January
The time of year for new starts and new years resolutions. High hopes after the Christmas cheer of shifting those extra squidgy bits that came from the cheese platter…guilty!
Many of us start out with a plan to start eating better and to shift Christmas pounds but when we go to search for the plan that will suit our needs we are bombarded with so much information it can become very confusing.
“No Carbs”
“More Fat”
“Gluten Free”
There are many different plans to follow however most people will find that these plans may make us reach our goal but what next… you will never have a carb the rest of your life?
Lean is a Lifestyle
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of joining a talk hosted by Lauren Armes, Welltodo, with Louise Parker from the LPM to discuss her new book Lean for Life: The Cookbook
I loathe dieting and I’m on a mission to end it!
The opening line from her book was read aloud to the crowd – this really perked up my interest! Louise started to tell us about her journey through health and lifestyle and how the Louise Parker Method came about. Contrary to this ladies slim physique she explained she had battled with weight and yo-yo dieting for years and is well aware the different ‘diets’ that women put themselves through in order to look great.
Letting go of the all or nothing approach
Louise explained that to be lean for life you have to accept that some days you won’t get it right. If you indulge a little too much just get back on it with the next meal or snack. It is all about mindset and lifestyle. The odd glass of wine here, or steak and chips for dinner there won’t impact you, as long as the majority of your decisions are good for your body. Operating at a 70:30 ration means that it will give you the longevity mindset to continue.
The Louise Parker Method
Lauren and Louise continued to discuss how the Lean for Life: The Cookbook
Think Successfully
To achieve your goals and make the right choices to become the best you – you need to change your mindset! Once you get the method and the principles behind making the right choices, you have fundamentally taken one of the hardest steps in the right direction. With this new mindset and belief in success you will set yourself up for success on your goals!
Your brain is the most important muscle there is in your transformation, and you are going to train it consistently, as you would your body.
Eat Beautifully
No gimmicks, no ‘free froms’, no fads just filling your plate full of nourishing whole food that will give you all the right energy you need. The recipes in the book will provide you the tools to make excellent meals that will make life and living lean easy and part of your lifestyle
With a lower calorie diet you need to make sure you pack those calories full of nutrition
There will be days where you indulge and may be a little naughty – but that is fine as long as 70% of the time you are nourishing your body with simple, healthy and beautiful foods!
Work Out intelligently
Very simply, you’ll move more. You’ll also exercise in the most intelligent way, combining the maximum amount of fat-burning and toning, while boosting your metabolism and making you feel fabulous.
There is no point wasting your time with exercises that you will not keep up or enjoy. With any goal in sight you need to keep moving (even if it is just getting in those 10,000 steps a day)
Remember if you don’t enjoy it, find something you do. When you want to change your lifestyle and incorporate exercise in – it has to be something you enjoy otherwise you will not stick to it!
Live Well
The last foundation is about your Lifestyle. Making changes that apply to your wider health. Sleep, Digital Detox and starting to change those patterns that cause you to make bad choices.
When you get a bad night’s sleep it puts your hormones out of whack and this can impact everything from feeling low to how hungry you are.
We are surrounded by digital – even now writing this – my phone is buzzing, the screen is bright and I have my favourite episode on.
We can all take a leaf out of this one!
Become Lean for Life
Listening to Louise talk, it really struck a chord with how much information we are bombarded with, and how many do this, do that, eat this, stop that there are in the world… when actually it is all very simple.
By following simple principles of eating protein, fat, good carbs and balancing that with exercise you really have set the foundations for a life of ease.
We can all do with a bit of guidance, which is why I would recommend taking a look Louise’s new book, which offers recipes and meal guidelines to give you an idea of how you can live your life a simple way and achieve your lean goals.
Personal Rant!
From a female perspective, we are born into a World where how we look is discussed every day!
Magazine front covers are filled to the brim with crap to make us feel bad! The new fad to make you a size zero, drinking some tea that will ‘detox’ you (a.k.a a laxative), don’t eat a carb or you will look like a whale or gobbling keytones will be the be all and all!
All in all, generally confusing the f*** out of us – when all we really need are simple positive principles, regular ways to exercise, a confident and chilled mindset, which when followed the majority of the time will allow us to be free of the negativity and allow us to live lean and happy lives.
No Comments