Saree Jitta

1. Skip breakfast

Most people skip their breakfast because they don’t have time to prepare their meals. They might even say I’m “fasting” just another excuse of I don’t have time to eat in the morning so I start eating my first meal at lunch which might lead to sluggish metabolism over time. I don’t have anything against fasting, I used to do fasting. But most people only have 2 meals a day (not having enough nutrients) and call it fasting.

We’re all busy I get it but if your goal is weight loss and fat loss then you better start having breakfast! What’s more, eating one piece of fruit or processed fare like packaged muffins won’t keep you full until lunch, which has a ripple effect on how well you function. “When my clients eat a more satisfying breakfast, they’re more energetic, less irritable and more productive.” Aim for 20-30 grams of protein by including options like cottage cheese or hard boiled eggs.

2. Lacking magnesium

Weight loss isn’t just about diet and exercise, and you’ve likely heard about how sleep is essential for a healthy weight. Skimping on sleep increases your hunger hormones, and you may find you reach for a sugary snack as a pick-me-up more often. 

Of course stopping the pre-bed social media scroll is important, but you probably also haven’t considered how your magnesium levels play a role in shut eye. “Most people do not consume an adequate amount of the mineral, and this can interfere with proper sleep,” Try adding almonds, tofu and leafy greens to your diet. Or you might consider taking magnesium supplements. When I was training hard and I found myself having trouble sleeping I took Magnesium Glycinate it helped me fall asleep better.

3. Having a “bad food” mentality

What if I told you there’s no “good” or “bad” food? Food gives you energy, different food gives you different nutrients therefore you should get a variety of food. Having a piece of Oreo cookie dipped in milk isn’t the end of the world. If you’re being good 80% of the time (have a balanced diet) then you can leave the 20% for some fun (enjoy your chocolate cake guilt free).

4. Exercising only to burn calories

Some girls I’ve talked with confess that they use exercise as a punishment. When they eat a lot the next day, they kill themselves at the gym, was hoping to burn those calories they consumed. You need to shift your mindset and think of exercise as part of your healthy lifestyle. You eat, shower, sleep and exercise. 

5. Eat the same food every day

Going on a diet shouldn’t be boring and you shouldn’t have to eat the same food every day, obviously not chicken and broccoli if you want to lose weight! There are many varieties of food out there. You can steam, grill, or bake the chicken or fish. You can add different spices to enhance the flavour. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be plain and tasteless. You should be happy when you eat or have food.

6. Not eating enough

I can say if you’ve been going on a diet for a while trying to lose weight but you haven’t seen any result, I bet you don’t eat enough! That’s right you heard me, most girls are not eating enough because they’re scared to gain fat. If there’s not enough food or water in our body, the metabolism slows down.

Our body is so smart, it has been designed to survive in any circumstances. However they don’t have a clue that you only eat little because you want to lose weight. They think I don’t have enough resources for me to function well so I’m going to slow down or might even shut down. So now it doesn’t matter what you eat it’s not going to burn that calorie because it gets used to the very little food in the system.

7. Not tracking your intake

“Making sure you’re eating in a slight caloric deficit is important for weight loss,”. While you don’t need to button up so much that you’re eating too little, you’re also going to want to reduce the excess fluff. To find what that might be, you should track your food, at least in the beginning. “It can be easy to forget about what we ate previously and make it harder to pinpoint what’s preventing you from reaching your goals,”. My favourite free app is MyFitnessPal.

8. Setting unrealistic goals

While what you’re eating matters, it’s not the only piece of the equation. “Other factors can affect how our body utilises, burns and stores calories or energy,”. Those include metabolism, age, genetics, stress and hormones, and “can also play a role in being able to get past a certain point on the scale.” Meaning: Just because you choose a certain number does not mean it’s a goal weight that may be attainable, comfortable or sustaining for you. While that may seem like a downer at the outset, it’s actually incredibly freeing. A realistic goal is achievable, makes you feel good and is one you can maintain for the long term.

Do you really want a six pack abs? Or you just want to look good in a swimming suit? Because having six pack abs require hard work; strict dieting and exercise and if you’re a busy woman (not a fitness model) it might not suit your lifestyle.

9. Ignoring your stress level

For many of us, responding to stress means reaching for comfort foods while watching Netflix. While doing so is perfectly fine on occasion, it’s important to have healthy, non-food-related outlets for reducing stress. “Stress can negatively affect metabolism and get in the way of reaching weight or fitness goals,”. Helpful ways to mitigate stress include meditation, taking a walk outdoors, or reading a good book.

10. Gut health

Happy gut, happy you. Gut health refers to the balance of microorganisms that live in your digestive tract. Looking after the health of the gut and maintaining the right balance of these microorganisms is vital for physical and mental health, immunity, and more.

These bacteria, yeasts, and viruses – of which there are around 100 trillion – are also called the “gut microbiome” or “gut flora.” One way to look after your gut is to take probiotics and eat fermented foods. 

Someday, I am very motivated to do the workout, nail my diet, and stick to my routines. But sometimes I do not feel like doing exercise at all, I eat all junk food, and I feel like crap. What is happening to me? Maybe I have used up all my willpower?

I am sure most of you have heard of this word before “willpower” but what does it really mean? What has to do with the power we got to be a success on weight loss and the next we might lose it all and fall off the wagon?

Let me introduce you to your own superpower (aka willpower). Think of willpower as our drive, determination, self-discipline, self-control, self-regulation, effortful control.

How do we refuse that chocolate cake after dinner? 

What about we go out for a walk instead of watching Netflix all day?

And how do we keep being strong when we want to light up that cigarette?

Or we say no to our colleague about after work drink? That is your willpower!

I know it is not easy for all the things we have tested or experienced before and that were so good. It is those sweet temptations that we wanted to give ourselves in because it is easier to do that. But we have to say no because we have this big goal. However, sometimes it is easier to say no but sometimes I just say yes without thinking twice. How come? 

Well because our willpower is limited just like the energy in our body if you have used them all up, you might still have some left within you, but it is going to be much harder for a very difficult task. Also, if you are tired, lack of sleep you tend to lose to those temptations easily.

Therefore you should use your willpower for the most important task first, for example, it might be work on your project first thing in the morning before you check your social media because you know that once you start to scroll down you will get sucked in for hours and by the time you realise you probably do not have this creativity anymore. Or in the evening put on your sneakers and just go outside for a walk before you sit down on a couch and turn on your Netflix because you know if you do that, you will be lazy for the rest of the evening. 

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”

– Mahatma Gandhi 

In a classic willpower study, Walter Mischel, now a psychologist at Columbia University set out to study self-control in children, with a simple yet effective test.

Known as the marshmallow test (another good book recommended), Mischel and colleagues presented preschoolers with a plate of marshmallows. Each child was then told that the researcher had to leave the room for a few minutes and if they waited until his return, the child could have two marshmallows. If the child couldn’t wait, he could ring a bell, the researcher would immediately return, but he could only eat one marshmallow.

Years later, the research team followed up with these kids and found that the children who waited for the second candy were generally faring better in life scoring higher SAT’s and lower body mass index (BMI), 30 years after the initial test.

What is this telling us? Well if you have more self-control or self-discipline you tend to have more willpower, and those with will power will be more successful in their lives, career, financial, health, relationship.

Let me give you a few tips you can do to help strengthen your willpower; 

Improve your self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognise what we are doing as we’re doing it. Our thought processes, emotions, and reasons for acting are an important part of making better choices.

For example, next time you caught yourself about to reach for a snack. Pause for a second and be honest with yourself. The essence is to train your brain to pause before you act. Am I truly hungry? Am I bored or upset about anything? Find the root of the problem and fix it; if you’re just thirsty then you might be dehydrated, if you are bored or upset then shift your focus to reading a book or find a hobby to do, but if you are upset then find out what causes or trigger that then see if you can fix it because those snacks might just give you just a quick fix but it isn’t going to nourish or heal you in a long term. 

Meditate

Meditation can be as simple as shift your focus to your breathing. Next time you are angry or upset before snapping at your partner or finishing a whole tub of ice cream just take a deep breath in 3 times; in through your nose and out through your mouth (if 3 times are not enough in this case, I recommend 5 times.) Practicing meditation will help you bring your awareness back to self.

Get your sleep in 

A minimum of 8-10 hours. I could go on for an hour for a benefit of sleep but one of it would be it will help with your willpower. If we lack sleep, not only is our body tired but our willpower is weak. We will not be able to say no to the sweets because our brain cannot function well.

Exercise

Go for a walk or choose an activity that you like. It is good for your lungs and heart. Plus, exercise will increase your willpower.

Stop self-criticism

No one can hurt your feeling unless you allow them. Yet from time to time we do this to ourselves. If you feel bad about yourself or keep telling yourself negative things, you will weaken your own willpower. As human beings, it is normal to lose out to temptation sometimes. But try thinking of what your long-term goal is. If you lose it today to the temptation (because it is much easier) it will take you further away from your long-term goal. 

Take home message: Be kind to yourself because in someday you might not have much of willpower and that is ok. Tell yourself it is ok and I will try again tomorrow because you will have the willpower back. Everyone got the superpower within them. Sometimes we might use it all up, use the few tips above to recharge. 

Some people do not even know they have got the willpower inside of them. I suggest starting with choosing one thing that you always say yes to but today just say no for once, break that pattern. Trust me, once you can say no to the things that you think you cannot do without it feels so good. When you get the taste of your own willpower then it will be easier for you. Your willpower is like a muscle, same as when you are lifting weights you train your muscle to get stronger. 

Saree Jitta is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition. She has been helped hundreds of women get their confidence back, get stronger mentally and physically. Through her coaching service, you will be transformed to have the discipline for exercise with a balanced diet, to live a happier and healthier life. Follow her inspiration on Instagram @sareejitta www.sareejitta.com [email protected]

Someday, I am very motivated to do the workout, nail my diet, and stick to my routines. But sometimes I do not feel like doing exercise at all, I eat all junk food, and I feel like crap. What is happening to me? Maybe I have used up all my willpower?

I am sure most of you have heard of this word before “willpower” but what does it really mean? What has to do with the power we got to be a success on weight loss and the next we might lose it all and fall off the wagon?

Let me introduce you to your own superpower (aka willpower). Think of willpower as our drive, determination, self-discipline, self-control, self-regulation, effortful control.

How do we refuse that chocolate cake after dinner? 

What about we go out for a walk instead of watching Netflix all day?

And how do we keep being strong when we want to light up that cigarette?

Or we say no to our colleague about after work drink? That is your willpower!

I know it is not easy for all the things we have tested or experienced before and that were so good. It is those sweet temptations that we wanted to give ourselves in because it is easier to do that. But we have to say no because we have this big goal. However, sometimes it is easier to say no but sometimes I just say yes without thinking twice. How come? 

Well because our willpower is limited just like the energy in our body if you have used them all up, you might still have some left within you, but it is going to be much harder for a very difficult task. Also, if you are tired, lack of sleep you tend to lose to those temptations easily.

Therefore you should use your willpower for the most important task first, for example, it might be work on your project first thing in the morning before you check your social media because you know that once you start to scroll down you will get sucked in for hours and by the time you realise you probably do not have this creativity anymore. Or in the evening put on your sneakers and just go outside for a walk before you sit down on a couch and turn on your Netflix because you know if you do that, you will be lazy for the rest of the evening. 

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Four years ago I lost my dad, it’s the first time I truly lost my loved one. At the same time my seven year relationship ended, it was a big hit for me. If it’s the old me In probably went back to drinking and smoking but I’ve changed for the better. I didn’t want to just eat all day and felt guilty after it either, I wanted to get out of this miserable, depressed state. So, I started weight training. I was doing exercise here and there but not really as a lifestyle. I’ve noticed that after I sweat it out, I feel so much better. I thought this was amazing! Not only I feel good about myself, but my body started to look better as well.

In our modern society these days, people stress a lot about their life, relationships, financial situation, work etc. I believe exercise is the easiest and cheapest way to help you reduce stress so, I’ve started to study more how exercise can make you happy. Have you ever noticed why after you exercise, sweat it out at the gym, you feel better afterwards? That’s because exercise is good for your brain, not just for your body. Let’s say if you want to build your glutes, you have to flex them. Believe it or not getting busy working your glutes will also train your brain to get stronger. It increases yourd heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain.

When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. The University of California, says that exercise increases growth factors in the brain which makes it easier for the brain to grow new neuronal connections. Yes, there are billions of neurones in our brain like a spiders web and they can keep growing! Sounds very scientific? Let me explain to you in a very simple way.

Some days you feel like you could kill someone at work. Sometimes you think your world is collapsing, or you can’t seem to stop eating. But then the next day you feel like you’re on top of the world, then you ask yourself – what’s happening? You don’t seem to understand yourself sometimes, well that might be because of the chemicals in your
brain (hormones) are playing games with you. These are chemicals in your brain that can make you happy or not so, if you have less.

Dopamine

It releases during pleasurable situation, it motivates you, when you feel unmotivated that’s because the dopamine level is very low. There’s this experiment, they switch off brain receptors in rats which reduce their dopamine levels, slowly the rats stop moving and just want to eat cheese. So next time you lose motivation and just want to sit in front of TV and eat your favourite ice cream, put on your sneakers and go for a walk. Because exercise can increase your dopamine level, so you can get your motivation back

Serotonin

Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilises our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness. This hormone impacts your entire body. Serotonin also helps with sleeping, eating, and digestion. When you feel sad, depressed or frustrated that might be because your serotonin is low that’s why anti depression medicine focus to help you increase serotonin. Studies have shown that exercise can help you increase serotonin.

Norepinephrine (or noradrenaline)

Helps with your attention, focus. High norepinephrine = sharp focus, low norepinephrine = dull and blah. Sometimes when I’m blocked, instead of sitting in front of my laptop, I’ll go to the gym and sweat it out. When I come back I
can be more creative.

Endorphins

When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce our perception of pain. Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body similar to morphine (work as pain-killer.)

The magic pill is exercise

A few examples why I say exercise cures everything.

• Exercise boots memory
  The part of the brain that responds strongly to aerobic exercise is called the hippocampus. Since the hippocampus is at the core of the brain’s learning and memory systems, it explains the memory-boosting effects of improved cardiovascular fitness.
• Exercise increases concentration
  Exercise help you focus and stay on task longer. Better at multitasking, ignoring distractions, and processing complex information.
• Exercise improves mental health
  Studies have shown that exercise seemed as effective as antidepressant drugs and psychological treatment to overcome depression.
• Exercises enhances with creativity
  Next time you can’t think of the idea for your new project. Try go for a walk or on treadmill, surprisingly you might be able to surprise your boss and colleagues with these crazy ideas.

• Exercise slows cognitive decline
  You don’t need to be a rat race at the gym to get this benefit, workouts don’t even need to be extreme, as long as you get your heart rate up a bit. Could be walking 30-45 minutes or weight lifting twice a week can have a good impact on your health.
• Exercise improves circulation
  Exercise increases heart rate, so it helps deliver more oxygen and glucose to the brain to help with blood circulation.
• Exercise helps learning and memory
  You don’t need to kill yourself at the gym, just moderate physical exercise like walking your dog in the park boosts memory functions and learning.
• Exercise builds more brain cells
  Exercise prevents diseases

If you want to start exercise. I’d recommend two days strength training combined with 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise like walking, dancing or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise like hiking, running, cycling.
Bottom line any exercise is better than none exercise at all. Choose what you enjoy to develop an active living for a healthier lifestyle.