Joanna Turner: I lost 25 kilos with deep breathing

We do it all day, every day. But simple tweaks to your breathing can boost your wellbeing. Joanna Turner, a health coach from Sydney, tell us how she lost weight through correct breathing.

"It took me a while to hear the message about breathing that everyone kept talking about. I was 'hearing' the message but not actually doing it. After a stressful day at work (I was formerly a corporate accountant), I would literally say, 'I haven't even breathed today!'

I am a firm believer that stress makes you fat. The right breathing – proper belly breaths – is a quick way to calm stress, and reduces all that cortisol that's pouring in to our body (when you're in the 'fight or flight' stress response mode).

I have a new career as a health and life coach, and now actually teach my clients how to breathe. Breathing the right way has calmed me down and helped me lose weight.

So far I've lost 25 kg and find myself spending less time doing excessive long-distance sports, like triathlons and half-marathons, and spend more time doing yoga, Pilates, weights and short HIIT-style (high intensity interval training) workouts for fast results. This change has given me better results, in much less time."

4 Reasons You're Not Shedding Those Last Few Kilos

Struggling to lose those last few kilos? Here are some common weight loss saboteurs that might be getting in your way.

1. Liquid energy

Less filling and easy to over-consume. Smoothies and juices may seem like healthy options, but can be packed with sugar and kilojoules. Cut back on sweetened beverages. Think carefully about long-term alcohol habits and drink less.

2. Portion size

Eat slowly and use smaller plates. 

3. Mindless eating

We live in a culture of plenty, and food is easily available. Keep snacks out of sight to avoid temptation and overeating.

4. Inadequate protein

Inadequate fibre and/or protein can lead to overeating. Both these nutrients are filling and should be included at every meal. Protein is important also for maintenance of muscle mass.

So how can we stay on track?

Think about your core values and what you want out of life. What brings you happiness? Perhaps you rank health as a high priority and want to feel good and have more energy? Now look at small steps you can take to live in line with these values. 

Find something that suits you. Hate the gym? Then don't force yourself to go. Instead find something you enjoy (maybe yoga, bushwalking, pole dancing or underwater hockey is more your style?). If you indulge in fitness pursuits that you value and enjoy, you will be happier and more motivated. 

Be open to change. Just because running half marathons worked for you five years ago, doesn't mean that running is still the best option for you now. Listen to the needs of your body and switch to a new fitness routine if necessary.

Have realistic expectations. If you weigh under 100 kg then it’s not safe or realistic to try losing more than 0.5 kg per week. If you weigh between 100 to 150kg, then one kg per week is achievable, and if over 150 kg, then two kg per week is considered healthy.

How to Set the Correct Weight Loss Goal

Want to lose weight? First up, grab the measuring tape and do some calculations!

If you choose an unrealistic number your chances of sucess dwindle and your changes of feeling like you've failed your weight loss goals dramatically increase. So rather than choosing digits at random, grab the measuring tape and do some calculations.

Start small

"The first thing to say is that if you are very overweight, success should not be judged on meeting some idealistic goal weight," says practising dietitian and nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan.

"By losing only seven per cent of your body weight, you dramatically reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases associated with being overweight.

"Small, achievable goals are much more inspiring. Once you get there, you can always make another, but setting the bar too high often ends up being demoralising."

Monitor progress

She suggests using measurements to monitor progress and setting goals other than weight.

"Ideal weight ranges use BMI and that has inherent problems," the Sydney based expert explains.

"It doesn't assess how much muscle and body fat you have. A better measure is your waist measurement. Low risk for women is a waist less than 80 cm, and they are at substantial risk if over 88 cm. For men, those cut-offs are 94 cm and 102 cm."

Those last few kilos...

Also consider why you want to lose weight. And do you actually need to? Those last two or three kilos may never fall off if you are already at the right weight for your body. Maybe you have plateaued for a reason.

"A good way to determine this is to shift your mindset from weight to health," Lewis says.

"Examine your habits and make personal and permanent changes to what and why you eat for reasons of health and let weight loss happen if it's right for you – how liberating!"

How to Run for Weight Loss

By Heather Topham Wood

Drop the weight by learning a new running routine.

If you want to lose weight, running can be a good addition to your exercise routine. High intensity cardio activities can burn a lot of calories. Yet running is just one aspect of losing weight. Healthy, low-calorie eating is an important part of weight loss as well. Your meals should be made up of mostly lean proteins, fruits, veggies, fat-free dairy products and whole grains. Also, strength train two to three times a week to build lean muscle and burn more fat. Speak to a doctor before learning how to run to lose weight.

• Step 1
• Find the right intensity to lose weight. The Cool Running website, which is partnered with ESPN, stresses the importance of finding the right balance to run for weight loss. You need to put out enough effort to burn calories without being so intense that you won’t burn fat. Instead of burning fat, the body will burn glycogen for energy when running at maximum effort. Your pace should be slow and steady, much like if you were running a marathon rather than a sprint.
• Step 2
• Keep a steady pace for 30 minutes. A consistent, moderate pace for a minimum of 30 minutes will help you burn the most calories. According to Cool Running, the body switches to fat as its primary fuel after about 30 minutes of running. If 30 minutes is too long for you to run continuously, add in short intervals of walking or jogging.
• Step 3
• Increase the amount of time you spend running each week. Add five to ten minutes more of running each week to increase the amount of calories burned. The added time trains your body to run for longer periods of time.
• Step 4
• Rest at least one day per week. Women’s Health Magazine suggests a day of rest weekly if you are starting a running program for weight loss. This gives your muscles a day to rest and your body a day to recharge.

(Source).

Gratitude: A Powerful Fat Loss Tool

By DR. BROOKE KALANICK

Gratitude is powerful. Gratitude is the antidote to complaining and bad attitudes. So, why do we only talk about it sometimes and not year-round?

We're busy, we're cynical and we're overwhelmed. Even our healthy lifestyles can create pressure when we're worrying about eating clean healthy foods and trying to find time to work out, and also worrying that we're not spending enough time with loved ones. All of that is stressful. And when we can't pull it all off every day, we feel bad. We feel disappointed in our lack of superhuman abilities to do it all.

Gratitude makes it easier to do what you need to do.

I always say, "It's hard to make good choices when you feel bad." Going to the gym and eating a salad can feel like a lot work when you're stressed, frustrated, sad or agitated. Doing those same things is effortless when you're feeling good.

Gratitude can be a shortcut to feeling good. You don't have to wait until all things improve, you can be grateful right now.

What's more, gratitude can make it easier to achieve your fat loss goals.

Gratitude can truly be a shortcut for staying positive and happy with one's self, both of which have been shown to aid in the weight loss process. A 2005 Swedish study, showed that participants in a cognitive-therapy treatment program — which encourages positive responses — not only lost more weight than those who didn't, but also kept it off. Additionally, a 2003 study published in the Journal of The American Dietetic Association, found that when using methods to increase their belief in their ability to reach their goals, participants' eating habits improved and so did their weight loss.

Gratitude gives you perspective. I've been known to freak out about how to balance work and family commitments while still sticking to my fitness and workout goals. Gratitude pulls me out of the over-scheduled crazy-making moment and helps me see what's really important. It helps me see which workout and food options are available and be thankful for them — even if they aren't the "perfect kale salad from Whole Foods" and my favorite workout at my favorite gym.

Will simply being grateful help you drop five pounds?

Not overnight, but yes, it will. The key to any successful body change endeavor is consistency. You want the weight loss secret? There it is. Keep doing the right things over and over again, consistently.

The problem is that you get bored or busy. You start skipping workouts and you start making more and more concessions with your nutrition and sleep goals.

Consistency is a battle worth fighting, and an attitude of gratitude is a powerful weapon.

3 tips for getting more gratitude into your life

1. At the end of the day before you go to bed and first thing when you wake up in the morning, jot a few quick items in a "gratitude journal." Simply write down five things you're grateful for. This is truly life changing, and it amazes me how you can still find five things even on the worst days.

2. For many of you, after you write these 5 things in your gratitude journal, you'll feel great for at least 10 minutes. But then the stress of the day might creep in and you may lose your positive feeling. If this is happening to you, set an alarm on your phone or computer for a few different times throughout the day.

When the alarm goes off, you don't even always need to write down five things you are grateful for, but rather just take a few seconds to acknowledge in your mind that you are grateful for these things. This will be a catalyst for positivity! It takes just seconds, but this deliberate practice throughout the day will lower your stress and get you more familiar with the feeling of begin grounded in gratitude. Soon you won't need it as often.

3. And finally, if you're stuck in a moment of stress or frustration, forget the schedule and stop, drop and be grateful. This is a tool you can use anywhere.

– Brooke

Dr Brooke Kalanick, ND, MS, LAc is a naturopathic doctor and graduate of Bastyr University - the leader in natural medicine education, research and the training of holistically minded primary care providers. Dr Brooke specialises in PCOS and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism helping these fat loss resistant women feel, look and be better. Her knowledge of both conventional and alternative medicine helps her give patients back the control of their body, their hormones and their life. As a woman and mother who shares these struggles, she helps the women she works with live the adage: between perfect and giving up, there's better.

(Source).

Member Story - Wendy Burke

Before and after photos of Wendy

Another very inspirational Member story:

“I am over 40 years of age and have struggled with my weight of at least 25 of those years. Some of my earliest childhood memories are comments from well meaning adults about my size, such as; “she’s been on a good paddock”, “she’s got good condition”, “what a butterball”, “such a pretty face-hopefully she will lose that chubbiness” etc.

Being the fat kid at school, I am sure the only thing that saved me from relentless teasing was that I attended a small country high school. There was a very big socio economic spread so there were a lot of different personalities with different backgrounds – not many “normals”.

In my twenties I had enough and embarked on a weight loss regime that involved mostly running and some diet modification. I lost about 15kgs and it stayed off for a number of years, but it was not a complete lifestyle program. I had also not prepared myself for the physiological change that weight loss brings.

I had another crack in my 20’s that was a bit more successful- the weight stayed off for around 6 years but again, involved a crazy amount of exercise (all cardio) but little diet modification. I started to get pain in my knees and met my future husband pretty much at the same time. I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both knees so used this as an excuse to give up running and playing soccer whilst doing all those things you do when you are first in love-go out to dinner, go out to drinks, go out for breakfast, spend hours talking, sleeping in-you get the idea. Consequently I gained 20kg in one year. When I got pregnant I gained even more.

I was a large size 20 about 5 months after my first son was born and I utterly detested myself. I wanted to make changes and wanted to be a healthy example to my son. I joined a gym and started training with Ange and began learning about training properly with arthritis and about the impact of good nutrition. I lost about 25kg and discovered a love of nutrition so started studying it at college.

After having my second son I realised keeping up with kids is hard work and I have found now that I am more patient and a lot more active with them. I have the stamina at the end of the day to still be smiling and playing with them and not plonking them in front of the television because I’m tired. Beyond the physical changes to my body, I have proven to myself that I have the discipline, determination and persistence to succeed in whatever I want to pursue.”

- Wendy Burke

(Personal Trainer: Angela Mitrovic)

My Story - A Weight Loss Journey

Julie - Before and After photos

A very inspiring story from one of our Members, Julie Lamb.

In my early 40’s I suddenly developed extreme pain in my ankles and then my feet, it was like walking on glass. I had tests done for all sorts of possible causes and nothing showed up. Some minor osteoarthritis in the joints, but needless to say the pain was unexplainably awful and it limited my ability to walk and I simply became obese from too much food and drink and no exercise whatsoever as we lived on a small property out from town.

I turned 48 in May 2011, I didn’t own scales but I knew I was getting really heavy as most of my cloths weren’t fitting and I’d had to keep buying larger sizes, it was becoming more difficult to walk even short distances. 

One day I got brave and put $2 in one of those weighing machines and when I saw the figure flash at me, I was shocked, Wow! I couldn’t get away from that number fast enough! I was 105 kilos and I had no idea what to do about it due to my limited mobility. I just couldn’t stand the pain to walk off the weight. 

As life would have it, my husband got a job in Brisbane and in June 2011 we moved to the Peninsula and I started to walk for a small amount of time everyday, 10 minutes tops as it all hurt to much and some days I didn’t want to walk at all but I couldn’t get that figure of my weight out of my head. 

In November 2011, I read about Aqua classes at Dolphins Health Precinct and its Aquatic Centre simply by chance as we were becoming members of the Leagues Club, they had a pamphlet sitting on the counter and out of curiosity I grabbed one to take home and have a read. 

I saw the timetable and read about all the different classes. I knew I was incredibly unfit and I was a little fearful about others knowing this but really they knew by simply just looking at me. I’d never joined a gym in my life and I didn’t really know what to expect but with my families encouragement, I took myself off to my first ever exercise class, the Aqua Splash. 

I thought oh my god! No Pain! I can actually do this! And it was so much fun!!! 

Aqua exercising has changed my life, with watching what I eat and drink and going to the Aquatic Centre as part of my lifestyle routine, I have lost 28 kilos and most of it in the first 8 months. I am now maintaining and I won’t mind if a little bit more comes off in its own good time. I turn 50 this year and I think I look 10 years younger as I certainly feel it! 

Now I walk everyday for at least 30 minutes usually 40 and I attend the Aqua gym classes sometimes 6 times a week, I do Mix, Circuit, Deep and I’m still doing the occasional Splash. I also have a small lifting routine I do at home with bar, dumbbells and resistance bands. 

I'm still suffering foot problems but I do have a lot more mobility and I really trust it can only get better!  

Many Thanks to the Trainers (especially the Aqua ones) and the staff at  Dolphins Health Precinct for making me feel welcome and like anything is possible, and for helping me with my many questions about health and fitness along the way. 

Cheers! Julie Lamb xx 

Protein helps girls drop 10% of their body weight (study)

More protein could be the key for overweight women trying to slim down

Young women who want to lose weight should eat 300g of protein-rich food a day, including three to four serves of lean red meat a week, according to new research.

A 12-month study by The University of Sydney found that overweight women aged 18 to 25 will, on average, lose almost 10 per cent of their initial body weight after spending a year on a protein-rich diet.

“Losing 10 per cent of your body weight is like the holy grail for weight-loss studies,” says lead study author Dr Helen O’Connor, a lecturer in exercise and sports science at The University of Sydney. “Many of the women also achieved this loss after just six months, which surprised us.”

Why protein works

Melanie McGrice, spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA), says that protein is essential for weightloss for two reasons: it makes us feel fuller for longer, and it keeps our metabolisms ticking along. “Protein is the macronutrient with the highest satiety ranking. It also requires more energy to break down in our body, and keeps our blood sugar levels balanced, both of which are beneficial for our metabolism.”

Protein is particularly beneficial for significantly overweight or obese people wanting to lose weight.

“Because overweight people have more total body weight, they need higher levels of protein to support muscle mass and metabolism,” McGrice says. “If you’re not meeting your protein requirements, which often happens when following a fad diet, then the body has to break down muscle instead, which lowers metabolism, and it’s really hard to rebuild that again.”

O’Connor and McGrice agree that a protein rich diet does not have to be low in carbs. “The protein-rich diet followed in the study still contained four serves of carbohydrates a day, which is not low at all,” O’Connor says. Participants were encouraged to choose wholegrain and low-GI types. “These types of carbs help you feel fuller for longer, and keep blood sugar levels in check, just like protein does,” O’Connor says.

Protein-rich meal plan:

Breakfast: porridge (made with 1/2 cup rolled oats, 250ml low fat milk, 20g sultanas, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp honey).

Lunch: Beef and pasta salad

Dinner: 200g salmon fillet, steamed, with 1/3 cup cooked brown rice, 2 cups steamed vegetables (e.g. carrot, bok choy, broccoli) and 1 tsp oil.

Snacks: 1 piece of fresh fruit; tub of low-fat yoghurt with handful berries; or 1 chopped carrot with tablespoon of fresh hummus.

Read the full article here.

Cardio or Weights for Fat Loss?

When it comes to burning off fat, weights have an edge over cardio. 

There’s a common misperception that resistance training can’t work your cardiovascular system, but ask anyone who’s ever performed a 20-rep set of squats if his heart rate is elevated. It will be. 

Technically speaking, anything that elevates your heart rate is “cardio.” Traditional steady-state cardio (think running a 5K, using the elliptical machine, or doing step aerobics) can be beneficial in terms of fat loss -- at least for a while. But your body adapts to any stress placed on it. Over time, the work required to, say, run a 5K will decrease as your fitness improves. Diminishing returns kicks in. What once took 20 minutes to burn X number of calories will take 30 minutes, and then 40 minutes and so on. 

With weights, on the other hand, you can stave off this effect by varying your exercises to keep your body guessing. You can change things up by adding resistance, decreasing rest time, increasing the number of reps you do or changing the order of your exercises. All of these things prevent your body from hitting a plateau, boosting your ability to burn fat. 

Lifting weights also increases your lean muscle mass, which further increases metabolism at rest. That means you’ll be burning more calories throughout the day.

About the Expert

Tony Gentilcore, CSCS, CPT, is the co-owner of Cressey Performance in Hudson, Mass., and founder of www.tonygentilcore.com.

(Source).

"How Can I Lose Excess Skin After Weight-Loss"?

Extra folds of skin can occur when you lose a lot of weight, lose it very quickly or if you’re a little bit older. With time, however, you can diminish the appearance of these folds if you take the following five steps. 

1. Keep your muscles firm and more defined with diligent strength training. 
2. Dry brush your skin twice a day to improve circulation. This tightens and brightens the skin by assisting the lymphatic system in ridding your body of metabolic waste just below the surface. 
3. Consider using a sauna to work up a profuse sweat that will further cleanse your body of toxins and improve skin’s appearance. Infrared saunas penetrate especially deeply.
4. Drink eight to 10 glasses of clean, pure water daily from a glass or stainless steel container. Avoiding the phalates found in plastic means fewer contaminants in your system, resulting in smoother, tighter skin. 
5. Use moisturiser and an organic self-tanner to make excess skin appear less noticeable. 

Give yourself a full year using these tips. Ultimately, some people do opt for surgery if they’re still unhappy about extra skin. I would suggest you get to your desired body weight and try reminding yourself how much healthier you are now without the excess fat — even if your skin isn’t a perfect fit.

About the Expert

Kelli Calabrese, MS, CSCS, international master trainer for Adventure Boot Camp, the largest fitness boot camp in the world.

(Source).

Staff Challenge = Successfully Completed!

After 10 weeks of determination the staff challenge is complete.

You might be asking yourself who is the winner, but after looking through the results you will see that everyone is a winner! Not only have they achieved results beyond their expectations but the experience gained in establishing healthy eating habits, learning healthy tips, planning and also being a little selfish at times, to make sure they fit in a session with their trainer.

The trainers involved were Ryan Andrews and Aaron Wheeler which deserve a big congratulations as they positioned and motivated the staff to these amazing results.

In total there was a loss of:

• 254.5cm lost between the 5 participants
• 40kg lost between the 5 participants

As the teams were competing against each other I can comfortably say that Wayne Miller and Peter Hurley won the weight loss side of things. In regards to the overall body percentage, the ladies (Danielle, Jody and Rayleen) came out on top. As for the overall body percentage winner, in this years' 10 week staff challenge, was Danielle O’Conner.

Congratulations to everyone involved.... keep up the hard work!

DHP Staff Weight-Loss Challenge - Update

It's crunch time here at DHP as the 10 week challenge - staff challenge is drawing to a close. Centre Manager, Justin Charlish said it is getting very, very competitive between everyone and it has created an impressive working environment.

I have just looked over the weigh-in results for Rayleen Beveridge, Danielle O’Connor and Jody Hollingsworth and the results are outstanding. In total it sees a loss of 13kg and 80cms and we still have 3 weeks remaining!

Well done to the ladies thus far.

Please remember DHP 10 Week Challenge is starting on the 17th September so drop on in and see what its all about.

DHP Staff Weight-Loss Update

By now you would all be aware of the great effort the staff and management are putting into the weight-loss challenge they were enrolled in. The three DHP reception staff are putting some hard yards into their training sessions, this week taken by Personal Trainer - Aaron Wheeler. The ladies trained together and looked strong and determined, even if they didn't feel it!

The updated measurements:

• Dan: total of 27cm loss
• Jody: approx 2kg and 7.5cm
• Ray: 15cm
• An impressive overall total between the three ladies of: 49.5cm

Well done ladies, keep pushing ahead, you're all doing a fantastic job.

The DHP 10 WEEK CHALLENGE

Need some extra motivation? Why not join up to the Dolphins Health Precinct 10 Week Challenge and let us help you get the results you are after.

Starting Monday 17th September...

There are weekly information sessions on:

• Introduction 
• Group fitness sessions 
• Nutritionist 
• Supplement education

Documented weigh-in's on week 1, 4, 8 and 10 as well as a shopping tour at the start of the challenge. For an affordable $99, what do you have to lose? (only weight of course!!)

Staff & Management Weight Battle - UPDATE

L - R: Rayleen, Danielle & Jody
Ryan (Personal Trainer)

L - R: Wayne, Peter & Tony
Ryan (Personal Trainer)

EVERYONE enjoys a challenge and the staff and management at Redcliffe Leagues Club are no different. Group operations manager Justin Charlish has launched a Healthy 10-Week Challenge with two teams of three drawn from club management and DHP. “You could call it a battle of the sexes or a chance to battle it out with management,” Justin said.

The three managers are general manager Tony Murphy, gaming manager Wayne Miller and catering manager Peter Hurley. DHP personal trainer Ryan Andrews has his work cut out for him with this challenge, but was keen to jump at the opportunity to push these guys to achieve their goals and change their lives.

The three DHP challengers are Jody Hollingsworth, Danielle O’Connor and Rayleen Beveridge. “All competitors in this health rivalry challenge are super excited about changing their lives and challenging each other in the process,” Justin said. “I introduced the healthy challenge because we see and hear it all the time on TV, newspapers and radio about switching to that lifestyle. “A healthy lifestyle should really be something that overflows into your daily work environment and routine. Seeing that you spend most of your week at work, you should always achieve a balance which will make you feel fresh and good about yourself. Best of all you will be more productive at work. “Not only does the challenge bring out some healthy competitiveness, it also forms a bond, a connection where we all support each other.

The challengers even monitor what each participant eats and they motivate each other when passing during the day. “Make sure if you see these familiar faces in the gym, say hi and give them some encouragement.” Justin said the challenge was launched in late July and after one week the changes have been outstanding.

• Males in week 3 have lost 59cm between them
• Females in week 1 have lost 22cm between them

DHP will also offer corporate workplace challenges so if any business are interested they can contact DHP for details.