Energy

Healthy Eating – Enjoying Food

Enjoying a good meal is one of life’s most pleasurable experiences. It saturates the senses, fulfills a basic human desire, and can be a wonderful way to connect socially with others.

Although the long term result of an unhealthy diet is common knowledge, many people overlook the immediate physiological effects of food. The raw materials needed to renew the trillions of cells in our bodies can only be obtained from the nutrients that are assimilated through the process of digestion.
In accordance with thermodynamic laws, the energy from your last meal is now being used as the energy which is keeping your body alive. That means the essence of last night’s dinner is now within your heart cells, your brain cells, your bone cells, your muscle cells, the cells of your eyes, hair and skin. That same meal also set in motion a cascade of chemical and hormonal changes, effecting every aspect of your being, including your mood, energy levels, thinking capacity, libido, sleeping patterns and more. (Hope it was a good meal!)

With so much being said and written in the name of good health and optimal nutrition, we’ve found many people suffer from “information overload paralysis!”
That is, all the conflicting studies, differences of opinion and opposing diet regimes have created confusion about what healthy eating really means. Many people don’t know what to believe anymore, or are simply unaware of how to start making changes. As a result, they slip into unconscious habitual eating patterns based on taste and convenience, which often results in poor health.

RISE Personal Training recognises there is no single nutrition plan that works for everyone. Have you ever wondered why certain foods make you put on weight, while the same foods can have no adverse effect on your friend? What about the person who seems to be able to eat almost anything without putting on one kilogram? Why do high protein/low carb diets work for some people, while low fat/high carb diets work for others? The fact is we are as different on the inside as we are on the outside. From the shape of our internal organs to the rate at which we metabolise nutrients, our biochemical make up is unique, down to the very last cell.
As a result, civilisations throughout history have adopted various methods of identifying differences among individuals as a means of optimising nutrition and health. RISE Personal Training combines the timeless wisdom of ancient eastern cultures with the clear insights provided by modern western science to bring you a thoroughly unique system of healthy eating, guaranteed to increase your energy and improve your health.

Here is a little taste!

You are How, What, When, Where and Why you eat.

Everyone is familiar with the term “you are what you eat”, but this statement is only one dimensional. If you really want to enjoy food and maximise its health benefits, then how, when, where and why you eat, are also important. Below is a brief insight into our holistic approach to healthy eating and enjoying food.
Feel free to adopt as many (or as few) of the recommendations as you like. There is no order of priority in which they need to be applied. It all depends on where you are starting from (health wise) and how much better you want to feel. You may find just making one of the changes is enough to increase your energy levels and optimise your weight. Alternatively, you might like to adopt all ten. (If you’d like to make a big change, we recommend that you implement no more than two each week, to make the transition process smoother.)

These tips are essentially about “tuning in” to the signals of comfort and discomfort coming from you body. There is nothing quite like that feeling of comfort that comes from beginning a delicious meal when you are really hungry. Mmmmmmm! But what happens after the first few mouthfuls? The signals begin to change as the body starts to deal with the food that is coming in. At some point, those feelings of comfort (encouraging you to eat more) will begin to change into messages of contentment from the stomach.
All of us have had the experience of over eating - when we eat to the point of feeling bloated or even quite sick. How does this happen? At what point did your body stop sending you messages of comfort and start sending messages of discomfort? Where was your attention? Was it swept away by the taste of the food, or was it distracted by something in your external environment?

How
Chew - Give your intestines a helping hand by thoroughly chewing your food (preferably until it is liquefied). This will greatly improve your digestion (a process which begins in the mouth) and reduce your chances of developing intolerances, caused by undigested food particles passing through the gut wall.
Breathe - Once you have swallowed your food, pause. Take a breath. Wait until the food has moved down completely past your throat, before you begin preparing the next bite. The hungrier you are and the more delicious the food, the harder this will be…but consider that by shovelling the food in unconsciously you will experience the least possible enjoyment from the meal. Why not slow down and savour every morsel!

What
Discover your needs - The same type of food has a different effect on each person. After identifying your unique constitution, we will teach you exactly which foods complement your biochemical individuality. You’ll feel younger, more energetic and more alive than you have in years!
Variety in moderation - Food is a gift to be savoured. Enjoy as wide a variety of different foods as possible and rotate them, so that you only end up eating the same food once every 3 or 4 days. This will ensure you receive a balanced nutrient intake, keep your meals fresh and interesting and reduce the chance of developing food intolerances.

When
Your stomach is empty - Food takes (on average) around four hours to move out of the stomach. Beginning your next meal before the previous one has left the stomach will only decrease the enjoyment of eating. A simple method to help you implement this is to put your hand on your stomach and feel if there is any food still in there. With practice you will become sensitive to when your stomach is ready for more food.
Eat Early…not Late - Breaking your overnight fast with a morning meal gives you energy for the day and takes advantage of the time when your digestive enzymes are at their strongest. If your goal is to lose weight, then try not to eat anything after 6pm. This simple rule produces amazing results and although it usually requires a major shift in the time scheduling of your meals, it can be very effectively applied in short term blocks (one month).

Where
Sitting Down - Whenever you eat or drink anything (except for water), make sure you are sitting down, preferably on a chair at a table. Even if it is one brazil nut or one sip of your favourite beverage, make sure you are sitting down. This assists your digestion and prevents any unconscious snacking that often sneaks in while your mind is focused on other tasks.
Away from distractions - As often as possible don’t do anything thing else when you are eating. This includes reading, watching TV, driving, listening to music, etc…why would you want to? After all, eating is one of the most pleasurable experiences in life, why not give it all of your attention and maximise your enjoyment.

Why
Because you’re Hungry - Unconscious, emotional eating is very common. Because the dramatic and instantaneous physiological effects of food can temporarily overwhelm feelings such as anxiety, depression and boredom, many people build up unconscious eating behaviour patterns based around the circumstances of their life situation.
When you feel genuine hunger and the stomach is completely empty, begin your meal with an amount equal to two cupped handfuls of food. Once you’ve finished, wait for five minutes (to allow time for satiety levels to be registered) then if you’re still hungry, have another helping. By using this method you’ll never have to starve yourself or finish a meal feeling hungry, you’ll simply be allowing enough time to register the signals coming from your body.
Because you’re Socialising - Eating together is a wonderful way of connecting to others, but remaining conscious of your actions while enjoying good company and a fine meal is a tricky business! Try saving just a little bit of your attention for the way you are eating. Don’t talk or prepare the next bite while there is still food in your mouth. This will help you enjoy the food (and the company) so much more and most times your friends won’t even notice.

Nutrition Consultation
If you would like some help in learning how to bring the above ideas off the page and turn them into meaningful action in your life, or you would like us to teach you exactly which foods will optimise your health based on your individual make up, then contact us for a private consultation. Find out how we’ve helped hundreds of people increase their energy levels, optimise their weight and improve their relationship with food.

Food Shopping Tour
Making effective, long term changes to your diet begins with the way you buy food. Knowing what to eat and how to prepare it will only leave you feeling frustrated unless you establish a new routine when it comes time to stock up the fridge. We’ve found that a food shopping tour (in which your trainer comes shopping with you, helps you read labels, suggests foods appropriate for your goals and answers any questions you may have) is a great way to set a new pattern of shopping behaviour.