three months of training, even though the subjects were eating 15 percent more calories per day. In other words, strength training turns your body into a fat burning     machine!

5. Strength training will increase your bone mineral density. Studies show that four months of strength training can result in significant increases in bone mineral density, which is important because we naturally lose bone density as we age. In this way, strength training helps protect against fractures, "shrinking" and osteoporosis.

6. Strength training will improve your glucose metabolism. Poor glucose metabolism is    associated with adult onset diabetes. Researchers have reported a 23 percent increase in glucose     uptake after four month of strength training. This improvement is one of the many ways a healthy exercise routine can fight diabetes.

7. Strength training will speed up your digestion. A recent study showed a 56 percent increase in gastrointestinal transit time after three months of strength training. This is significant because delayed digestion puts you at a higher risk for colon cancer.

8. Strength training reduces your resting blood pressure. Strength training alone has been shown to reduce resting blood pressure significantly. Combining strength and aerobic exercise is an even more effective means of improving blood pressure readings. A recent study showed that after just two months of a moderate strength and cardio program, participants dropped their   systolic blood pressure (the number on top which measures the pressure used when the heart beats) by 5 mm Hg and their diastolic blood pressure (the number on the bottom which measures the pressure that exists in the arteries between heartbeats) by 3 mm Hg.

9. Strength training will relieve lower back pain. Years of research on strength training and back pain show that strong back muscles are less likely to be injured than weaker back muscles. In a recent study, lower back pain sufferers had significantly less discomfort after 10 weeks of strength exercise for the lumbar spine muscles. Because over 80 percent of Australians experience back problems, it is advisable for all adults to strengthen these muscles properly.

10. Strength training will reduce arthritis pain. Studies show that sensible strength training eases the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. This is good news, because most men and women who suffer from arthritis pain need strength exercise to develop stronger muscles, bones, and connective tissue.

11. It feels Great! Like you needed any other reason to work out and have fun with your personal trainer!

Benefits of Eating Foods in Season:

The season is changing, Autumn is here!  And there are some excellent reasons to eat foods that are in season.

They are cheaper: there is usually an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables as it comes in to season and therefore laws of economics such as "supply and demand" mean we can buy it cheaper.  It also hasn't had to be shipped in or imported so you aren't paying for your vegetables "around the world", or even "around the country" travel expenses. 

They are fresher: they haven't been kept in cold storage (picked green, sprayed and freeze ripened).  (Well there is less chance anyway, especially if you buy organic or you buy directly from farmers.

They are packed with everything you need to survive the season:  nature is pretty clever.  For example kiwi fruit, guavas and oranges and even the humble potato are packed with vitamin C.  Vitamin C is a really important vitamin especially in winter to keep your immune system strong to ward off the sniffles.  Vitamin C is also important for combating the effects of stress.  Pumpkin, sweet potato, potato, onions, the perfect ingredients for roasts and broths to keep you warm and cosy during the winter months.

What's in Season in Autumn in Australia?

Fruit:
Kiwi, pear, apples, guava, lim, oranges, figs, grape, pmegranate, persimmon

Vegetables:
Red cabbage, Asian greens, lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, chicory, avocado, zucchini, pumpkin, potato and sweet potato, red onion, leek, celery, fennel, mushroom, olives, carrot, onion, shallot

Nuts:
Pistachio, hazelnut, almond, walnut, chestnut, pecan

Drop me a line if you are looking for some recipe ideas!

Role of Exercise and Community in Longevity

Grannies in Polokwane (a small town in South Africa) have found a new lease on life as they have started to play soccer.

The World Cup organising committee is looking at the possibility of a soccer world cup for grannies.The Star reported on hundreds of elderly women from a township near Tzaneen, Limpopo, who had established a soccer league of their own.

Community worker Beka Ntsanwisi started the team three years ago to help older women exercise and give them a new purpose in life.She had been diagnosed with colon cancer and the doctor had told her she needed to exercise as part of her treatment.  She started to play soccer with two of her friends and eventually started to invite other women from the community to join in.  She said the women were bored and lonely and many of them were suffering with various illnesses.

The report said 35 women on the Vakhegula Vakhegula squad ranged in age from 40 to 83.  Playing soccer gave them a sense of being part of a community and made them feel better and they reported the exercise was very beneficial for them.  It also seemed to give them a reason to stick around or a purpose.  It appears they don't want to let their team down and they wanted to be around for the world cup.

The Star reported Nora Makhubela, 83, who had suffered six strokes, said kicking a ball around had given her strength she did not think she still had.  "I pray every day to God to keep me alive until 2010. I would really love to watch the games," she said.

The team are hoping to do a curtain raiser at the 2010 Soccer World Cup.  The possibility of this is being encouraged but the realities are still being explored.It appears there is growing evidence for Dan Beuttner’s Longevity Study, who found that exercise, being part of a community and having a reason to get up were all crucial ingredients if you wanted to live to 100.

How encouraging to have this sort of evidence fills me with hope and joy.  These women were not saying I can't go and play soccer because I have heart disease and arthritis and gout, they were saying I play soccer because I have heart disease, arthritis and gout and it makes me feel better.  I will play until I die!  One woman when asked when she would stop playing, she said, when she leaves this earth.

Game of soccer anyone?

Stress:  A Modern Disease or an
Age Old Survival Mechanism

Are you making stress work for you?

Stress is just the word for the reponse the body has to a stimulus or change.  It is the body's way of trying to adapt to an outside influence, situation or change.

The body can react to a stressor in three ways: Fight, Flight or Freeze.  There is evidence to suggest that the way we react to stressors is set before we are 9 months old and you will usually have a pattern for how you relate to stress.

The stress response is primarily a survival mechanism, put in place to help us survive our environment... If you think of our ancestors in hunter gatherer times depending on the stressor they might choose one of the three reactions.  They might flee an elephant or a snake, they might confront or fight a lion or an intruder, they might freeze or stand still in the hope of going unseen in the bush. 

Modern day stressors are very different, yet the reactions still follow the same lines.  Let's consider an example:  when someone shouts at you, how do you respond?  Do you overt your eyes, shut down communication, turn your head away and try to quickly remove yourself from your "attacker", leave the room, avoid confrontation.  This is an example of flight, you try to get away.

Or, when someone shouts at you, do you get really angry, raise your voice, and shout back, do you "fight" back, this is an example of the modern day fight reflex.  Or perhaps when you get bad news you freeze, you feel powerless to move, you may be speechless, you can't seem to respond.  This is an example of freeze,  you may have heard the phrase: "deer in the headlights" or frozen with fear.

The reality is all stress responses are driven by the fear response and are deemed at some point to be threatening, and to our old brain or limbic system, they are deemed to be life threatening, so our stress response is primarily in place to increase our chances of surviving the adversary.

Nowadays we use the term "stress" very loosely, we say "I feel stressed", or they "stress me out" or "I am under a lot of stress".

The reality is stress has increased in modern times, and that is largely because life has changed.  What is interesting is that we may not be exposed to the acute stressors of old... being face to face with a lion, but we are exposed to many more daily stressors and tend to experience a higher degree of chronic stress, which equally takes its toll on the body.

In times of old it took approximately 12 hours a week to meet our basic food and shelter needs, nowadays it takes anything from 30 - 80 hours a week.  So while the intensity may have been reduced arguably the burden has increased.
It is no wonder we feel "stressed".

What happens physiologically in a stress response?  Let's consider three things that happen...

• Your heart rate goes up, pumping blood and nutrients to your cells that your performance is increased, you can act quickly!
• Your blood supply is increased to your limbs, so they get the oxygen and nutrients they need to act... and directed away from your internal organs like digestive tract etc which aren't vital in that moment.
• Your sugar stores are imobilised for use

So you are ready to run or fight for your life...

The problem is, if this is what is going on in your body MOST of the time, then this will start to have some health implications.  It starts to put a bit of extra strain on your heart which is now overworking most of the time, your nerves are overfiring which saps energy out of you and starts to age you prematurely, your digestive system is not getting the blood supply and therefore nutrients and oxygen it needs to perform properly and therefore your whole body doesn't get what it needs to function properly, so your mood suffers,  your health suffers, your energy supply suffers, you start to get deficiencies and experience cravings.  Your blood sugar is up and down, your mood, concentration, energy levels and metabolism start to suffer.

This can't continue long term so eventually you are at risk of burn out.

So what can you do?

First thing to do is to be aware of what is happening, and to try to get some perspective.  Most of this is happening subconsciously, so you are being controlled by your systems and emotions.  Stop and get some perspective.  Where is the real danger in this situation, what can I do about it, what do I need to do about it if anything?

Secondly, think of the areas you can regain control, what are the areas that continually stress you out.  You can do something about it, there is always a way, whether it is restructing stuff, giving something up, letting something go, asking for help, getting some advice, asking yourself some honest questions.  Is this the best way for me to achieve my goals?  Or is there another way?  You might not have the answer but someone else might.  Don't stay stuck and stressed, it's not necessary and it won't serve you.

In the moment of stress: make it work for you: rather than repressing your fight response, find a punching bag or go for a run, burn up that energy, direct that energy source to a worthy cause, don't let it stay trapped.  When you are stuck in "freeze" distract yourself, alert yourself to your senses, what can you see, smell, taste, hear.  When you want to run away, where can you channel that power and energy into doing something constructive?

Look after yourself:  People who live to over 100 and still are full of beans, do a few things:

1. They are part of a community,
2. They eat well: not too much, mostly vegetables and good quality protein (fish, beans, soya, nuts, organic meat) and good quality fat and wine,
3. They include natural movement  as part of their day, and
4.  They feel like they are contributing to society in one way or another: they have a reason to get up in the morning
5. They rest

These may sound like really simple things, and you have heard them before undoubtedly, and they work.  It is interesting to realise though, that to have heard it before does not mean: to know, so don't just glance over this and say yeah: I know that, or I do that already, do you?

"To know and not do, is not yet to know"

Constantly I am intrigued at why it is that people can know what to do to help themselves feel better, look better, get what they want.... and still not act.

This is often to do with self sabotage.
Theories that exist around this paradox are largely based on the fear of change and the fear of failure and most interestingly the fear of success.

How do you stop yourself from helping yourself, moving in the direction of your dreams or getting what you want?  How do you stop yourself from being less stressed out?

Many people self sabotage because change is risky.  Where there is uncertainty there lies fear.  Is the effort worth it, is the cost worth it, will it work for me, i am not confident in my own ability: I don't know what to do or how to do it.

I encourage you to ask for help where you are getting stuck.  Identify the barrier so that you can push it aside and move in the direction of longevity and vitality.

"Asking for help doesn't mean that we are weak or incompetent.  It usually indicates an advanced level of honesty and intelligence."  Anne wilson Schaef

Sure, life is complicated, but healthy living is relatively simple.  There are benefits to stress, there is a purpose to stress. Stress is life preserving in its essence, that is it's function, but if overworked or overused, it will become life inhibiting or life stopping.

Make stress work for you and you can accomplish GREAT things!

If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed, can't see the way through, don't know where to start but you would like to feel better, feel free to give Lisa a call or drop her an email, there may be something useful she could suggest.