Tag Archives: weight

Change How You Eat, Accept Your Body & Transform Your Life – Bite Sized Peace a NEW BOOK by Clinical Psychologist Dr Romi Ran

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Like everyone I have had a complicated with food in my life. I grew up with Bridget Jones and Jessica Simpson both being called fat. The toxic body culture of the 90s and 00s has a lot to answer for. I like to think this has all gone away, but it hasn’t. Women’s bodies are still judged and constantly up for discussion. Is it any wonder so many women, and men, have eating disorders or an unhealthy attitude to food?

Bite Sized Peace is a fantastic book by Clinical Psychologist Dr Romi Ran. Full of information, help and logic. Dr Ran has her own methods which are proven to help people love their bodies and develop a healthy attitude to food. There are many gems to find in this book, and while I have managed to love my body enough and finally have my weight in control, this book is an essential resource for anyone struggling with any food-related issue. Just brilliant.

Why this book matters 

  • A MUST-READ book for anyone finding themselves in a negative relationship with food and body image
  • Over 1 million Brits have an eating disorder, such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating. (NHS, 2021)
  • A study shows 30% of adolescents report that they restrict their eating or engage in binge eating. (Journal of Adolescent Health, 2021; International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2020)
  • Author Dr Romi Ran is a Clinical Psychologist and has worked with countless clients to help them obtain complete freedom from the constraints of disordered eating and body obsession
  • The way we see and eat food starts in the mind and is centred in self-worth – Dr Ran offers mindfulness eating techniques including helping people understand their hunger signals

In her brand new book Clinical Psychologist, Dr Romi Ran, shares techniques she has used and developed working with people challenged with food, eating and body image. Bite Sized Peace is a groundbreaking guide designed to help readers nurture a healthier relationship with their body and food and teaches how to then apply these transformative concepts to all aspects of your life.

Dr Ran has helped countless individuals to obtain complete freedom from the constraints of disordered eating and body obsession and her book is a culmination of her work helping clients challenge societal views and myths relating to diets, eating and weight. She supports clients to be their own expert and not rely on the advice (or rules) of others to nourish themselves, beginning with the acknowledgement that you are inherently worthy. Dr Ran’s methods include teaching people how to eat when they are hungry; choose foods that nourish their bodies; stop when they are full; and to eat mindfully. 

Bite Sized Peace – Change How You Eat, Accept Your Body, Transform Your Life by Dr Romi Ran is out now.

To find out more about Romi and her work and book visit: https://www.drromiran.com/

5 reasons to start lifting weights in 2021

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Are you considering lifting weights? Maybe you’re worried about looking too bulky, or you’re concerned it won’t fit into your regular training program – whatever your reasons for avoiding weights so far, the truth is, in terms of fitness, you’re missing out.

Lifting weights is beneficial for everyone, regardless of their age or gender. Of course, most of us gravitate towards the cardio machines at the gym, but in terms of overall health and mental wellbeing weight training ticks all the boxes.

Here we’ll explore 5 reasons to start lifting weights in 2021.

You can workout at home

Whether you’re living in a small space, or you’re on a tight budget, not everyone can afford to fill their home with pricey cardio equipment. And not everyone enjoys running in all weathers and in public. Incorporating weightlifting into your daily workout routine means you can have access to gym equipment like quality cast iron kettlebells at home as well as hand weights and dumbbells. All these options allow you to create diverse and challenging weight training programs. Encouraging you to push your limits, focus on your strength and build on your muscle mass. Weight training is convenient and accessible for everyone.

You’ll sleep better

When we push ourselves and take regular exercise, we sleep better. It’s a fact. So, if your exercise routines have taken a bit of a hit since going into lockdown or due to your gym closing, your sleep may not be as refreshing or as deep as you’re used to. Studies have shown that those who focus on weight training sleep much deeper and wake fewer times in the night when compared to those who don’t exercise at all. Sleep is important for the muscle repair process, so the more you get – the better. 

Your clothes will fit you better

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or not, when you start lifting weights, you’re stripping back fat and revealing muscle, which means your clothes will fit and look better on you. It sounds perplexing. But building muscle may help you lose fat more effectively than cardio-focused exercise alone. Just remember to watch your diet and you’ll soon notice your progress.

Lift for your mental health

All forms of exercise are known to release endorphins, a chemical that triggers a feeling of contentment and positivity and weightlifting is no exception. Interestingly, weightlifting has also been connected to strengthening mental health and helping people who suffer from anxiety and depression. You don’t have to be an Olympic weight lifter to feel the benefits. Weightlifting means increased confidence and a stronger mental outlook.

Your bones will also benefit

Weightlifting and strength training can help reduce the risk of bone fractures and other skeletal problems by increasing bone density. Studies have shown that strength training also reduces the risk of osteoporosis, and as it’s an effective form of training to reduce fat, there’ll be less weight and pressure on your joints.

Final thoughts…

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to pick up those dumbbells and kettlebells and start weight training. What are you waiting for? 

 

Collaborative post with out brand partner.

Secrets to Slim Legs Revealed By Women’s Fitness Expert

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Australian Fitness Expert Rachael Attard Shares
Proven Strategies for Achieving Lean, Toned Legs
– Personal Trainer Sheds Light on Six Common Mistakes Preventing Fitness Goals –

Australian personal trainer and nutritionist Rachael Attard is successfully tackling a point of frustration for active women across the globe – how to achieve toned, lean legs. The trusted fitness expert is sharing her six proven reasons why legs don’t slim down despite regular exercise and a healthy diet, including common mistakes and how to avoid them.

“I hear from so many people that they’re training hard, eating well and focused on their fitness goals, but their legs aren’t getting slimmer,” said Attard. “Legs are the hardest area to slim down for most women. It’s easy to go down the wrong path when trying to achieve leaner legs, but a series of mistakes including doing the wrong types of workouts or not eating enough are likely to blame.”

According to Attard, mistake No. 1 is that you could be doing the wrong workouts.

“I see a lot of women solely focusing on doing heavy squats and lunges,” Attard said. “While those exercises are great for overall fitness, they won’t necessarily help slim down your legs if that is your main goal. I recommend switching it up and focusing on a mixture of cardio and resistance workouts along with walking.”

Cardio will help you drop body fat faster and resistance workouts will help you build muscle and burn more calories.

Mistake No. 2 is overtraining your legs, with women assuming that focusing on the legs as a problem area is the smart choice. The fact is, according to Attard, you can’t spot reduce fat from specific areas of your body through resistance training. This is an impossible effort, with results achieved much quicker and easier by adopting total body movements that work every area of your body equally, such as burpees and mountain climbers.

Not getting enough cardio is mistake No. 3 on Racheal’s list, which is a key element of achieving slim, toned legs. “Cardio is definitely not dead”, says Attard when it comes to slimming down your legs effectively.

At least 30 minutes of cardio daily is recommended for the best results, which Attard says can consist of simply walking.

“A lot of people don’t consider walking an exercise, but it’s one of the most effective exercises for lean legs, as it rids the body of overall excess fat including your inner thighs,” she says.

Attard is a big proponent of walking and advises starting each day with a 5K walk and incorporating as many steps into your day is at the top of her list of ways to achieve slimmer legs.

Overeating is mistake No. 4, which Attard attributes to most women not tracking their daily caloric intake and actually eating more than they realize. She recommends calculating your ideal daily amount of calories online, and eating approximately 200/250 calories less than that number without going below 1,200 calories per day. Conversely, not eating enough is mistake No. 5. In the same way you sabotage your fitness goals by overeating, under-eating can actually result in bigger legs. This is attributed to the fact that calorie restriction reduces your metabolism, which makes it harder to burn extra calories.

Finally, mistake No. 6 on Attard’s list is overall health and lack of awareness of a broader health issue that could be restricting your fitness success. This could include hormonal imbalances that cause weight gain and make weight loss harder to achieve, which can be helped by consulting a doctor or naturopath.

Rachael Attard is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist who holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, a Cert III and IV from the Australian Institute of Fitness, and a Certificate in Sports Nutrition from the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Her 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program was developed from her years of training women and helping them feel good in their skin, and fall in love with exercise and their bodies.

Additional details about Rachel Attard’s 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program can be found online, at https://www.rachaelattard.com. The website includes access to the program, a free body type quiz, insightful blog posts and more.

The Rise of The Fat Supermodel: Is The Fashion Industry Embracing Plus Size Models?

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When it comes to the fashion industries obsession with waif like models, times they are a changing…well maybe just a dress size or two.  In recent months the industry has seen a sidestep in to the usually unmentionable world of FAT!  Several leading modelling agencies now have dedicated plus size divisions, recognising the huge surge in popularity of plus-sized fashion bloggers and Instagrammers.  According to Public Health England, two thirds of people in the UK are overweight and are in need of taking better care of their health.

The rise of the fat supermodel- Is the fashion industry embracing plus size models?

Candice Huffine became the first plus size model to feature in this years’ Pirelli calendar, has graced the front page of Italian Vogue, and has appeared in i-D and Harper’s Bazaar

Tess Holliday’s huge social media following, helped get her signed to modelling agency MILK Model Management who now have a separate division, Curve, which is dedicated to plus size models.

Advertisers using slim models for their ‘health’ campaigns have been heavily criticised by the public and media alike. Protein World’s infamous Are You Beach Body Ready? poster campaign backlash is a prime example of this shift in attitudes towards the ideal female body.

We asked Dr Marilyn Glenville, Nutritionist, women’s health expert and author of Fat Around the Middle: How to Lose That Bulge – For Good  for her thoughts…

areyoubeachbodyreadyadvertcontroversy

How difficult is it to maintain a super skinny body shape and still be healthy?

It is very difficult if not impossible to maintain a super skinny body shape and still be healthy.  And for women it is important not to lose too much fat, because then periods will stop and it can affect not only fertility but also increase the risk of problems like osteoporosis because the woman has lost the protection of the female hormones.

 

Do you see women who struggle to lose weight more regularly now?

Yes.  In my clinics in Harley Street and Tunbridge Wells, I frequently see women who struggle to lose weight.  Most of them just want to be a healthy weight and to have a way of eating that becomes a way of life rather than being on a constant diet or having to do fad diets.

 

Many women I see also want to change their body shape as well as lose weight as they know they are carrying too much fat around their middles which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer (especially breast cancer), heart disease, Alzheimer’s and high blood pressure.

 

Do you think the fashion industry should embrace models who better represent today’s average British woman?  

I definitely think the fashion industry should embrace models who look like the average British woman.  It makes it easier for the average woman to relate to the clothes that the model is wearing and more likely to want to purchase them.  If the model is super thin, then the average woman will think they can’t possibly attain that without starving themselves and knows that it is just not realistic for them.

 

Can you be healthy and bigger?

This is really dependent on body fat percentage rather than weight.  A person’s weight cannot differentiate between fat and muscle and an athlete and a couch potato can have the same Body Mass Index (BMI – a ratio of height to weight) and yet have a completely different percentage of fat and muscle.

 

A woman can be bigger and healthy if she has the correct percentage of body fat (25-31%). Too low, it risks her periods stopping, infertility and osteoporosis, too high then it risks heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

 

Want to shift some pounds naturally?

 

Dr Marilyn Glenville (www.marilynglenville.com) has joined forces with luxury health spa Champneys.com, to deliver a series of very special women’s wellbeing weekends this year.  These very special one and two day retreats are led by Dr Glenville herself and offer natural solutions and insight into four significant female health issues; Fat Around The Middle, Digestion & IBS, Menopause & Osteoporosis and Fertility.

 

 

Is It Really ‘Cause For Concern’ When a Supermodel Loses Her Baby Weight In 2 Months?

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I don’t think it really has to be said that supermodels aren’t like normal people. They are taller for one. While the vast majority of the women in the world are under 5.6′, that is considered short in supermodel terms. Then they are generally thin and beautiful. The very top of the gene pool. So should we compare ourselves to them? In some ways, yes. Controversial I know, but the training regime of the Victoria Secret Models would put some athletes to shame. I never thought there was anything wrong with aspiration. It is a models job to be thin and fit. Which is why I don’t get the controversy surrounding Russian supermodel Elena Perminova who stripped off for Vogue Russia two months after giving birth to reveal a stunning post-pregnancy figure.

Supermodel-Elena-Perminova-before-andafterpregnancy, pregnancy, post birth body,

In the first image, Elena is eight months pregnant. The second image is two months later. (Credit: Russian Vogue)

I am seven-months pregnant at the moment. I didn’t look like Elena before I was pregnant, and I won’t look like her after being pregnant. The truth is, genes play a role, but I will exercise and eat well. I have lost weight before, for my wedding last year. I had put two stone on after a back injury and despite having a full-time job and writing a book amongst a million other things, I exercised five days a week for at least an hour and lost all of the weight within months. I didn’t diet or deprive myself but I put the work in and pretty much hated every second. But is Elena being irresponsible? A debate started online with some people saying that she was promoting a lifestyle that was unrealistic for new mothers. The 28-year-old model is married to Russian millionaire businessman Alexander Lebedev and this was her third child. She started a hardcore 7-days-a-week exercise regime a mere two weeks after having her baby by caesarian last year. The article also featured advice to Russian women on how to get their figure back after pregnancy. Elena said in Russian Vogue, ‘Normally doctors say “yes” to sport only three months after giving birth. ‘But I started earlier, just two weeks afterwards, even though I had a caesarian. The doctor allowed me to do it because I felt very well. Naturally, at first I was not exercising a lot, or there was a risk to breastfeeding. And the main thing – I did not exercise my stomach. It is dangerous to do it right after birth.’

Elena did simple repetitive exercises while her daughter Arina slept, and jogged for two hours a day with her husband while on a holiday in Cyprus. He mother-in-law looked after the baby. She said the jogging got rid of her baby weight and the water in her body by helping her ‘dry out’. She ate ‘simple homemade fare, for example, steamed fish with lemon juice.’ Many Vogue readers praised her hard work but many others said she was promoting an unrealistic example. But does a supermodel have to set realistic examples? Is there anything wrong with being aspirational or losing weight quickly, especially when it is part of your job? The truth is: the average new mum doesn’t need to lose weight quickly as our career does not depend on it. We get to eat cake and be tired. We get to sleep and just watch TV when we have time. So is it irresponsible? Let us know your thoughts below.

 

 

Amanda Seyfried: Being ‘Overweight’ Has Affected My Acting Career

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Want to know how hard it is to be an actress? Then just look at how slim Amanda Seyfried is and then read her tweet below.

The Mean Girls actress went on to say in an interview with Elle UK.: “I don’t have to look like a supermodel. I don’t have to have those abs, the camera doesn’t see that. But because we have all been designed to want these things, I’m a victim of this stuff, too. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t constantly aware of what I’m doing with my body.”

Amanda_Seyfried_2009

It is very disappointing that Hollywood, and the media in general, cannot get over their cookie cutter one-size-fits-all view of beauty. Amanda Seyfried is not ‘overweight’. I understand that you have to be in shape and healthy to act and the camera really does add 10 pounds, but the world would be a truly horrible world if we all looked the same. Hollywood: take note.

If you are an actor then check out my book How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It is available in print and in all eBook formats on both Smashwords and Amazon. It has had 5 five star reviews. 

Simple Steps To Improve Self-Confidence

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ritaoraFeeling at ease with your body is something many people struggle with. Such feelings can eat away at self-confidence and make it harder to assert yourself in life. Sometimes, other people’s attitudes and messages in the media can make it even more difficult, but there are things you can do to fight back and learn to love yourself.

 

Identify problem attitudes

 

Do you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts about your body when you’re dressing, showering or shopping? Try to spot such thoughts developing and stop yourself. You probably wouldn’t make negative comments to a friend in that way, so why do it to yourself? Instead, focus on parts of your body that you like, even if they don’t seem as important. Practice thinking positively about them and remember that you don’t have to be perfect to be appreciated.

 

Share thoughts with friends

 

Social convention means that often we don’t complement each other enough. If you have friends who also need more body confidence arrange to get together and tell each other what you admire about one another’s appearance. Alternatively, you might prefer to do it using anonymous notes if you’re shy. You might be surprised by how much friends like or even envy aspects of the way you look that you never considered previously.

 

Focus on fitness

 

Even if you’re overweight, disabled or getting on in years, there will usually be something you can do to increase your fitness level. Exercise lowers levels of cortisone, the stress hormone and makes the body look better. You can even do exercises for your face to reduce lines and wrinkles; a sort of natural facelift.

 

Dress to flatter your figure

 

Everyone likes to feel sexy and you can find clothing to suit all shapes and sizes online, including fantastic plus sized lingerie deals. Rather than worrying about what doesn’t look good on you, seek out stores that specialize in clothing designed for bodies like yours, whatever shape you are. You don’t have to look like a model, because in reality people are attracted by many different aspects of an individual, such as sense of humor, stylishness and intelligence.

 

Love your style

 

Part of learning to love your body is about understanding how to see it on your own terms, which involves choosing clothes that flatter your shape and selecting colors and patterns that reflect your personality rather than concerning yourself with following fashion. That way you don’t need to worry about being compared to other people and you can instead focus on simply being who you are.

 

Despite the fact that women’s magazines tend to focus on hairstyles and waist measurements, studies show again and again that one of the most attractive assets anyone can have is self-confidence. Once you are comfortable in your own skin and enjoy the way you look it will show in the way you walk, the way you dance, even the way you smile; all things that will make an impression on others. Most importantly, they will make you feel good about yourself.

 

 

5 Ways to Keep Your Willpower in Tip-Tip Condition

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By Dr Sally Norton.

Weight Loss Surgeon, Health Expert, Founder of www.vavista.com

Anti Gravity yoga , Anti-Gravity Yoga and Ballet Barre Conditioning at The London Dance Academy, barrel ballet, conditioning. fitness, sport“If something is going to work, it has to be easy to sustain. In other words, you don’t need much willpower to make it happen and to keep it up for good. We all know that our self-discipline can flag when we are tired and stressed, so we shouldn’t rely overly much on it. Any changes that you decide to make must therefore be easy to keep up, even in difficult situations. That usually means that they need to be small changes, that don’t mean too much disruption to your normal life. But lots of small and easy to sustain changes add up, which is what we are looking for when it comes to successful, sustainable, long-term weight loss.”

 

1. Get enough sleep – people who are well-rested are more likely to make healthy choices.

2. Don’t expect to be able to make too many difficult choices. A recent study showed that people faced with a stressful task to work on, and then asked to choose between different foods tended to make less healthy food choices; it’s as though their willpower and concentration can only focus on one thing at a time! Accept it, and don’t ask too much of yourself at any one time.

3. Think long-term. A recent study showed that people who keep their sights on more long-term goals tend to achieve more than those who focus on short-term rewards.

4. Think about the common reasons why you may fail in your efforts and take steps to prevent the sabotage. It may be friends or family who tempt you away from your path – how can you stop them? It may be that you are always too exhausted to go the the gym after work – think of a different way or different time to exercise instead that you will find easier to keep up.

5. Be kind to yourself. If your willpower slips, it isn’t the end. Just think about why – were you tired, were you overly stressed, were you asking too much of yourself? Use it as a learning experience and address the reason why you deviated from the path you have chosen for yourself rather than beating yourself up about it – then it is much less likely to happen again.

So, don’t ask too much of your willpower, it is scientifically shown to be pretty unreliable! Instead, adopt new habits that require minimal willpower to maintain and you will succeed in spite of your willpower, rather than because of it!