MY BLOG

MY BLOG: ON MOVEMENT

Best exercise for my body type

Your body shape can actually tell you what type of activity is best suited to you and your body type, helping to make the most of your natural talents.

Should I eat breakfast before exercising?

There seems to be significant benefit derived from exercising on an empty stomach, contrary to popular belief.

How important is physical activity?

Being physically active on a regular basis is the key to good mental and physical health.

MY BLOG ON How To develop a strong core

While most people understand why they’d want to improve this area, there appears to be huge confusion around exactly how to do this.

The best exercise for long term fat loss

Not only is resistance training important to prevent against conditions like osteoporosis and posture problems, it’s also a great way to ensure a metabolically active body throughout the day (not just when exercising).

Is more better when it comes to exercise?

Mainstream advice tends to suggest that better results occur with high volumes of exercise, but this isn’t the truth as recent research shows.

Move your bootie and improve your bottom line

Quick quiz. How many muscles in the human body? 642! What are muscles designed to do? Move your body.

Push to failure, push to grow

What does it take to develop yourself physically; to achieve the ‘body’ goals you set out to achieve? I think the trick is how you use failure.

Your best (petrol) body ever

Most people don’t seem to know what they’re doing when they hit the weights area of any gym so I thought it a good idea to unpack best practice for weight training to help you get the most out of your time at gym.

MY BLOG: ON NOURISHMENT

KIDS (& PETS:)

Feeding kids for good health

Feeding kids for good health is every parent’s responsibility. Problem is, it’s not always easy!

Is your child in danger?

As concerned and loving parents we do our best to protect our children from harm. But what about those dangers lurking in our homes?

MY BLOG ON Feeding the two-legged beasts

Modern conveniences pose real risks to your children’s health so to minimise these, focus on a good diet.

Feeding the four-legged beasts

Processed foods impact massively on human health; the same is true of the effects of domestic animal foods on our pets.

LIFESTYLE

Is a plant-based diet healthy?

Animals have a means of protecting against predators. But plants also have a mechanism for defending themselves. Phytoalexins are a plant’s “claws”. Historically, we’ve assumed that a plant-based diet provides nutrients that are beneficial to human health. But what if we’re wrong?

Reducing menopause digestive issues

As women, we tend to experience a great many menopause digestive issues. This is because our gut houses so many oestrogen, and other hormone, receptors. Before we get into the specifics of menopause and the gut, however, it’s important we understand the digestive process.

Are electromagnetic fields dangerous?

Some of the stressors we’re exposed to on a daily basis can be easily recognised and understood, such as junk food and drinks, food chemicals, environmental pollutants etc. Some though, haven’t been quite so well publicised, even though they have far-reaching health consequences.

Will detoxifying improve my health?

We’re exposed to many more toxins in our modern world, than in previous times. Couple this with poor eating, drinking and lifestyle habits and there seems to be a need for supporting overworked detoxification organs.

Will breathing affect my health?

Breathing correctly sustains life, feeding necessary nutrients and oxygen to your cells. To improve your health, you’ll need to learn good breathing technique.

MY BLOG ON Ice therapy for fat loss

Humans have two types of fat in their bodies – brown fat and white fat. Brown fat acts the same way as muscle does, by burning energy, whereas white fat stores energy.

IS THE SUN DANGEROUS?

Vitamin D is touted as one of our most essential health-building hormones and if levels are optimal, can reduce by 50%, your risk of dying from any disease.

IS GOING BAREFOOT HEALTHY?

Throughout history and until very recent times, man has walked, slept, and sat on the earth’s surface – skin to skin, as it were. In this way we naturally discharged electrical stress and were able to restore our natural and stable electrical state.

improve health and weight through good sleep

Lack of sleep can increase your risk of heart disease and raise your blood pressure; it can add to early aging, worsen constipation and increase your risk of dying from any disease.

The dangers of hormone replacement therapy

When considering the question of whether or not to go on hormone replacement therapy, it’s vital that you do your own research on the topic since there is potential for harm from certain HRT drugs.

Happy hormones = happy body

Estrogen suppresses LPL activity on the fat cells, meaning that the more estrogen there is available, the less fat will be pulled into the fat cells, and the less fat you’ll accumulate over time. If estrogen levels are low, LPL on the fat cells will have a field day, causing more and more fat to be stored.

The six most important health habits

For magnificent health and boundless energy, there are 6 imperatives that need to be addressed – thought management, sleep quality, breathing patterns, hydration, diet and exercise.

MY BLOG ON How to improve gut health

Your immune system is effectively housed within your gut, so it’s vital that you digest, assimilate and utilise the food you consume to the very best of your ability.

DIET

What’s wrong with processed food?

Mainstream opinion suggests that moderate intake of processed foods is not harmful to health, but the body requires large amounts of high-quality nutrients that can only be sourced from whole foods.

Why should I eat raw food?

Enzymes tell the body what to do, when and how, making them very important. By eating raw food, you’ll supply plenty of them for good digestion and assimilation.

What’s in your lunchbox?

The dog’s barking; you haven’t quite finished dressing for that all-important morning meeting; your youngest has lost his toothbrush down the toilet and you still haven’t packed any (never mind healthy) lunches for school or work…

What should I be eating for good health?

Your body’s biochemical make-up is as unique as your fingerprints so we’re all very different in the way our bodies process foods and utilise nutrients.

What do ‘healthy’, ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ mean?

To achieve outstanding energy and long-lasting health you must feed yourself foods that the body and brain recognise as foods.

MY BLOG answers diet Q&A

Tanya Wyatt answers some common diet questions with her unique approach to self and food love.

Is salt healthy?

Salt is an imperative part of the human diet since our bodies require a constant concentration of it in the blood.

Do grains make you fat?

Grains are far more problematic for health than people realise, causing overweight, insulin resistance, diabetes and more.

Do or die(t) – how are you eating?

The crux of any good diet choice lies in understanding your own unique body, finding eating habits that suit you, then loving what you eat.

Do I really have to drink water?

One of the most important aspects of good health is optimal hydration. Understanding your own water requirements will help you achieve outstanding health, increase energy and lose excess body fat.

Are supplements worth the money?

Beware of low quality supplements; take only what you need and only if you eat a very healthy diet.

the story of the water babes

Let me introduce myself. I’m what some might refer to as a molecule of water. I prefer to think of myself as a massive, unfulfilled storehouse of potential energy…

Eat fat to lose fat

Clearly the low fat, high carb food pyramid offers poor advice, given the world has become fatter and unhealthier.

Banting or bust

It would be ideal to eliminate all processed foods from our diets, but this just isn’t a realistic option. Health is about balance, not about punishment; it should never be ‘banting or bust’. Banting (high fat, low carb) isn’t a ‘diet’ – it’s a lifestyle choice that’ll work best if you keep it real.

Healthiest choices of carbs, proteins and fats

You need to learn what your personal fuel requirements are in order to stay healthy and in ideal weight, but before you do that you need to know more about the macronutrients that comprise a healthy diet.

How to achieve ideal weight, health and body shape

Use your instinct to help understand your ideal food requirements and eat only real, unprocessed foods.

Managing the festive season

Do you feel anxious about getting through the festive season without picking up weight? Fear not, for there is a relatively simple way to handle al this and still coming out looking and feeling decent.

What should I eat after exercising?

After a workout you won’t want a high carb snack/meal as this interferes with human growth hormone production (which leads to tissue repair and fat reduction).

How to get rid of sugar cravings

Sugar cravings occur as a result of a nutrient deficiency or over-supply, so to eliminate them you need to understand where to add or subtract in the diet.

What happened when insulin took sugar to the principal’s office

Ok, so you’re in the store, picking up a loaf of bread and as you’re paying, you spy a chocolate and decide it’ll keep you going ’till dinner’s ready…

MY BLOG In praise of Tim Noakes

The food pyramid was based on bad science and clearly doesn’t work, so a big shift in dietary approach is necessary.

CONCEPTS

My secret to staying in shape at 48

If you could change one thing that might define your success with optimising weight and health, it would be to see these as long-term goals, worth investing everything you can in them.

Straws on the camel’s back

Fat loss: one of those gender-crossing, depression-causing, joy-killing straws on the proverbial camel’s back. It’s what I typically see clients about and by the time they get to me they have a set idea about what the experience is going to entail…

MY BLOG ON Why skipping breakfast is a good idea

Recent research suggests that we can gain huge benefits from going without food for brief-to-prolongued periods of time.

Are calories important?

Only the timing of calories, their quality and how efficiently your body ‘manages’ them is important.

Is what I just ate right for me?

Your body will let you know whether or not your last meal worked well for your unique biochemistry.

My experiment with fat loss

Research shows that intermittent fasting (temporary hunger) coupled with exercise, forces the breakdown of fat and glycogen, helping your body burn fat without sacrificing muscle mass.

One size fits all

Ever been to a clothing store where they sell only one size? Nothing designed for humans is ever just one size. So why, when we talk diets, do we use the measure of one-size-fits-all as the holy grail of whether or not it works?

Healthy food marketing wolves kept at bay

Jack and Jill lived at the bottom of the hill. Their water source was at the top, until a national supermarket chain opened next door. Although a great convenience, they had to beware the marketing wolves, who were intimately schooled in parting people from their money…

Lost in the (internet) forest of health information?

Little Red Riding Hood never made it out of the woods. Was she eaten by the corporate food wolves; rendered immobile by too many unfulfilled gym memberships, or spiked on a branch of this-alone-be-the-whole-truth?

MY BLOG ON The bits that matter

Prof Noakes has come and gone so those entrenched in their high carb eating habits (the same people who seem to dislike him intently), can take a deep breath, pull up the couch, switch on the telly and relax.

ON FATNESS

Why we get fat and what to do about it

Would you believe it if I said that overweight and obesity may have nothing to do with over-eating and lack of exercise? Rather, these are side effects of fatness!

Is life happy or hell? It depends on your LPL

Insulin plays a massively important role in determining how much fat you will or won’t store. Another of its other roles is to ‘manage’ storage of both protein and fat, which it does primarily through two enzymes – lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL).

How to get lean, in a nutshell

LPL is our ‘fattening’ enzyme, but did you know that we have a ‘leaning’ enzyme too, called HSL (hormone sensitive lipase)?

MY BLOG On fatness and whose fault it is

The amount of body fat you store in your fat cells has a great deal to do with how much LPL (lipoprotein lipase) sits on these fat cells – the more there is, the more fat you’ll store.

All ‘Taubed’ out…

Gary Taubes’s book centres on some key themes – lots of LPL on our fat cells makes us fat; lots of carbs can make us overweight; the obese are neither ‘lazy’ nor ‘greedy’; sufficient HSL on our fat cells keeps us lean; if female, we can maintain leanness by ensuring that our estrogen levels remain optimal.

MY BLOG: ON MINDSET

STRESS

Stress. Here to stay…

Overall, our capacity to manage the stress in our lives depends on how successful we are with finding the leverage to change things; recognising that this might be hard; and developing the strength to withstand the impact of stress.

MY BLOG ON How TO reduce stress

Negative stress impacts on your adrenals glands which are responsible for producing all stress hormones. If they’re not given good recovery time, they can become so tired that they fail to produce enough health-enhancing hormones.

CHANGE

Successful goal setting

We all have the best of intentions when it comes to setting new resolutions, but often the reason they don’t stick is because we’re trying to change a habit overnight. For sustainable, realistic changes, these habits should be overcome gradually and consistently.

How do I change negative habits?

Changing a habit is harder than it appears. The answer seems to lie in understanding the link between the habit itself and the behaviour which results in the habit.

What does it take to change?

We often tell our children about the magical transition of the caterpillar into a butterfly; of how ordinary can transform itself into beautiful in one big leap. It’s the story of the Ugly Duckling and Cinderella. It’s the story behind every diet and New Year gym membership!

On your bike – creating patterns

Many may think my business is about bodies – what you put into them; how you move them; and how you use that stuff between your ears to think about them. Well they wouldn’t be wrong, but the real work I do concerns patterns.

Eureka! I’ve got it…

We’re all looking for the magic formula – the one thing that will take care of our weight and health. There isn’t one – it’s down to you and you alone…

Succeeding with diet and lifestyle change

A habit takes a good few weeks to change, so trying to achieve more than one small change at a time can be a mighty difficult thing. How about setting yourself 12 new health-enhancing habits for the year ahead … one for each month.

Scared of change? Do it, or sit down and zip it!

It burns my arse when peeps moan about their bodies, but do NOTHING to change or improve the situation!

Staying alive

You can try to just exercise, or just diet, or just spot your negative thinking patterns. But to truly develop a happy body it’s going to take doing everything in combination.

SELF-LOVE

Putting me first

How do I love myself? Let me count the ways… gluten-free chocolate cake from Vovo (when they have it in); a really good book (when I have the time for it); a manicure (on my birthday); a good movie (when I’m able to stay awake long enough to watch it)…

Loving the pudding I am

I’m 46 and I’m in good shape. As a woman, this has invariably led to me being regularly called (amongst other things) ‘lucky’, ‘genetically gifted, ‘fortunate’ or – simply – a ‘bitch’.

Absolutely not obsolete

It was Arnie who recently said (in his deadpan Terminatoresque voice), “I’m old. But not obsolete”. Clearly he’s feeling a lot like I am these days.

MY BLOG ON Self-love at the office

Imagine looking at yourself in the mirror and saying “I am, quite simply, the most wonderful person I know!” What kind of day at office are you likely to have?

Can you feel your perfect body?

How useful is a mirror or scales in providing feedback on our bodies? Do they tell us anything about what our body is capable of, how sexy it is, or whether we can dance the Tango?

Dressing for my inner Chewbacca

So the PE birdie flew past me the other day and whispered this gentle piece of feedback into my ear – “Erm, Tanya, I hate to be the one to say this but – frankly – you dress inappropriately and your body makes other woman feel rather out of sorts!”

THINKING DIFFERENTLY

Get off the hamster wheel!

Get off the hamster wheel, allow yourself to chill but keep your goals in mind; this way your healthy diet/exercise regime is a lifestyle worth adopting.

Leanness doesn’t equal happiness

We think/are sold the premise that if we can just lose those extra 5-15kg we put on when we were pregnant (with our now 15 year-old child), life will be absolutely fantastic and we’ll be happy at last. At the unconscious level though, we know it’s BS.