Habits and behaviors Archives - Page 3 of 7

March 9, 2018 Habits and behaviors

Creating Healthy Habits

The topic of the day is How to build the habits that will bring you closer to your long-term goal.

Why is this important? Because results come from small actions performed consistently over a long period of time. If you transform those little actions into habits, it becomes much easier to incorporate those changes into your life. That’s how the real makeover happens.

What exactly is a habit? Well, a habit is a recurrent pattern of behaviour acquired by frequent repetition. In other words, it is a way of programming an action into your brain. That means that it becomes automatic. You don’t have to think about it. You just do it. And saves you a lot of energy that can go into more important activities.

February 21, 2018 Habits and behaviors

Have You Heard of Intuitive Eating?

Many dieters tend to develop a negative relationship with food. That’s because diets created the idea that eating is a frivolous habit that should be restricted in order to obtain the perfect body. Unfortunately, most diets completely ignore the body needs for energy and nutrients. Instead, they create the illusion that there are “good” foods (such as cabbage and broccoli) and “bad” foods (such as doughnuts and bread) and you should only eat the good ones otherwise you’ll be condemned to be fat. Therefore, people try to deprive themselves of the foods they love in the name of “fitness.” However, eating only cabbage and broccoli is unrealistic and unattainable.

January 23, 2018 Habits and behaviors

How to get sh*t done

“I’ll do it tomorrow, next Monday, next month…” Yes, we do wish to … (exercise more, eat better, etc) but life is so busy that it is hard to accomplish everything we want in one day. So, we postpone it (once more). The problem is that procrastination can become a (bad) habit, holding you back from getting what you want. Why does it happen so often?

You see, when we perceive something as a big task, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unconsciously push it away.

So your best bet to beat procrastination is to come up with a plan of action that feels doable. Now you may be thinking – “how can I create a plan that is both easy to follow and effective?”

Don’t worry. I got your back;)

January 2, 2018 Habits and behaviors Healthy eating

Detox Revised

It is January. Holidays are over and it is time to face the reality. You overdid it throughout the festivities. Hey, don’t feel ashamed. You are not alone. I did the same. Too much to drink, too much to eat, not nearly enough exercise.

Now, it’s time to get back on track and I have a PLAN. We are going to DETOX. Alright, calm down! Not what you are thinking. Just listen to me.

First things first. What is Detox anyway?

According to Dr Google, “detox is a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.”

It doesn’t seem too hard. For how long are we doing it?

Let’s try one week? I can definitely cut stuff for a single week.

December 29, 2017 Exercise and fitness Habits and behaviors

Changing Your Exercise Perspective

Don’t you love a New Year? Our hearts fill up with hope and we start envisioning how the year is going to look like. We get in touch with our dreams again and say: “It’s time to give it one more try”.

Does that sound like something you would say? I have certainly experienced that several times. There is nothing wrong with that. However, to get something you never had, you must do something you never done. Doing exactly the same thing you did last time is not going to cut it. You need a fresh start.

If you are not an active person and seem to have trouble sticking to any exercise regimen, try changing the way you perceive exercise. You see, exercise should not be seen as a chore but an activity you spontaneously do FOR yourself (not to yourself). The goal is to find enjoyment rather then focusing solely on a desired outcome.

Keep in mind that results (no matter what your goals are) come from small efforts consistently repeated over time. The keyword here is CONSISTENTLY. That means that if you really want to get where you want to be you must be able to stick to a plan. Truth be told, you will be more likely to be consistent if the activity you choose to practice brings you joy, excitement, and a sense of accomplishment.

November 30, 2017 Habits and behaviors Healthy eating

Meal Planning 101

Eating healthy on regular basis can be quite challenging. In my experience, the best way of avoiding falling into the junk food/take out trap is being prepared. If you arrive home from work and have everything ready to prepare a delicious and nutritious meal, you will be less likely to end up at McDonalds drive thru.

Here are some tips for creating your own meal planning system. This is the method I use to plan my meals and grocery shopping for the week.

July 13, 2017 Habits and behaviors Motivation

The Holiday Effect – Part 3

Oh Diet. Isn’t it everybody’s nemesis? How good it would be if we could eat whatever we want, whenever we feel like and not have severe consequences on our waistline.

I came back from my two-week vacation four kilos heavier. Now that I’m back home, I had to do something about it. Besides exercising 6 times per week (read the previous article for more info), I had to get my eating habits back on track.

July 6, 2017 Habits and behaviors Motivation

The Holiday Effect

I just came back from a two-week vacation. Like many people out there, I used the excuse of being on holidays to overeat and under exercise. During those short two weeks, I managed to ignore completely all the health principles I teach and normally follow. I guess that just makes me a human being.

May 23, 2017 Habits and behaviors Motivation

3 Steps to Success

You probably heard this one before. All you need to do to lose weight is exercise more and eat less. But if it is that simple, why so many people fail miserably?

While the energy equation makes total sense on paper, it is an oversimplification of the process. The truth is that as human beings, we are complex organisms. And each one of us has unique characteristics. That’s why a one-size-fits-all approach cannot possibly work for everyone.

Now, while you will have to discover what works for you, there is a common denominator in the equation: CONSISTENCY. Doesn’t matter what you do, if you don’t stick to it long enough, chances are you won’t see results.

What’s the secret? Motivation? Willpower?

March 27, 2017 Habits and behaviors

Why Exercise Alone Will NOT Lead to Massive Weight-Loss

You may be exercising for a while but not seeing the results you were expecting. Here is why:

To burn 1 kg of body fat, you must burn 9000 kcal (this is the equivalent of 30 hours on a treadmill!)

A high intensity workout such as a spin class burns on average 500 kcal/hour. How many of those sessions do you perform in a week? Two or three? Let’s say you are burning about 1500 kcal/week. This means that to lose 500 g of fat in a week, you still need to cut 3000 kcal. This cut should come from your diet.

In order to lose weight, we must create a negative energy balance (burn more calories than we consume). So, if you want to see faster results you MUST adjust your caloric intake.

Energy Intake < Energy Output → Negative Energy Balance

Don’t know where to start?

Category: Habits and behaviors