3 things to improve your health

Improve your health

The three things you need to do to improve your health and well-being are:
1. Exercise – 3 different varieties for optimum health
2. Eat more protein and fewer carbs
3. Mindset, be kind to yourself.

Exercise – 3 different exercise strategies

Sticking to one type of exercise is not healthy.  If you focus your energy in one area you use your muscles in a constant similar pattern.

If you only ‘run’ or only practise ‘yoga’ or just stick to Pilates, you are not reaching optimum healthy fitness or performance. I see customers walk into my Pilates classes who are aerobically fit from high-performance badminton, running or tennis but can’t touch their toes.  I see beautifully bendy stretch yoga bodies but their lower back is achy and sore because they have overextended over a long period of time.  The secret to great performance is to alter your workouts.

You will get fitter and stronger not by working harder but by varying your workouts across a spectrum of exercises.

The three platforms include:

• Cardio – getting out of breath for at least 20 minutes.It takes at least 20minutes to get the fat burning going in your body and burning aerobically so anything less isn’t working
• Weight Bearing Exercise – women in particular need weight-bearing exercise and women of a ‘certain age’ need weight-bearing exercise EVEN MORE.  Not only do you need it for your muscle tone which supports your skeleton frame but also for your muscle strength.  Pick up your weights ladies
• PILATES – obviously I would say that.  Pilates is THE platform for everything you do from swinging a tennis racket to swimming or walking.  Pilates helps your back to be strong, corrects your posture and prevents injury.

Nutrition – your food choices

Eating fewer carbohydrates and eat more protein and fats is the key to easy healthy success.  Dietary advice and science are changing.   With the help of key medical journalists and researchers like Gary Taubes, Nina Teicholz and of course our own Michael Mosely, attitudes towards fats and sugar are developing.  Losing weight and maintaining a healthy heart is becoming simpler and more straightforward.

To explain where we are now we have to consider where

It all began…

In the 1950s two scientists were battling it out for ‘nutritional’ supremacy

Yudkin a UK-based scientist from University College London was researching the concept that sugar and carbohydrates as sugars were making the nation fatter.

Vrs

Keys a USA based scientist was louder more charismatic and had the ear of President Eisenhower was proving to his satisfaction that FATS were causing heart and health issues.  His study was based on the infamous ‘7 country study’.

At the time Key’s charismatic arguments won the day, and now in hindsight, we can disprove his theories and we have been left with a hangover of out of date science.

In summary Key’s original study was flawed, it omitted huge fat eating countries like Germany and France.  Their heart disease and obesity levels are nowhere near the USA and these countries eat fats, saturated fats.

Counting Calories is a myth

Who has time to count calories or even add in every entry of food into an iPhone app?  If you have a job, a family, your valuable time and mental energy on weight, measuring and obsessing about what you eat. CHILLAX keep moving and eat well, fill up on full-fat products and you will be fuller for longer.

Researchers have analysed indigenous populations like Inuits, Indians and who eat fatty part of the meat to sustain them through winter, these populations avoid ‘lean meat’ because they don’t feel full.

Mindset – soul support

Watch out for the gorgeous girls #selfcaresunday or #exercisesaturday on Instagram. We encourage each other to make the most of our relaxing Sunday pictures of how we re-energise. It is fun, join in.

Looking after yourself, be kind to yourself and do little things every day that makes you happy.  It can be really simple things like saying hello to a stranger in the street, smiling at the cashier, drinking tea in the garden 🙂

When you feel happier your brain cells will make more connections, have happier memories and this process will grow in frequency.

Feel empowered when you eat an apple, you feel good you are nourishing your body.  Your brain remembers this feeling, you eat another healthy vegetable.  If you are eating a lot of sugary products your resistance is low.

Start the day with eggs or porridge and you will feel better and eat better through the day.

Any questions or comments please chat below

PS.  find me on youtube and you will automatically receive the most recent Pilates and Gorgeous Cardio workouts plus my VLOGS on nutrition and food – click here to find my channel and press the SUBSCRIBE button on youtube.

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