3 things that could be sabotaging your efforts:
1. Inconsistent exercise:
Regular exercise is important for a number of reasons related to weight loss but the muscle mass it sustains is well worth the effort gaining it. Muscle mass declines naturally with age, which means an active pursuit to maintain it is required. Your goals should be centered on fat loss AND muscle gain. This might not show on the scale but it will show in your clothes. An improved body composition is key to weight maintenance and the reduced risk of disease. Strength training in addition to cardio is the best way to build lean muscle. Follow up nutrition post exercise is also important. Consumption of a lean protein with a little carbohydrate within 30 minutes to an hour after your workout will promote the maximum muscle synthesis. It is not possible to out-train a poor diet, so it is best to avoid post workout food rewards.
2. Secret eating:
Whether it is mindless eating or not, secret eating usually goes under the radar when it comes to tallying up our food intake for the day. Purposefully eating in secret is generally a sign that you are not making an optimal food choice for weight loss. If you do not want someone to see you eating something, then rather avoid it. Besides, in my humble opinion, shared treats are far more enjoyable than guilt-ridden, hastily gobbled ones. Secret eating, however, also applies to the lack of acknowledgement of the poor food choices you might be making a regular basis, the frequency with which you eat out or the amount of alcohol or juice you actually consume.
Foods eaten in secret or on the run are typically high in energy and empty of nutrition, classifying them as treats rather than meals or snacks. Packing healthy snacks can help you to limit the need to buy food when hunger strikes, avoiding the predicament of either facing temptation or simply, a lack of healthy options to choose from. Be honest with yourself and truly evaluate the presence and perhaps dominance of treat foods in your diet. Remember that your diet is simply your habitual eating routine … is your diet truly healthy? For 80 – 90% of the time? Take stock – you might be surprised.
3. Lack of sleep
Consistent poor sleep is the one thing that can truly nullify your best efforts in both nutrition an exercise. If you are your own worst enemy, intentionally burning the candle at both ends, it is important that you review this behaviour and make a compromise on whatever it that is keeping you awake when you should be asleep, allowing your body to RESTore itself. If you suffer with a lack of sleep due to insomnia, then it is important to seek help until you find a solution to good sleep. People do differ in this department but if you feel fatigued from either too little or too much sleep, this is a health issue best not ignored. Your body requires sleep to achieve a host of activities it can’t do while you are awake. Aim to be asleep by 10 pm most nights and do not set your alarm before 5 am. These are key hours to be in bed. There is a lot to be said for good sleep hygiene – practicing a 30 minute bed time routine, with the avoidance of screens being most significant – when it comes to improving your sleep.
Letting these simple things stand in the way of achieving your goals is easy to do but taking the time to check in with yourself on these 3 matters weekly could make a huge difference to your success.
