http://www.loughtonmovementclinic.co.uk/

Louise Boucek - Personal Training Services, 2 Old Station Road, Loughton (2026)

05/03/2019

Ever come across a headline saying “Drink more water to help you lose weight?”.
RESEARCH IS LIMITED! It’s mostly animal based studies and only 1 human study that newspapers like to refer to which isn’t very science/evidence based.
THE STUDY: Consisted of scientist’s giving participants an extra 1.5 litres of COLD water to drink a day (on top of what they normally drink).
HOW DOES IS POTENTIALLY WORK?.
If you drink 500ml before every meal, your stomach will start to feel full because of the hormonal signals being sent to the stomach (Leptin is the hormone that’s tell us when we are full and our stretch receptors in our stomach will start to expand).
Doing this might make us eat less AT MEAL TIME, but 30 minutes later you’ll probably feel hungry and a healthy meal will no longer available. The outcome? Eating whatever is available to curb your hunger (probably less healthy choices).
CONSEQUENCES?
1. You’ll be pi***ng loads!.
2. In extreme cases if you overhydrate we can experience HYPONATREMIA. Which is an excessive water intake overloading the hormonal & renal regulation balance. Outcome – The plasma sodium concentration disrupts the balance across the blood brain barrier and we get water on the brain… which can actually lead to death!

26/02/2019

All or Nothing – Eating Fluctuations
So many of us these days experience an “All or Nothing” attitude when it comes to the foods we choose to eat.
We go from being strong and in control to feeling defeated, frustrated and giving into food cravings, that we’ve worked so hard to ignore.
As a result we beat ourselves up.
The “swing” from one extreme to the other can sometimes be an hour, or even a few weeks/months.
If this is you, it’s a cry to become a more moderate thinker. Get calm with yourself, find a middle way and become less of a perfectionist.
The body will generally need more food for energy during:
1. Stressful times - when the brain is working 24’7 (remember the brain primarily runs off glucose).
2. Lack of sleep – If the body isn’t rested, it’s going to keep needing energy to continue it’s normal routine.
3. During menstrual cycles – Remember organs use up calories just to carry out their mechanisms that you don’t think about.
Perfectionism doesn’t allow for stressful periods of life! So what’s the solution? – CHANGE THE MINDSET.
Enjoy GOOD QUALITY luxuries, with friends or family.
EXAMPLE:.
If you crave chocolate every night and end up eating a share bag of minstrels (which contains Soya-Lectin and less than 40% cacao) - instead choose a high quality chocolate (Doisy Dam – which doesn’t contain Soya-Lectin) and have it straight after dinner in the company of others and ENJOY IT! Savour it and appreciate the fact that you’re not in that “All or Nothing” cycle anymore.
Chances are you’ll feel satisfied, relaxed and will eat less of it.

05/01/2019

Protein – 1 of your 3 Macro Nutrients.
The main role of protein in your diet is to help build and restore muscle tissue.
There are 3 categories of muscles within the human body.
1. Skeletal muscle – Muscles that help move the body.
2. Smooth muscle – Organ muscles such as your intestines and liver.
3. Cardiac muscle – Which is your heart muscle essentially.

In order for us to function at our best we need protein within our diet. There is no such thing as a protein deficiency… but getting your adequate amount within each meal will support the following:
1. Healthy immune function.
2. Healthy skin & hair (there’s a reason why hair salons promote Keratin hair products).
3. Weight loss (due to the satiety factor and thermic affect on digesting protein).
4. Muscle Retention (keeping the muscle we work so hard to build in the gym whilst keeping fat gain at bay).
The body breaks down protein in to Amino Acids (AA) and there are 21 we require: - 9 Essential (the ones the body can not produce on it’s own).
- 11 Non-essential (the ones the body can synthesise).
The easiest way to get all 9 complete Essential AA’s is to consume high quality animal based foods, but vegetables also include essential AA’s, but you’ll have to consume a lot more to get all 9 EAA.
See photos attached for protein source (omnivores & vegetarians).

05/01/2019

What you resist, persists!!!
How many times have you said to yourself "I’m giving up chocolate, biscuits & desserts” and then a week later, or when you do finally allow yourself to have somthing you consume quadruple the amount? - That’s because the more you resist something, the more that craving/ thought persists.
If you forbid something, you are giving that something a “god” like persona. So in times when you are sad, depressed or lonely you will “turn to the gods” as such to seek momentary comfort.
Don’t set yourself up a new intention that is too extreme because you’ll be more likely to fail.
We are working towards long term change, so we’re going to have to take small steps. Example:
“I’m giving up coffee” – It’s probably a swap you need to make initially. If you have a latte every day, start having a filter black coffee with a splash of milk. Then switch to having black coffee. If you decide the taste of black coffee is not for you, start experimenting with herbal teas.
At the start of any new change, you need to welcome those feelings of discomfort! It’s human to have discomfort. Once you are OK with that feeling, then you can continue swapping poor habits & choices for better ones.

05/01/2019

Meals – Snacks – Macros.
Do you ensure your meals/snacks include the 3 macronutrients?
The 3 macronutrients are:
-Protein.
-Carbohydrates.
-Fats.
All foods are either one of these categories, which is why single ingredients foods are easier to track. -Protein helps build & repair tissue (muscles & organs).
-Carbohydrates provide you with an energy storage (the brain included).
-Fats help absorb vitamins & minerals.
A good habit to get into when preparing a meal/snack is to ensure all 3 macronutrients are present.
Step 1 – Choose your source of protein.
Step 2 – Choose your vegetables (Carbs/fibre).
Step 3 – Add a source of fat.
Each cell in your body has a mind of its own. Eat foods that help you on a cellular level. We thrive on vitamins & minerals so when you become a more conscious eater, steer clear of packaged food. These will tend to have a list of ingredients that our brain & cells can not cope with leading to blood sugar spikes, brain fog & fatigue.
There is no right answer to the question I get asked “What should I eat?” – because not one shoe fits all. It’s about finding what works for you! But use the process of the 3 steps above to begin with to learn the nutritional value of your foods.

31/12/2018

What you resist, persists!!!
How many times have you said to yourself "I’m giving up chocolate, biscuits & desserts” and then a week later, or when you do finally allow yourself to have somthing you consume quadruple the amount? - That’s because the more you resist something, the more that craving/ thought persists.
If you forbid something, you are giving that something a “god” like persona. So in times when you are sad, depressed or lonely you will “turn to the gods” as such to seek momentary comfort.
Don’t set yourself up a new intention that is too extreme because you’ll be more likely to fail.
We are working towards long term change, so we’re going to have to take small steps. Example:
“I’m giving up coffee” – It’s probably a swap you need to make initially. If you have a latte every day, start having a filter black coffee with a splash of milk. Then switch to having black coffee. If you decide the taste of black coffee is not for you, start experimenting with herbal teas.
At the start of any new change, you need to welcome those feelings of discomfort! It’s human to have discomfort. Once you are OK with that feeling, then you can continue swapping poor habits & choices for better ones.
#2019

21/12/2018

Dopamine in a hormone which is the regulator of pleasure, of the central nervous system.
It is stimulated with the promise of reward, but not the actual reward. So basically when you see or smell food its levels sky rocket and your ability to think clearly and logically shuts down. (Hence why supermarkets give our free samples because your dopamine levels will suddenly increase, your cravings will become over powering and your will power will dramatically decrease). Did you know that we only have a certain amount of will-power per day? - Almost like a quota.
If you are constantly fighting the thought of “don’t eat sugar, don’t eat ‘bad foods,’ I must stay on track!” once it gets to the afternoon you’ve simply run out of will power to make a conscious decision. You’ll then see something you’re not physically hungry for, dopamine will rush at the sight of it and your Labrador brain (the part of the brain stimulated by reward) overrides any good intentions. We’ll then overindulge, feel guilty and the vicious cycle continues.
My tips for helping control this?
1. Try not to use up your daily will-power quota with the same resistant thought over & over. Decide whether to go with it or not, when the thought first arises.
2. Take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes for a moment and let the dopamine subside.
3.Remove yourself form trigger point. 9.00pm chocolate craving? Instead of going to kitchen, go to the bathroom and brush your teeth. It’ll distract you, supress your dopamine levels and you’re teeth are cleary ready for bed! – Winning!

21/12/2018

Calories & Meal Planning – Do you plan your meals ahead of time or just wing it when you feel hungry?
Did you know that there at 3500 calories in 1lb of body fat? That means if you want to lose 1lb in a week you have to eat 500 calories less per day (3500÷7=500).
500 calories may sound like a lot but here are some examples of items that will unnecessarily clock up your calorie intake:
-Cliff Bar (Crunch Peanut Butter) – 260 Calories.
-M&S Almond Snack Pot (70g) – 591 Calories.
-2 Tbsp Ceasar dressing – 159 Calories.
When you don’t pay attention that’s when you really need to record, even if it’s only temporarily whilst you grasp a good understanding about the nutritional composition of certain foods.
Grazing can be dangerous and you’ll probably eat more than you would having 3 meals (I am a sucker for snacking!) this is why it’s good to plan ahead. Use an hour of your time on Sunday to look at your schedule for the next 2 days ahead and plan what you’re going to have breakfast, lunch & dinner. Create meals that are filling, nutritious & that will eliminate the chances of you snacking.
I wouldn’t plan for 7 days because life gets in the way. Plans change, things come up, illnesses happen which can throw your schedule out of balance. Consciously planning every 2 days should keep you on track to achieving progressive weight loss and feeling in control.
My tip would be to always have healthy ingredients available in your house. Spend 1 hour at the weekend stocking up on vegetables, fruits, meat & fish and whole grains. Then you can prepare for your next 2 days of healthier eating.
-Source of protein.
-Tonnes of vegetables & fibre.
-A portion of complex carbohydrates.
A meal plan is just instructions – it’s like reading a map, so try not to have any emotional attachment to it.

21/12/2018

The Hunger Scale - Do you ever asses how hungry you actually are before eating?
I believe there are two types of hunger.
- 1.Physical Hunger - Where you feel hunger pangs because you’ve not eaten for 6 hours or so.
- 2. Emotional hunger - Which comes on all of sudden because you’re either bored, anxious or upset about something.
Whenever I reach for food, I quickly ask myself the question “How hungry am I?” and “Am I reaching for food for the right reason?” – This is where a hunger scale comes in handy.
If you have a scale running -5 to +5 and 0 being neutral, 0 on the scale indicates being absolutely fine in that moment, no hunger and no extreme fullness. +5 would be when you’re completely stuffed to the point you’re going to be sick and -5 would be when you’re dying from starvation. (The majority of us would never get to either extremes).
Example - If you find yourself always wanting food at 3.00pm – chances are you’re not hungry, but just bored sitting at your desk counting down the last 2 hours. On that hunger scale you’re probably a +3. If you chose to consume that food that’s probably an extra 300 calories per day your body doesn’t need. (300 calories x 5 days a week = 1500 calories per week).
Try using the hunger scale for 1 week. Everytime you go to put food into your mouth take 30 seconds to decide what number on the hunger scale you are. If you’re in the positive numbers… it’s likely to just be emotional hunger. So try and make yourself busy, take a walk, close your eyes for a bit or just take a few breaths.

21/12/2018

Are you an intuitive eater? 🤔🍜.
Intuitive eating means to eat foods that work for you and not what other people think. We want to eat foods that make us feel good and I don’t mean just in that moment.
Longevity is the goal we should work towards. Foods that make us sluggish, bloated, give us digestive issues and cause auto-immune diseases is not the path to optimal health.
Let's be that “non-judgemental researcher” of ourselves and keep track of what we eat, and how it makes us feel.
Different foods cause different digestive issues for each person. What aggravates you might be tolerable to someone else so keeping that journal is your best starting point.
Note down what you’re eating, any daily symptoms you feel and check your stool (poo)! Yikes – Stool, Really?? Yep! You heard correctly. Your stool (poo) is also an indication how well your body is absorbing/ digesting food.
Once you get into a habit of noting these three things down, you can start to extract things from your diet that might be the cause of irritation. It’s trial and error at the start but the more you become intuitive with yourself, the closer you’ll be to feeling healthy!

Louise Boucek - Personal Training Services

05/03/2019

26/02/2019

05/01/2019

05/01/2019

05/01/2019

31/12/2018

21/12/2018

21/12/2018

21/12/2018

21/12/2018

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request