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ForEliteAtheletes to FunRunners
HEALTH
“But this ship can’t sink”
... “It’s made of IRON Sir I can assure you it can...”
Unsinkable
don’t ignore your body
Sam “iceberg...right ahead” Winkworth,
Race Director – Dirty Rotten Scramble.
If you need any help or
would like to know more
about being accountable
with your diet & fitness, feel
free to contact me and we
can discuss a strategy that
works best for you.
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One of my favourite lines from the movie Titanic was
when it hit the iceberg, and the passengers were still
utterly utterly convinced that it wasn’t going to sink.
Because the ship was billed as “the unsinkable” as a
result, everyone truly believed that it wasn’t going to
sink. They were in denial.
It’s a bit like how people are with their health.
Even though their body sends them out REGULAR
warning signs like:
• Tiredness • Bloatedness • Feeling Rundown
• Aches & Pains • Poor sleep • Weight gain
• Skin issues • Digestive problems…
They’re STILL convinced that they’re okay and carry
on. They too, are in denial just like the people on the
Titanic were.
One of the reasons why people are in “denial” is
because they haven’t found the right approach for
themselves yet.
Reality check
If you feed your body with the wrong fuel and
you choose to ignore the warning signs, then
don’t be surprised if your health starts to suffer.
They’re not really in denial as such, they’re just lost,
and simply need a bit of guidance. They already
know what they need to do they’re just not doing it.
They already have the answers they’re just struggling
to apply it.
One of the biggest tips I can give you is to get yourself
more accountable.
Whether it’s with a friend, family member, spouse,
trainer, or nutritionist, get someone to help you apply
what you already know and to help you become
accountable with your exercise & food habits.
Someone to justify your actions to.
After all, if you HAD to submit a food and exercise
diary to someone do you think you’d get results then?
Of course you would!
Speaking of food diaries, I’m a big fan.
Countless studies show that those who write down
what they eat or take photos of their meals on a
regular basis are far more likely to achieve success
than those who don’t. Other than keeping you
accountable, here are some other benefits to keeping
a food diary:
Limits over eating
: Keeping a food diary and recording
everything that goes into your mouth can eliminate
or reduce mindless eating so you can become more
aware of portion sizes and calorie control.
Identifies nutritional deficiencies
: A food diary can
also be useful in detecting any nutritional deficiencies
you may have from your diet. For example, if
you’re craving sugar (or really hungry!) around mid
afternoon or late on in the evening, then it’s very likely
that you didn’t get your last meal quite right and may
need to be more balanced.
Bad habit friends
: When I’m working with a clients’
nutrition I usually, at first, get them into the habit
of writing down the time of day, where they are,
and who they are with, every time they eat. Certain
friends, family or co-workers ‘could’ be causing them
to over eat.
Helps to identify boredom eating
: Identifying emotions
every time you eat can be useful also. You could
be eating because you’re bored or stressed rather
than because you’re actually hungry. Every time
you eat, decide if it’s because you’re stressed or are
you actually physically hungry. I’ll give you a clue, if
you’ve had a good nutritious meal an hour or 2 ago,
then it won’t be because you’re hungry.
Retrains your subconscious mind
: keeping a food
diary over time can help develop healthy long lasting
habits which means subconsciously that you don’t
feel like you’re on “a diet”, a “diet” feels like you’re
going to start something and finish something
whereas developing healthy habits one by one means
you’re playing the long term game with your nutrition.
