The reality of healthy living & ‘getting in shape’
If, like many, the events of the pandemic (or long periods of enjoying the finer things too much) have left you googling ‘getting in shape’, don’t feel guilty.
I’ve been a PT for years. I’ve been through my own ‘stuff’ and am guilty of not putting my health first, finding I was a bit softer and more sluggish than I’d like. We are all human! The important thing, is forgive yourself; because beating yourself up is huge waste of effort and just sucks out your happiness.
Step back for a moment and ask yourself “do I need to change something?” and “why do I need to change something?”. Once you have these, ask yourself “why will that make me feel better?”.
This is the most powerful question when making change; because once you have your why, you can examine it and find the real driver for change. Everybody will have a different why.
Take that why and write it down; when you waiver, look at what you wrote, then remind yourself what you’re doing has a deeper meaning for improving your life.
So when you have a “WHY” what do you need to do? This is where you develop your “HOW”
In truth we get out of shape for two simple and connected reasons: We exercise too little, and eat too much or eat poor quality diets.
The simple truth is that, ultimately, a 60 year old body burns calories the same way a 20 year old body does. The problem is that most people move out of their teenage years and, for example, have a party lifestyle of excess, or settle down and have a family and find they prioritise the kids and running around all day. Add in the long hours most of us work these days just to keep on top of the finances, it becomes all too easy to just plonk ourselves in front of the TV with a drink and Deliveroo.
A lot of you reading this are sat there going “yeah, yeah that’s me!”, well here is the harsh truth…
You have been making excuses and not been responsible for your long term wellbeing.
As a PT, I’ve worked with high powered executives, single mothers with high stress jobs and multiple kids, shift workers, retirees, long term health condition sufferers. All these people have one thing in common – they stopped making excuses for not committing to their health and fitness.
YOU can stop making excuses too and take the steps to make change. This is what ninety percent of people need to do to get fitter, stronger and lose fat.
Number one – get your diet under control
If you enjoy hard data then head over to www.tdee.net, a free online calorie calculator online. Punch in your info and it will feedback how much you currently consume, and what you should be consuming to be healthier. It is usually quite a shock.
Armed with this info, use a free calorie counter like myfitnesspal and track everything you eat and drink for a couple of weeks. Include all alcohol, oil, sauces in meals etc. These add up very quickly!
Counting calories for a couple of weeks is pretty educational, and most people see where change is most needed. If, like me, you hate being a slave to apps and data, go ‘old school’ with a notebook instead.
You don’t have to be dietician to spot the most unhealthy items that pop up in your diet. Most commonly its beer, wine, soft drinks, crisps, cake, sweets, takeaways, meals out, etc. If it’s not these, it could be you’re simply piling your plates too high, and have lost perception of a healthy portion. A fab visual guide is available on the British Heart Foundation website.
As soon as you can see the things that are unhealthy, start adjusting. Can you have 2 beers instead of 3 after work? The takeaways you eat a couple of times a week could be swapped for a posh M&S ready meal; quicker delivery, healthier ingredients and less calories, plus you’ll save a bomb and have posher food.
Pick one simple change at a time. If you go cold turkey it’s highly likely you’ll cave in and binge worse than before, in a short period of time.
Number two – exercise
There is a double pronged approach to get the balance right:
Cardio is a key component in becoming healthier long term. It promotes heart and lung health, and helps keep off weight that can lead to Type 2 diabetes or worse.
Government guidance is 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week. This is the bit where the excuses roll in:
I’m too busy – nobody is that busy! It’s basically 20 minutes a day or 30 minutes 5 x a week. You waste more time than that watching Eastenders or viewing tiktok.
I don’t have the energy – none of us have the energy at first because we are unfit. So do the minutes and get fit!
I need somebody to hold my hand – nobody is going to pamper you through life. You have to get up and do it yourself. Once you get used to doing it yourself, you’ll be less dependent on other people that can derail your progress.
STOP MAKING EXCUSES!
Moderate activity basically means anything harder than Casual walking. Let’s be real here, most of us overestimate how hard we work so let’s clear this up. Moderate exercise means breathing a bit harder and maybe breaking a light sweat. Yes casual walking burns calories but to have a major impact you would need to plod around all day long. So ramp it up a bit: power walk; jogging; hill hiking; Zumba or dancing; gym classes; cycling at a good pace; etc are all what would be considered moderate to vigorous activity.
So you are losing all this body fat but you have no shape, and are pretty weak. That’s where the other part of the exercise equation comes in to play – strength or resistance training!
Lifting weights builds muscle and strengthens bones, which is of paramount importance as we get older. Too often we hear of an older person tripping up and breaking a bone, because their bodies are too weak to handle impact.
Strength training helps us build muscle, which gives us that super healthy athletic physique that is plastered all over the movies and social media.
Looking past the simple vanity of an airbrushed six pack, strength training can help to improve long term chronic conditions such as bad backs, knees, shoulders etc because in the majority of cases these are called by underdeveloped muscles causing imbalances resulting in aches and pains.
It’s no surprise that most physio visits will result in a program of rehabilitation exercises (the fact that most people bail out on these long before they actually take effect is another fascinating topic).
The other fab effect of strength training is that as you build muscle your body requires more calories to recover and rebuild the fibres which means long term you get to be able to eat more calories YAY!!!
Number three – protein intake
And no, it doesn’t have to be eggs! When trying to lose fat and get more ‘shredded’, you’ll be a lot more physically active. You’ll need to build and maintain muscle mass the entire time, which means eating sufficient protein.
If you just want to be generally healthy and active, find out what you weigh in kilograms, then multiply by 1.5g (e.g a 60kg person would consume 90g of protein). That is the amount of protein your body requires per day every day. If you are looking to build a lot of muscle and get strong, then look at 2g per kilogram per day.
Meat, fish, eggs, dairy all contain protein. Non animal sources such as tofu, seitan, soya, beans, etc are fab alternatives.
“I can’t eat that much protein!” I hear you say. I’ll bet you’re eating that much in carbs though if you’re honest? I have an insane schedule and have to get my protein on the go. I think nothing of a large protein shake for breakfast and another after my workout to get me to my numbers. Protein shakes are perfectly healthy, despite any ridiculous internet rumours, unless you have a serious underlying kidney or liver condition – it does not, however, cause these conditions in the specified quantities.
Split the rest of your daily calories between carbs and fats, aiming for as many unprocessed fresh foods as possible, because they’re higher in vitamins and essential minerals. Don’t get obsessed with macro tracking (percentage of carbs, fats and protein per day) unless you are a competition bodybuilder or sportsperson.
Other ‘getting in shape’ factors to consider:
Hydration - Your body should be 60% water. Without fluid, you can’t build and maintain healthy muscle tissue, digest foods properly, and basically function properly. Aim for at least 1.5litres a day more if you are larger than average. It doesn’t have to be pure water, squash, tea and even coffee contain water – caffeine is a diuretic and will make you pee, so try not to have too much!
Alcohol - Avoid too much! It’s high in calories and ruins your efforts, so don’t count lager as hydration.
Sleep - Good quality sleep is essential for recovery between workouts, it’s when muscle is repairing and using up the protein you’ve eaten. 7-8 hours is key to weight loss and muscle maintenance, so get to bed. Switch to decaf coffee after 2pm, as caffeine stays in the system for 8 hours.
Stress - Try to manage stress levels. If your work or home life are causing stress, talk to your employers and family, and ask them to help reduce the strain. Meditation, yoga, reading in the evening instead of watching TV or scrolling on your phone, can relax you and prepare the body to rest. Stress triggers a rise in the hormone cortisol, which releases glucose into your bloodstream for energy; the problem is that once that subsides, it triggers cravings for sugar to replace it, then most people then binge on high calorie foods. That sugar is then stored as fat. Cortisol will also slow your metabolism, resulting in weight gain if your calorie intake is out of sync.
Support network - Ask your immediate circle of friends and family to help, by not offering you junk food or leaving it where you will be tempted. See if they’ll join you in preparing a healthy home cooked meal instead of buying takeaways; this could be a nice chance to chat and catch up after a long day at work.
In Summery
As you can see, there are a lot of things to consider, and you need to be committed to making the change towards a healthier lifestyle. It won’t be easy, but it will be incredibly personally rewarding as you feel the difference. Nothing worth having comes easily so be prepared to put in the work and bin the excuses.
If you fall off the wagon, who cares? Get back on and keep going. You only fail if you quit.
This is a very simplified description of the reality of “getting in shape”. I don’t offer quick fixes, miracle pills and potions, or silly gimmicks. Do the work and don’t quit! Get out there and smash it.
Get in touch if you’re like more help with getting in shape.
