10 tips for health and weight loss
We all want to be healthy and lose a few kilos, right? Top nutritionist Donna Aston, who created the revolutionary AstonRX program, has revealed her 10 top tips for health and weight loss.
1. Know your baseline parameters
Knowledge is power. Having recent pathology provides insight to your current health status. Having a starting point and goal beyond the number on the scales can provide additional motivation to stay on track.
2. Stay well-hydrated
Aim to drink between 2-3L of water daily. As our bodies are made up of more than 60% water, staying hydrated is essential. Water provides the body with energy by carrying nutrients and oxygen to the cells and it also assists with detoxification and digestion.
3. Meal timing is important
Our stomach requires around 4-5 hours to completely digest and process our meal and absorb nutrients. If you interrupt your stomach with more food during this time, poor digestion can occur. When you have two to three meals a day, spaced evenly apart (minimum 5-6 hours apart), you allow your insulin levels to drop below the threshold, and allow your body to use its stored fat for fuel, which results in fat loss.
4. No eating after dark
Our body’s circadian rhythm is regulated by light. When it gets dark early evening, we produce hormones such as melatonin to prepare us for sleep. Eating late interferes with this process, resulting in poor sleep, heightened stress hormones, poor energy levels and increase appetite the following day.
5. Do three strength sessions every week
Strength training is beneficial for overall health and weight loss as it builds metabolically active tissue. Strength training gives your muscles an appetite to clear glucose from your blood, lowering insulin and enabling your body to readily access stored fat.
6. Move your body everyday
Our bodies aren’t designed to sit still! Ideally, we can aim to average 8,000-10,000 steps daily. If you’re currently averaging a much lower level, aim for a gradual weekly increase over time. Sitting has been defined as ‘the new smoking’, so all incidental movement counts!
7. Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right!
Mindset is everything. If you’re wanting to make sustainable and fundamental changes to your life, it is all about how you think. Our thoughts become our actions, and our actions become our daily habits. What you continue to repeat becomes your reality.
8. Calorie counting isn’t the answer
Not all calories are created equal. Every calorie has a different metabolic impact on the body so the total number is obsolete. For example, fat has a higher caloric value, however, it has a very minimal impact on insulin levels. To support your nutritional needs, eating a well-balanced meal with a protein source, an array of colourful plant foods and a source of healthy fat is suggested.
9. Make sleep a priority
Make sure that you’re getting your 8 hours of sleep each night. A lack of sleep has been found to trigger elevated levels of your hunger hormone ghrelin and decreasing your levels of leptin. Essentially, this causes an increase in hunger and appetite.
10. Reducing processed foods, sugar and alcohol
Processed foods, sugar and alcohol all have an inflammatory effect on the body. They also feed the opportunistic bacteria in the gut and the over consumption can lead to a wide array of health issues such as obesity, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Eating whole foods closest to their natural state is always the best choice!
Check out Donna's program here: https://astonrx.com/
Photo: Eva Creative, Unsplash
