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Healthy Habits You Can Start Today

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Moving over to a healthier lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t just wake up one day and you are instantly healthy in everything that you do. It is a gradual process of integrating healthy habits into your daily life. I know it can feel completely overwhelming with where to start when you want to make a change. So instead of trying to change your life completely, start by introducing some healthy habits one by one. They say it takes 17 days (numbers vary and I doubt if there is concrete proof) for a habit to kick in. Start with one or two things first, conquer those and then move on to more. If you really don’t know where to start, read on. I thought I’d share some great healthy habits that are easy to incorporate into your life today and will help set the ball rolling towards a healthier happier life.

  

  1. Get moving in the morning – Exercise in the morning is one of the best ways you can start your day. It gets the blood pumping, kick starts your metabolism, wakes you up and energises you for the day ahead. If you aren’t someone that can get up and do an intense workout first thing, then you should still at least try to get in some form of movement. Even if it’s gentle jog/walk or a yoga session it’s better than doing nothing. Exercising in the morning also puts you in the healthy mind frame for the rest of the day, so you will make healthier choices as the day goes on. If you feel overwhelmed with getting up and doing a one-hour workout, then start by committing to ten minutes of movement each morning. You’ll never notice getting up five minutes earlier so every couple of weeks set the alarm slightly earlier. As the weeks go on you will be able to progressively increase the time exercising. Before you know it you’ll be up and getting a good workout in for an hour or more.

  

  1. Cut ‘added’ sugar – Sugar has to be one of the worst things you can consume when you are looking to lose weight or get healthier. Now when I talk about sugar, I’m talking about the processed kind and not the natural sugars you find in whole natural foods, such as fruit. Processed sugar has no nutritional value to the body and strips nutrients as it passes through the digestive system. It’s called empty calories for a reason. In fact, recent studies have shown that sugar has similar addictive effects on the brain as cocaine. So when you consume it you will want more. Sugar also spikes your insulin levels, which leads to increased fat storage in the body. This is why it’s important to start cutting it from your diet. The bad thing about sugar is it’s in almost every food that we enjoy. Start reading your food labels and become more aware of what foods contain added sugars. Then start to cut those out. Apparently it can be quite intense when you first cut sugar as the body goes through withdrawal symptoms, but once it’s out of your diet you will feel so much better for it.

  

  1. Meal plan and prep – If you want to eat healthy then you need to get organised with your food. One of the weekly habits I have in my life that helps so much, is my meal planning and prepping. Once a week I will work out what I’ll be making, write down my shopping list and then stick to that at the supermarket. Then I spend a couple of hours cooking in bulk so I can have lots of healthy food on hand during the week. It can seem like a lot of work to begin with but the more you practice, the easier it becomes.

  

  1. Get plenty of sleep – Getting a good night’s rest is so important to a healthy lifestyle. When you sleep properly your body is able to function better, not just physically but mentally and emotionally too. Poor sleep can also slow your metabolism, which is why it’s so important to get enough sleep. This amount varies from person to person, but the rule of thumb is that you should not feel tired when you wake in the morning. If you are one to go to bed late because you stay up late watching T.V. or are on social media, start by restricting these things one hour before your planned bedtime. Get yourself into a nightly ritual before bed that will allow you to unwind and get to sleep easily. Things like reading, taking a hot bath, meditation or some gentle stretching can be hugely beneficial to getting off to bed and into a deep sleep more easily.

  

  1. Remove negative self-talk – Being healthy isn’t just about having a healthy body, it’s also about having a healthy mind and outlook on life. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy and put ourselves down so much. The mind is a powerful thing, but like everything, it can be trained to get the outcome we desire. Negative thoughts will often appear when you start something new. That could be exercise or healthy eating. The negative voice will always tell you that you cannot do it. Ask the negative voice this is question; WHY?

 

Why? is the best question you can ask. Every time your negative voice talks, ask it why? Then when it answers, turn that negative answer into a positive. I often encounter this when people start to train. They think that they cannot do something, so I ask them why they think that. If they have a reason (some just answer “I don’t know”) then I try to turn it back around on them again with a positive. Their answer is usually “I’ve never done this before”, to which my positive voice would answer “great, this is new and I’ve never done this before so it’s going to be an achievement once I have finished”.

 

Soon, you will start to believe the positives and the negative voice will start to lose the battle. Once you win this battle your confidence levels start to soar and you will start to notice.

 

Now remember you don’t need to try and do these all at once. Start with one or two, let them become good solid habits in your life and then move on to the next.

 

You don’t just need to stick to these either. Sit down and think about what habits you can create for yourself that will help you achieve your goals. I hope you’ve got some good ideas here of some great healthy habits that you can introduce into your life today.

 

Want to know more?

Contact me today to ask any questions or book your FREE consultation

07815 044521 or martinhulbertpt@gmail.com

It’s Okay Not Being Perfect

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Don’t be fooled into thinking that some people are happy all of the time. The fact is that nobody is entirely happy 100% of the time. People may have this exterior appearance of looking happy and making out that they never have a bad day but this is rarely the case.

I have experienced people who appear to be the most positive of people and later find out that behind closed doors they’re unhappy and just putting on a brave, public face. Social media (especially celebrities) only amplifies this as people only portray their best version of themselves online. Therefore, we are fooled to think that’s what their lives look like, being blind to what really goes on in private.

Celebrity magazines are also just as bad. If a person puts on a bit of weight, they are chastised for being fat. Then if that same person loses the weight they are classified as too skinny. No wonder most people can never be totally happy. I just try to be as real and honest as I can. If you keep trying to aim for perfection in life, you will continuously be disappointed as you try and reach an unachievable goal.

 Remember we are all human – I think sometimes people care too much about what everyone else thinks of them that they feel the need to hide behind this perception of a perfect life where they pretend like everything is great (keeping up with the Joneses). It’s often not the case. I like to think of myself as a positive, confident person but I can tell you that I don’t feel like that every day. Some days I just want to stay in bed all day, some days are really crap and everything goes wrong. Some days I’m too lazy to train so I have a couple of beers instead. Remember we are all human, with our own flaws and insecurities, so stop thinking that there are people in this world with a “perfect life”. They simply just don’t exist.

 Life has ups and downs – Life is not always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes life is just crap and it’s ok to have “bad days”. It’s just important that you don’t let yourself stay there. In my experience, the longer you stay in a bad place, the worse it gets and you can get stuck. Being in that frame of mind doesn’t do you any good. So if you have a bad day, week or month that’s okay. Just get it out of your system, have a good cry or shout if you want and move on. Life is up and down and you’re going to have some crap days but you’re also going to have days that are amazing which make the bad ones all worthwhile.

 It’s okay to make mistakes – ‘The only bad mistake is one that we don’t learn from’. I’m not sure who said those wise words but they certainly ring true. Making mistakes is a part of life and you need to learn that it’s okay to make them. In fact, mistakes can be used to teach us the greatest lessons and help us grow into better people. If you make a mistake, accept it and see what you can do to learn from it. I’ve made so many mistakes in my life, and still do today, just ask my wife! The important thing is not to let them get to you or make you feel inferior or like a failure. If you make a mistake, accept it, learn from it and move on as soon as you can.

 Speak kindly to yourself – We aren’t perfect and that’s fine. But just because you can’t do something, or you’ve made a mistake make sure you still speak kindly to, and of, yourself. I hear so many people, mainly women, talking negatively about themselves because they are comparing themselves to others and think that they aren’t good enough. If we keep putting ourselves down, then we can never truly reach our potential. We believe what we tell ourselves. I used to be really shy and allowed my head to be filled with self-doubt and negative thoughts. I thought I wasn’t good enough and all I was doing was self-sabotaging my life. My life only began to change when I taught myself the benefits of positive thinking. So please be kind to yourself as much as you can.

 

It’s time to stop aiming for perfection and start realising that we all have flaws, we all make mistakes and we are all human. No matter what appears on the outside there is always a story behind closed doors. If you want to look to people for inspiration forget the celebrities. Look for people closer to home, people who show their real selves, their flaws, their insecurities and all. When you let go of the idea of being perfect, you will find so much more happiness in your life.

Want to know more?

Contact me today to ask any questions or book your FREE consultation

07815 044521 or martinhulbertpt@gmail.com

Can’t Live Without Coffee?

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I do love my coffee, especially if it is strong and black. A lot of people believe that a healthy lifestyle means that you can’t drink coffee, but I don’t believe that this is true. It is correct that if you want to reduce the ‘stress’ on your live you should reduce your intake of caffeinated drinks, but there are other drinks that should be removed first, namely sugary drinks.

Here is why you can still enjoy coffee and be healthy:

Health benefits of coffee – As I mentioned, there is a lot of information available about the ‘dangers’ of coffee, but the benefits actually seem to outweigh any risks.

Coffee contains a lot of antioxidants, which are important for your health. These will help fight free radicals and reduce inflammation in your body. Coffee has also been seen to reduce the risk of diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, not to mention being good for your mood, alertness and physical performance.

How much is too much? – Personally I would say for you to limit your intake of coffee (regular black coffee) to 2-3 cups per day, and to ensure that you don’t have your last one too late. I usually switch to decaffeinated coffee after 2pm as I find if I drink caffeine after this time it can affect my sleep. A moderate amount of coffee on a daily basis is perfectly fine. Just make sure you keep it within your limits.

What about the risks?
Addiction – As you know coffee contains caffeine and this compound is somewhat addictive. Caffeine affects your central nervous system and people can become dependent on caffeine to ‘perform’. If you stop your intake of caffeine you might experience some ‘withdrawal’ symptoms, including a headache, fatigue, depression, concentration difficulties and anxiety. I find that this passes after a day or so.

Insomnia – Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others, but the timing of your cup of coffee does have an effect on if it will affect your sleep or not. I would normally recommend for you to have your last coffee for the day at least 6 hours before you go to bed. As I mentioned above, I usually switch to decaffeinated after 2pm.

Osteoporosis – There are some reports and claims that coffee will increase your risk of weak bones. However, you need to drink over 7 regular cups of coffee per day to get to those levels of caffeine, ~744mg to be exact. If you drink a lot of coffee I would suggest for you to ensure you get enough calcium to outweigh this risk.

Cardiovascular disease – Coffee (caffeine) does have a temporary effect on your blood pressure and heart rate, especially if you are sensitive. However, there is not enough evidence that coffee and caffeine will cause higher cholesterol levels or heart disease.

Note: If you have heart or blood pressure problems, it is always advised to talk to your doctor regarding your diet and coffee drinking.

Cancer – Coffee (caffeine) has been accused of causing cancer. In fact, most evidence supports coffee (caffeine) as protecting against cancer.

Dehydration – If you have ever had a coffee you have probably noticed that you will need to go to the bathroom a bit more often. Coffee does have a slight diuretic effect, however, unless you have large quantities, it does not seem to cause dehydration. And if you follow my recommendations of drinking plenty of other fluids and keep to drinking coffee in moderation you will certainly not be at risk.

 

Watch the calories! I always buy a black coffee to avoid adding any calories. The fact is that your choice of coffee can have a major effect on your weight loss success. A regular black coffee contains about 2 calories, whilst mocha can contain up to 450 calories, not to mention all the refined sugar!!

 

So, if you are a coffee lover like I am, make sure you drink coffee in moderation, not too late and make sure that you watch your added calories.

If you are a coffee lover I hope you have enjoyed this article!

 

Want to know more?

Contact me today to ask any questions or book your FREE consultation

07815 044521 or martinhulbertpt@gmail.com

Exercise Excuses You Need to Stop

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I must say that over the years I have come across many excuses why people can’t workout. It’s amazing what people come up with when they don’t want to do something. In fact, I can remember when I used to make every excuse under the sun why I couldn’t make it to the gym or go out for a run. “I’m too tired”, “It’s boring”, “I can’t be bothered” were all some of the common excuses I used to make. If this sounds like you, here are some of the most common exercise excuses you need to stop today so that you can start working towards your health and fitness goals.

 

I’m too tired – This used to be my go-to excuse when I did not want to go to the gym. Now, I don’t want you running yourself into exhaustion, but if this is a common excuse for you, it’s time to say goodbye. Sometimes we aren’t at our best, but remember, exercising doesn’t have to be perfect for you to get benefits. Showing up and doing something is way better than not doing anything at all. Once you miss one workout, then you are far more likely to fall into the trap of missing the next, and then the next and so on. Did you know exercise can actually help with giving you energy and waking you up? Exercise also stimulates the release of endorphins (your feel-good hormones), so you will often end up feeling better after the workout.

 The gym is too expensive – A gym membership can definitely be expensive, but don’t let that be the reason you aren’t getting fit and healthy. There are plenty of things you can do that doesn’t involve a costly membership. That’s why, with all of my block bookings I give you workouts you can do at home with no or minimal investment in equipment. You can also pick up cheap second-hand equipment if you want to save on costs. I have also plenty of ‘no equipment workouts’ that you can do at home. There are plenty of options for you, that won’t cost an arm and a leg, so don’t let money be an excuse.

 But exercise is so boring – You can love exercise, or you can hate it. It just depends on how you go about it. If you find your exercise boring, and you are using this as an excuse from getting fit and healthy, then it’s time to do something different. Exercise doesn’t need to be boring, or something you find a chore, you just need to find something you enjoy. Perhaps it’s picking up a social sport, or getting a buddy to workout with. Either way, rather than sitting there and saying it’s boring, contact me and we can look for ways you can make it fun.

 I don’t have enough time – Everyone is busy these days. The major difference between someone who exercises and someone who doesn’t, isn’t that they have more time, it’s just that they make time in their day to exercise. If not having the time is your main excuse, perhaps it’s time to sit down and reshuffle a few things in your calendar and start scheduling in some exercise. Exercise doesn’t need to take hours upon hours either. In fact, you can get effective workouts done in 10 to 20 minutes if you need to. Just remember your words of ‘not having the time’ when you are sitting watching tv or spending 30 minutes on social media!!

 I don’t know how to train properly – If you are new to exercise I know it can feel a little daunting. But don’t let something new and unknown stop you from achieving what you want. All experts were beginners once, and everyone has to start somewhere. There are so many different resources online that can help. This is also why I do what I do. I am here to help you with any nutrition or fitness related questions. I want to provide the best support possible to anyone who is interested on getting fitter and healthier so they can have access to all the important information they need to achieve their goals.

I’m worried about being judged by more experienced people – Everybody has to start somewhere and any experienced exerciser, who has been working out for some time, has been a ‘beginner’ too. The thing is, most people who are exercising are too busy with their own workouts to pay attention to what anyone else is doing. So stop worrying about what people will think, and just get started.

I’m not motivated enough – Guess what? You aren’t born with motivation to do something. In fact, motivation is something you actually need to work at on a daily basis. However, not having any motivation is not a good excuse. If the overall task or goal is a bit too overwhelming, break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. Once you achieve one small thing, then you will feel motivated to keep going, and so and so on. There are days that I don’t want to run or go to the gym, but then I always go back to my goals and remember how good being fit and healthy makes me feel.

 

So no more excuses! Now is the time to get fit and healthy and become the best person you can possibly be.

Want to know more?

Contact me today to ask any questions or book your FREE consultation

07815 044521 or martinhulbertpt@gmail.com