Eat Plants, Move More.

Eat Plants, Move More, has been my philosophy for a good number of years now. Its the basic principle I use to manage my relationship with my body- whether that’s addressing periods of poor nutrition, weight gain, lack of exercise, or that feeling that you sometimes get you just feel out of balance. The ‘bleurgh’ feeling as I call it.

And it’s actually really simple- when I’m not content with how my body feels and looks, I eat more plants and I get myself moving more.

It works.

It doesn't matter if you're wanting to loose weight, gain weight, or get fitter- the basic principle will work, albeit with a few tweaks depending on your aims.

Want to gain weight? You need more calories- but also exercise so that the weight gain isn’t just caused by your body storing excess calories as fat. By exercising more, your body will use the increase in energy not only for exercise, but for recovery and muscle building afterwards. Eating more plants can 100% help you do this- just look at how strong some of the largest mammals on the planet are: they're herbivores.

What if you just want to get fitter? Sometimes that 'bleurgh' feeling doesn't come from the figure we see on the scales (and it 100% shouldn't- the reason I've trained in nutrition and personal training is to help people feel good about themselves, both physically and mentally, and above all to help them create lifestyles filled with energy and confidence!) It sounds obvious- to get fitter, you need to move more! To account for the calorie deficit created by the increase in exercise? Eat more plants- A big worry people have about a plant based diet is concerns about a lack of protein- but its perfectly possible to meet all nutritional requirements on a plant-based diet. Tofu, peanut butter and chia seeds are just 3 you can start with.

And the big one? Weight loss. When people feel unbalanced in their bodies, its typically weight loss they're looking for. In many ways- this is the simplest way to apply my philosophy- for weight loss, you need to eat more plants, and definitely move more. Weight loss is primarily about nutrition- so moving from a diet high in processed foods or foods that are high in saturated fats, ditching the fizzy drinks and cutting down on sugary treats will make a world of difference. Moving more speeds the process along, as it helps create the calorie deficit needed. Exercise also releases endorphins- which are hormones that make us feel good! Moving more is not only good for your body, its also good for your mental health.

Its worth noting- weight loss and loss of mass (becoming smaller) do not have a direct correlation- loosing mass does not necessarily equate to a lower number on the scales. Often we'll tell ourselves we want to lose weight, but what we actually want is to change our body composition. The number on a scale only shows half the picture. There are plenty of other ways to look at 'weight loss' progress. If you're adding more exercise to your lifestyle, at some point, the scales are likely to stop moving, but what you'll notice instead is a change in body composition- that is you'll tone up, and you're likely to find as you keep going that you've dropped a dress size, even if the scales haven't really changed.

The most important thing?

Honestly- its how you feel!

Life is about balance, and when that balance is right, our bodies feel great. I'm not going to pretend that physical health isn't important- it is. Being fit and healthy has so may positive indications for good health outcomes. But physical health should never come at the expense of our mental health- which is why the focus in all my services is on enabling you to create sustainable lifestyle changes, rather than diets based on deprivation or complicated exercise regimes.

If you're ready to start making changes- I have my next 5 week mini program starting on the 25th of February- you can sign up today! Completely online, it includes a lifestyle assessment, fitness testing, nutrition advice and an exercise program, amongst other things. You can find out more details by clicking the button below. Its going to be great!

Bring Back Balance

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So there it is- my Eat Plants, Move More philosophy in a very quick nutshell. I'll be sharing more over the coming weeks, and talking in more detail about exercise and nutrition.

But for now, have a great day.