Zest Wellness

Enough Hockey, Thank You!

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:41:58 -0400

A recent study by Loughborough University has investigated the success of Nikes Girls in Sport Initiative. The study looked into the attitudes of girls towards PE. For a lot of young girls, PE at school will be their first experience of exercise. It is vital that this is a good experience. How else can we expect young people to want to exercise?

The initiative aimed to bring in more female friendly options to PE lessons such as aerobics, pilates and dance. Traditional school activities may be off putting to many girls. Competitive sport is not everyone’s cup of tea, and neither is wearing gym knickers in a field in the freezing cold. Many girls feel embarrassed or are just not interested. Schools have an obligation to make it interesting! Students should not be forced to participate, they should want to. The study has shown promising results with increased participation in the vast majority of schools who took part. Obesity levels are rising, and physical activity levels in children are falling. It is extremely important for all schools to be aware of what will encourage students to participate in exercise.

My own first PE lesson at secondary school consisted of the whole year running round a field and being timed. The fastest 10, for all I could see, were from then on the only girls that would ever gain anything from PE. They would be good at everything; hockey, netball, swimming, cross-country and athletics, while everyone else would dread PE for the next 3 years. I saw PE lessons as pointless and had no idea why it was so important I had to have different socks for netball and hockey. I still do not understand that one to be honest. However, towards the end of school the activities offered in PE were much more varied and we got to decide for ourselves which we would enjoy the most. I looked forward to PE much more from then on.

Students should be introduced to activities that they will look forward to and hopefully continue to engage in for years. How many girls do you know who play netball in their forties?

Are we a nation of feeders?

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:43:45 -0400

What is it that stops people succeeding? Put your mind to anything and surely you can achieve it. What is stopping you? What is tempting you to change your mind about achieving something you really want to do? Or should I say who? If you say no to some chocolate, everyone assumes you are trying to starve yourself into oblivion. Mention you are going on a diet and you have a crowd of people trying to convince you that you don’t need to. Why do people do this? What if you genuinely do need to? Or even just want to? Why are people obsessed with feeding people? Eating healthy makes you an outcast. Going to the gym makes you boring. Why? Do people not want each other to succeed? Is it that subconsciously people don’t want you to succeed? The truth is you can live a perfectly exciting life whilst saying no to a biscuit at break time! We are a nation of feeders!

Fair enough, we all have a friend who is trying to lose weight who blatantly doesn’t need to but if it makes them feel healthier why not? Just because someone is thin doesn’t mean their diet is not highly questionable. In fact some of the thinnest people I know are the most unhealthy. If eating healthily or losing weight will make someone lead a healthy and happy life why not help them? Believe it or not you can be sociable without having to eat the fattiest meal on a menu, and craziest of all, healthy food can taste really nice! Surprising to some, but true.

Now not that I am saying the responsibility doesn’t lie with you, ultimately it does, you have the power to say no. I am just saying it would be nice if you could go an hour without a chocolate biscuit being shoved in your face! Remember to your part though, take some time to think about someone you know who is trying to achieve something important to them, weight loss, a healthy lifestyle, a new hobby, anything. Are you making it easy for them? Or are you, maybe without even meaning to, making it a little bit more likely they will fail? Support people in their decisions, if it makes them happy let them embrace it.

Fats – the good, the bad and the plain ugly

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 09:41:00 -0500

When trying to live a healthy lifestyle you are constantly being given conflicting information on what you should or shouldn’t be eating. Fat is no exception. Is all fat bad? Will all fat make you fat? Unfortunately whatever fat you eat, large amounts of fat = fat. However, if you learn to spot the bad kinds and eat the good kinds in the right amounts, fats can equal lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, glossy hair and healthy skin.

Let’s start with the good. Check your labels! You want to be eating unsaturated fats! These are found in oily fish, nuts and seeds and sunflower and olive oils. These are the fats that actually lower cholesterol and should be included two to three times a week in your diet.

Now for the bad. SATURATES! Found in meats, cheese, cream, butter, chocolate, cakes and so on. The government recommends no more than 30 grams of saturated fats a day for men and 20 grams per day for women. These fats have the opposite effect of unsaturated fats as they raise your cholesterol levels increasing your risk of heart disease.

Trans-fats, the plain ugly. Avoid these. These fats are mainly artificially made through a process called hydrogenation which is used in food processing to harden oils. This method is often used to give products a longer shelf life. They are commonly found in margarine, biscuits, cakes and some take aways. Trans-fats are seen to be so detrimental to health that many doctors are demanding a ban on them. Our bodies do not require this type of fat in any quantity so remember to check you labels and choose your treats carefully!

Getting the most from your fat

· Always check labels. It’s not just about calories!

· Use olive oil for cooking instead of butter or lard.

· Avoid solid fats as these are usually bad, saturated fats.

· Snack on nuts and seeds instead of chocolate and cakes!

· Eat oily fish instead of meat a couple of times a week.

· Choose lean cuts of meat and cut off any visible fat.

· Remember all fats have 9 calories per gram compared to the 4 per gram of protein or carbohydrates so don’t go overboard on any type of fat!

· Everything in moderation is key!

Visit www.zestwellness.co.uk for more information :)

Pancake day!!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:37:55 -0500

It’s pancake day! Actually, sorry to be boring but I don’t like pancakes. What I do like about pancake day, however, is the seemingly magical motivation effect that comes from the following 40 days and 40 nights.

Although rent is used for religious reasons, many people use it to kick start their health, regardless of their religion. 40 days to get into a good habit, whether it is giving something up or taking something up.

I personally find lent gives me a clear timeframe in which my motivation stays much higher than any other time of the year. I tell people what I am planning in doing for lent and that keeps me going. It’s natural to fall off into an unhealthy lifestyle occasionally, but remember to use every excuse to get yourself remotivated, excited and ready to feel healthy, energised and generally fantastic. Yay!

End of competition and I am intrigued to find out how everyone has done :)

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:00:40 -0500

End of competition and I am intrigued to find out how everyone has done :)

Ready for her walk :)

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:13:41 -0500

Ready for her walk :)

Be good to your heart this Valentine’s day

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:33:22 -0500

Yes, exercise can be intimidating! But is this a reason to avoid it? Maybe it is about time to be courageous, take that leap…and make your pal come along for moral support!

Whether it’s your husband of 10 years or your friend of thirty, let’s face it, it is more fun to look like a fool together than alone! Although, the only person who thinks you look like a fool is probably yourself!

Apart from the moral support your fitness partner of crime will provide, they may also bring you several other benefits.

First, and most importantly, they make it fun! Mixing your social life in with your exercising habits stops it becoming a chore. You look forward to it. You’re excited to carry on the conversation about Jill from work, not that you gossip at all… What I mean to say is that your in-depth conversation about current affairs will distract you from any boredom or discomfort you may have spent the whole time focusing on alone. Time flies away as fast as the weight falls off!

Maybe having someone there with you will give you the extra push to try something new. Try something you have always wanted to do but just not felt confident enough to. You want to enjoy exercise, you probably won’t love the first thing you try. So try, try, try again and you will get there. You will find what you love, and you will keep doing it, because you want to! Fancy getting fit and healthy from something you enjoy? You can!

You can laugh about the fun times and support each other when it gets hard. You can push each other to do that extra five minutes, or that extra session which all adds up to that healthy body you want. Be each other’s personal trainers! There are plenty of exercises which require a partner as well the obvious sports you can take up as a twosome. Racket sports are fun to play whilst burning plenty of calories and vastly improving fitness levels and coordination. What else could you want?

Exercising with a friend allows you both to reach goals you may not have previously thought about. You will be less likely to give up as you will be more motivated to continue. It is crazy how many people think that being healthy is making a choice to be strict and not happy. I believe the opposite is true, being healthy means doing things you enjoy, having fun and loving life.

And remember, if all else fails, depending on your partner’s fitness level, you could end up looking like an Olympic athlete!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Zest Wellness.

My yummy pomegranate seeds. Tasty treat!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:13:32 -0500

My yummy pomegranate seeds.
Tasty treat!

Camera Challenge

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:15:02 -0500

Camera’s at the ready!

I would love to see what makes you guys happy, what makes’s you want to keep going, and what makes you feel rather proud of yourself :)

I know as well as anyone how hard it can be to stay motivated for a healthy lifestyle, but reminding myself of things that make me feel postive has an amazing effect.

Something teeny tiny can make you feel as good as achieving massive milestones. I want to see the small and the big things that are important to you.

Whether it is a healthy meal you cooked, an encouraging quote or picture you saw, a picture of the family who make you want to do well or a picture of you at the end of a marathon, I want to see it!

Get your pictures sent to emma@zestwellness.co.uk with a reason why it makes you happy, even if the reason is ‘just because’ :)

Keep going!

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:09:04 -0500

With the 1st third of the competition nearly over it is important not to let your motivation slip!

Remind yourself of the goals you wrote down. They are clearly important to you!

Get rid of what you know will tempt you! Sure, everything in moderation will not hurt you and will fit in with a healthy lifestyle. However, keep a record of how you feel. Do you feel fantastic or flabby after eating ice cream? If its the latter cut it out! Why would you want to make yourself feel bad as well as preventing yourself reaching your goals?

Let’s get going!!

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:52:00 -0500

Let’s get going!!

The Competition Begins!!

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:48:41 -0500

It’s a new year. You have had time to eat your leftover Christmas dinners and selection boxes and get back into your normal routine. What a perfect time for New Year, New You to start up!

Congratulations to those who have already signed up :)

I have to say, after seeing one of the competitions participants rating their motivation to do well as 9000 on a scale of 1 to 10, I am feeling positive about the outcomes of this competition! For those who are less motivated it is important to remember your only limits are self-imposed. Aim high and you will achieve high.

Good luck everyone!

P.S. late comers welcome :)

New Year's Resolution

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:19:14 -0500

Imagine yourself one year from now. What can you see? If like many people you see yourself a few pounds lighter, it may seem a great idea to make weight loss your New Year’s resolution. But are New Year’s resolutions doomed to failure? Are they not just useless promises you are intent on keeping, until January 3^rd, when you notice the twix looking up at you from the selection box? What will make this year different than any other year? I believe planning is key.

New Year’s resolutions are often a thought of what you should do. Lose weight, quit smoking, get a new hobby. Yes, these are all great ideas in theory but do you want to do them? If you think ‘now you mention it I wouldn’t mind losing some weight’ you are probably going to fail. You don’t want it enough. If you have been thinking for a while of a particular goal weight, the benefits to yourself and your family of losing weight and feel it will make your life more positive, then you are much more likely to achieve.

Go back to the beginning and think of yourself one year from now, not a week or a month, a year. You should not be aiming to meet this goal in less than a year. A lot of people give up after not seeing an immediate change. Weight loss involves a lifestyle change, not a 2 week diet. Your goal may be to lose 3 stone within the year but this can be split up further, lose 1 stone every 4 months, or half a stone every 2 months. If you lose weight quicker, great! If not, you are still on target and on your way to your end of year goal. Be specific with your aims so it is easy to split it down into smaller chunks.

Include how you are planning to lose weight in your resolution. It’s not just going to disappear while you watch eastenders with a slice of batternburg. It will take hard work and to avoid disappointment you need to think about what you will do to help you towards your target weight. Plan to do what you know you will do. If you hate the gym don’t plan to join one and go 7 times a week, it won’t happen! Do exercise you enjoy, eat food you love. Remember this is a lifestyle change and not a diet, you don’t have to hate everything about it!

Remember why you want to lose weight. Your reasons must be important for you to have even thought about it. Make it a priority. Aim high, if you truly want something and believe you can achieve it then why not go for it?

Happy New Year!

Please visit zestwellness.co.uk for more information and help with weight loss.

New Year, New You Competition

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:19:00 -0500

Hello all!

Zest Wellness is starting a New Year, New You weight loss competition.

Anyone is welcome to join in as I am sure 99% of us will have filled to the brim over Christmas and may be feeling slightly sluggish. The aim of the competition is weight loss however it can be done by anyone as a health kick.

The competition lasts 6 weeks starting the 9^th January (just to give you time to get back to normal!) and will end on the 20^th February. Whoever has lost the most weight (percentage body weight) will be crowned Zest Wellness’s New Year Slimmer who will be receive £50 Zest Wellness voucher and maybe something extra de

To get you going I will provide a booklet (via email) to monitor your progress which will include some diet tips for the competition, exercise ideas, and some yummy low fat recipes. I will be blogging throughout the 6 weeks to keep you up to date with progress and some extra ideas which may be useful for the diet. Any of your feedback or hints and tips to share with the others in the group will be greatly appreciated! I will also be available via email (emma@zestwellness.co.uk) or on my, or Zest Wellness’s facebook daily throughout the competition.

All I ask for in return is your honest feedback and a cheeky £5 to help get Zest Wellness up and running (it’s hard without money!!).

The competition can all be done in your own way, to fit in with your life. However, as it will be difficult to meet up to do weigh ins, I will be relying on peoples honesty! Remember the only person you will be cheating is yourself (and also the person who should have won of course!).

For more information please don’t hesitate to ask and don’t forget to get all your friends and family to join in too!

Keep your figure over Christmas

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:15:00 -0500

Christmas is just around the corner and temptation will be high. Chocolates, turkey and wine will be almost everywhere you turn begging you to eat, drink and be merry. Potential diet nightmare!

If you are planning on still being super healthy this Christmas follow these tips to remain guilt free!

* Swap roast potatoes for boiled.

* Stock up on the vegetables to fill you up.

* Make sure you have lean meat.

* Do not leave snacks around the house as that could lead to eating mindlessly when you are not hungry.

* Don’t starve yourself throughout the day as you will only end up giving up and bingeing on lots of high calorie foods later on.

* Have a small portion and go back for more later on if you want it.

* Don’t eat until you feel sick, it’s not pleasant.

* Instead of going to the pub, get yourself wrapped up warm and go for a family walk. This will give your body time to rest and help your food digest better.

* And if you do decide to drink, drink water between each alcoholic drink to keep yourself hydrated.

Remember Christmas only comes once a year! Embrace it! Christmas is a time where you may see friends and family you do not usually see. Make the most of this time, do not stress over how many calories are in each roast potato, it will only spoil the day for you. As part of a healthy lifestyle it is okay to take a few days off, and if you can’t take time off at Christmas when can you?

If you have taken a few days off over Christmas and have noticed the pounds come on why not treat yourself to a Zest Wellness weight loss package? Alternatively give someone you love a head start at their new years resolution with a perfect Zest Wellness Christmas present! For more information please contact Emma on 07983665401 or emma@zestwellness.co.uk Alternatively visit www.zestwelllness.co.uk

Have a great Christmas and a happy new year!

Love Zest Wellness!

Personal Training in Preston

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:29:00 -0400

Keep yourself fit in winter with personal training sessions from Zest Wellness!

It can be hard to keep yourself motivated especially throughout the winter. It’s easy to stay inside hibernating by the radiators! Even on the occasion when you do manage to get outside the cold can make it difficult to put your all in to the workout.

Get back on track with Zest Wellness personal training in Preston Moor Park.

One hour- £20

30 minutes - £15

Kick start package - £100

- 5 x 30 minute one on one personal trainers

- Initial consultation and goal setting session

- Nutrition review and advice

- 6 week review

All abilities welcome for fun, exhilarating exercise!

For more information visit www.zestwellness.co.uk

or contact Emma on 07983665401 or email emma@zestwellness.co.uk :)

Love your body

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:15:46 -0400

In order to treat your body with the respect it needs when you are trying to lose weight you need to love it. The old saying ‘my body is a temple’ has never been more true. It is very easy to take dieting to the extreme but you will deprive your body of vital calories and nutrients. This sort of diet alone would be exceptionally hard to follow, but almost impossible after you add in dull skin, mood swings and constantly having no energy. Take care of yourself! A balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables should be enough to keep you on track with your diet. Respect your body and you won’t want to put rubbish in it!

Always stay realistic! Being a size 12 may seem morbidly obese compared to the fashion models we see on a daily basis in magazines, but I assure you it is not! The fact of the matter is that these girls are usually airbrushed to the max, see the gym as a full time job and haven’t even looked at a chip in years. It’s not worth it. Don’t bother teasing yourself by picking at your body or comparing it to these models. It’s pointless and you could be spending your time doing something more productive, like drawing moustaches on their pictures instead!

We need to ask ‘why are we always wanting better?’ Of course, if your health is involved it is great to want to improve it, and having an aspiration to do better in work or at anything else in life is essential to give you drive. But where in life should we draw the line? When should we accept things for the way they are and make the most of it? Maybe we should start to embrace life with cellulite and a bit of a double chin. Stop obsessing. Start to see a lifestyle change as something that will make you healthier, not just as a punishment you must go through temporarily in order to banish your love handles.

A healthy lifestyle starts with the mind. Anyone can change their diet without thinking too much about it, inevitably, they will be asking for failure. By changing the way you view your lifestyle and how much importance you put on your health, you will see the benefits whilst not even noticing the bad parts, or at least to a much lesser scale than you would if you just went on a diet. Don’t talk yourself down. Look at your positives and build on that. Confidence is the key to keeping your motivation levels up. Believe in yourself and you will know that you can, and will, succeed.

For more information on weight loss and health please visit

www.zestwellness.co.uk

"They can because they think they can."

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:38:50 -0400

“They can because they think they can.”

- Virgil

School Holidays

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:28:12 -0400

When you have been used to having a teacher as a babysitter for the last 10 months, adapting to the school holidays can be tough. Suddenly there is an extra 7 hours of entertaining to be done! But what should you do with your children and what should you feed them? Just because school has finished, does this mean their education should stop?

Recent studies by the Health Survey for England (HSE) have revealed that 1 in 10 children are obese. If current trends continue, by 2050 this figure will have increased to a massive 25% along with 60% of men and 50% of women Children learn from example, so why not use the seemingly endless 6 weeks as an opportunity, set them an example. Incorporate fun activities into both your own and your child’s day. Use the school holidays as an ideal time to make healthy choices the norm, something your children will not think about but just do. Being healthy is a lifestyle, the older you are the harder it is to change, so starting young is ideal.

Exercise should be introduced from an early age, spending days at the swimming pool and playing in the park will be fun for your children, as well as keeping them fit and active. Giving your children the opportunity to try out new sports and games will keep them interested and enable them to find something they really enjoy and wish to carry on throughout their life.

Food and nutrition is also important so introduce good food choices to your children early. Try to get your kids to help out as much in the kitchen as possible and teach your children that healthy doesn’t mean horrible! If you are a useless cook use this opportunity to learn yourself too, buy a health food cook book and have fun as you go.

Get your children involved in their food choices as much as possible, however, remember that you are the parent and that you will have to say no occasionally. Just because your child knows that an apple is better for you than a bar of chocolate doesn’t mean they will choose the apple. Use your common sense and remember everything is fine in moderation. When nearing the end of the holidays you will find that not only have your children had a fun and active break, but you have too. |You may notice the effects of this healthy new lifestyle, looser trousers and more energy with the added benefit of becoming a fantastic cook! Remember that just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean your lifestyle has to revert. The summer has been a head start and now you can continue to get healthy and have lots more fun!

For more information contact www.zestwellness.co.uk

STOP STARVING! START EATING!

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:36:40 -0400

Diets can be confusing, and with so many people telling you about new diets, it can be tempting to eliminate a food group completely. The main two being carbohydrates and fats, as well as common overall calorie deficient diets. Don’t do it to yourself, instead read below to understand why you can lose weight without starving.

A lot of dieters see carbohydrates as unnecessary calories however this could not be further from the truth. ALL carbohydrates are broken down into a simple molecule called glucose – an obligate fuel. This means it is essential for the body. Glucose is the body’s first port of call when it needs energy. Your body’s most vital organ n- the brain works solely off carbohydrates and by following a low carb diet you will be preventing you brain working to its full functionality. You may notice this as a lack of concentration.

Proteins provide your body with vital amino acids which enable your body to build strong muscles, hair, skin and nails, as well as enzymes for important reactions within the body. HOWEVER – foods which provide out bodies with proteins often come with large amounts of harmful saturated fats e.g. mince meat and steaks. When choosing meats look for lean options to reduce your fat consumption. Alternatively choosing a vegetarian option such as quorn or tofu can significantly reduce the amount of fat coming with your proteins s, so too can adding beans and pulses to your meals as an alternative to meat. Think smart and lean when it comes to your protein and you won’t go too far wrong.

When on a diet it may seem like eating anything that contains fat would be a massive sin however some fats, such as unsaturated fats from sources such as olive oil, nuts and avocados, and omega oils, which come from flax seeds and oily fish, are actually highly beneficial to our health and should not be eliminated from our diets. Saturated fats and trans-fats should be avoided as much as possible. Most people are getting too much of these kinds of fats which increase the risk of suffering with cardiovascular disease, not pleasant. Remember that fats contain more than double the amount of calories per gram than carbohydrates and proteins so limit your intake if you are trying to lose weight and swap to the good fats where you can. Make sure you check your labels!

Thinking of weight loss as a lifestyle change and not something temporary is a great way to increase your success. Stop thinking of carbs as the enemy and start seeing them as a vital part of your diet that provides you with the energy you need to enjoy life and when it comes to fats know what is good for you and know what is artery clogging bad for you!

For more information on health and nutrition visit www.zestwellness.co.uk and get the zest back into your life!