The Western world is becoming increasingly aware of the power of the mind. What was once a barricaded unknown is now, thanks to medical advances, constantly studied and scrutinised. And we are in the perfect position to make the most of this research and knowledge, and use it to our own advantage.

The power of your mind is unlike anything you have ever known. You are in control of your thoughts, and you have the power to choose where you would like those thoughts to go. You can use thoughts to inspire you, motivate you, and excite you. At the same time, you can use them to depress or upset you. This is the most important step in becoming a healthier you. You can only achieve as much as you think you can.

When we are overworked, it is too easy to forget about the importance of our health. Working in an office (or wherever your workplace might be) can increase the importance of trivial matters, such as office politics, which take up valuable mental energy and leave little time for anything else. This is the first step to take on this journey.

Realize the power of your mind and prioritize your health.

The most important thing you can do to lose weight is to commit to it – in your mind. Often this takes a health scare, such as a heart attack, to wake up to, but prevention is much better than a cure. If you choose to lose weight and to live healthily, it will simply happen. It will take some dedication and discipline, don’t get me wrong, but after a week or two it will become much more natural. It really does happen that quickly.

Although you don’t have much time to work with, you do not need to be concerned that this weight loss goal will suck up hours of valuable work or leisure time. The opposite is in fact true. You can see significant, quick weight loss results simply by eating healthily, making good food choices and squeezing in some incidental exercise. Once you believe this (and it is absolutely true), you are halfway there.

It is often easier to start off with an accessible goal, so as not to become overwhelmed by the task at hand. Once again, it all comes down to your mindset. If we think that we have an arduous process ahead of us, we are much more likely to bury our heads in the sand and to avoid even trying. Start by thinking of a realistic amount of weight you would like to lose, and any restrictions on your time and ability to commit at this stage.

However, don’t limit yourself to a narrow idea of success. If you want to lose 20 pounds, aim for that. Once you put your mind to work, you will be able to achieve weight loss success seemingly effortlessly. Doesn’t that sound nice!

Take Home Tips:

Believe in yourself and your ability to lose weight. it doesn’t matter how many times or diets you have tried in the past.

Understand that your mind is your Number 1 ally in this weight loss experience.

Whatever you believe becomes reality, because our reality is simply our perception. It may sound complicated, but it all comes down to your ability to trust and discipline your mind.

Start with an achievable goal in mind, but keep pushing yourself to reach your full potential. With a little work and a lot of discipline, you can get there!

You probably groan at the thought of exercise. I know that feeling! When you think of working out, do you envisage going to a gym full of sweaty, buff young people with loud techno music blasting through the speakers? Doesn’t sound like fun, does it? MBut not all exercise has to be like this!

We need to acknowledge that we are all different, and although we all require a certain amount of daily physical exercise, there are many ways we can go about doing this. Pumping iron at the gym may be perfect for some, but may paralyse others. It is crucial that you work out what is best for you, because at the end of the day, you are the one who has to stick to it.

Exercise in the morning.

You may well have heard that it is better to exercise in the morning than later in the day. Some studies have shown that it is beneficial to get our daily amount of exercise early in the day when the sun is rising, as it sends a signal to our body that it is time to wake up. Just as it is useful to inhabit a calm, darker environment just before bed, going for a run in the morning triggers our body’s wake-up mechanism and prepares us for the day. Many people feel better having exercised in the morning and feel full of energy.

But this is not the only reason why I suggest this. Studies have shown that it is not necessarily worse for your metabolism to exercise at night, and I quite enjoy going for a walk at dusk. It is better to exercise at night than to not exercise at all, and if it works for you and your lifestyle, then I say go for it!

The reason why you may find it useful to exercise early in the day is simple: it is done and dusted before midday. You do not have to dread going for a run or a walk, or cut short a catch up with friends to squeeze in exercise. When I do my exercise in the morning, I feel good knowing that I have already fitted in my ration for the day and don’t have to worry about it later on. As we all know, after you have worked a full day and have commuted to and from the city (or wherever you happen to travel to), you are not necessarily in the mood for a rigorous jog. That is fine. If you have already made time in the morning, you are golden.

At the same time, if you do work particularly long hours, I do not necessarily think it is beneficial to drag yourself out of bed at the expense of getting a proper night’s sleep. Getting sufficient sleep is crucial to our health and our metabolism. It has been shown that those who do not get their minimum amount of sleep become stressed more easily and put on weight quicker, as a result of the imbalance in hormones. Sleep is our friend and is the most important aspect of our health that we happen to have complete control over. You are not necessarily doing yourself a favour if you go for a 20-minute run at 6am and then proceed to feel groggy, grumpy and tired for the rest of the day.

When we start exercising, sleep becomes even more important. When we exercise, our muscles are worked, often to the point of tearing. You may have heard of the saying, ‘being ripped’. It literally comes from the idea that we are ripping our muscles when we work out and push ourselves hard. What is important to remember is that the healing for these muscles is performed overnight, while we sleep. I know that I have felt the pain of insufficiently rested muscles, and it hurts! You may know this feeling: your muscles ache and your whole body feels like lead. It’s not fun! Sleep is one of the most important – and underrated – factors involved in weight loss.

Focus on the Positive Feelings

When we exercise, endorphins are released from our body. These are those happy little hormones which make us feel good, alive and free. Exercise is crucial not only for our physical health, but for our mental health as well. If you think about what is actually happening in your body, it is quite amazing. You build up your heart rate, get your blood pumping and deliver fresh blood for all different parts of your body. You work muscles which may not have been pushed for a long time (particularly in activities like yoga and pilates) and you become better acquainted with your body.

It is hard to feel upset when you are exercising. When you feel sad or depressed (as we all have at some point, I am sure), a simple walk really helps to lift your mood. The thing is, when we feel like this, the last thing we want to do is exercise! This is because our mind takes hold of our body, and we give in to its control. Even though the best thing for us to do would be to stretch our body and feel reinvigorated, we stop ourselves because our emotions have taken over. Do not despair, as this is a normal feeling and completely logical.

Exercise is the best (all-natural!) mood-enhancing drug.

When we feed our body with exercise, we reap the rewards of a quick, sharp mind and a feeling of exuberance and sprightliness. If you are struggling to get yourself out of the door and onto the pavement, try to keep this feeling in mind. Visualise how you feel when you finish a satisfying exercise session, and how bad you feel when you stay at home and feel sad that you didn’t go out exercising! I find that it is best to focus on the positive feelings of exercise and to try to recreate them in your mind. This will see you looking forward to your next exercise session, and increases your commitment to your weight loss goal.

How Long For?

We all require a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity each day. You may think that your current routine is sufficient, but if it doesn’t get your heart rate up, then unfortunately it is not doing much for you! Physical activity in this context must increase your heart rate, so that you feel slightly short of breath and you feel the blood pumping through your body.

As I have written earlier, we are all different and require different levels of physical stimulation. Most experts recommend no more than 2 hours of cardio work per day. Even though it is crucial for us to work our muscles and bodies every day, there is a ceiling we can hit where it is no longer effective and can actually start to do us damage. Just as we can eat too much food, we can also exercise too much. Once again, we need to have everything in moderation.

Take Home Tips:

Exercise in the morning – if it is convenient for you. This allows you to get your exercise done for the day, so you can relax when you come home.

If exercising in the morning isn’t a possibility, remember that it is better to move than not to. Any exercise will help you to feel great and look fantastic, no matter what time of the day you do it!

Get excited about exercise! Remember how good you feel when you do it, and how happy you feel afterwards. Exercise releases loads of endorphins and is a natural feel-good drug.

Make sure you get your 30 minutes in each day, and make it easy. If you are walking, walk away from your house for 15 minutes, so that you know you will hit the 30-minute mark simply by coming home. You can always extend it if you like, but this is a great way to make your exercise simple and easy.

In this day and age, we are all short on time and energy. It is almost a given that we are now more exhausted than ever before, and burnout is increasingly becoming a significant problem for employers. Another symptom of our overworked-ness is our penchant for eating out or eating TV dinners. If there isn’t enough time to cook, we often take the path of least resistance and buy something ready-made. Even though we know it is better to make our own meals from fresh ingredients, sometimes it is just too easy to take the easy option and buy something pre-packaged and frozen. We don’t have time, and this is just how it is.

I understand this. I am sure you already know that there are a few things wrong with this way of eating, but it isn’t all your fault. If you are working 60 hours a week and have a mortgage to pay off, you really won’t be focusing on having a home-cooked meal every night with biodynamic, organic ingredients direct from a farmer’s market. There just isn’t time! In an ideal world, we would all eat wholegrains and salad at every meal, and we would never turn on the TV. But it is vital to be realistic in making lifestyle changes in order to make them long-lasting.

So, how often do you eat out each week? I know I have fallen into a habit of getting a takeaway coffee every second day, as well as numerous dinners and brunches out. I don’t need to do this, but I just do, because it is easier to have someone else make the food for me. Is that so wrong? I don’t think so. But I would like to point out that there are ways to make your dining experiences more health-friendly to minimise the damage on our bodies and minds. You don’t have to stop eating out, but instead just take a few of these steps on board and you will be able to indulge, guilt-free!

Know Your Weaknesses:

It is an unfortunate fact that some delicious foods just aren’t healthy. I’m talking to you, deep-fried chicken. And also to you, fatty, lard-filled curries and stews. And while I’m at it, let’s not forget about pizzas and pastas and the whole gamut of fast food. We all know what foods are not good for us, although sometimes we don’t realise just how bad they actually are. We each have preferences for certain types of food, and these can be our kryptonite when we are trying to shift the pounds.

If you have a choice in your dining venue, try to think ahead and make sure there are healthy options. If you really crave deep-fried food, for instance, but know that you always feel about 100 pounds heavier after a meal there, try to think of a place which is less fatty but equally satisfying. It is best not to do this when you are really hungry. We often have a place in our mind and because we really need a meal, now, we can be unwilling to shift our preferences. It is important to know why our mind is telling us to go to one restaurant over another, and to question how you will feel afterwards. Scour out places which are both healthy and delicious, and you will be laughing.

Sometimes, however, it just isn’t practical to pick the healthiest restaurant. It may be for a friend’s birthday or an engagement party, and it would be rather out of line to demand a change in venue because you are trying to be healthy. Unfortunately social conventions trump personal preferences in these scenarios! But there are ways that you can take even the unhealthiest of places and make it a little bit better for your body.

Firstly, if you find yourself in a fatty, jumbo-sized-servings kind of place, take a deep breath. Just because everyone around you is eating a deep-fried whole chicken on a bed of French fries does not mean that you have to as well. Humans are social creatures, and it is incredibly hard not to be affected by our environment and those around us. Certain bad habits can become normalised in the right context, which is why it is easy to feel that it won’t be so bad if you order the same pile of food that everyone else has. But it does not have to be like this!

Substitute:

Firstly, if every dish on the menu comes with a side of fries, ask your waiter for your dish to come with a side salad instead. All venues are happy to do this. Do not be afraid to make modifications to dishes on the menu: just because they have written down one combination of ingredients does not mean they will be unable to change this. You do not need to apologise for this. It is important to just be polite and most restaurants will be obliging.

If you are going out for breakfast, for instance, you can ask them to hold the bacon and to give you a side of spinach instead. Or perhaps you can swap your hash brown for extra tomatoes. Your French toast may come with bacon and maple syrup; you can substitute the bacon for banana, and perhaps the maple syrup for honey instead (although let’s not get too crazy here!)

Condiment Control:

Have you ever ordered a salad in a bid to be healthy, only to have it arrive at your table drenched in creamy dressing ? I have, and it is times like these where I have questioned the nutritional benefits of such salad. Sure, you are getting your greens, and that is always a good thing. Leafy green vegetables are the best thing for us, and I think we should all eat a few serves every day. But it is a different story when these veggies are covered in a creamy, fatty dressing. Sure, the dressing might add a bit of flavour to the salad, but it’s also adding a whole lot more calories.

Here is one of the most eye-opening weight loss facts I have had to come to grips with: all salads are not created equal. I know some people may think of salad and roll their eyes, and it may even bring back Homer Simpson’s chant of, ‘you don’t make friends with salad!’. But in a bid to make salads ‘interesting’ we can drown out (literally) all of the nutritional properties, so that it may have been better to just have a toasted sandwich in the first place.

Always ask for your dressing on the side. I find that this can be useful not only to monitor the fattiness of the dish, but also so that you can eat it however you prefer. You can dip the leaves into the sauce or repeatedly top up the dressing on the salad, but the most important thing is that you are in control. I find that some restaurants often give much larger portions than I require, and I can find it quite off-putting to have too much dressing on a salad or a sandwich, when they may see it as being generous. Different people have different ideas of portion sizes and preferences, and this is fine. But do not let someone else’s ideas affect your own health and weight loss. Be in control of your meal and your health.

No-Shame Doggy Bags:

We Westerners have gotten a little crazy over the years. In a number of ways, I’m sure, but right now I am only referring to our portion sizes. Have you ever ordered a dish, often a pasta or risotto, only to have it placed in front of you looking like Mount Kosciuszko? Or how about a stack of meat teetering out of its bowl, practically at mouth level? Whatever the meal, whatever the place, we have all had times when were given far too much food. But what happened after this?

A lot of the time, we eat it. Sometimes we realise that it is more than we could eat in a number of sittings, but sometimes we don’t. Our cafe and restaurant culture has normalised us to ridiculous portion sizes that we just don’t question. And we may eat at certain places where we feel ashamed to ask for some of the meal to takeaway. Instead, we eat it, or we feel terrible about leaving food on our plate.

This is normal, and it happens to a lot of us. As humans, we are not taught to reject food. In the wild, if we found food, we would eat it all as we did not know when we would next eat. Although our environment has changed, a lot of our instincts and mechanisms have not. If we see a plate full of food in front of us, we register it as a goal that we much accomplish. I for one hate leaving food on my plate, or throwing it away. It pains me! But it can also be painful (physically and mentally) to eat it all when I really don’t want it or need it.

In times like this, stay strong. If you get given a ridiculously large serve, tell yourself at the start of the meal how big it is and how you do not need to eat it all. Share it with a friend, or eat very slowly. Our bodies only recognise we are full after 20 minutes of eating, and there is a lot of damage you can do in that time. Trust me! When presented with such a large serve of food, it is important to eat slowly, to give our bodies time to take stock of all the food we are giving it, and to tell us when to stop. If we don’t do this, we can often keep eating long past the time where we are full, and we pay for this later.

Do not be afraid to ask for your meal to takeaway. Even if your waiter seems surprised (which they shouldn’t be), press on. Remember that you are not being a greedy guts, finishing food that you don’t want. If the venue doesn’t do takeaway, however, do not feel pressured to finish your meal. It is not better value for money to chow down on a huge bowl of pasta that gives you health problems down the track. Accept it for what it is, and remember that restaurant’s portion sizes for the next time you go there. You will be able to learn from that experience, and perhaps share two smaller meals with a friend, which will be more economical for the both of you anyway.

Eat Veggies First:

Vegetables are full of fiber and are surprisingly filling. Unfortunately, vegetables are only added as an afterthought in many restaurant dishes. I have been places where the ‘side salad’ may as well not have been there! Of course this varies depending on where you go, and ideally your meal would be primarily made of vegetables. However, this isn’t always possible, and this is where this piece of advice comes in handy.

To avoid overeating and to make sure you get all of your nutrients for the day, fill up on veggies first. Although you may not always think that they will satiate your hunger, most of the time they do. Even if your meal only comes with a small portion of vegetables, ensure you polish these off before you finish your meal. Although you may not realise it at the time, this can significantly cut down your calorie intake. You may even find you don’t need to finish the rest of the meal!

Take Home Tips:

Losing weight does not mean you have to sacrifice your social life. You can still eat out at restaurants and cafés by focusing on the healthy menu options. These are often just as (or even more) tasty than unhealthy meals!

Do not feel embarrassed asking for alterations on the menu. Switching fries for salad is not a hard request to meet, but can make your life a lot easier – and healthier.

Don’t worry about appearing cheap by asking for a doggy bag. With the ever-increasing sustainability movement, most places are happy to provide one, particularly if they already do takeaway. This one question can save you mountains of calories!

Eat all of your vegetables first, or at least be sure to completely polish them off. This will ensure you’ve eaten the most nutritious part of the meal and may see you eating less of the rest of it.

You may be wondering, what happens when you are in a restaurant that is not particularly healthy? We are social creatures and much of our socialising revolves around food. This can make it hard for someone trying to eat healthily! Nevertheless, there are healthy options available at usually unhealthy places. Below are three examples of popular takeaway or fast food options that can actually be good for you (and what you should really try to avoid!).

Thai food:

Opt for the wok dishes, such as stir-fried beef with basil and ginger, or stir-fried vegetables. These dishes taste healthier while still being satisfying. Some experts say that the satay dishes are acceptable too, although I do not feel that they are the healthiest option. It is best to have food as light as possible, but at the same time we need some flavour, and having chicken or beef with some peanut sauce really isn’t too bad. Thai food often incorporates a lot of fish dishes, and I cannot encourage you enough to eat more fish.

Try to stay away from creamy curries (it’s hard, I know), or if you can’t avoid them, at least go somewhere you know where they serve them with lots of vegetables. I have tried out a number of Thai restaurants in my time, and they all do their curries differently. Some are heavier, some are lighter, and some have more vegetables. As I said earlier, I do not have Thai curries to be healthy, but if you find a place which does a healthier version and is satisfying, it is okay to indulge every once in a while.

Chinese food:

Chinese food is a mixed bag for me, with some dishes I love and some that just don’t work for me. Unfortunately, I have recently grown fond of the Sichuan style of cooking, which favours a lot of deep-fried and oil-heavy dishes. Every time I eat these, I feel full to the point of exploding, which isn’t ideal! I haven’t felt like this food for a while, which shows the power of my body to tell me what I do and don’t like.

Try to go for lighter dishes with fewer sugary sauces. Sweet and sour sauce may taste nice, but it is full of sugar, so try to avoid it. also avoid anything deep-fried (see above!) and too much rice or noodles. Stir-fried chicken or beef dishes with lots of vegetables are once again the winners, as well as seafood dishes with shrimp or fish.

Fast Food (Burgers, etc.):

In an ideal world, burger chains would not exist. The temptation they present is undeniable and can make it very difficult to eat healthily! But although it is best to cut this food out completely, there are times when you just may not have another option. In these instances, try to order a lighter burger or a wrap. Many fast food places now serve ‘healthy choices’ including salads, sandwiches and wraps, and these are your best bet.

Stay clear of a deep-fried double-cheese burger (or anything similar), fried chicken burgers and burgers in general, really. Ask for no mayonnaise or sauce, or at least ask for it on the side so you can regulate your intake. Avoid chips and soft drinks; instead, opt for water and a salad.

Take Home Tips:

These days, there are healthy options available at most fast food and takeaway restaurants. Although it is hard to break a habit, order something slightly healthier than normal and you will feel much better for it.

Ask yourself how many vegetables you will be getting from your meal. If the answer is dismal (particularly if it is ‘zero!’), rethink your order.

Understand that you are still able to eat out and have a social life. It is unrealistic to avoid all restaurant situations, so instead focus on managing your meals.

Most of us don’t have enough time to brush our hair in the morning, let alone plan our lunch! Unfortunately, you can see the results of this in your overall health and wellbeing. And if you have a cookie jar in your workplace, it can be far too easy to snack on sugar and crash later in the day.

You may have heard of the effectiveness of ‘batching’, and I can tell you that it really does work! Batching refers to doing your cooking all at once, in ‘batches’, which saves you time in the long run. By cooking a larger than usual meal, for instance, you can then separate it into portions and place it in the freezer. This way, you have a ready-made meal at your fingertips when you come home tired and hungry. On top of this, you can prepare different parts of different meals, again to save time down the road.

Lack of preparation is often the reason for unhealthy eating and weight gain. Preparation does not have to be hard, and can even be enjoyable. I promise! Snacks, particularly, are easy to plan – it just comes down to changing your idea of what you like to snack on. For instance, you may be used to sugary treats, but that doesn’t mean it is what your body is actually craving.

Below are a list of healthy snacks and meals to take to work, prepare quickly after work or when you’re on-the-go, and they are all ready in 15 minutes or less.

Mid Morning Snacks:

• A handful of almonds
• A kiwifruit and blueberries
• An apple
• Carrot sticks with hummus

Lunchtime:

• 2 sushi handrolls, particularly salmon or tuna, with a piece of fruit
• A wholemeal wrap with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato and some fetta
• A felafel wholemeal roll with lettuce, beetroot, tomato and a small amount of garlic sauce.

Mid-Afternoon Snacks:

• Wholemeal crackers with hummus
• An orange
• A bowl of grapes

Easy Meal Ideas:

• Healthy Stir-Fries Particularly chicken, tofu or vegetarian
• Baked or grilled salmon
• Fish and seafood are particularly easy to cook or grill as they require hardly any cooking time.
• Lamb skewers with a Greek salad

Take Home Tips:

Healthy meals and snacks don’t need to be hard. The simpler, the better.

Prepare your meals and snacks for the week, and stick to this plan. Batch your cooking so you can have a few nights off to relax and unwind.

Enjoy your snacks! Look forward to them and you will soon find that you don’t want to eat unhealthy food any longer.

At this point I would like to add a small aside about micromanaging your food intake. I believe that everything is okay in moderation. You have most likely heard this before, and perhaps it does not seem feasible. I do not like to think of it as an excuse for eating all of the chocolate I would like to eat, or for indulging in fatty foods when I really don’t feel like it. But I do also feel that there is a time and a place for everything, and you do not need to be so hard on yourself 24/7.

For instance, I do not see much point in eating low-fat ice-cream or reduced salt butter. Even though the calories may be slightly fewer, these low-fat, low-sugar, diet products often have other chemical substitutions which are no better, and sometimes worse, for you. If you are going to eat ice-cream, have a small serve and enjoy it. Savour it, taste it and remember the feeling of it.

Ice-cream is not a health food and has no nutritional benefit whatsoever, but it is important to be realistic. We do not live in a vacuum. We are not surrounded by organic farms and only healthy choices. While I am not excusing unhealthy eating and I feel that it is crucial to take responsibility for one’s health, I also believe in enjoying life and food and not taking everything too seriously. The most detrimental thing you can do in your journey to lose weight is to beat yourself up about one slip-up, and then give up on the whole thing.

You are allowed to eat sweets and to indulge in a little bit of cake on a birthday. We are social creatures and the food at these sorts of engagements is there for more than mere decoration. Some cultures may find it extremely rude to reject an offering of food, and it can be the same with birthday cake. Pick your battles, and if you really don’t feel like the cake, that is fine. But if you want to join in the spirit of things, have a slice and do not fret about it.

It is important to be realistic about your improved lifestyle choices, and this includes occasional treats. No one can continuously work at something without positive feedback or rewards, and eating healthily is no different. Allowing yourself a treat can actually improve your weight loss goals, as you are much more likely to commit to a realistic food plan. This is where, once again, it is so important to plan. Think about your week ahead and where the black spots may be. try to work around them so that you are not constantly indulging, and can feel good about it when you do. By eating healthy most of the time, you will deserve a treat, and a small reward can motivate you to continue on your healthier path.

Take Home Tips:

Do not beat yourself up for having a snack. Allow yourself to indulge every once in a while, as a reward for your healthy eating.

Avoid diet products and snack on the real thing. What is the point in eating low-fat ice-cream? Plus, people who eat ‘low-fat’, ‘low-cal’ products are more likely to feel entitled to have a larger portion, which this just ends in overeating.

Plan out your week. Know when you will have a food blowout day, and prepare for it. Try your best to eat healthily for the rest of the time, and let yourself enjoy it when it comes.