Nutrition

Yippee! I’m half way there. So, it’s Wednesday, Day 8 and I’m still going strong on my 14 day detox. I thought the weekend was going to kill me but it turns out there are more benefits to doing a detox than just cleansing my liver: now that I’m so full of energy, my house is also getting a great clearout. There’s parts of my kitchen worktop that I haven’t seen in years. Saturday was brilliant, I felt on top of the world, I just can’t explain how clear everything seemed to me. Like I had tunnel vision, knew what I wanted to do and just did it. Now maybe most people work like that anyway but me, not so much. If I’m doing something I get distracted easily and end up trying to do other stuff at the same time. But this was like magic and I got so much done it was amazing, and I felt amazing too.

Here’s an interesting insight from Orla into what’s involved in the early days of a 14 day de-tox. Please be aware that the purpose of the de-tox is NOT weight loss, although it is an inevitable result of not eating any carbs/junk for 14 days. The purpose of the de-tox is to support the liver and allow it to be more efficient in removing toxins and burning fat. Please feel free to comment or ask any questions. – Willie

My Detox

So, I’m on my 4th day of my detox and it certainly has not been easy but I can’t believe how well I’m managing now. It’s green veg only, a protein shake 3 times a day, and water. It’s suppose to be for 14 days which helps the body cleanse the liver. After a nutrition consult discovered that my liver was toxic I decided it was now time to do something about it.

The phrase “you can’t out-train a bad diet” is one I often use to a client, when emphasising the importance of a healthy eating plan where weight-loss is the main goal.

I’ve lost count of the number of clients who have no problem pushing themselves to their limit during their training sessions but whose diet let’s them down and doesn’t allow them to reach their goals.

During initial consultations with new clients I focus on the individual’s current diet and lifestyle and see which areas are most in need of change. This tends to throw up the usual suspects like too many carbohydrates, too little protein/vegetables, not drinking enough water and long gaps between meals.

Last week we looked at the importance of making one change at a time in order to achieve health or fitness targets. Today I’ll concentrate on one of the most important aspects of any weight-loss programme: Nutrition.

It seems obvious that in order to lose weight, the first area that needs to be addressed is our daily food intake. And yet, so many people seem reluctant to tackle this aspect of their lives in a meaningful way.

The fact is that healthy weight-loss is quite simple and yet, it can appear very complicated. The simple part is the type of food our body needs to survive and allow us to live energetic and healthy lives. The complicated side is why we don’t do it, and this brings up factors like stress, motivation, as well as emotional and hormonal issues. We’ll cover the hard part another time but today let’s keep it simple.

Although weight loss is the main focus of almost all participants in our Bootcamps, I emphasize at all times the need to achieve it by safe, healthy and sustainable means. One method that ticks all of the above boxes is very simple: drink more water.

I’m not sure if it’s because we’re surrounded by the stuff or because it seems too good to be true, but clients’ Food/Lifestyle diaries consistently show me that most of them do not drink enough of it. I find this frustrating, because of all the nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes I recommend, this has to be the easiest to implement.

So let’s have a quick re-cap on why water is so important and how it can help you to get leaner and fitter.

Probably the most common mistake I see on Food Diaries is where clients leave long gaps between meals. Prior to starting a training and nutrition programme, the daily routine for most people will look something like this:

7.30 AM – Drag themselves out of bed.

9.30 AM – Tea/Coffee with a scone or muffin.

1 PM – Light lunch, usually consisting of a wrap or sandwich

6.30 PM – Main meal of the day, usually potatoes, rice or pasta combined with meat or fish and some vegetables.

7.30 PM – Biscuits/Chocolate/Sweets/Crisps with a cup of tea