One Tweak a week!
Healthy Numbers
There are so many elements to wellness we can get bogged down in the details. To keep it simple we’ve summarised it all down to the few things which make the most difference. If we can focus on the 20% which make 80% of the difference then we are #winning. To make it even simpler they all start with W!
While it is important to monitor your BMI, once you start building muscle it can become an unhelpful tool. A better indicator of wellness is your Waist Size. Its also helpful to keep track of all your body measurements especially when going through a plateau!
Weighing yourself every day helps to overcome the fear of the scale and encourages you to focus on trends rather than a daily weight as weight can go up and down for many different reasons.
Water is vital for overall wellness. Hydration is covered here
A 30 minute workout once a day (cardio, strength or flexibility) not only helps to burn calories but also helps to keep your heart healthy, your joints lubricated and supported and relieves stress.
Walking every day helps to burn calories, keep your joints and spine moving and relieves stress. Think parking further away to walk, walk while you brush your teeth, get up and walk around the office every hour and perhaps go for a walk with a friend at lunch. Keep moving!
Keep track and be intentional by writing it all down. Track your body measurements, weight, water intake, food intake, exercise and steps and write down your weekly commitment. Use an app or a journal.
Weekly tweaks and your weekly commitment make your wellness journey not only enjoyable but sustainable and manageable too. When we are aware of our own habits which are not serving us well we are well placed to make powerful choices to change them.
Body Measurements
Boost your confidence by recording how close you are getting to your goal!
The Body Mass Index is one way to determine whether your weight is healthy or not. It is considered a more useful measurement than weight alone.
The NHS has a simple calculator which you can use by clicking here.
Their calculation takes into account your gender which is also helpful
A BMI of 18.5 - 25 generally reflects a healthy weight.
This calculation can be unhelpful for body builders who carry a lot of muscle weight.
Waist circumference is a good measure of fat around your middle. This type of fat builds up around your organs, and is linked to high blood fat levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. A larger waist usually also means there is excess fat inside your organs. When this happens in your liver, for example, it pumps out too much fat and sugar into the blood, increasing your risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes (British Heart Foundation- BHF)
The BHF have a waist size calculator which takes into consideration your gender and ethnicity which you can access here.
As a general rule a women’s waist size should be below 80cm to qualify as low risk and a man’s should be below 94cm.
Measuring weight gain/loss across your body is recorded by taking weekly measurements of your neck, upper arms, bust, waist, hips and upper thighs.
We recommend weighing every day when you have woken up and been to the toilet. That way you start to recognise trends within your body, reduce the fear of the scale and also start to realise how the food you ate the day before has affected your body. It all helps with weekly reflection and empowers the choices for the next week.
Energy Balance Equation (Calories)
Commonly known as Energy In = Energy Out and simplified to Eat Less and Move More
Energy in is calculated in calories and is the calorie content of the food you consume for the day.
Energy out is also calculated in calories and is the amount of calories burned for the day
To maintain weight, you need consume the same amount of calories that you burn for the day.
To lose weight, you need to consume less calories than you burn for the day.
To gain weight, you need to consume more calories than you burn for the day.
However, we also burn calories at rest and while eating and digesting our good so it’s not a simple calculation.
Burning calories at rest is called our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). We can increase this rate through exercise and building muscle which is why weight training at least 2x a week is important.
To keep it simple we recommend you record everything you eat for the day - You bite it, you write it! and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. - just start with walking if exercise is a challenge right now.
As a general rule an energy imbalance (positive or negative) of around 250 calories a day for a week could mean either half a pound gain or loss for that week.
A simple way to assess is to reflect weekly on your measurements and make diet and exercise changes to either create a greater positive or negative energy imbalance depending on your wellness goals.
Exercise
Physical activity can be divided into three types: aerobic (cardiovascular), anaerobic (strength training) and flexibility (stretching, yoga, pilates). It is important to incorporate all three disciplines into a week for overall wellness.
Regular exercise is vital for good health and wellness and has many health benefits. Our hearts, muscles and joints all work better and our mood improves when exercise relieves stress and tension.
Cardiovascular activity includes things like running, fast walking, swimming laps, cycling, playing ball sports, stair walking, shovelling snow or running for the bus! The Government recommends 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week.
Strength training includes using body weight and/or dumbbells and only 20 minutes per day can make a dramatic change to your body. Muscle mass helps protect bone mass which is especially important for menopausal women.
The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you can burn even when you are not exercising - think BMR or metabolism. Each pound of lean body mass burns about 14 calories a day! Increasing your metabolism through muscle building makes weight loss and maintenance that much easier. You also need to eat enough protein to help your body not only maintain the muscle mass you already have but to build it too. Eating protein after each workout will help your muscles repair and recover.
Stretching after a workout or doing a yoga or pilates workout twice a week helps with fewer injuries, an enhanced range of motion, improved posture which helps bones and joints and helps calm the mind for mental relaxation and stress management.
For simplicity we recommend 30 minutes of exercise a day and having a variety of cardiovascular, strength and flexibility either during the workout or during the week.