hitting head against a wall here!

It's unfortunate that you're feeling unmotivated but you can't rely on motivation to see you through a lifestyle change. Motivation is an emotion, it comes and goes. You need to try and be consistent instead of motivated. Write down some mini goals and then some larger goals. A mini goal could be one day eating natural foods and going for a half hour walk. Seems pretty achievable Then build up the intensity so it's not overwhelming.

Here's an article that might help

Consistency is the Key by Lesley Maxwell

To remain youthful it is necessary to be able to perform key movement patterns which keep us agile and fit for life. These are bend, push, pull, squat, lunge, twist and gait (walk, jog or run). If you can perform these movements regularly, and preferably while lifting some weights (except for gait), you give yourself a huge advantage in your effort to remain youthful and feeling fantastic. Throughout my years as a personal trainer, I have noticed that many women train with a goal in mind. Sometimes it’s to be in shape for an occasion like a wedding or a holiday, or to look good in a bikini for a short amount of time. The reality is we need to stay in shape for our whole lives. Remember, this is not a hobby but a lifestyle. Sooner or later you have to make an important decision; make time for health and fitness or suffer illness later. Exercise faithfully every week, every month and watch your body change shape and become strong.

If you are unable to make it to the gym, and have no equipment at home, squats and push-ups are two ideal exercises that can be performed almost anywhere. Squats alone work over seven different muscles in one value packed exercise. Your whole lower body in one move! Push-ups, in turn, work your upper body, including your core muscles. No excuses here! You don’t have to start with full push-ups or full squats but you will soon progress and reap the rewards. It’s the same with your gait - start with walking and later mix it up with some interval training (adding short bursts of intensity).

If you have never trained before and are wondering where to start, a good place is at the beginning! Don’t do too much too soon. Consistency is the key. Three to four steady workouts a week is much more beneficial than thrashing yourself with a hard workout every now and again. You could injure yourself, which would inhibit your training. In order to train consistently we need to remain injury-free. A simple way to help you achieve this is by performing warm-up sets. A warm-up set is performed by lifting a much lighter weight during the same exercise you are about to perform.

By performing a warm-up set, muscles and joints are warmed up with the exact mechanics which will be performed during the workout set. This is the best safeguard against injury and it gives you a chance to practise your technique and breathing while warming up specific muscles involved in the exercise. Be patient and give your body time to respond to proper exercise and good nutrition. As said by a very good friend of mine: “It’s not one sudden rush that changes the surface of the rock but the constant drip.

Strength training will change your body shape but only over time. It surprises me that many women train for competition only to give up after the first or second contest. It takes years to sculpt a great body. Once again, consistency is the key.

From the age of 35 a woman’s body composition changes by losing lean muscle every year and replacing it with fat - if she does nothing to change her eating or exercise habits. As muscle burns approximately 25% more calories than any other body tissue, we need to keep as much of it as possible. This
is inspiration alone to keep training! Strength training three to four times every week with some cardio thrown into the mix will keep you fit, strong and agile.

Pass your Oxygen magazine onto your mum and encourage her to train too. It’s never too late to start. Take a look at Ernestine Shepherd, who is still competing in her 70s and quotes “I feel better than I did at 40,” or Bob Delmontique who, at 86, is still running
marathons and bench pressing over 130kg - and both are looking great!

As you watch the trends and fads in fitness come and go, one thing is for certain. If you really want to see results, you need to be consistent in your training and enjoy all the wonderful benefits that come with it for life!

Eat what you like within reason, and in smaller quantities, as long as you are still within your daily calorie allowance you will lose weight. Don't try to do too much at once, and try to replace the unhealthy stuff with more healthy stuff over a period of time. But in the end, you have to want it. If you don't want it bad enough, you won't do it.

Morning All.

Has anyone felt like they've hit a brick wall when on a diet? The change of diet and taking up exercise suddenly seemed too difficult and i've been off the wagon for a little over a week.

I start off well each morning and then if somebody puts a cake infront of me i'll eat it!

Does anyone else's willpower wane after a while into the diet? I feel like I need a massive push to break through this barrier!

I have had this happen on many occasion. I also have the problem that once I start doing that, it is harder and harder to stop and then before I know it, I am having just the one cake or chocolate bar every single day and then it moves to two cakes/bars and then three and then I find my weight has crept up again.......

The only thing I can do is log everything so that I know what my total so far for the day is and how many more calories I can have. I am unable to have "just the one" cake or sweet so I have none at all, that way the craving eventually ceases and I can then crack on and lose some weight.