This Girl Can is a new campaign by Sport England to encourage women to take up a sport or physical activity.
Research revealed the reasons why women, in the UK in particular, don't participate in sporting activities as much as men. According to Jeannie Price, CEO of Sport England, "Some of the issues, like time and cost, were familiar but one of the strongest themes was fear of judgement. Worries about being judged for being the wrong size, not fit enough and not skilled enough came up time and again".
The campaign encourages women to get up and get moving, whatever their age, level of fitness or level of experience and to participate and have fun whether they are good at it or not. The only issue I have with it is the line "feeling like a fox" which implies that the aim is to be sexy. I feel that it would have been preferable to leave that out and focus soley on the physical and mental health benefits of doing more exercise. What do you think? I'd be interested to hear your views in the comments below.
Increasing your fitness will help your yoga practice too - you'll get stronger and have more stamina - and your yoga practice will help you in your chosen sport or activity - you'll get a great stretch for those hard-working muscles, and a chance to relax and and become quiet after all that moving about. The two will complement each other
Take a look at the video here - I hope it inspires you to try something new whatever your level of fitness and, as Nike says, "Just Do It".
Although your motivation was probably high at New Year, as January draws to a close you might find you need a little boost to help you stay focused on your resolutions. As I mentioned in last week's post, the number one New Year's resolution is to lose weight and the second most popular is to get in shape. Both of these goals are very broad and just too vague. It's helpful to narrow them down and get clearer about the reasons we let our good intentions fall away. This next article might explain one of the reasons why our goals to get fit often fail. It makes interesting reading...
The Real Reason We Don't Exercise...and why you should get your body out of its comfort zone.
Theories of human behavior have long shown that immediate experience often outweighs future rewards. What this means is that it is hard to do something uncomfortable even if it earns us something good later.
Exercise is uncomfortable—uncomfortable relative to our typical reality, that is. We live in a society where we keep the indoor temperature adjusted to perfection all year round, wrap ourselves in soft clothing, wear thick-soled shoes to protect our feet from harm, lay on cushy beds draped in poofy covers, and shower and scrub with warm water and soap every single day. Is all of this First-World pampering making us intolerant to even mild physical discomfort? Maybe exercise isn't too uncomfortable—maybe our everyday lives are a little too comfortable.
Here are many of the discomforts I have heard people (myself included!) blame on exercise:
Are you trying to eat more healthily as part of your New Year's resolutions? Here are 10 tips for maximising the nutrients in your meals that will boost your health and help keep your intention to eat healthier food on track. The emphasis on adding things rather than taking things away is helpful, so that you don't have to think of changes to your diet as a punishment. Number 4 is my favourite way to add extra goodness and flavour to my meals. What's yours?
10 Tips To Boost The Nutrient Density Of Your Meals
Exercise is uncomfortable—uncomfortable relative to our typical reality, that is. We live in a society where we keep the indoor temperature adjusted to perfection all year round, wrap ourselves in soft clothing, wear thick-soled shoes to protect our feet from harm, lay on cushy beds draped in poofy covers, and shower and scrub with warm water and soap every single day. Is all of this First-World pampering making us intolerant to even mild physical discomfort? Maybe exercise isn't too uncomfortable—maybe our everyday lives are a little too comfortable.
Here are many of the discomforts I have heard people (myself included!) blame on exercise:
- I hate sweating.
- I hate being too hot.
- I hate being too cold.
- I hate being out of breath.
- I hate when my hair gets messed up.
- I hate sore muscles.
- I hate blisters and calluses.
- I hate getting wet in the rain.
- I hate getting out of bed when it’s dark and cold.
- I hate going out at night when it’s dark and cold.
- I hate getting dirty.
- I hate working out in front of people at the gym.
Are you trying to eat more healthily as part of your New Year's resolutions? Here are 10 tips for maximising the nutrients in your meals that will boost your health and help keep your intention to eat healthier food on track. The emphasis on adding things rather than taking things away is helpful, so that you don't have to think of changes to your diet as a punishment. Number 4 is my favourite way to add extra goodness and flavour to my meals. What's yours?
10 Tips To Boost The Nutrient Density Of Your Meals
In a world where we are constantly looking for tips and tricks to boost our energy, mood and productivity, we can't ignore nutrition. Rather than focusing on what to avoid in your diet, I like to shift the focus to increasing the nutrient density of your meals. This way you are adding much more healthy proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, and as a result, some of the less-healthy things easily fall away.
Here are my top 10 tips to boost the nutrient density of your diet:
1. Drop the filler foods.
I would consider bread, rice, pasta and crackers as some examples of filler foods that are taking up a significant caloric portion of your meals, but are not giving much back nutritionally. If you replace these servings with more vegetables or starchy vegetables like sweet potato, yam, squash, beets and carrots, you are greatly increasing the nutrients in your meal.
2. Eat more leafy greens.
Leafy greens are a powerhouse of nutrition. Include these in salads, stir-fries, sautéed greens with garlic, or even in green smoothies for convenience.
3. Add a veggie snack every day.
One of the goals with a nutrient dense diet is to increase your vegetable intake to at least 6 servings daily. Adding a vegetable snack every day will help you to reach this. Try vegetables with hummus, celery with almond butter, or simply a small bowl full of colourful raw veggies when you need a crunchy snack.
4. Top your meals with nuts and seeds.
Another easy tip to up the nutrient density of your meal is to top it off with mineral-rich nuts or seeds. Consider preparing your favourite blend of hemp hearts, chia seeds, sesame seeds, slivered almonds or others that can be sprinkled onto your meal.
5. Eat ½ plate of vegetables with each meal.
Change the way you build your plate to incorporate more vegetables. This way of eating is optimal for your weight and metabolism, and will also ensure that you meet all of your vitamin and mineral requirements each day.
6. Add more power foods to your breakfast.
Breakfasts can be far more creative than toast, bagels and cereal! Start your day off right with an energy boost by drinking a green smoothie, topping your porridge with hemp hearts, chia seeds, cinnamon and goji berries, or eating a vegetable packed frittata to start your day off right.
7. Focus on lots of color.
Just as we remind children to eat all the colours of the rainbow, the practice of eating colourful meals keeps us healthy too. Bring in the balance of different coloured vegetables and fruits into each of your meals to reach the full range of plant-based nutrients. Some of the most colourful foods have extremely high levels of antioxidants — turmeric, pomegranate, beets, watercress, spinach and sweet potatoes to name a few.
8. Eat protein with each meal.
Most people struggle with some degree of blood sugar regulation issues, ranging from hypoglycemia to insulin resistance to diabetes. One of the best ways to maintain stable blood sugar levels is to eat protein with each meal. Depending on your dietary preference this can be healthy versions of fish, meat, poultry and eggs, or vegetarian sources such as beans or lentils.
9. Include healthy fats.
Thank goodness we are finally over the low-fat diets! Including healthy fats is essential for your mood, hormone balance, cognitive function, skin health and more. Some of the top fats to add for a balanced meal are olive oil, coconut oil, nuts seeds or avocado.
10. Don't forget the fibre.
Fiber will naturally come with the addition of more vegetable and fruits, so don't be tricked into eating lots of whole grains to meet your daily fiber requirements! You can further top up your fiber with the addition of ground flax or chia seeds, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds. Whole foods naturally contain a good amount of fiber.
In conclusion, as you are making nutritional changes towards a nutrient dense diet, don't forget about the joy and pleasure of eating. I always encourage my patients who are taking on a new diet to look at it as a cooking adventure! Your attitude will make all the difference in changing the way you eat as a long-term lifestyle change, instead of just a new diet.
1. Drop the filler foods.
I would consider bread, rice, pasta and crackers as some examples of filler foods that are taking up a significant caloric portion of your meals, but are not giving much back nutritionally. If you replace these servings with more vegetables or starchy vegetables like sweet potato, yam, squash, beets and carrots, you are greatly increasing the nutrients in your meal.
2. Eat more leafy greens.
Leafy greens are a powerhouse of nutrition. Include these in salads, stir-fries, sautéed greens with garlic, or even in green smoothies for convenience.
3. Add a veggie snack every day.
One of the goals with a nutrient dense diet is to increase your vegetable intake to at least 6 servings daily. Adding a vegetable snack every day will help you to reach this. Try vegetables with hummus, celery with almond butter, or simply a small bowl full of colourful raw veggies when you need a crunchy snack.
4. Top your meals with nuts and seeds.
Another easy tip to up the nutrient density of your meal is to top it off with mineral-rich nuts or seeds. Consider preparing your favourite blend of hemp hearts, chia seeds, sesame seeds, slivered almonds or others that can be sprinkled onto your meal.
5. Eat ½ plate of vegetables with each meal.
Change the way you build your plate to incorporate more vegetables. This way of eating is optimal for your weight and metabolism, and will also ensure that you meet all of your vitamin and mineral requirements each day.
6. Add more power foods to your breakfast.
Breakfasts can be far more creative than toast, bagels and cereal! Start your day off right with an energy boost by drinking a green smoothie, topping your porridge with hemp hearts, chia seeds, cinnamon and goji berries, or eating a vegetable packed frittata to start your day off right.
7. Focus on lots of color.
Just as we remind children to eat all the colours of the rainbow, the practice of eating colourful meals keeps us healthy too. Bring in the balance of different coloured vegetables and fruits into each of your meals to reach the full range of plant-based nutrients. Some of the most colourful foods have extremely high levels of antioxidants — turmeric, pomegranate, beets, watercress, spinach and sweet potatoes to name a few.
8. Eat protein with each meal.
Most people struggle with some degree of blood sugar regulation issues, ranging from hypoglycemia to insulin resistance to diabetes. One of the best ways to maintain stable blood sugar levels is to eat protein with each meal. Depending on your dietary preference this can be healthy versions of fish, meat, poultry and eggs, or vegetarian sources such as beans or lentils.
9. Include healthy fats.
Thank goodness we are finally over the low-fat diets! Including healthy fats is essential for your mood, hormone balance, cognitive function, skin health and more. Some of the top fats to add for a balanced meal are olive oil, coconut oil, nuts seeds or avocado.
10. Don't forget the fibre.
Fiber will naturally come with the addition of more vegetable and fruits, so don't be tricked into eating lots of whole grains to meet your daily fiber requirements! You can further top up your fiber with the addition of ground flax or chia seeds, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds. Whole foods naturally contain a good amount of fiber.
In conclusion, as you are making nutritional changes towards a nutrient dense diet, don't forget about the joy and pleasure of eating. I always encourage my patients who are taking on a new diet to look at it as a cooking adventure! Your attitude will make all the difference in changing the way you eat as a long-term lifestyle change, instead of just a new diet.
And finally, a great picture quote to remind you that it's up to you..... :-)
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