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Are you a woman over 40 struggling to lose weight? Have you tried every diet and exercise plan but still can’t seem to shed those extra pounds? The issue may not be your willpower or discipline, but rather, an imbalance in your hormones.

 

According to Dr. Sara Gottfried, a Harvard-trained gynecologist, and author of The Hormone Reset Diet, hormones play a crucial role in weight loss. Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate various functions in the body, including metabolism, appetite, and fat storage. When our hormones are imbalanced, it can lead to weight gain and difficulty losing weight.

 

Let’s explore the impact of hormones on weight loss, including insulin resistance, cortisol, and estrogen dominance, and discuss strategies to balance hormones to support weight loss, including the role of intermittent fasting and the keto diet.

 

Insulin Resistance and Weight Loss

 

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance occurs when cells in the body become less responsive to insulin, leading to higher blood sugar levels and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance also promotes fat storage, especially around the midsection.

 

Dr. Gottfried notes that insulin resistance is prevalent in women over 40 and is often a result of chronic stress, lack of exercise, and a diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar. To support weight loss, it’s essential to address insulin resistance by adopting a low-carbohydrate diet that focuses on healthy fats, protein, and fiber.

 

The Keto Diet and Weight Loss

 

The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that has gained popularity in recent years for its weight loss benefits. The keto diet works by putting the body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.

 

Dr. Gottfried notes that the keto diet can be an effective strategy for weight loss, especially for women over 40 who struggle with insulin resistance. The keto diet can help lower insulin levels, reduce inflammation, and promote fat loss. However, she cautions that the keto diet may not be suitable for everyone and recommends working with a healthcare provider to determine if it’s right for you.

 

Cortisol and Weight Loss

 

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. When cortisol levels are chronically elevated, it can lead to weight gain, especially around the midsection. Dr. Gottfried notes that chronic stress, lack of sleep, and a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can all contribute to elevated cortisol levels.

 

To support weight loss, it’s essential to address cortisol levels by adopting stress-reducing strategies such as mindfulness practices, yoga, and regular exercise. Additionally, a diet that emphasizes whole foods, healthy fats, and protein can help support cortisol balance and reduce inflammation in the body.

 

Estrogen Dominance and Weight Loss

 

Estrogen is a hormone that plays a crucial role in women’s health, including reproductive function and bone density. However, when estrogen levels are imbalanced, it can lead to weight gain and difficulty losing weight. Estrogen dominance occurs when there is an excess of estrogen relative to progesterone, another hormone that helps balance estrogen.

 

Dr. Gottfried notes that estrogen dominance is prevalent in women over 40 and is often a result of environmental toxins, stress, and a diet high in processed foods. To support weight loss, it’s essential to address estrogen dominance by adopting a diet that emphasizes whole foods, fiber, and cruciferous vegetables, which support estrogen metabolism.

 

Dr. Gottfried has a wealth of information in her latest book – Women, Food and Hormones. It’s a must buy, we highly recommend it. It answers so many of women’s health and weight loss challenges, providing the answers to the problem.

 

We use her protocol within our nutrition coaching programs, connect with one of our coaches if you are interested to discuss this more. Get in touch now.


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October 10, 2022 HealthcareNutrition

You may feel like a failure for not being able to make “simple, obvious decisions”—like choosing a roasted chicken salad over a Big Mac and fries. Simply knowing what to eat doesn’t always make the difference when wanting to improve your health and lifestyle choices.

How we can help? 

1. Help you understand it’s not “all your fault.”

Yes, there’s individual responsibility involved in changing how we eat, move, and live.

At a certain point, you do have to make the decision to do things differently: work out when you would normally watch TV, add a side of veggies to dinner, get that extra hour of sleep you really need.

But the idea that a person’s size is only about those individual decisions is far too simplistic.

You can really benefit from understanding this. It can chip away at a dangerous myth that holds you back: That not having the body or health they want comes down to making logical, straightforward choices.

As coaches , we help you see that the food and lifestyle choices often aren’t straightforward.

This can uncover what’s really influencing your eating patterns. Or what we like to call “the problem behind your problem.”

2. We use the goals, skills, practices, actions framework.

This framework is how we break down big health goals into smaller, more manageable chunks.

It allows you to focus on actions you can successfully practice—instead of giving you a strict set of rules to follow. Just as important, it takes into account your unique challenges, preferences, and lifestyles.

So it meets every person where they’re at, and naturally helps unroot what’s standing in your way.

Get in Touch.

If you want to understand more on how this all works or if you see that having the support of a coach who understands where you are at and is able to walk you through each step, give us a call and book in for a conversation to discuss what you need and how we can help.

Yours in health,

Donald and the Plett Sports Clinic Team

Call: 044 533 0155

Email: info@plettsportsclinic.com


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October 4, 2022 HealthcareTherapy

“I’m just too busy!”

When it comes to managing stress, we’ve all been told how important self-care is.

From getting regular exercise and restorative sleep…

…. to hanging out with family and friends….

…. to carving out some personal space for a hobby, reading a novel, or just relaxing.

But for many of us, actually doing this feels impossible because THERE’S JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME.

If you feel that way yourself, here’s a question to ponder:

Are you 100 percent sure?

What if it’s a false belief that’s holding you back?

There’s one way to find out: Try an experiment that tests your assumption.

We’ll give you an example.

In a 2008 study from Leeds Metropolitan University, scientists found that when people exercised at work, they were more productive compared to the days they didn’t exercise.

Specifically, the participants scored 15 percent higher in their ability to meet both time and output demands. They also reported feeling less stressed and happier with their job.

How to Do It 

Step 1: Choose a self-care practice you’d like to start doing (or do more of).

Step 2: Write down what you’re worried will happen if you start doing it. (Examples: You’ll be less productive at work; you’ll let people down; your house will fall apart.)

Step 3: Create a way to measure how you’ll know if your initial concerns are true. This could be a simple 1 to 10 subjective rating.

Don’t like it? You can stop doing it, or try another approach.

One other key here…

Don’t get overzealous.

When adding your activity, start small. Choose an amount of time that feels REALLY easy.

Seriously.

On a scale of 1 (no way you’re ever going to do it) to 10 (so easy it’s almost laughable), you should be a 9 or 10 on your ability to follow through.

This might mean just 5 minutes at first. While that might not seem meaningful, it’ll help ensure that you (or your client) will actually take action.

If you have success, you can always add time and continue the experiment.

This really does work.

Check out this example from a client (who gave us permission to share it). It’s taken from his iPhone, and it shows his daily average steps each month for last 20 months.

Back in early 2021, he was working out for an hour a day, three days a week (lifting weights and hitting the Air Assault bike). But he was only averaging about 2,500 steps per day.

And though he wanted to move more, he just didn’t think he had time because of his job.

Then he tried an experiment.

He started with “really easy” (a 9) which, for him, was walking to the end of his neighborhood and back each day (about 12 minutes). Quickly, he jumped to about 4,500 steps per day.

As he saw improvement—and no dropoff in his work performance—he began to believe he could do even more. So he started trying to get in a 3-mile walk most days, in addition to his regular workouts.

Some days it rained or he was sick—and he didn’t make it. On other days, though, he walked farther.

He progressed from there.

Over time, you can see how this practice has taken hold. Even in “down” months, he’s now taking significantly more steps than when he started.

In fact, his latest results (August of 2022) show that, overall, he’s gone from being relatively sedentary to being pretty darn active (9000+ steps a day!).

Yet nothing else in his life changed, and there aren’t suddenly more hours in a day.

It all started with “baby steps”—and the willingness to experiment.

Again, this isn’t just about exercise.

You could also use this approach for making time to meditate, take a hot bath, enjoy a hobby, or just get in a daily dose of fun (however you define that).

Any of which could help lower stress and anxiety, improve your physical, mental, and emotional health, and make life more fulfilling.

Call a Coach!

Do you feel like you need more help or the support of a coach to help you create manageable and sustainable structures to support you in your Stress Management?

Give us a call to schedule a 1-1 to chat about where you or at and start creating healthy structures to help you Live Better every day!

Yours in health

Donald and the Plett Sports Clinic Team

Kudos: This content is from our partners at Precision Nutrition Inc.


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September 29, 2022 HealthcareTherapy

 


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September 21, 2022 HealthcareTherapy

We’ve been wanting to discuss the importance of sleep, and how it effects our overall health. Generally speaking, if you’re not sleeping well, you’re most likely experiencing high-levels of stress. This often impacts our health negatively and has downward spiral effect. More stress, less sleep, invokes lack of exercise and craving carbs. And that in turn, repeats itself and exacerbates the situation.

Going to the experts, we found this great article that explains all of that. From the Sleep Doctor, a great resource discussing all of these issues and interviewing experts on the issue of sleep. Written by Dr. Michael Breus, here is the link – https://thesleepdoctor.com/mental-health/stress-and-sleep/

“Not getting enough sleep has a significant impact on stress levels and overall mood. Research suggests that people who have slept better also experience less negative emotions and can recover faster from a stressful event.

On a biological level, poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation are thought to influence stress-related parameters including cortisol levels and systemic inflammation. Fragmented sleep or long-term sleep deprivation appear to contribute to higher cortisol levels. Going to sleep at times that are not concordant with natural sleep-wake rhythms can also disrupt cortisol patterns.”

The relationship between stress and sleep can also bring on digestive issues, muscle tension and pain and an elevated heart rate. However, you can get out of this cycle by first understanding how the relationship between the two work. How it affects your hormones, how you can improve the situation by actively being aware of it and managing it. It goes without saying that exercise helps balance the sleep-wake cycle, as well as what you eat and drink. Avoiding caffeine and alcohol. Things we tend to increase during periods of stress.

Our advice is always, eat right, exercise often and the rest will follow. Ensure you start healthy habits that encourage sleep,  i.e remove technological devices which inhibit sleep. All of this and more is discussed in the above mentioned article, so it’s a must read!

Written by Dr. Michael Breus, here is the link – https://thesleepdoctor.com/mental-health/stress-and-sleep/


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A Health Coach can help you reach your health and fitness goals—from getting your cravings under control, to feeling better, dropping fat, gaining strength, and anything in between.
 
But it also means going deeper than these physical results.
Our coaches care. Our coaches are qualified to really care. We can help…
 
– Improve your physical, mental, and emotional health
– Bolster your immunity so you can more effectively ward off infections
– Build resilience so you can better handle a stressful day, week, or month
– Improve the quality of your sleep and rest—so you can feel and function at your best
 
Do you want to achieve lasting, intentional, meaningful and sustainable results? Get in touch now. We are at the Market Square Shopping Centre.
 
E: info@plettsportsclinic.com
C: 044 533 0155
www.plettsportsclinic.com

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You want to get fitter, stronger, live life with more vigour, but you may not be someone who likes training in groups.

In fact, it is so overwhelming that the very thought of it creates a physical reaction in you.

Or maybe you just like to be focussed, without the distraction of others. An environment where you have someone 100% focussed on you, is far more appealing to ensure you maximise your results!

Not everyone likes to be in a group, especially when it comes to exercising. That’s where personal training comes in. In particular, 1-on-1 exercise, where your coach can focus 100% on you, your goals, where you are being taken care of.

Every day we meet people who wish they were just that little bit lighter, fitter or stronger. Our aim is to accomplish that by improving balance, movement, strength, speed, agility, mobility, flexibility and overall performance throughout the body.

Plett Sports Clinic offers a holistic and comprehensive form of training for every person at every age and level of fitness.

Our trainers live and breathe health & fitness in their own lives and their mission is to encourage, support and motivate you, to live the type of lifestyle you want, because your health and fitness enables you to.

So if having a personal trainer who can design a workout program especially for you appeals to you, to help reach your personal goals, then get in touch with our team now!

The first step is picking up the phone or sending us an email, we’ll take care of the rest.

 

Email info@plettsportsclinic.com or call us on 044 533 0155.


+27 (0) 44 533 0155
0722649118
info@plettsportsclinic.com

Upper Level, The Market Square Shopping Centre, Beaconway, Plettenberg Bay

Plett Sports Clinic (PTY) Ltd.

Copyright by Plett Sports Clinic 2023. All rights reserved.