I struggle with what to call myself in my career. Personal Trainer leaves out the work I do in seminars and with pro athletes. Personal Trainer is the first thing people think of when they want to lose weight. The distinction also doesn't indicate that I have a degree in Kinesology. End of the day, who cares when I help people transform their bodies right?
Well what ever I call myself. One thing is very apparent to me: people like to hear about weight loss. Not sure about the "doing" part yet.
Going forward I think my question to people wanting weight loss is going to be "how did you sleep?" I can't believe how many people leave sleep out of the weight loss equation. Now more than ever we should be getting the best, deepest, most restful sleep imaginable. We have sleep science out there to get us the perfect bed to match our body.
I am based out of Winnipeg, so I looked around locally for a store where I could have my body and pressure points analyzed. I went to Dufrense Furniture, and had a sleep expert explain the whole process to me. I was hooked when they talked to me about hormones, chronic sleep deprivation, and exercise recovery. Their new product roll out is called "The Dream Experience", and that's what people in this nation miss. You have to leave time in your day to sleep, and get into deep sleep.
Sleep resets your Leptin and Grhelin meaning it is one of the most potent hunger controls out there. You have to get into your deep sleep cycles to experience the full effect of that reset of hormones. That's why it is key to make sure your bedroom is designed to be a positive sleep environment, including the mattress you sleep on. Once you start getting a good nights rest, you will wonder how you ever functioned without it. Your body will thank you, and so will your waist line.
Now that you are sleeping better, what's the other best weapon? Well a mattress is to sleep what a food scale is to nutrition.
Serving size is the most misunderstood part of nutrition. You will gain weight eating too much. That includes too much health food.
In Winnipeg, myself and my partners in One Fit City have begun to go into people's homes as part of our total program. We teach them how to cook, measure, and keep food fun. We also talk about what goes into the cabinets and cupboards.
Once people see, and understand what a serving size is, weight loss becomes easier. If you don't have to fight and burn off all the extra calories, you see results much faster. It all starts with good choices for the morning. Breakfast starts the day by leveling blood sugar, adding protein, and fueling your day.
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There is not easy way to weight loss, but there are smart paths. Get to know serving sizes of your favourite food and measure them out. Once you see what you "need" versus what you want, you can start to make better choices everywhere you go. Add to that a solid restful sleep so you are fuller faster thanks to better hormone control and we are on the way to making this nation healthier, One Fit City at a time.
