Have you ever wondered how your body reacts to sugar?

Sugar, as much as we love it, can be a cause of many health issues such as chronic health problems or heart diseases. Not only can access sugar sabotage your weight loss, but it can also take over from the space that should be reserved healthy - nutritious.

How about some facts?

Despite all the warnings and signs, people often tend to overlook this fact. The amount of sugar per day for women should not exceed 24 grams (6 tsp) and for men 36 grams (9 tsp). While, currently, the average for both genders is about 73 grams (17.4 tsp) per day!

Have you ever wondered what happens to your body after overeating on sugar? Let's break it down...

Your Brain

Sugar triggers the release of dopamine (your happy hormone), so yes sugar provides temporary feelings of happiness, which however might become addictive. The more sugar you eat, the more you need to reach that same 'sugar high'.

Your Skin

Sugar increases inflammation in the body, when it comes to skin - it could appear as a skin conditions such as acne.

Your Liver, Pancreas, and Kidneys

Your liver converts the excess sugar into fat, which over time can lead to fatty liver disease - similar to what alcohol abusers may suffer. When it comes to the pancreas and kidneys, overdoing it with sugar can lead to diabetes and kidney failure.

Your Digestion

Too much of processed sugar can negatively influence your gut microbiome, and lead to poor digestion.

Your Blood

Refined sugar and too much of it can cause blood spikes - highs and lows, and eventually lead to chronic health problems.

How sugar works?

Any sugar you consume broks down into glucose and fructose.

Glucose: is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) and the main component of carbohydrates, which is the body’s preferred source of energy. Glucose gets directly absorbed into the bloodstream to be used as energy.

Fructose: known to be - fruit sugar, this particular sugar is processed in the liver, where it's converted into glucose so that it can be used as energy.

Other than fruits, fructose is also in added to processed foods (high-fructose corn syrup for example). The difference is that when eaten in a fruit form you're also consuming fiber and nutrients that help slow down the absorption and keep your blood sugar levels steady.

The Bottom Line?

Not all sugar is created equal. Sugar naturally occurs in foods like fruits, veggies, dairy products and grains. When consuming these whole foods, you also get plenty of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This includes fiber, which helps slow digestion and maintains your sugar levels steady.

If you'd like to read more about sugar check those out:

HE HEALTHIEST SUGAR ALTERNATIVES

IT IS TIME TO BREAK UP WITH SUGAR

Missing a workout? Is it a big deal?

You just started your new fitness routine, you feel pumped and super motivated. Then you get tangled up in the daily busyness and you skip a workout, and two, three, or even more! Before you know it, you missed a whole week and you are slowly getting out of shape.

Now what?

Missing a workout once in a while is nothing to worry about. It's actually good for your body to take rests and have the time to recover. So how fast will you actually get out of shape? Read on to find out...

I've sipped a week of training, now what?

First, let me tell you - missing a workout isn't all that bad. A lot depends on what kind of a fitness programme/ plan you are following. If you are on a pretty intense fitness routine, a week off might provide you and your body with a nice recovery benefits. You might even see improvement when you return back to your routine, not only physically but also mentally (a little boost of motivation).

However, once your time off gets closer or past a one-week margin, you may start noticing some decrease in your strength and fitness.

I've Missed a Workout for Almost a Month!

First of all, no need to panic! But, you might want to get back to your routine soon. Again, a lot depends on what type of fitness programme you're following and what results you are expecting.

If you’re following an aerobic training program (swimming, running, or cycling), you may experience decline in your endurance in just about two weeks or so after stopping your routine. Such declines may not be obvious at first, but the longer your break, the more noticeable the changes may be (obviously).

What if Your Goal is Fat Loss?

When you stop exercising for whatever reason while trying to lose fat, a lot depends on your diet too. Exercise is what creates a caloric deficit, therefore it's important you chose the foods you eat accordingly. If you keep eating the same amount of calories as you were while following a fitness routine, you will likely gain some weight.

So to avoid weight regain, make sure to adjust your caloric intake to balance out for the calories you’re not burning through exercise.

Consistency IS the Key

If you’re consistent with your training, taking a day or two off here and there isn’t such a big deal.

Be smart - if you're skipping your routine, always try to walk to places instead of driving, take stairs instead of the elevator and so on.

How fast you lose progress also depends on your training 'history'. If you’re new to exercising and you take a few weeks off, you will most likely lose more progress than a person who’s been training continuously for a couple of years.

There are a million reasons why you might have to skip a workout. Whatever your reasons may be, the key to not losing progress is to get back into your routine as soon as you can. Avoid postponing your workout for another day, what is stopping you today from hopping back on?

NOTE: If you’re sick or injured, take your time and get back into your exercise routine. Work with a medical and/or fitness professional such as Rob, if needed.

Book your FREE consultation with Rob today!

Our Hard Wired Habits and How to Change Them

What is a habit?

Habits are small decisions turned into actions that's performed daily.

Did you know?

About 40 percent of our behaviours are habitual!

So that only makes sense when we say that we ‘do things out of habit’. Have you ever drove directly home from work and pulling into the driveway you realised that you needed to go to a shop which is the opposite direction? Yup, hard wired habit.

Speaking of deeply routed habits, a friend of mine turned pescatarian, went to a BBQ ate lots of meat and only after he started to feel uncomfortable did he remember he was not supposed eating meat.

What we do repeatedly, eventually forms the person you are and the things you do and believe in. Having a routine can be great to stay organised, however not all of our habits are good. One of those not so good habit examples would be: biting nails when stresses, smoking, overeating, snacking… these can be extremely difficult to change as they tend to be so deeply engraved in our brains, it makes it almost impossible to act otherwise.

Your fitness level? A result of your habits

Not drinking enough water? A result of your habits

Overeating? A result of your habits

Therefore, you probably guessed it, introducing a new habit or changing an old one won't be easy, and a great amount of patience would be required.

Our Habitual Patterns

To make it easier lets split the process of building a habit into four stages:

impulse - the obvious
temptation - the tempting
response - the easy
win win - the good stuff

So what a habit looks like?

impulse = You wake up
temptations = You feel a little groggy and need a little kick
response = You make yourself and drink a cup of coffee
win win = You satisfied your craving to feel alert, and so your morning coffee becomes associated with waking up

Planting a habit requires time and a little (or a lot) of effort. Remember, on average it takes 6 weeks for your actions to become a habit. Based on the principles above, try to make it more 'appetising' for you, when introducing a new habit, by following these four steps. Make it:

obvious
exciting
simple
satisfying

The How to:

• Go small, go easy

I mean, really small, willpower is like a muscle, it gets fatigued if used too much and your motivation will probably rise and fall as you go. For example, rather than quitting smoking cold turkey, reduce the amount of cigarets you smoke. Big change but easy enough to sustain your motivation. As this becomes a little more of a habit, see if you can also switch from normal cigarets to electronic cigarettes, for example, or help yourself quitting by using nicotine patches.

You can also break the new habit into small chunks - so instead of not smoking all week, select 2 'smoke-less' days instead and slowly add up days little, by little, until eventually you you have no 'smoke-days' in a week left.

2. Slipping is totally fine

Don't be too harsh on yourself, as we said it takes time and patience, and practice makes perfect. If you slipped, just back on track as quickly as possible.

Try not to expect failure, but be prepared and ok with it if it happens.

3. You got this

Again, patience, patience, patience! This is a crucial skill to have, patience is everything.

New habits should feel easy in the beginning and by staying consistent and increasing your habit gradually it may get hard enough, pretty fast.

Do you find changing your habits impossible? We can help!

Book your FREE consultation today and we can coach you guide you through changing old habits but also introducing new ones!

5 Habits You Might Want to Change:

#1 Skipping Breakfast
Having a portion of complex balanced breakfast is the best way to start your day, keeping you fuller for longer and provide you plenty of energy for the busy day ahead.

#2 Sitting too Much
Nowadays, majority of people lead sedentary job, it is important to take a break here and there. Get up, walk, get the blood flowing. Taking stairs instead of elevators, walking instead of driving - you get the idea.

#3 Not Drinking Enough Water
Drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated while boosting your metabolism.

Check out our blog: DRINK YOURSELF INTO WATER DRINKING HABIT

#4 Lack of Sleep
This can make your brain function slower and leave you feeling sluggish. Not to mention, over the time it can decrease your metabolism and mess up your hormonal balance.

#5 Stress
Stress produces a hormone called cortisol that leads to increased appetite, cravings, laziness and restlessness. Try managing your stress levels by taking some down time, practising self care, exercising or even meditating.

8 Habits of Happy & Healthy People

Weight-loss isn’t meant to be a strict diet plan but rather a lifestyle. We at TRANSFORM PT do our best to teach our clients that this lifestyle change is not only going to benefit them from losing some weight and getting toned but most importantly, becoming a healthy & happy person!

Here is 8 of our TOP - Healthy & Happy People Habits for you to follow:

1. Have Breakfast

We have probably all heard this one before…yet people still tend to fail it! Having breakfast is important for a number of reasons:
• It starts off your metabolism
• It stops you from overeating later on
• Supports your concentration

If you are not a brekky person - keep it light with a granola bar, piece of fruit / smoothie or natural yogurt. DO NOT skip it!

2. Plan Your Meals & Snacks

Most of all we believe meal and snack preparation is the key to successful weight loss because meal prep keeps you in control of what and when you eat, keeping you safe from having to reach out for fast unhealthy options.

Need a help with your meal & snack planning? BOOK a free consultation with us!

3. Water, More Water and Even MORE Water!

Staying hydrated is itself very important, but it may also help you lose weight. Try avoiding sugary drinks that are linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes, and chose water instead.

TIP: If you are not a big fan of plain water, add some flavour with mint or slices of orange, lemon, lime, watermelon, or cucumber. Not to mention this will help to detoxify your body and it tastes delicious!

4. Sleep Well

A good night’s sleep keeps you in a better mood, sharpens your memory and focus, and helps you learn new things. In the long run, it lowers your risk of heart disease.

We recommend to aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Following a sleeping routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day will help to run on your internal alarm clock, hence keeping you on the top of things.

5. Take on Some Exercise

Get up and move! No you do not need that cup of coffee. Open your window, breath some fresh air, do some light stretches or sun salutation, or go far a quick stroll outside. It's great for your body and mind.

We have a number of awesome stretches for you to benefit from! Want to know more? BOOK a free consultation with us!

6. Get Offline

Checking your email and social media a lot? Yes, of course you are! We all do it! Get some time to get away from the online world and put you phone down. Cut back on the screen time and go for a walk, read a book, or get creative.

7. Don't Smoke

To stop smoking is a great move forward and the biggest gift to a better health you can give to yourself. There is plenty of services out there to help you quit smoking, if you are not sure where and how to start - talk to your doctor first.

8. Be Mindful & Keep In Balance

Studies show mindfulness washes away stress, relieves pain, and improves your mood. In addition, good balance will help you avoid injuries. No matter your age, good balance means better muscle tone, a healthier heart, and greater confidence.

Combine the two by practicing yoga, meditation or tai chi. These are great ways to work on your balance and mindfulness at the same time.

What to do next?

Finally, take on one healthy habit at the time until it becomes a routine for you. Furthermore, take on another healthy habit until you have covered all 8 of them and became the supper healthy & happy person you always wanted to be!