Intuitive Eating

It is a thing, it can work for you. But like all things, it will take a bit of practice and a lot of learning to trust your body.

Making good food choices is critical as hyper palatable food (think things high in sugar, salt, trans fat) will drastically undermine your brains ability to process satiety signals. As does lack of sleep and chronic or prolonged stress.

Find what works for you and this includes working through binge eating triggers and what food helps you feel the most satisfied.

Building an awareness of caloric content of foods can help you lay a good foundation but mindful eating is surely the most sustainable method, mentally and physically

As a qualified nutritionist, hormone and gut health specialist I am well equipped to help you on your journey to developing sound internal appetite regulation.

Reach out via
email: christina@saeyondhealth.com
phone: 041 355 2904
or direct messaging on Instagram @saeyondhealth

Establish goals as processes & habits for the results to follow.

Examples:
– The goal is not to lose 10kgs. The goal is to be someone who chooses good portions of whole foods 80% of the time.
– The goal is not to gain muscle. The goal is to be someone who consistently follows a muscle gain program and optimises their nutrition and sleep to support their gains.
– The goal is not to learn Spanish. The goal is to set a time to practice language skills regularly.

Enjoy the process and find ways to incorporate healthy choices into your lifestyle
This is done by finding the kind of exercise you enjoy and ways to enjoy the exercises that are good for you. Find yourself a gym buddy, a solid coach, a good group training studio or social sports team.
Eating healthier can feel daunting at first but it starts with bringing awareness to how you are already feeding yourself. Taking a couple minutes a day to food diary what you are eating, how often and through what kind of window e.g 11am-7pm or 7am-10pm. Become your own detective so you can be equipped to make the changes that feel the easiest and will offer the most “bang for buck.” Once you have built that awareness of where you may be willing to action change, take some next steps, it helps to get your partner, friends or family involved. Go explore some fresh farmers markets, learn about where the food you are eating has come from. Google some local food delivery services that are health conscious if time is an issue for you. Getting lost in some fit-foodie youtube channels can be a rainy day well spent. 
Sleep is the most significant aspect of your health to improve which will transcend to all other aspects of energy, appetite regulation etc. Get yourself a cozy bedtime routine you look forward to more than you do the next episode on Netflix. Turn off the devices, enjoy a hot shower, exchange massages with your partner. Winding down and having a transition to sleep is critical for effective, good quality rest. 

Make the practices enjoyable so you are more likely to do them, make them habits you can stick to. 
If you don’t enjoy these practices you will be up against an often overwhelming tide of finding excuses not to do them. It is far more sustainable to invest a bit more time into starting off small and building from there. If you know a habit that needs to go replace it with something that will offer that same dopamine hit you are accustomed to. There is no need to shock you system only to fall off the wagon and have to start again months from now. 

Take Away Thoughts
Fitness challenges etc are awesome for kickstarting you and equipping you with skills and knowledge. What do you do though, when you’ve finished up that 6 week challenge and shaved off that 5% of body fat? Don’t fall into that huge statistic of people who gain it all back.
Establishing habits and focusing on the journey rather than the destination is the trick to keeping your results sustainable, to thriving through your long game.

Let your motivation to seek health and strength come from a place of love

Decisions and efforts are so much more reflexive when it comes from a place of love.
Think about it. If you love what you do for work you will be more willing to rock up early, do the grit work and invest in your professional development. If you love your partner, it is so much easier to want to cook for them, listen to them and support their goals.
It’s the same with your body. When you love your body the decisions to feed it the best quality, get it the movement it needs to thrive and flourish feel so much easier.

When you’re training…
It should never ever be a punishment. It is the unleashing of your body’s potential. It is the nurturing of your cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and so many other systems within you.
Find exercise you enjoy! Get your friends and family involved as workout buddies or meet at the beach for a game of footy.
For a confidence booster; Invest in your education on technique and how to be effective with some solid coaching.

When you’re choosing what to feed yourself…

If you don’t like green juice, don’t force it down. There are so many tasty ways to get the nutrition you need for energy, recovery and longevity.
Start by looking at nutrition labels and avoiding shit that sounds weird. If you don’t recognise some chemical substance mayhem on a label then chances are you won’t thrive on it. Try to practice mindful eating and using your hand as a portion guide.

For ideas on what’s good:
– Follow some healthy foodies on the gram
– Subscribe to youtubers who know what’s what
– Crank Nana’s old recipe books

Key Take Aways

  • You will respond better to self-love than self-loathing. Prioritise the practice of mindfulness and self-love first as the foundation of your fitness journey.
  • There are so many options for moving your body, finding ones you love and look forward to is all part of the fun! Get amongst it.
  • Food is fuel for everything from movement to learning & exploring, laughing & love making. Love food. Find food that loves you back.

Galangal Turmeric Chicken Soup

This is a dish to share with loved ones on a cold night or to prepare for friends who are feeling under the weather. You may also like to double up your ingredients to make in bulk so you’ve a ready supply of nourishing soup, ready to go on those nights you’re late back from work. 
This soup contains a powerful blend of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories. The Vitamin D  content from the mushrooms and zinc from the broth as also just who you want boosting your immune system this winter.  

Ingredients:

  • 500g higher welfare chicken breast
  • 1 leak
  • 500mls of chicken bone broth (or equivalent from concentrate)
  • 2 cups of various mushrooms
  • 1 leak
  • Thumb Galangal
  • Clove of garlic
  • Thumb of ginger
  • 1 Sliced red chilli
  • Lime leaf (one or two will do)
  • 1tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp Fennel seed
  • 1 tsp Coriander
  • 1tsp Mixed spice
  • 1tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1tsp Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Slice chicken into finger like pieces and sauté in with salt and pepper in a medium-large pot. 
  2. Peel and slice galangal, ginger, garlic and leak into discs. Add it all to your pot along with mushrooms, fennel seeds, chilli, lime leaf and spices once chicken has lightly browned. Allow to soften and brown on a medium-high heat a further 10 minutes. The vegetables will be doing all lovely caramelising things.
  3. Next slowly pour the broth and soy into your pot, stir through. 
  4. The longer you let it simmer on a low heat the more fragrant and infused the chicken and vegetables will become. You may need to add dashes of hot water here and there so it doesn’t reduce too much. 

Optionals

  • You may want to add some noodles (2-4 minutes in the pot before serving) to increase the carb content. Or I like to get a good seedy slice of toast to serve alongside.

Macros:
The above makes 3 serves, the macros described are per serve:
Each: 257cal 46gP 5gF 6gC

To Espresso?

The most widely consumed psychoactive substance on the planet; coffee has a load of benefits! Including:
-Performance enhancing
-Improve focus and mental alertness
-High levels of antioxidants to fight free radical damage.
-Stimulates the central nervous system and boosts the production of neurotransmitters associated with creativity.
-There are significant mental benefits to having a regular coffee shop, connecting with your community and enjoying a premium product.

There can be a few drawbacks depending on your unique sensitivities.
Caffeine stimulates the release of cortisol which can be taxing on the adrenal glands, leading to adrenal fatigue and other issues. It can inhibit the build up of ‘sleep pressure’ which can affect sleep quality. You may have experienced it being pretty tough on the gut. Caffeine exasperates intestinal motility which may cause discomfort or relive it. Caffeine is a contributor to anxiety by stimulating many neural pathways along with the release of cortisol which shifts the body into it’s “fight or flight” state.

A balanced take away on caffeine
Like many things there are pros and cons, there are worse things for you, there are better things for you. If you feel good on it and enjoy it then keep enjoying in moderation.
Everyone’s ability to process caffeine varies so tune into your body and decide what serves you best. Finding a cafe that serves a premium product and gives great service turns it into an experience which you can derive more benefits from.

A few alternatives to try
-Bone broth
-Turmeric latte
-Cacao, mushroom, maca latte
-Herbal teas
-Chai
-Dandelion root tea
– Lemon, ginger infused hot water
Or
Ask your local cafe what they recommend

A Deep Breath Through Your Nose…

The body responds to high intensity workouts by entering a sympathetic (fight/flight) state involving elevated cortisol levels and many other physiological ‘stressors’. These stressors are for your long term good and gain so long as you recover.
Deep nose breaths are a profoundly effective technique for assisting your body in shifting back to the parasympathetic (rest & digest) stateafter your stress inducing work out.

How do deep nose breaths help me reach the parasympathetic state?
The technique combines both neurological and psychological mechanisms; Deep nose breaths increase the activity of the vagus nerve which controls as well as monitors the activity of the heart, lungs, digestive system and more. Vagus nerve stimulation slows the heart rate, decreases blood pressure and relaxes muscles. These changes are communicated to the brain through the vagus nerve generating feelings of peace and calm.

Other methods to assist the body in reaching it’s parasympathetic state:
Optimised post workout out nutrition, specifically; Carbs.The ensuing insulin response works as a shut of valve to cortisol and your muscles benefit from their best window of muscle glycogen saturation.
-Foam rolling and stretching
-Sauna
-Massage
-A walk
-Surrounding yourself with greenery and nature
-A refreshing shower
-Yin yoga and deep stretching. Legs up the wall is a particularly effective position.

Key Take Aways
– Recovery happens in the parasympathetic state. Recovery is where the magic happens.
– Deep breaths through your nose stimulate a powerful nerve in the body which calms the mind and body.
– Deep breathing and the other honourably mentioned recovery techniques feel super good so get into it. No recovery, no progress, no point.

What Motivates You?

Motivation can slip and if you’re not in the grips of a powerful enough routine or are yet to find that discipline then days not working out can too easily turn to weeks and months. A profound and deeply ingrained motivation or ‘why’ will make those decisions to train and eat right that much more fluid and reflexive. You live with 100% of your choices, make it about you.

Top Tip 1: Focus on you

Because at the end of the day, you’re answering to you. You are the one that has to get yourself out of bed early, get yourself to the gym after a hard slough at work or get yourself around tuna and avo when you’re feeling something greasy and available on Uber eats. Write down what you want to get out of this and make it personal.

Top Tip 2:  Honestly determine your current motivations

It looked like it was going somewhere with that hot girl but now she’s not texting you back? Give a fuck. The scale hasn’t gone down this week as much as it did last week and you’ve honestly been true to your calorific deficit goals? There could be a plethora of totally normal bodily fluctuations behind this. Spend a moment learning what’s motivating you so, if need be, realign to something worthy to see you through the long game.

Top Tip 3:  Don’t use short term results to feed your motivation.

Because our wondrously complex bodies are not liable to give us the results we want week in and week out we need to stay focused on our long game. Metabolic adaptation is super normal and progress is often not linear. Think about the fitness you want ten, twenty and thirty years from now. I know I don’t want to just see photos of my grandkids hiking over the weekend. I want to be there. I want to chase them up the mountain. Do it because you see a version of yourself two years, five years down the track that represents the discipline and self care you put in.

Key Take Aways

Work towards building a solid routine as this helps keep you on track when motivation slips. This is part and parcel of the fact that action comes before motivation.

You’re the one who lives with the results and actions to get them so you need to be the one who decides and knows why you are doing this.

Progress is not linear, despite good efforts we will have good and bad days so don’t let one disappointing weigh in throw you off track. Focus on your long game.

Morning Mindset

If you’re fortunate enough to be in work that fosters within you a passion and ambition then you are absolutely in the winners circle. Maintaining this lead or gaining it however, requires balance and a resilient mindset.

A solid morning routine can absolutely help you achieve it. How you start the day has a profound influence on all the decisions and actions that follow.

The mornings are powerful incubators of potential and finding your own fire starter is a worthy venture. Routines like making the bed before finding something soft and soulful on Spotify to practice 10 minutes of yoga, wander outside for some barefoot tea drinking or a good walk before the day unfolds.

Practice 1: Hydrate & Move

Physically as well as psychologically beneficial.
The importance of hydration & stretching transcends  appetite regulation and healthy body function.It is the deliberate prioritisation of choosing to look after yourself and making health focused decisions that gets to the self-esteem of you. 
Healthy self esteem is fertile ground for nurturing the ambition and confidence it takes to tackle projects and be present with all those you’ll interact with throughout the day.

Practice 2: Gratitude & Connection

Even in the throes of winter whereby sunlight may only appear around 8am try get yourself outside. Tune your circadian rhythm with the morning’s light shift and connect to your environment. Message a friend or family member something kind before thinking on something you’re grateful for. Maybe you want to journal it, maybe you’re happy just sitting and thinking on it. Starting the day like this will nurture a positivity and awareness focused mindset as well as just giving you a premium dose of the warm fuzzies.

Practice 3: Prioritise & Assess Goals

Decision fatigue is a thing. Too many, “how should I spend this 1/2 hour?” or “What project do I tackle first?” can cost you momentum and results. To-do lists provide direction & clarity. Get clear on what you want to achieve with your day by writing some specific goals and schedule it in. When distractions arise ask yourself; “does this contribute to the days goals?”  Find empowerment in rendering these distractions in black and white, in knowing what you want and saying no to what you don’t.

Key Take Aways
A routine that starts with wellness actions sets the tone for your self-worth which is highly motivating.
Practicing gratitude and tuning into the natural world fosters an ability to be present and in the moment.
Be clear on what you want from the day and write your goals down accordingly.