ONE LIFE- Kelowna's Premier Personal Training Company

Johann starts with investigating and discussing the modern, industrial food manufacturing complex and how it has changed our appetites, and our satiety. I've read other books on the subject, (Michael Moss, Salt, Sugar, Fat... is an excellent book on detailing this idea) and I agree with the premise.
Convenience, food that doesn't spoil, is quick to prepare, easy to consume, and tastes good is the issue.

I forgot inexpensive! Economics drives what's produced and sold, it creates fresh food "deserts", it employs food scientists working with focus groups to create products that are profitable, but unfortunately, not always the most nutritionally sound.

He suggests the obesity epidemic is a result of the effort to feed people, as cheaply, profitably, and conveniently as possible. Before going into the risks of taking these drugs he goes on to suggest that economic drivers that created the issue, may now, through this class of drugs correct it.

But there are risks. More on that tomorrow

Why is weight loss so hard? As with any nuanced question, it depends. Simply saying don't eat this, or don't eat that is just not an effective strategy.

Why not try adding something to your diet to reduce your total calorie consumption? A healthy bowl of soup, in addition to your lunch or dinner, has been shown to reduce overall calorie consumption. Sticking a change plan long enough to see results requires strategy. It's wintertime, the perfect time for a little bowl of warm soup to start a meal!

Neuroplasticity, the idea that our brain circuitry is malleable, that it can be changed is a pretty hot-topic in the self help world. We can change how we think, our behaviour, and our belief systems.

It's just going to take a lot more time and a lot more effort than we think.

Why struggle with constant temptation, why grind, when with a little planning you can shape your lifestyle to work for you and not against you? Life operates under the umbrella of our responsibilities, limitations and desires. A change plan that considers our personal, social and environmental influences is much more likely to succeed.

Affirmations can be useful depending on your mood, your state of mind. Sometimes they make me wanna vomit and other times they've proven to be useful.

There is a way to make them more effective, by making them personal, and engaging additional senses: you can doodle, draw or colour the phrase that resonates with you, or can try listening to the sound of your own voice.

I found this tactic very helpful. If you need a boost, try giving yourself one through a personal affirmation.

Restricting calories, saying NO YOU CAN'T eat that, does not seem to work very well. Having coached clients, and personal struggled with gaining and losing weight, I can say with complete confidence that restriction is not an sustainable approach to improving our health and changing our physique.

Strategies that can change behaviour, and reduce our calories without raising our internal reactance (that little "Don't tell me what to do" inside voice) are a much more effective way to improve our health and reach our goals. I'm not buying Dr. Greger's, vegetarianism is the way, but he is an erudite individual and backs up everything in his book with peer reviewed academic studies.

Give this one a try.

Health, wellness and vitality are worth the effort, but it can seem overwhelming. Diet strategies, training regimes, everyone promising the answer. Take the time to review your motivations and your skills...the reasons for change and the ability. Look at the world from the perspective of self, the social, and the environment.
Changing one keystone behaviour can have huge impacts in other areas.

Whatever your goal is, physique, performance, longevity or even just general well-being, cardiovascular exercise is good for you.

When I hear people disparage cardio, I think back to my days in Civil Engineering and construction. We would test compaction of the soil and the slump and density of the concrete used in the foundation even though we never see it after backfilling.

If the foundation fails, the building - no matter the strength of the steel or wood that it's made of - fails. Cardio is good for you, the heart, lungs, veins and arteries need a little love too! Getting off the couch and going for a walk will not make your biceps smaller 😜

Sustainability. If you want permanent change, this will not work. A plan that involves aligning the sources of influence in your life, Personal, Social, and Environmental, a plan that recognizes the challenges we face with lifestyle, nutrition and exercise is a much better plan.

Sustainable changes our health, our physique require time and patience. Maintaining motivation necessary for the time it takes to change requires strategy and tactics. Strengthen your motivation through language. Google and check out Kaitlin Robbs Vocabulary Wheel, It's outstanding work!

Perspective is everything. Feedback and monitoring are absolutely essential to change. If you don't measure it, you probably won't change it. If physical changes are what you are looking for, then the scale is your friend.

I had a client who socialized a lot, he loved the restaurant / pub life. When we talked about how he might shape his environment (we downloaded some of his favourite menus and looked at better choices), but he would not consider salads or anything of the fresher healthier options. Told me it they were disgusting. I probed a little and realized the his concern was contamination of the food by the kitchen staff. He would only eat deep fried foods, he thought it was the safest option. Perspective.

Motivation, the need to take action, isn't stable (mine sure isn't), but it can be strengthened through a variety of ways. Decision fatigue? Hangry? Have a snack. Our mood, our mindset and our motivation can all be influenced unconventionally, try this one. It works for me.
And the worst that can happen is you find that missing earbud 😜