From diet programs to detox teas, so many products promise instant gratification when it comes to transforming your body. But is it actually possible to lose a substantial amount of weight in a healthy way. For many people who lose a large amount of weight rapidly, unsuccessfully keep it off. In fact, most people, upon returning back to ‘normal’ diet, gain back more than they initially drop.
Everyone, regardless of their commitment to fitness, is guilty of missing the occasional workout. Skipping the odd session isn’t going to affect your fitness or body composition. But what happens when one missed workout turns into three or four? What happens when work, injury or loss of motivation cause you to give up on training altogether?
Fading fitness
Christmas is fast approaching, as too is party season for many places of work, is undoubtedly a time for socialising, relaxing and enjoying ourselves after a hard year’s work. With festive markets and mulled wine stalls springing up in towns and cities up and down the country, the amount of alcohol we consume as a nation at this time of year will inevitably increase.
But it’s important to keep in mind that the effects of alcohol on the body are the same as they are during any other month; and that binge drinking in particular can pose an increased risk to heart health.
Our language, the words we use and the way in which we speak (and write) them, can have a lasting impact on our current and future behaviour. Not only the words we say to others, but more important, our own self-talk can predict our success. Consider the two following sentences:
Which one is more likely ultimately result in healthy living?
The amount and quality of sleep you get any given night really sets the tone of the following day. When we’re well-rested, our minds and bodies just seem to work better. When we’re really tired, everything’s harder. We get cranky, can’t focus, and sometimes get sick. Skimping on sleep long term can interfere with pretty much every aspect of your health from your skin to your immune system, to your ability to maintain a healthy weight.
Many women experience an irregular menstrual cycle sometime in their lives. This may last for a short time or may be a lifelong feature of their cycles. Causes include polyps, breastfeeding, chemotherapy, stress and drug use. Diet pills fall in this last category, and often knock menstrual cycles off kilter. If you suspect your attempt to lose weight might be causing irregular periods, consult your doctor.
Rise and shine! It’s time to leap out of bed and throw on your sports gear. What do you mean you’re too tired? Then why did you set your alarm to go off so early this morning? If you’re struggling to get the most out of your morning workouts, you’re not alone. Finding the motivation before we’ve so much as smelled the first coffee of the day can be tough. That’s why I've assembled a few tips for early risers. With the right planning, your morning workout can be a pleasure, not a chore. It all starts the night before…
It’s autumn which means it’s time to bust out the soup and casserole recipes and pull on your favourite chunky jumper. But it also means adjusting workouts to take into account the changing environment. Investing in new cold weather workout gear is great, but the days are getting shorter too, and that means you might have to change your workout schedule to make sure you’re staying safe AND motivated. Below are a few tips to assist in keeping you moving and motivated:
The interest in the upcoming Women only self-defence course has been excellent. With the dark night drawing in and Christmas parties around the corner there is an increased risk to personal safety. Having a knowledge of conflict resolution and effective self defence skills puts you in an advantageous position.
There are limited places on the 6 week course so if you or someone you know wants to be on it please contact us ASAP.
A well-crafted to-do list acts as a guiding light for your day. It helps you overcome feelings of being overwhelmed, and reduces anxiety around whether you’re being productive throughout the day. To-do lists come in all shapes and sizes—it’s all about what works for you as an individual. The below method is one method that might work for you; it’s up to you to decide what to implement into your own planning system.
It may seem simple, and it is, but your core is at the centre of your body -- which is why it was bestowed its great and descriptive name. The core encompasses the abdomen, hips, back, and chest, and is made up of twenty-nine pairs of muscles. For example, you’ve got the abdominal muscles, such as the transverse abdominals and your oblique’s filling out your core up in the front. Then, you’ve got muscles like the Para spinal that support the spine and are extremely important for core function and strength
With the dark nights drawing in we are about to launch a women's only self defence course which will be run over a 6 week period, one session per week. This is designed for women to empower and equip them with skills necessary for walking the streets with confidence, delivering knowledge and skills to be more aware of potential situations, diffuse this if possible and if they are unlucky enough to be involved in a violent incident, to be able to effectively deal with that situation.
Although exercise is already known to reduce type 2 diabetes risk, a new study brings additional detail. Using data from more than 1 million participants across four continents, researchers measured the precise benefits of exercise.
As far as exercise and diabetes are concerned, the more, the better.
At some point during the year the common cold comes round to ruin everyone’s training schedule.
Let’s talk about the differences between the common cold and the flu. Both share similar symptoms however the flu (influenza) is far more severe and can cause serious complications in otherwise healthy persons.
At Paragon we don't believe in quick fix faddy diets but extol the virtues of a well rounded healthy diet with variation and moderation looking after portion sizing, trying to reduce sugar, chemicals and 'bad' fats bringing about behaviour change and a safe steady weight loss that is sustainable.
There are so many diets out there, but which ones actually work? Luckily, scientists have found that most reasonable diets can help you lose weight, compared to not following a diet at all, this is generally because it instills a plan to stick to and portion control and hopefully will try to cut rubbish out. Overall, studies have shown that diets rich in plants and low in processed foods are the best for weight loss. But many popular diets aren't based on sound scientific principles.
However as we are often asked by our clients about diet plans here's what the science says about 15 popular ones, knowledge is power:
Good health doesn’t just happen. Often, a series of choices defines your health. Fortunately, one bad decision usually doesn’t dictate your health outcome: If you eat a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake for dinner one night, you won’t wake up with chronic hypertension the next morning. However, if you were to eat that same meal several nights a week for years, you might develop hypertension or even other disorders.
Preparation is everything when it comes to getting lean and good organisation in the kitchen is key to burning fat and getting the body you want. So forget mid-management level prepping and use these six tips to prep like an absolute boss...
Top prepping doesn’t have to mean spending your whole weekend in the supermarket or the kitchen. Here are six top tips that will help you think outside of the (tupperwear) box and keep you rolling along the path to lean town.
