Many of us have made the resolution to lose weight in 2012. Did you make this resolution? Australia is fast becoming an obese nation. With such beautiful weather and beautiful surroundings there really is no excuse not to enjoy some outdoor time as part of your resolution. The issue is, for many of us, that we are choosing the wrong foods or too big a serving of food. But I am sad to say that weight loos is not just simply starting a diet and losing weight. If it were there wouldn’t be soooo many diet regimes out there and many weight loss companies willing to help you in your journey.
Weight loss and weight management is more than just starting the latest diet craze. We have to look at the reasons that our bodies have stored fat mass. The following is a list of causes that arise in my clinic, Gold Coast Integrative Wellness. No two people ever have the same causes of weight gain. So I endeavour to look into why someone is struggling with their weight. Here are the top causes:
* Another obvious cause is a person eating the wrong snacks– foods that are full of sugar. Creating a ‘sugar rollercoaster’ ride and placing demand on the insulin hormone to turn the excess sugar to fat. Keeping your blood sugar maintained is most important to maintain correct weight and even energy levels. Snacks should be protein based and nutritious – try a snack of celery or carrot sticks dipped in hommus, or a handful of raw nuts and seeds, or some avocado and fetta cubes instead of a highly sugared muesli bar or chocolate or a coffee.
* Stress creates a situation whereby the digestion cannot function correctly and can cause many foods to be undigested. Chronic long term stress creates a situation of high cortisol levels which can contribute to fat accumulation and muscle loss.
* Maintain your muscle mass. By enjoying some form of movement and exercise we maintain a good level of muscle mass. The amount of muscle mass that we have determines our metabolic rate. When we have a good amount of muscle mass for our frame size our metabolism will be higher than if we don’t have muscle mass due to inactivity.
* Maintaining your muscle mass can be as easy as going outside and walking along the beach or finding a walking track in the beautiful hinterland, or throwing a ball with your kids or friends, or taking a leisurely swim at the beach. The great thing about where we live is the beautiful scenery that abounds us. Why not get outside and move your body with fun.
* Your genetic profile can also play a role in weight gain. Some clients come to me and say that they undertake cardio exercise at the gym every day and just cannot shift the extra kilos of fat that they have. The answer can lie in their genetics. There are many genes that affect our response to exercise and exercise can influence the function of our genes. Research has shown that exercise can affect the rates at which our genes turn on or off. Scientists are now researching how our different exercise programs with varying exercise intensity, duration and frequency can influence our gene expression and therefore our health and wellbeing. Just like there is no one diet for everyone – there is no one exercise regime for everyone. We must take into consideration how exercise affects our individual gene expression. If you have any questions about your genes and how they can affect your health and your weight loss program then come in and ask us how we can help you with your weight loos program.
Good Fortune with your 2012 goals!
