So how do we deal with this? How do we remain healthy and sane?

Over the past few years, thanks to my online nutrition program (the 6-week Low Carb Challenge), I have spent a lot more time working from home. During this time I’ve learnt a few things about remaining productive whilst keeping healthy and fit.

Here are my top 5 tips

1.Create a routine

Start with the basics and keep to a regular waking and bedtime. Whilst this is important for all of us, I believe this is most important for kids. Set the boundaries and stick with them. Get out of your PJs every day, get dressed, do your hair, brush your teeth – these little habits can go a long way in regards to how you feel throughout the day.

Have set times each day for work, exercise, family time, quiet time, cooking time. Vary these on the weekend so that you create some ‘normality’ in your week. This will also help you remember which day of the week it actually is!

2. Eat well

Whilst this is something that I believe (and passionately advocate) looking after ALL THE TIME, it may be more important to have this in place right now. With the fridge and pantry just meters away, it may be easy to succumb to regular snacking. My advice is as follows:

• Fill your fridge with fresh whole real foods – if you are going to grab something at least make it something nutritious
• Get rid of all the processed packaged foods, especially those full of sugar, refined carbs and processed oils i.e. biscuits, chips, crackers, muesli bars, flavoured yoghurt
• Take time to make yourself good, complete meals including a source of protein and lots of veg. When you eat meals that are satisfying and complete, your chance of ‘picking’ on food throughout the day will decrease
• Need some help? Grab a copy of our free LCHF Recipe eBook here

3. Move often

Whilst planned heart-pumping exercise is important, it is just as important to simply move/change position regularly. Set an alarm for every 45-60 minutes and make sure you get up and move every time the alarm sounds. Get up and fold some washing or empty the dishwasher; go outside and get some fresh air and sunshine; do a few stretches; pat the dog; water your plants… anything, just be sure to move.

In addition to this, plan to exercise for a minimum of 30-minutes EVERYDAY! Get sweaty, get your heart rate up. The benefits are endless but possibly the most important benefit right now is the dose of ‘happy hormones’ that will be released. Online exercise is the ‘go to’ at the moment – click here if you’d like to join the EPT Online Private Facebook Group, giving you access to a library of exercise classes and daily LIVE classes.

4. Connect with others

Phone a friend! Forget text messages and have a real conversation with someone. Better yet, why not use Skype, Zoom or Face-time so that you can see them at the same time. As humans we are social creatures and making time to chat and engage with someone important in your life is something that certainly will tick one of the boxes of helping to keep you healthy and sane.

5. Do something you love everyday

Laughter and fun cannot be underestimated. My creative 14 year old daughter has made us dress up for dinner this week – each night has been a different theme. Whilst my first thought was that I couldn’t be bothered, it has been fantastic! Lots of laughs and a great way to connect as a family. Personally I love to exercise – especially the stuff that has me lying on the floor breathless and totally spent at the end. Find what you love and make sure to include it daily. Here are some ideas: Escape with a great book; play music really loud and dance around your bedroom; meditate; bake; start a veggie garden… anything.

Whilst COVID-19 is testing us in so many ways, I believe it is also providing us with opportunities to grow and reflect in ways that would otherwise never have been possible. We can’t change the situation we find ourselves in right now, so my suggestion is to go with the flow, you might surprise yourself in what you discover.

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Low Carb High Fat (LCHF)/Keto:

1. Is not a sustainable lifestyle choice – contrary to this believe, studies have shown that once people give up sugars and grains they are very likely to do this for good! With LCHF resulting in better control of hunger and appetite returning to low fat, appetite-stimulating, processed food becomes extremely undesirable
2. Includes NO carbohydrate – this is LOW carb not no carb. Done correctly, when carbs are eaten they come from nutrient dense sources such as lower carb vegetables, nuts, seeds, dairy and a small amount of seasonal fruit.
3. Excludes food groups and will lead to nutrient deficiencies – foods excluded on LCHF/keto are primarily nutrient void sugars and starches including grains, legumes, sugary foods and drinks and other high carb food. In reality humans have no biological need for any of these foods. We didn’t start eating grains until about 10,000 years ago and we certainly didn’t have access to processed junk food until very recently. There are simply NO nutrients present in starchy or sugary foods that we can’t get in greater amounts from a varied LCHF/keto diet.
4. Makes you tired and unable to concentrate as the brain requires carbs to function – our brain can function effectively on both glucose (carbs) and ketones (a by-product of fat breakdown). In fact there is argument that the human brain may even function better on ketones. This is evident in many people reporting mental clarity and heightened levels of concentration on a low carb diet. If glucose is required, our bodies can actually produce it from protein through a process called gluconeogenesis.
5. Results in large amounts of fat in your diet, which is harmful to your health – specifically claims relate to increased cholesterol, raised LDL levels and greater risk of heart disease and stroke. In reality this has never been proven! To point out just one study that included 347,747 subjects, results showed absolutely no association between saturated fat and heart disease. Despite being high in saturated fat, low carb diets result in lower blood levels of this fat, as it becomes the body’s preferred fuel source. Overall LCHF results in an improved cholesterol profile and reduces every single risk factor associated with heart disease.
6. Fat will make you fat! – a favourite quote of mine is “Fat doesn’t make you fat, just like green veggies don’t turn you green” Dr Andreas Enfeldt. It is high levels of insulin and being insulin resistant that prevent you from burning fat and thus cause an increase in fat. Of the three macronutrients, it is carbohydrate that results in the highest level of insulin secretion and is therefore the greatest contributor to increased fat storage on our bodies. A low carb diet will assist in lowering insulin levels, ultimately reducing the degree of insulin resistance and thereby making it easier to burn fat and become/stay lean.
7. Doesn’t provide enough fibre – when LCHF/keto is done well your diet is full of whole food, food that has minimal human intervention, including leafy greens, a variety of veggies, nuts, seeds, coconut and a small amount of fruit all of which provide a good level of fibre. Yes there is no wholegrains but why choose to get your fibre from processed sources which are otherwise nutrient void when we have an array of nutrient dense whole foods to choose from
8. Low carb is just another fad diet – ask your grandparents what they did to lose weight and they’ll answer they stopped eating bread and potatoes. Humans have been thriving on low carb diets for centuries. If we stopped eating processed food and only ate what is available to us in nature, our diets would naturally become lower in carbohydrate and higher in fat. I ask you to ponder that thought for a moment and then consider that perhaps the fad is the current high carb guidelines that have certainly contributed to the state of our health and weight today.

The beauty of LCHF is that it can be modified to suit your individual needs. Whilst very low carb i.e. keto may not be appropriate for everyone there are elements of LCHF that are beneficial for everyone and none more so than basing your diet on whole real food and avoiding the processed junk.

Want to understand the difference between LCHF and Keto – click here to read this article which goes into all the details

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1. Wake up and smell the coffee… I love the quote, “… but first, coffee.” It’s not the caffeine kick that I’m after. It’s not a physiological addiction. For me, that 5am coffee is an opportunity to give myself a few minutes to enjoy the simple pleasure of silence. How’s that for mindfulness Mr Namaste?
2. Train insane or remain the same… working out in the morning is the best way to set you up for an excellent day. And I don’t mean taking the dog for a walk, or doing an active meditation Yoga class. I’m talking about muscle burning, lung busting, heart pounding exercise that makes you fitter, stronger and more resilient to physical stress. It’s simple really… that exercise induced pain that you feel is a sign that you’re pushing your body harder than you would normally do during your normal daily activities. You need to do this – it’s called a stress-adaptation response. That’s how humans evolved to be the fine physical specimens that we are today (well, some of us at least – you know who you are). You’re creating a body that is bulletproof to whatever unexpected shit life shoots at you. You’re evolving to not only survive but to THRIVE. For me, I get this endorphin rush from swimming, cycling and body weight resisted training… Every day. Until I die. Because there are no rest days.
3. Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise… Benji, an Osteopath that I studied with used to say that all the time. Never underestimate the value of a hard days work. This is an excellent quality that the Baby Boomer generation passed onto Generation X. That seems to have been somewhat dissolved now to the point where the current generation are collaborators at best (read… share the work load), and lazy, entitled brats at worst. I have a great mate (actually he’s more like a brother) who works his butt off. I’ve always marvelled at his level of motivation and dedication to this craft (and graft). And surprise surprise, he’s done bloody well for himself (and his family). Building up a very successful business from scratch with no handouts or shoutouts. I used to joke with him that when everyone else goes to sleep, he’s up working a plan to take over the world.
4. Listen, listen, listen; and then ask strategic questions… there’s a lot more talkers out there than doers. I’m fortunate that I work in an industry in which people pay me to listen to their stories and then I get to ask them specific questions to help come up with a solution. As a physical trainer and manual therapist I see that as my primary role. All day long I listen to people’s excuses and fears for not fulfilling their potential. I use this as a learning tool for myself to figure out who are the people that are doing amazing things and what are their character traits and values. And then work out a way that I can emulate that in my life (and in a way that makes sense to me). An example here is Meredith, a very high value client (and friend). She always has a great big smile on her face. I know that his year has been challenging for her and her family. Yet, whenever I see her she looks like this is the best day she’s ever had in her life. I asked her one day how she does that, and her reply was so simple and so sensible. Meredith said, “because the alternative sucks.”
5. Walk the walk… I walk a lot every day. Probably in excess of 20 000 steps. To work. To home. With the dogs. After dinner with my bride. To the shops. You get the point. This gives me a lot time to think, reflect and be grateful. Simple really.
6. Give a shit… call me cynical but the more people I meet the more I fear for the humanity of our race. Compassion seems to be a rare quality. We’re meant to help each other – as individuals, as a family, as a community, as a country, as a world. Too many are in it for themselves. I’m no philanthropist, although I have done (and doing) my fair share of charitable fund raising. I like to think that I’m always considering the needs and feelings of others. Sometimes I stuff that up and try to please everyone (Vicky, my wife, says I’m too much of a “yes” man) which may end up affecting me, my family or the other person involved. But for the most part I like who I am and proud to say that I aim to please.

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You may have heard that the definition of insanity is “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Well if you’d like to draw a line in the sand and make some profoundly positive changes to your weight and health, then keep reading.

In the world of nutrition, one of my most favourite quotes has to be the following, “Fat doesn’t make you fat, just like green veggies don’t turn you green” Dr Andreas Eenfeldt. Dr Eenfeldt has gone on to be instrumental in having the Swedish dietary guidelines changed to reflect a lower carbohydrate, higher fat approach leading the charge for this in other western countries.

If fat is NOT to blame, well then what is?

And the answer…? INSULIN

Now before you run away, overwhelmed and confused by a scientific word let me assure you that I’m going to make this simple and easy for you to understand so that you can go away and make changes to your diet that will give you the results you’ve been so desperately trying to achieve for years and years (and you’ll now be able to hold onto these results for years to come).

Insulin is a hormone in our body. If we want to class insulin as a particular type of hormone, we could say it is a FAT STORAGE HORMONE. Yip, that’s right. When we have increased levels of insulin floating around in our blood we become excellent at holding onto and building our fat stores. If you’re wanting to lose weight, this is obviously not something that you want happening. So let’s take a closer look at what causes an increase in insulin levels in the blood.

There are many things that influence insulin including stress, sleep patterns, exercise and of course diet to name but a few. However the most important influencer of insulin is, hands down… CARBOHYDRATE.

When we eat food that contains carbohydrate – and by that I mean anything from a piece of bread, to a bowl of rice, a can of coke, a banana or even a bowl of french fries – the carbohydrate is broken down to its most simple form which is glucose. It doesn’t matter how that carbohydrate began; once it is broken down by our digestive system and absorbed into our blood, it is always going to be glucose (there is one exception but to keep things simple we’ll avoid the exceptions for now). Now as soon as glucose arrives in our blood stream, our bodies shout ‘get it out’. Basically we do not like anything more than a few teaspoons worth of glucose in our blood at any one time. So as soon as the glucose arrives in the blood, our bodies get to work trying to get the glucose from our blood into our muscle and liver cells. And this is when insulin comes into the picture. Think of insulin like a key. It comes along and unlocks the door and allows glucose to flow from our bloodstream into our cells. Insulin levels will remain high and continue to do its job until such time as our glucose levels have returned back to acceptable basal levels and then it will be reabsorbed and levels in the blood will drop. Once glucose is inside our cells it can be used for fuel. If it is not required straight away, it will be stored. Once our glucose/carbohydrate stores are full (and this happens pretty quickly, especially if you are not particularly active) any extra glucose will be converted to and stored as FAT.

The more carbohydrate we eat, the more glucose will arrive in our blood and the more insulin is required. In addition the more carbohydrate we eat, the longer the insulin hangs around attempting to do its job.

In some people this mechanism works a charm. The key (insulin) slots into the lock (receptor) seamlessly and the door (channel) opens up quickly and easily and glucose flows from the blood into the cell. This allows insulin to return to basal levels quickly and effectively. In other people, the ‘lock’ is a little rusty and gets jammed and the doors don’t open up as quickly. Our bodies don’t recognise that insulin is not working. All that we recognise is the fact that glucose levels are still high in the blood. In response we then release more insulin and this continues to occur until glucose levels return to an acceptable level. In some people the lock is so rusty and the key simply does not work at all! In these individuals, blood glucose levels get higher and higher and insulin levels get higher and higher. This is a disastrous situation!

What does all of this mean?

When you eat a meal high in carbohydrate, insulin levels will rise in the blood. In some people (people where the lock and key mechanism described above works really well), glucose and insulin levels will return to normal basal levels quickly and effectively. This is ideal and these people are usually the ones who are lean and healthy. However in other people, glucose and insulin levels stay elevated for an extensive period of time. Over time, with carbohydrate levels remaining high in the diet, it may get to a point where insulin and glucose levels NEVER return back to normal basal levels and this is where things really start to spiral out of control. These are the people who are usually struggling with their weight and are more likely to develop a lifestyle disease or already suffering from one.

With insulin levels above normal basal levels we are pushed into fat storage mode ALL THE TIME i.e. 24 hours a day. This means that we are unable to access and use fat. In this state, we are totally dependent on carbohydrates/glucose as a fuel. The problem is once we get ourselves into this situation it is really difficult to break free from it. In addition to the physical consequences of gaining fat/weight and worsening the condition of insulin resistance (the lock-and-key mechanism not working), increased insulin levels will also stimulate our hunger and appetite, again making the situation even worse. We now know that every single lifestyle related disease, and that includes things like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, a number of autoimmune diseases and the list goes on, all have one thing in common and that is raised insulin levels!

Is the average Australian eating too much carbohydrate?

Hell yeah!! Take a look at the meal plan below, typical of the average Australian.

Example Meal Plan

• 7am Breakfast: Porridge (oats) with a drizzle of honey, ½ banana and skinny milk
• 10am Morning tea: Skinny latte and an apple
• 1pm Lunch: Chicken and salad wrap
• 3:30pm Afternoon tea: Low fat vanilla yoghurt
• 7pm Dinner: Stir fried beef and veggies served with rice
• 9:30pm Supper: Tea and 2 x shortbread biscuits

This may look like a healthy eating plan to you but I can assure you that it certainly is NOT. Every meal and snack in the plan contains carbohydrate and therefore insulin is being stimulated SIX times during the day. When eating this amount of carbohydrate at each meal and snack, blood insulin levels in the average person will remain elevated for approximately 2-4 hours (and longer, possibly even much longer if your lock-and-key mechanism is not working very well) after each meal. In essence, your insulin levels will remain raised ALL DAY LONG, potentially only coming down to allow for fat burning in the early hours of the morning before you wake-up, eat breakfast and start the cycle of fat storage all over again!

The total amount of carbohydrate provided by the meal plan listed above is approximately 235g. The average Australian consumes 250g of carbohydrate per day and so this plan is a pretty good reflection of what most people are eating. More importantly we need to recognise that on the whole, it is a diet just like this that is making us as a nation fatter and sicker. This all relates back to continuous stimulation of insulin.

What can we do?

It may appear obvious here that my answer is going to be to reduce carbohydrate, and yes that is correct. However the best advice I can give to anyone wanting to lose weight and improve their health is to ‘Just Eat Real Food’ and by that I mean whole unprocessed food – food that is available to us in nature.

For example…

• fresh vegetables (particularly veggies that grow above ground like leafy greens)
• good quality protein (like pasture-raised meats, eggs, fish)
• naturally occurring fats (olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats, nuts and seeds)
• small amounts of seasonal fruit
• unprocessed dairy (if you can tolerate it)

When we eat like this our diet naturally becomes lower in carbohydrate and higher in fat and protein. This in turn results in less insulin being released and required, and ultimately move us in the right direction in terms of optimising health and weight.

For a personalized and customized plan, Vicky is available for individual consultations. Or look out for our next Low Carb Challenge.

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For more nutrition information, upcoming online/offline workshops or to make an appointment with Vicky, please check out the nutrition section of our website… https://eatplaythrive.com.au/

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