by Tracey Vowels, Lifetime Fitness Professional and Women’s Health and Wellbeing Coach
Find a group of ladies around the coffee table and its almost guaranteed that at some point the subject of ‘weight loss or gain’ will be discussed.
Whether it’s the latest diet that someone is on or a new gym workout aimed at fast inch loss, who’s taking what fat burning supplements or what cook book or DVD someone is following all in the name of achieving a better body shape.
Most of us know why we put on weight and are normally quite aware of the extra pounds creeping on over a period of time. But for some people there may be other reasons why they struggle to lose a few pounds.
Lack of good quality sleep has a big impact on our waistline by altering the levels of certain hormones that regulate our hunger.
Certain medicines may make you feel more hungry or hungry for certain food types like carbohydrates.
High levels of stress can increase the cravings for sweet and fatty food, let’s face it has anybody ever eaten half a cucumber when dealing with a stressful event!
Thyroid issues – an under active thyroid can slow down metabolism and should be checked out if along with other symptoms weight loss has become a problem.
Not drinking enough water – if you are fully hydrated you are less likely to get ‘hunger pangs’ and turn to snacking instead.
Of course drinking too much alcohol (a glass of wine has the same amount of sugar as a slice of cake!), not exercising enough and eating too much of all the wrong foods will result in weight gain at some point.
So the moral of the story – Try to get a good night’s sleep, take time to relax, try yoga, pilates or meditation, eat good wholesome food, save the treats and takeaways for weekends only, drink lots of water, cut down on the alcohol, take part in some regular exercise and be kind to yourself. Your body and waistline will thank you for that.
– Tracey runs regular weekly exercise classes for ladies of all ages and abilities. You can contact her on 07970 029465 or email [email protected] for further details or advice on any class.
