It’s My Birthday !

Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer Says ” You Can Melt Fat With Your Mind “

All too often I have heard clients downplay their achievements and results when it comes time to re-assess their figure and fitness results. Sadly, its not uncommon for me to see someone to drop 10cm from their waist in 4 weeks and then say, ‘oh but my thighs are still too big’, or for someone to decrease their bodyfat percentage by 8% in 12 weeks and then say ‘oh but I’m still not a size 8 yet’.

When it comes to fat loss and fitness, there are several pieces of the puzzle you need for success; a healthy and balanced nutritional plan; an exercise regime that includes cardiovasulcar exercise and resistance training; and finally accountability for your actions (a SculptLife Personal Trainer is perfect for this as well as all of the above!). But there is one other component that you may not realise you need to address, but is vital to your success…

…Your mental approach to your training and weight loss regime…

Have you ever heard the saying ‘it’s like watching paint dry/grass grow?’ Or have you ever been waiting for something and watching the seconds tick by on the clock and each minute feels like an age? In my opinion, these are comparitive to changes in your figure when trying to reduce fat/tone up. It becomes far too stressful and discouraging when you focus too much on what your body is doing.

It is better to simply be aware of your exercise/healthy eating regime, and focus on the “process” but not to focus too much on your progress. Set yourself in your daily routine and let your body do the rest. Just relax, let it happen and enjoy it.  Check out the article “Setting Fitness & Health Goals with a Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer” for advice on how to turn your dreams into reality .

Back from New Zealand !

I had a great time away after a week in New Zealand – we surprised Pete’s parents with 7 of us staying for the week. It was an awesome trick, we got it on video as we raced up to the door. Poor Pam, she just kept crying out Oh My God !! Oh My God !! Can you imagine what it would been like, sitting down and watching tv and then opening the door and having her 3 Aussie Grandkids standing there! And then the rest of us adults thundering around the corner ( we didn’t have the patience to stay hiding for any longer than 30 seconds !

Once we got over the initial shock I then had to really get strategical about what I was going to eat, and when. Which was easier said then done when my body clock was all over the shop, I was out of my normal routine and there was all this wonderful food being cooked for the masses!

I think I’ll give myself a 7 out of 10 for effort, it could have been better but it could definitely have been worse !

Some of my tips to stay eating clean when you are away from home are :
- have a back up plan with sealed non perishables such as rice crackers, nuts and tins of tuna
- schedule in your fitness training like you would any other day of the week
- if you get caught out and have to eat in a food court my best options would be kebab meat with rice, indian with as little as sauce as possible, or sushi.
- When eating out go for a chicken or fish salad and ask them to hold the dressing.

This all proved to be great timing as Sascha, one of our top trainers, Sportsmodel and who just happens to be my little sister just wrote an article on how to battle the bulge this Christmas called : How To Stay Slim During The Festive Season season

Check it out and enjoy yourself in moderation this Christmas !

Excuses, Excuses. Why you CAN lose weight.

Exercise Excuses. We’ve all used them, we’ve all heard them. But are you really letting your exercise excuses convince you that you can’t achieve the body you want?

When it comes to weight loss endeavours, we usually use excuses to justify why we failed when we didn’t see the results we wanted. So, instead of convincing ourselves something else was to blame for our less-than-satisfied results, why not take on a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude for success?

Now, we all have different circumstances in life that can make exercise regimes difficult to follow compared to the next person. So what is the big secret that the successful ones know that the others don’t?
Well, those that succeed look for ways to make exercise and their lifestyles work; instead of looking for excuses.

Have you heard yourself use any of these excuses?

I’m too busy, I don’t have time.

Ever heard the saying ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person’? We all have the same 24 hours in a day and yet some people seem to get a lot more done than the rest of us. It’s usually these people that have a regular exercise routine in place and have made their health and fitness a priority. Additionally, the energy you earn from exercising regularily and eating clean means you can power through so much more than someone who doesnt. Don’t cheat yourself of the body you want because you haven’t made health and fitness a priority in your life.

I dont like exercising

I’m guessing you dont enjoy it because you’re out of shape and it feels difficult. Well, like I said before, if were easy every one would do it. If you perservere your fitness will increase, you’ll feel lighter and leaner and you’ll begin to love the feeling that comes with being fit.

I went for a walk last week and I drink low fat latte, thats good enough

Telling yourself that minimal effort is enough to budge that stubborn body fat is only cheating yourself of the results you want. Think to yourself, ‘am I really giving my honest 100% effort here?’
You’re the person who will care the most if you don’t reach your figure and fitness goals. We all know feeling disappointed when you know you could have done better really bites, so don’t let that happen, give it all you’ve got!

I’m trying really hard

There is a difference between trying and doing and unfortunatley your body only cares about what your are doing, not what you are trying to do. As much as we would love it, your body isn’t going to say ‘well, they are really trying hard to not eat junk food, let’s cut them some slack and shed a few kilos’.
It’s about what you do, not what you try to do.

So, how did you fare? Are you using these Exercise Excuses to convince yourself you can’t acheive the body you really want? It’s important to get used to the idea that obtaining your ideal body will take some hard work and sacrifice.
Make sure you understand and accept that from the start and just get on with the work that has to be done. You’ll find that you CAN lose weight and i’m sure you’ll be pleased with your results!

PS – If you need some help getting serious about your training and healthy eating regime, give me a call at 0433 147 833 or visit www.sculptlife.com.au to book a free fitness consultation valued at $80. We’ll help you bust some of these excuses to get your to your ideal body!

The Top 6 Most Common & Critical Dieting Mistakes

So our last two weeks of the Your Best Body Challenge are fast approaching and
after seeing the calibre of effort from everyone in last weeks sessions I can see
you guys really mean business! Congratulations on your efforts thus far, I almost
didn’t recognise some of you !

One quote I would like to share with you, which I find helps me focus when I have my
eye on a finish line is:

If it was easy, everybody would do it

I suppose it’s my own form of saying, “Get some Tuff’n Up Juice inta ya !” Anything
worthwhile doing is going to take some hard work and some sacrifice. So to help
you through these last couple of weeks I wanted to let you know some tips so that
you can work smarter not harder.

The 6 Most Common and Critical Dieting Mistakes

1. Skipping Meals or Snacks.
Don’t think that you’ll lose more fat by skipping meals, actually the opposite will
happen and your body will go into starvation mode, hanging on to fat for dear
life.

2. Overcompensating with portion sizes
You should finish each meal just before you feel sated, and not eat more in one
meal just because you skipped the one before. Or undereat because you gorged
the night before, just get back on the bandwagon and eat the normal meal you
originally planned.

3. Relying only on the scales for your progress
You should be aiming for a half a kilo to a kilo of pure fat loss a week. Weekly losses
above that mean you’ve also lost fluid and sacrificed some fat burning muscle. It also
means that you are more likely to gain that weight back again.

4. Severly restricting calories
Lowering your calories excessively makes your body say :
“Am I in the desert? Am I walking on the kokoda traill in enemy territory? Well I better
hold on to this energy dense fat as stubbornly as possible, and burn some of this
energy expensive muscle because I don’t know when I’m going get my next sqare meal”

5. Being impatient & unrealistic
I could almost say The Biggest Loser has been the bane of my existence! I get super
motivated clients at the first weeks of programs, and then when they don’t lose 10 kilos in
the first week they are disapointed! Remember, if it was easy everybody would do it, and
that weight didn’t come on in a week, so set yourself realistic weight loss goals with a
routine that fits into your lifestyle and you will achieve safe and permanent weight loss!

6. Relying on the scales as your only feedback.
Many people make educated and well informed opinions on events everyday. Not so when
it comes to their weight and body image! You can’t compare apples to oranges, so why
only use weight as your measure of success when weight takes into account muscle
glycogen (energy) storage, the amount and density of lean muscle, hydration levels ASWELL as
fat. Use measurements, how your clothes feel, how you look in the mirror and compliments
from friends and family to really gauge how you are going.

So, now you know the Top 6 Most Critical Dieting Mistakes….. Don’t Make ‘Em!!!
I urge you to go through the Your Best Body Guide again this week, mark your Week 6
Self Assessment and plan out your sessions and meal ideas for the next two weeks.

That is the most powerful advice I could give you right now, if you have any questions
please don’t hesitate to send me an email at info@sculptlife.com.au or call the office
at 5438 7609.

Bye for now !
Bianca

PS. We’ll be doing our Christmas Break Up Games & YBB Awards Breakfast on Dec 12th 7am – 10am at Point Cartwright. Stay tuned for more details !

Are You A Skinny-Fat Person?

This might sound like I’m contradicting myself but the skinny-fat syndrome is very real. What does this mean ? You might look fit and slim when wearing clothes, but under the clothes everything is soft, flabby and skinny-fat.

You probably also have some stubborn trouble spots around your belly, thighs and upper arms. Why does this happen though? In my experience skinny fat people make poor diet and lifestyle choices, and often they’ve been making these choices for years.

The answer lies in regular weight training, including at least three cardio sessions a week but most importantly eating whole quality foods often and regularly throughout the day. And as for alcohol, well, in the spirit of all things in moderation I would say a few glasses on the weekend won’t set you back too far.

As long as you follow the golden rules throughout the week – My first tip when deciding on a healthy meal option is to ask yourself did it come from an animal, did it grow from the ground, or did it fall from a tree.
That will at least get you away from the strangely shaped and highly processed “chicken strips” and hopefully steer you towards a leaner, stronger and healthier you !

Yours in Health and Fitness

Bianca Aiono

P.S If you need any help to transform yourself from being a skinny-fat person, then contact us on 5438 7609 or visit www.sculptlife.com.au to schedule in your FREE fitness consulation valued at $80.

Your Best Body Challenge in Full Swing!

Check out some of the pics from Week 3 of the 8 Week Your Best Body Challenge – Country and Coastal !

Any suggestions for the next Cardio Challenge Day ?

I want to know what you want to do for our next Cardio Challenge Day ? Here are some of my suggestions but you are welcome to suggest some of your own !

Coast VS Country Carnival
Beach Volleyball
Surf Carnival
Mini Olympics
Water Sports
Beach Cricket
Mt Ngungun Climb
Mt Coolum Climb

C’mon, these days are for YOU! So tell us what YOU want !

Wild Horse Mountain Cardio Challenge

Wild Horse Mountain Cardio ChallengeClick here : to check out our Saturday morning cardio challenge day, where we got the chance to show everyone how much their fitness had improved. They can climb mountains now ! What an amazing start to the day, and what a way to show you how to live the life you want, and love the body you’re in. Please view it, rate it and leave a comment I’d really appreciate it !

Bride-To-Be Dies After Crash Dieting

I was horrified to read that an overweight woman scared of being a “fat bride” on her wedding day died of a heart attack after losing 19kg on a crash diet. She had followed the “Lighter Life” program for 10 weeks where her calories were restricted to just 2090 kilojoules, approximately 500 calories a day.

That’s the equivalent to eating nothing but a Boost chocolate bar . More like ” No-Longer-Have-A-Life” Program!

This poor woman, pushed herself to the limit, and do you know what, by severely restricting her calorie intact her metabolism would have slowed to a crawl, her body would have eaten her muscle and she would have lost more in water weight and lean body tissue. She was putting herself through agony that not only was unneccessary, it was working in the opposite way !

She would have had no strength or stamina, her vision would have been blurry, she would have felt light headed all the time and I bet she had to rely on some heavy appetite suppresants or even overdose on caffeine to stop her chewing her own arm off! And her fiance! The poor man will probably be racked with guilt and regret that she felt she had to put herself through that torture for a day that was meant to be a happy celebration of their future together !

It makes my blood boil when I hear about scientifically unsound claims by manufacturers of the latest “magic pill or diet fad”. No wonder everyone out there is confused! I would like to go up to those girls on the latest infomercials ( – You know, “Just 3 easy installments of $49.95 and 3 minutes a day and you too will get washboard abs !” – yeah right ! ) and ask them EXACTLY what they do to get their bodies looking like that. I bet they’d be pretty red faced and embarassed to tell you that they do NOT rely on the equipment that the manufacturers are trying to con you into believing ! ( I’ll do it one day too you know ! Watch out ! )

If you want to lose weight and keep it off for the long term then email me about how I can show you a way to eat your way to your ideal healthy body.

How good does that sound !

None of this replacing two meals a day with processed powder crap ! *( sorry, but can I speak candidly here on my own blog ? Well, I like making my own rules so I will !)

If you really want a way to lose weight, safely and permanently I have the answer for you.

You will be surprised at how much good, wholesome and TASTY food you can eat.

But you will be really impressed at how much your body will change too !

For you guys and girls who are already getting great results with our healthy eating plan and exercise program, what is it that you’ve learnt about your own body and metabolism that makes you never want to consider crash dieting. What advice would you give to someone who was considering it ?

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