Keys to achieving the ‘new you’ for the new year
THE New Year always brings urges to look our best, change what we feel we were doing wrong and get a whole new routine ready for the next 12 months.
But don’t do too much too soon, is what the experts will advise. And while we often fixate on our outer image, we probably need to pay as much attention to what’s inside.
January 14 is recognised as the milestone that we much reach, and get across, as it’s the stalling point for many new year’s resolutions, apparently. Whatever the motivation, make sure to spend as much time preparing for your regime as engaging in it. There’s method in the madness, but don’t let there be madness in your method. To aid you in your endeavours to create the ‘new you’, we focused on three key areas and asked three experts to give their top tips and advice on how to make the most of the body, soul, and mind in 2012.
THE BODY DOCTOR
Pam Walsh is a fitness instructor at the Carrigaline Health and Fitness Centre. We asked her for some attainable tips on shedding the pounds. “The first thing to do is to set yourself goals that are realistic. This is the number-one rule to fitness training and weight loss. It allows time for your body to adjust to an exercise programme and your mind to follow,” says Pam.
Attacking the gym on day one is not a good plan. Too much effort in one spurt can lead to an immediate burnout. A realistic goal of a person returning to physical activity after some time off would be 10 to 15 minutes in the first couple of weeks.
Jogging is one of the most effective ways to get the heart and blood rates up and we can build up to our 15-minute goal of the first two weeks, by running for two minutes and walking for one. Then repeat this pattern until we can jog or run comfortably for a period of 15 minutes. After two weeks, vary this routine. “At this stage, add more time to the cardiovascular routine and include a weight training programme.”
Don’t worry about building unsightly muscle, says Pam. Just stick to a routine of light weights and lots of repetition. We can look forward to results after the first month. “But we must bear in mind that weight loss is a slow process and we must be patient with it,” she says.
“A word of caution: wandering into a packed gym can be an intimidating experience when it comes to fitness and fashion. The important thing is not to buy into this whole scene. It is not about wearing Prada or the latest Louis Vuitton trainer. Our target is getting the sweat up and getting back confidence and self-esteem lost to unwanted pounds.”
THE SOUL DOCTOR
Good nutrition is the key to a healthy body — and a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, so take note of how you ‘fuel’ both body and mind. Niamh O’Connor of Cork Nutrition Consultancy says the simple way to approach the nutritional side of weight loss is a list of what not to do. “Fad dieting is a common pitfall and will only lead to increased weight gain. This can leave you in the same frustrating position as when you began. Do not start on a Monday,” is her first piece of advice. “Sunday is treat day and that is just too far away. Stay away from the weighing scales, it is natural for the body to fluctuate from day-to-day, so we should weigh ourselves just once a week.”
And speaking of ‘treats’, if you like your drinks at the weekend, arm yourself with information on your chosen tipple. “There is a common misconception that switching to a light beer will aid you in your fat-fighting programme. But really these beers are just lighter in taste and in reality are even more fattening than the norm. It is essential, like with an exercise programme, to make the changes gradually. Starving yourself is out, because you won’t be able to function properly,” warns Niamh.
Making every change in one day will see you giving way to temptation, frustration and failure.
“Patience is a key element in changing eating habits, and the weight loss can take months or years to straighten out,” says Niamh.
Niamh has a few ‘absolute’ rules: “Do not eat after 7pm in the evening. And be sure and have three meals a day instead of a big feed at the end of the day. The body burns calories more efficiently this way and needs the energy.”
THE MIND DOCTOR
More often than not, moderate and severe obesity are directly linked to a form of food addiction. There is a solution, but again, we need to work at it to get it right. During weight-loss regimes, we need to be careful to pay equal, or more, attention to our mind.
According to Katrina Dennehy of the Hazelton Clinic in Cork, treating the mind can be achieved through a course of cognitive behavioural therapy. A person’s background, more often than not, determines their relationship with food, such as daily activities, family and relationship status.
“When a client seeks treatment, I usually look at identifying what is causing the dependency on food. Whether it is stress, anxiety or an emotional void, there is a treatment regime for all.”
Katrina believes in eradicating the word ‘diet’ in a bid to change our behaviour — “[as] this implies that we have a poor relationship with food from the beginning and can defeat us before we start”.
So whether we are targeting a few unwanted wobbly bits, or need a complete body overhaul, treating the body, mind and spirit is the key to our much-wanted success. The verdict is in with all three of our experts: we need an all-round approach to obtain our weight loss goals.
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