FITNESS Shaping up in the kitchen

HEALTHY CHOICES?To lose weight and stay healthy, go for fresh, unprocessed and home-cooked foods where possible.

Shaping up in the kitchen

‘A six-pack is made in the kitchen’. This slogan is often bandied about in the fitness world. But how true is it? Well, I happen to agree with the many experts who believe that this is very much the case. I have always been a habitual exerciser. I work out because I love to. Following a balanced nutrition plan is not something that comes very naturally, however. I have always had a sweet tooth and for years my favourite food was pasta with cream (carbonara) sauces. There was a time when I used to consider this ‘healthy eating’. I have been in the best possible shape when I have changed my dietary habits. Though exercise levels have changed somewhat through the years, these have not led to any lasting, significant changes in body fat. Rather, it is the significant changes I have made to my eating habits that have helped me trim down my body fat and increase my energy levels. The relationship between diet and exercise is often misunderstood. You can find lots of information online about both, but it can be sometimes difficult to cut to the heart of the matter, so abundant is the information. So what really works? Here are my top tips based on my own personal experience and that of working with countless clients over the past seven years or so. 

Keep it simple
Diet is key to shedding body fat. Keep it simple. Build your diet around fresh fruit and vegetables, good-quality sources of protein, such as organic poultry, beef, lamb and pork, game meats such as rabbit and venison and oily and white fish. Obtain essential fats from nuts, seeds and some full-fat dairy if you can tolerate it.

Make friends with fats
Don’t be afraid of fats. They have gotten a very bad rap in the past ten years, and it’s just plain wrong! If you don’t agree, I’d simply ask you to consider this question: Has the abundance of low-fat goods in stores helped to reverse the trends of obesity and metabolic disease? The answer is a resounding ‘No’. These conditions are more prevalent than ever, so clearly this approach doesn’t work! Good sources of dietary fats are nuts, seeds, fish and meat and eggs.

Purge the processed
Stop eating processed foods! These are the real culprits, with their added sugars and additives to increase shelf life and taste. Eat single-ingredient foods like fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds (see the trend here?) and you won’t go wrong.

Sensible start
Try eating a protein-based breakfast. A growing body of research indicates that eating good quality protein at breakfast keeps you fuller for longer and helps keep hunger cravings at bay.

Get moving
With exercise, keep it simple also. Do something you enjoy and try to involve other people so that there is a fun and social element. While diet is the main ingredient in shedding body fat, resistance training will help you develop toned, lean muscle. This will help raise your metabolism and means your body will use energy more efficiently, so the weight is easier to keep off once you’ve lost it. You could join a fitness class or have a trainer prescribe a programme of home-based exercises if you prefer. Changing your relationship to food and exercise is a vital link in the chain if you want to see long-term, sustainable behaviour change that will benefit your health and longevity. I recommend joining a programme that supports you in this, like the Bootcamp West BW7-7 Programme, and working to develop positive habitual behaviour.

> Paul O’Brien is a personal trainer and life coach based in Westport.