The Steps for Life Foundation - Weight Loss

Are you ready to change?

jenny — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 21:44:49 +0000

Are you ready to change?

The 5 Stages of Change Model is very useful to outline the series of stages we go through to change our lifestyle habits. Changes do not happen in one step, but through a series of distinct stages. Just realising the stage of change you’re in may be helpful for you to succeed.

Mind Health

Weight Loss

Sugar - the good, the bad and the ugly

jenny — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 23:18:29 +0000

Sugar - the good, the bad and the ugly

Have you recently heard someone saying “I’m quitting sugar”? It’s not uncommon these days where sugar is a hot topic. It’s been labelled ‘toxic’ and ‘pure, white and deadly’. In particular, there has been a lot of focus on the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on dental health with media reports showing young toddlers having to get teeth extracted!

Healthy Eating

Weight Loss

Why do we eat?

jenny — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 23:57:24 +0000

Why do we eat?

We’ve all experienced it... maybe it’s when you’re bored, stressed, sad or tired and you find yourself heading for the snack machine or lolly jar. Whatever it is, it is a reason to eat other than hunger.

Healthy Eating

Mind Health

Weight Loss

Which diet is best – mine or yours?

jenny — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 23:54:41 +0000

Which diet is best – mine or yours?

We can probably all agree that dietary advice is confusing! There are a myriad of diets out there – all claiming to offer the right solution to our problems. It’s a bit like an ongoing beauty contest – my diet is better than yours…

Should you go low-fat or low-carb, vegan or paleo? It’s not easy to know the answer. As a result of the obesity and diabetes epidemic, the confusion of dietary advice has provided a lucrative market for weight loss and health promotion diets and the media also thrives on the ongoing debates – fuelling the fire of confusion.

Healthy Eating

Weight Loss

The Power of Planning

jenny — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 23:24:34 +0000

The Power of Planning

When the clock approaches 5pm does the dinner panic begin to set in? With some planning and preparation the 5 o’clock panic can be a thing of the past.

Healthy Eating

Weight Loss

Outsmarting the Imposters

jenny — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 00:07:56 +0000

Outsmarting the Imposters

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘knowledge is power’ and this is certainly true when it comes to our health and the foods that we choose to buy and eat.

Health halos are claims on food that make them seem healthier than they really are. It’s time to outsmart the manufacturers and to learn which foods really do have a healthy glow and which are just devils in disguise!

Let’s take a look at some common halos

Natural - These foods contain no artificial colors or additives, but they may still be full of sugar, sodium, and fat.

Healthy Eating

Weight Loss

Looking at Type 2 Diabetes

jenny — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 00:04:23 +0000

Looking at Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolises sugar (glucose), your body’s main source of fuel. It develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas stops producing enough insulin.

Healthy Eating

Weight Loss

Kiwi snacking habits revealed

jenny — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 23:58:59 +0000

Kiwi snacking habits revealed

A recent report conducted by market research company Nielsen shows that we are a nation of ‘snackers’ with 97% of Kiwis regularly consuming snack foods.

The good news is that fresh fruit was the ‘winner’ in terms of snack foods with 69% of respondents having eaten fresh fruit as a snack in the past month. However, both chocolate and potato chips were not far behind with 67% and 62% respectively.

Healthy Eating

Weight Loss

Hands up for Portion Control

jenny — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 23:44:07 +0000

Hands up for Portion Control

Over the last 30 years portion sizes, especially in packaged foods, have dramatically increased. The culture of ‘supersizing’ has distorted our view of just how much is enough.

The good news is that the answer is in our hands, literally. A hand is something we all own, and it’s usually just the right size for us. So why not use your hands as a guide to serving yourself the right portion size:

Healthy Eating

Weight Loss

Get moving and keep active

jenny — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 23:30:30 +0000

Get moving and keep active

Incorporating exercise into your everyday life is very important. To get a healthy balance in your day you need to eat well, sleep well and keep moving. Being active in all stages of your life provide so many great benefits:

Exercise

Weight Loss