Regular and appropriate exercise is beneficial for every body.

Controversial, I know!

What is not controversial is the impact regular exercise can have on people on the autism spectrum. Aside from the usual benefits anyone with a working body receive from exercise, there have been numerous studies showing that regular exercise can be a great support to people on the autism spectrum beyond better health.

In a 2010 systematic review of 18 existing studies on the impact of exercise on people on the autism spectrum, researchers at the University California found a consistent trend across the studies where ‘positive behaviours’ would increase, and ‘negative behaviours’ would decrease following exercise intervention.

“Following the exercise interventions decreases in stereotypy, aggression, off-task behaviour and elopement were reported. Fatigue is not likely the cause of decreases in maladaptive behaviour because on-task behaviour, academic responding, and appropriate motor behaviour (e.g., playing catch) increased following physical exercise.” (Lang, et al 2010)

(Just quickly, stereotypy is a repetitive movement or action like clicking a pen in their ear or clapping. It’s better known as ‘stimming’ [self-stimulation].)

Extra resources for Autism personal training

So now that the benefits are clear, so is the case for being more inclusive of people on the autism spectrum in our gyms, and for ourselves as fitness professionals. Working with a client on the autism spectrum, IS within the scope of practice for a personal trainer. Fitness and health services should be available to everyone, regardless of their needs/preferences or their disability. You follow the same pre-screening process as you would any client. To be extra prepared, here are some additional documents/questions you might want to consider when onboarding.

• Behavioural Support Plan – This is a document that gives all stakeholders working with the client guidance around what to expect, how to prevent behaviours of concern, and how to respond to them consistently. Not everyone has/needs one.
• Sensory Preferences – We all have sensory preferences and it is never out of place to ask about theirs outright. Usually, it’s just some simple adaptations to accommodate these.
• Ask about their needs – Again, it’s entirely appropriate to ask about a client’s support needs. And it doesn’t need to be complicated. “What can I do to best support them enjoy their first session?”. The parent/carer/support worker will most likely appreciate you even thinking to ask.

Planning your first Autism personal training session

Once you’ve ticked off these boxes – and you’re comfortable to proceed – it’s time to plan your first session. WeFlex has developed several professional development courses around the unique needs of clients on the autism spectrum for our accredited fitness professionals and NDIS personal trainers (PTs). Here are some of the tips we give PT’s before their first  session.

1. Rapport first – A successful first session isn’t a rigorous workout; it’s building rapport with the client and boosting the odds of a second session! Establishing trust, communication and understanding is the primary goal. The sweaty workouts will come later.
2. Take it slow – The first session might not be more than them driving past the gym, let alone going inside. Change and new sensory experiences can be uncomfortable for people on the autism spectrum, so take it slow and follow their lead. You’re in this for the long haul.
3. Communicate – Probably doesn’t need saying but it’s crucial. Don’t shy away from communication around their needs either. “Is it too loud in here?”, “Am I explaining that ok?” Communication is an excellent opportunity for them to give you feedback and help you, help them. Keep in mind that everyone communicates differently, so we need to remain adaptable to the communication preferences of our clients.
4. Support their Sensory Experience – If you know their sensory preferences, then keep it in mind – or better yet actually plan around it. If someone avoids sensory experiences, sticking to one quiet area of the gym to start with might be a good place to start, as they acclimatise and get used to it (as one example). If the sensory environment changes around them – communicate and adapt.
5. Have fun – Everybody loves having fun and it is a great way to build rapport and have them engaging in exercise. Incorporate your client’s interests into the session to help with engagement.

In summary

Honestly, I could go on forever. If you would like to learn more about being an NDIS personal trainer or are keen to explore opening your practice, business, gym etc to clients on the autism spectrum or those with another disability – WeFlex is here to help. We are an NDIS registered personal training service provider and committed to supporting the fitness industry in being more inclusive.

Together, WeFlex

The post Exercise, Fitness and the Autism Spectrum – A Personal Trainer’s Handbook appeared first on WeFlex | NDIS Personal Trainer & Exercise Physiologist.

You see, Jackie Boy is autistic, and I am not. Technically I’m ‘neurotypical’ but Jackie Boy refers to me as ‘neurotypical-ish’. Why? I grew up in a household with both a Dad and little brother on the spectrum – and we joke that it’s rubbed off a little on me.

That one difference between us became glaring when our Dad passed away. He died of (very) preventable health conditions and at the funeral it hit me. My whole life I was encouraged to exercise and be healthy. I played sports my whole life, lost many vegetable stand offs at dinner – but Jackie Boy was held to a different (lower) standard. He was left to his interests (drawing) and as long as he ate something he was good. And now at Dad’s funeral – I’m a healthy and fit young man, and Jackie Boy was a sedentary and unhealthy young man.

Honestly, taking Jackie Boy to the gym was something I never really considered – it was just off my radar completely. Even as a support worker, ‘exercise’ was usually a walk around the block. I had the unsettling realisation that my standards for Jackie Boy were low as well when it came to health and fitness. At the same time, he had a realisation about his health seeing Dad get buried well before his time. And Jackie Boy’s health and fitness journey began – inspiring the establishment of WeFlex.

Since starting this business and working with all kinds of clients to get fit and healthy one thing has become obvious. ANY BODY can get fitter and healthier. Since starting, Jackie Boy has lost around 14 kgs, exercises daily and has reigned in his eating. Outcomes that were once considered impossible (hello low expectations). The truly remarkable part is the unintentional benefits from his improved health. Such as:

• Better sleep
• He’s less anxious in public
• Improved confidence (maybe a bit too confident)
• He regulates his emotions better
• Increased social network – making friends at his local gym

And these aren’t just anecdotal either. There have been extensive reviews of research done on the impacts of exercise on people living with disability and the results are incredible. In a cohort of people with ASD they found that regular and intense exercise saw decreases in aggression, stereotypy (repetitive behaviour), elopement (flight), and off-task behaviour with increases in concentration, behaviour and emotional regulation. It turns out the people society has spent the least amount of effort encouraging to exercise would benefit the most – which in turn benefits their family.

The best part is health and fitness is relative to the person. Some of my best and fittest clients began at zero. Like, it took two turns to get them inside the gym zero. By setting simple, achievable goals with the person you can eat this elephant one bit at a time. The best example of this is Chris Nikic. In 2020, he became the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman. Not a ‘special needs’ Ironman. And actual Ironman. When asked how he did it, he explained the 1% rule. Every day he aimed to get 1% better. Going from a regular kid to an Ironman athlete 1% at a time. Now, I’m not suggesting you sign up for an Ironman, but instead consider ways we all can get 1% healthier every day.

To help you with this, I’d encourage you think about health in 4 goals.

1. Improve your sleep

Sleep is essential, and there is research suggesting that most people aren’t getting enough. The risks of that are decreased emotional regulation, low energy, difficulty to concentrate or remember and we also typically eat worse when we’re tired too. The benefits of improving your sleep? Pretty much the opposite of this! Better mood, mentally sharper, more energy and there’s even evidence that sleeping longer helps you lose weight. What can you do that is simple, easy and zero cost?

• Set a consistent sleep schedule – ensuring you’re getting between 7-9 hours a night.
• Get lots of natural light first thing in the morning (outside is best) and decrease light towards bedtime.
• Don’t eat right before bed.

2. Manage your stress

Stress can be seen as quite a vague term, but don’t underestimate the impact it has on your body. Stress is connected to your nervous system which is arguably the most powerful and influential system in your body. Too much stress can release excessive hormones like cortisol that can lead to a number of health problems like; headaches, heart disease, weight gain and disrupted sleeping. What are some simple ways to support your nervous system?

• Deep breathing or just focusing on your breathing
• Getting outside
• Meditating
• Exercising
• Drinking lots of water
• Quality sleep

3. Improve your diet

This one is pretty obvious – but is often neglected. We are all guilty of not really paying attention to what is going into our bodies. Essentially good nutrition is concerned with two things; getting enough energy for the day and consuming the right mix of nutrients (like protein, fats, etc) as well as vitamins and minerals. It’s easy to fall into the trap of eating enough energy that is nutritionally deficient or eating a brilliant range of nutritious foods, but not enough of them. Things you can do starting today:

• Drink more water. It’s very hard to drink too much water, but very easy to not drink enough.
• You want a plate that is colourful (not with skittles) with fruits and vegetables. Always balance.
• Don’t starve yourself. Everybody wants to lose weight yesterday and so starve themselves to do so. It doesn’t
• work, and you’ll be miserable. Eat healthy and often.
• Help your digestive system out by NOT lying down after eating for 30 minutes.

4. Increase your physical activity

One of the biggest determinants of health is sedentary lifestyle – basically how active are you day-to-day. A sedentary lifestyle will drastically increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity as well as poor mental health. An active lifestyle on the other hand will have the opposite effect and will ward off the premature development of conditions like osteoporosis. Again, you don’t need to sign up for a triathlon (but if you want to get in touch with WeFlex we’ll support you!). Here are some simple tasks you can do starting today:

• Go for regular walks
• Limit the amount of time you sit in one go – every two hours stand up and move your body
• Stretch
• Engage in activities that are incidental exercise, like gardening
• If keen, visit your local gym or look for workout at home videos on YouTube

The best part is that it’s all at your pace and is not one size fits all. WeFlex is here to support you in your goals – no matter how big or small. We are thrilled to be partners with Northcott and will be looking to provide WAY more information to support you on your fitness and health journey moving forward.

Together, WeFlex.

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I still remember that night when my brother and I found out about his diagnosis. We just had dinner at a Thai restaurant and decided to pay Dad a visit, as his house was close-by. When we came inside, we saw him resting in his chair, covered in a blanket and he didn’t look good. He sat us down and told us. I remember him humourously quipping that he had “caught it from Phil” – Phil was our other aunt’s husband who at that time had also been diagnosed with cancer; he is now in remission.

They discovered Dad had cancer when he came to the hospital after breaking his leg. Apparently, he had gotten up too quickly, and as a result, had snapped a bone in his leg. As they were running tests and doing the scans, they found the cancer had spread throughout his body. Because this, for the rest of his life, he was required to use a wheelchair.

Everything afterwards that night was a complete blur for me. Out of nowhere, I had been emotionally sucker-punched. I don’t remember how I felt or what I thought – I guess I must have been too dizzy to even think straight.

As the weeks went by, my siblings and I did everything we could to spend as much time with him. I visited him and watched all of the old classic movies – the same ones I had watched growing up with him and his favourite films, such as Jason and the Argonauts, The Life of Brian and Robin and Marian. We basically watched all if the classic stop-motion Ray Harryhausen movies.

One night, a few months into his treatment, when all my siblings and I where at his place, he sat us down around him and informed us that, because of the chemo, the doctors believed that he could last another two years.

I felt a small sense of relief. It may not have been as good as a full remission, but let’s face it, we all knew that was never going to be on the table. Another two years would have been perfect – I would have been able to spend more time with him, and prepare myself more for his inevitable death.

Unfortunately, it was all short lived. A few weeks later, my father had come down with an infection, which caused the cancer to spread more rapidly across his body, diminishing the time he had left to live from two years to a matter of a few weeks.

When my brother and I visited him, as he slept in his hospital bed, we didn’t think much of it at the time, as we didn’t comprehend the severity of it. However, that very quickly changed when my mother entered the room looking very serious and solemn.

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I found out. I was in front of the computer doing my usual thing. Not mincing words, she told me how the infection had compromised his immune system and that he now only had about a week left.

The news shook me to the core. I was devastated beyond belief. It felt as if a giant bird, with razor-sharp talons had pierced through my stomach and grabbed hold of my intestines, violently squeezing them without mercy. I remember bursting with tears.

He was initially given one week to live, but luckily, he was able to last two.

During his last few days, I made it a priority to say my last words to him. I told him how much I loved him and cherished him, and how I was proud to be his son.

He couldn’t speak or move, all he could do was hold on for dear life, but his body was deteriorating.

One of the most emotionally painful experiences I ever experienced was the last night I ever saw him alive. He was nonverbal and wheezing as he struggled to breath. My siblings and I sat around his deathbed, teary eyed as we watched our father breathing his last breathes, feeling completely powerless to help him.

A day later, on August 3^rd, 2011, my father had finally succumbed. He was finally at peace.

Looking Back

Looking back on my father and how he lived most of his life, it’s sadly not surprising he only lived to 62, which is considerably below the average Australian life expectancy of 82. He was hardly anyone’s idea of a healthy man. He never exercised, hardly ever went to the doctor for check-ups and ate whatever he wanted, which was barely ever healthy.

He lived a very sedentary lifestyle, a lifestyle he undoubtedly developed after decades of being a games developer, since the early 80s. He would spend hours sitting in front of the computer every day, and would drink 10 to 15 cans of diet coke a day – and no, that isn’t an exaggeration. As a young man he was a pack-a-day smoker until he quit.

Around the time I was born, he had a brief throat-cancer scare that was resolved quickly with an immediate operation. As the years went by, he would later have a triple by-pass operation and multiple strokes, and a year before he died, he had developed diabetes.

Learning From my Father’s Mistakes

Looking back on the way he lived, my brother and I wonder how he was able to live for so long; and can’t help but wonder if he would still be with us today if he had put in just a minimum of effort into looking after himself. It was this fact that initially raced through my mind after I got my body scan results back in 2016.

In 2016, at the insistence of my brother, I got a body-scan and was informed by a physician, who evaluated the results, that I was in great danger of potential future strokes and heart-attacks if I didn’t start taking better care of myself.

As I remembered my father’s terrible health, it dawned on me how much I was emulating him to a tee. Just like him, I too was living a sedentary life, spending hours upon hours – almost the entire day – in front of the computer screen, drinking nothing but soft-drinks, creating a soda can landfill beside the computer desk. Unless I wanted to join my father in an early grave, something had to change, and that something was how I took my health for granted. Since then, I have made changes and great strides to improving my overall health and to become considerably less sedentary than I was before.

I guess, in a way, my father has become a role model for me in the sense of knowing exactly how not to live. As much as I love and cherish him, my father was no example for me on how to take care of one’s health, and knowing him the way I do, he probably would agree.

Sometimes I wish someone had taken him to get a body-scan at some point in his life and give him the urgent wake-up call that I received. He would probably be still with us today.

The post Remembering My Father appeared first on WeFlex | NDIS Personal Trainer & Exercise Physiologist.

She was a very accomplished woman whose achievements are frankly too great and many to be surmised in one blog. For those who are interested, she has her own Wikipedia page. Aunt Sue was also a woman who was famous for getting straight to the point and not sugar-coating anything. A trait I knew all too well in all the years I got to know her.

She was never shy of being completely direct with me, and she had no hesitation to critique or reprimanded me when she saw fit. One of the ways in which she was direct with me, was about my weight. Aunt Sue had no issue reminding me that my health was something I had to take seriously, and she used to force tap my stomach to remind me.

When I began my weight-loss journey back in 2021, it was her opinion that I was most enshrined too. If she noticed a difference in my appearance, then I knew I was doing something right. It was opinion I was most adamant on and she never beat around the bush.

Aunt Sue, for years, had been vigorously tapping my protruding belly and insisted I do something about it and in fact, it was her that led to me the discovery of the exercise bike. Upon her insistence, I began looking up methods on reducing belly fat and read about the positive effects of using the exercise bike.

I visited her every weekend to help out with the garden and other chores around her house, just like I had for the past seven years, but now I waited patiently. As the months went by and my figure began to slim, I waited for my aunt to notice.

The day came a month later when I asked her how I looked, reminding her of my new weight-loss program. She looked at me, from top to bottom. In the nano-second before she answered, I was a bit nervous. If she didn’t see any change, then was I really doing anything, or was I just wasting my time and not taking my weight-loss as seriously as I thought I was.

However, before I could fret, she nodded and told me that she did see a difference. She then encouraged me to keep going. It was a minor exchange of words, but it had a profound effect on me.

It inspired me to continue, that I was on the right foot, and that all I had to do was to keep going. As the months went by, I noticed she tapped my belly less and less – probably because there was a lot less of it than before.

Aunt Sue meant, and still means, very much to me, and not a day goes by where I don’t think of her.

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I started going to the gym shortly after I was diagnosed with a condition called Friedreich’s Ataxia when I was 10 years old. I wasn’t allowed to do sport at school anymore, so I needed to find a way to stay active.

My dad suggested going to the gym and helped me find a trainer. Although they were lovely, they didn’t always understand how to work with someone who had physical limitations. And if they did, it would usually be how to train someone with an injury, rather than a physical disability. However, it was my only option in a small city.

When going to the gym, I found that the goals were always to ‘get bigger’, ‘get stronger’, ‘do more reps’. But all I was trying to do was maintain my health and wellbeing. Practical things that would help make my day-to-day life easier, like transferring from my wheelchair to my bed. Most of the sessions were taken up by trainers helping me on and off the machines. Besides getting in a machine, I rarely got out of my wheelchair.

When I moved to Brisbane, I found exercise physiologists that were trained to work with disabled clients and had a lot of knowledge about different disabilities. They knew the everyday problems that someone in a wheelchair would face. For the first time ever, I was able to set goals that were actually useful in my day-to-day life. One goal was to maintain my transferring ability, another goal was to work on my standing ability.

With their help, I was able to practice standing for an hour twice a week. I hadn’t stood for over 9 years. This means I can now do standing transfers which has helped me navigate my day so much more efficiently. I can now get in and out of cars, which I had nearly given up on. That in turn, saves me money on taxi’s and it means I can now go out with my friends.

In order to get better at standing and transferring, my EP’s helped me to realise that I actually needed to work on balance and co-ordination rather than the muscular strength that comes from lifting weights on machines.

They are constantly coming up with creative solutions to target specific areas that I need to work on. For example, they often get me out of my wheelchair and sitting on a bench where I lean at different angles, trying to reach their hands. While this might not seem like a ‘gym workout’ for an able-bodied person, this has helped immensely with my core strength, which actually keeps me safe. My condition affects my strength and muscles, so having the core stability to keep myself upright when I sneeze or cough at the table, can actually prevent me from getting a concussion or injuring myself.

Working with EP’s who are specifically trained, means they also know how to get me in and out of my wheelchair safely, and can even offer advice on how I can do this more effectively and safer while I’m at home.

Without the help of a specially trained EP this wouldn’t have been possible. I encourage anyone with a disability to find someone that can help them in this way.

Thank you Sam for writing this blog for us! Please checkout out her socials here:

• Instagram
• TikTok

• 
  NDIS Personal Training For Disabilities – Where To Start & What Next
• 
  Can I use my NDIS funding for personal training? The answer is YES!
• 
  Easy Exercise & Physical Activities for Children With A Disability

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Falling Off and Getting Back on the Wagon!

What happens when you have a weight-loss setback?

Ever since I had begun this exercise and weight loss program, I had lost more weight than I ever had. I was also eating healthier than I ever had before in the years prior. It really dawned on me that I was making a big difference with my weight was when I noticed my clothes, which would normally be either tight or snug, began to feel slightly looser and baggy. I felt like I was on a roll – I had had no weight loss setbacks since I started – besides from the occasional plateauing. The most the positive change that really affected me was my improved sleeping – a major side effect of health living, I’ve found.

Since 2019 I have had a real struggle with a sleeping disorder, where I would wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to fall back asleep. Throughout the next day, I would be tired and irritated. In 2020, I was able to strike a balance with prescribed medications Melatonin and Belsomra. This helped me get back to sleep a little bit easier. However, as a result of my weight-loss and exercise, I noticed my sleep improve substantially. I now fell back to sleep almost immediately.

Everything was going swimmingly. Admittedly, the weight wasn’t dropping as quickly as it did when I began my exercise program, but I was still losing weight. I finally reach 103kgs. The problem? While everything remained stable, it also got boring. From eating right to exercising – it all became too routine. The occasional plateauing didn’t help my motivation. I was beginning to lose interest in the whole ordeal.

It got worse when lockdowns officially ended on October 11, 2021. One of the first places I went to, when I was free to travel into the city, was Macquarie Centre. I can’t remember why I went there, but one thing is for certain, I distinctively remember excessively eating in the food court. I didn’t plan to, it just happened. It started with small samples, a small plate of noodles, a few meatballs, a chocolate éclair from somewhere else and more! I thought these small little bites of food wouldn’t be the same as having a large meal, however all of the small purchases I made accumulated into a large three-course meal. I felt stuffed, sick and bloated afterwards. I ate without thinking and assumed my metabolism would simply burn it all off.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. The next morning, I weighed myself and got a shock. I had, in a single day, regained over two whole kilograms. I was embarrassed and mortified. It was a major weight loss setback. I felt upset I had lost weeks of the hard work I had put into my exercise routine, and for what? In hindsight the food wasn’t even that good.

It was the wakeup call I needed to get out of the funk I was in before. I was bored and had been slacking. I pledged that I wouldn’t make that mistake again and that I would start to take my fitness program seriously again. I swore off going to Macquarie Centre Food Court, and decided to remove all of the other temptations in my life I knew I couldn’t resist.

It felt good. I felt good. It didn’t take me long to shred the two kilos I had regained; however it was going to take me a lot more to get back in the game and reach my ultimate goal.

To be continued…

The post My Weight Loss Journey: Part 7 – Weight Loss Setbacks appeared first on WeFlex | NDIS Personal Trainer & Exercise Physiologist.

Plateauing 

My body was getting bored and had started plateauing… but what does that actually mean?

After learning and understanding the science and mechanisms of metabolism, I continued onwards with my exercise routine. As the weeks went by, I went down from 109kgs, to 108kgs to 107kgs. Everything was on the up and up for me. It was only a matter of time before I finally dropped down to that desired 103.

As I continued to lose weight, I began noticing others complimenting my weight loss and how I was looking better than I ever had before. However, the opinion I was most concerned with, was my Aunt Sue, who is not one to spare my feelings and sugar-coat anything. When she told me that even she was noticing my weight loss, that’s when I knew I was really making a difference.

Everything was going as planned, until one day when I weighed myself and noticed that I hadn’t lost any weight. I was confused. I could have sworn I would have lost another kilo just as I had every other week prior. I retraced my steps to try and figure out why. Did I overeat the night before? Did I not exercise like I had been? It didn’t help when I weighed myself a few days later and saw that I had still not lost any weight. I didn’t understand.

I kept my exercise routine, I went for seven kilometre walks, did a vigorous thirty mins on the exercise bike, and I ate appropriately, and yet I was still failing to lose any more weight. I wondered if I even could lose anymore weight. Before, I was worried about losing too much weight when I wasn’t exercising and now, I was worried about not losing any weight, even when I was exercising.

I was getting discouraged, and fast. However, much like last time, I decided that if anyone were to know what was going on, it would be my brother. He explained to me the concept of ‘plateauing.’

“Simply put, our bodies are adapting machines. It’s how as a species we’ve been able to survive so long. If you do things to your body consistently, it starts to prepare for it. If you were to eat dinner every night at the same time, it wouldn’t be long before you are salivating and hungry five minutes beforehand. It’s the same with exercise. If you were to exercise straight after waking up – it might be tough to being with, but before long your body will be waking up with more energy. Why? It’s adapting. However, sometimes your body can get too good at this and you may find it harder to break down the muscle or push your cardiovascular system – resulting in a plateau of performance. It’s for this reason you need to make sure that you regularly (but not too often) mix up and change your exercise regimen. By doing so, you will be challenging your body in new ways, targeting different muscles or the same muscles in a different way.”

My body was getting too bored with the usual exercise routine. It wasn’t burning fat at the rate I was used too. In order to break the plateau, I had to start doing more than what I was doing.

I decided to expand my existing exercise program by, instead of doing thirty minutes on the bike, some days I would do a full hour. I didn’t find this arduous, or difficult, it just meant I got a bit sweatier on some days.

Eventually, I was able to break my plateauing. I went from 107kgs, down to 106kg! By staying consistent and adapting, I would be ready to face the dreaded plateauing when it popped up again.

Everything was looking bright, until one day when I fell off the wagon…

To be continued…

The post My Weight Loss Journey: Part 6 – Plateauing appeared first on WeFlex | NDIS Personal Trainer & Exercise Physiologist.

For most of my adult life, I never took my health as serious as I do today. I used to assume that I must have inherited my maternal grandfather’s longevity genes – he lived to 105 – and therefore, I too, would live to 100. I assumed, that since I had never needed to go to the hospital for anything, I must been in tip-top shape. Well, there was one incident where I needed to go for an emergency trip to the doctor due to a sudden case of testicular torsion, but that’s another story. I also assumed that since I was not cartoonishly overweight and obese – like those infamous stories of people being so morbidly obese that they couldn’t physically exit their own house – that I must be relatively healthy and thus had no reason to think seriously about my health.

However, looking back, making such an extreme comparison in my mind was not a realistic indicator of whether I was healthy or not. If anything, it was nothing more then a diversion from any serious consideration of my health. Unbeknownst to me, I desperately needed a wake-up call that would shatter my comforting obliviousness about the severity of my health situation.

In 2016, my brother and I went to get full body-scans in the city, where they would do a complete scan of our entire bodies. My brother had suggested that we should get body scans for a while and when I finally agreed, I arrogantly assumed that I would be given a clean bill of health. I was not in any pain and I wasn’t sick all the time, so how unhealthy could I actually be?

Well, that state of comfortable thinking all came crashing down when the physician – not holding back anything – informed me that I was anything BUT healthy.

Being completely frank and not sugar-coating anything (believe me, the last thing I needed was anything coated with sugar), he informed me that I was on a dangerous trajectory with my health, and that if I did not make any drastic changes, I was looking at possible and potential strokes and heart-attacks in the coming years.

To say that I was shook afterwards would be an understatement. I was completely shattered. I remember leaving there almost staggering, my mind racing like it’s never raced before. I distinctly remember the first action I did after the consultation; I remember rushing to the local IGA and buying a can of sliced beetroot – something I hadn’t eaten since I was a kid.

The results of my body-scan finally forced me to take my health seriously. The idea that I could be facing a possible stroke and heart-attack in the near future made me realise that I needed to get my act together. Improving my health was not something I could delay or put on the shelf to deal with later, no, I needed to get started with it now!

I started by taking small steps, like eliminating all sugary soft drinks out of my diet. I also began going on long-distant walks more frequently. As the years went by, I became more conscious about what I ate and what I drank. I began going to the gym more often with my brother and recently I went through a complete weight-loss challenge.

Looking back, as much as the results of the body-scan in 2016 devastated me, I shudder to think of what my life would have turned out to be if I hadn’t gotten the body-scan. There’s no doubt in my mind that I would have continued living as I did, completely uninterested in my health and taking care of myself. I would have continued drinking excessive amounts of soft drinks and eating fast food, completely oblivious that I was on a conveyer belt of death – heading blissfully unaware to an early grave.

I guess you could say that the body-scan and blunt physician saved my life. It gave me a brutal wake-up call that I didn’t know I desperately needed. That is why I think everyone should consider taking a full body-scan – sometimes all you need is for the truth to be there in your face.

By Jackson. T. Trout

Read Jackson’s personal experience with weight loss through his eight part series! Click to read Part 1 – Introduction

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Keep “Spinning That Wheel”

After the first few weeks of adding the exercise bike into my routine, I began noticing the kgs beginning to drop. I went from 112kgs to 111kgs, then 110kgs, and onwards.

As I watched this positive change happen, I also began to wonder what other alterations I could include in my weight-loss program to assist me even more.

As the weight began to shed, I couldn’t help but taunt my brother by sending him weekly updates on my weight loss – 111kgs, then 110kg, then 109kg! It was like a ticking time-bomb, counting down to 103.

I began noticing my weight dropping on days I didn’t even exercise, or go on the bike, and it didn’t take long before my hypochondria crept in, convincing myself that something had to be up. This consistent weight loss couldn’t possibly be due to my new exercise regimen.

I scared myself into thinking I possibly had a terrible disease, where one of the symptoms was dramatic weight loss. This tempted me into overeating and to stop exercising to try and purposely regain the weight I was now afraid of losing.

Doubt had crept in, and I was about to give up everything – everything I had worked for – until my brother, Tom, stepped in and saved me. He explained to me the laws of metabolism, something I didn’t know anything about.

I was just about to give up everything, everything I had worked for, until my brother – Tom – stepped in and saved me.

After I explained to him my concerns, my brother explained to me the laws of metabolism, something I didn’t know anything about.

As he put it;

“In a nutshell, your metabolism is the process of your body converting what you eat into energy it requires to operate. Everything your body does requires energy, even things like thinking, breathing, urinating as well as more obvious things like moving and playing. Too much food and your body doesn’t use all the energy, which it stores as fat. Not enough food and your body starts making decisions on where the limited energy goes – resulting in feelings of fatigue and other issues.”

“The amount of energy your body needs or the rate at which your body uses (and therefore requires) energy is known as your basal metabolic rate. What your body needs from an energy standpoint to function normally. When you regularly exercise the requirements of your body – again even just to exist, goes up. You also have more muscles to provide energy to! Your body wants more energy as it is used to exercising more. So, your BMR goes up. The higher your BMR goes up, the more of ‘kilojoule furnace’ your body becomes.”

In other words, think of metabolism like a wheel that you spin manually. You spin it around and around, faster and faster. Overtime, it begins to spin so much that you can stop spinning it manually and it will continue on it’s own.

As you exercise more and more regularly, and consistently, your body burns fat at a much higher rate, even on days you don’t exercise. Much like a spinning wheel, eventually it slows down, and your metabolism will lose momentum unless you exercise regularly. You’ve got to keep “spinning that wheel.”

The post My Weight Loss Journey: Part 5 – Metabolism appeared first on WeFlex | NDIS Personal Trainer & Exercise Physiologist.

You Do Make Friends with Salad

After the first few weeks of adding the exercise bike into my routine, I began noticing the kgs beginning to drop. I went from 112kgs to 111kgs, then 110kgs, and onwards.

As I watched this positive change happen, I also began to wonder what other alterations I could include in my weight-loss program to assist me even more.

That led me to reconsider my diet. I began to investigate to see if there was any room for improvement.

As I’ve noted before, I initially planned to stick to a very strict intermittent fasting regime, where I would only allow myself to eat between 12:00PM to 8:00PM. I also set out to reframe from the usual suspects – sugary drinks, fast-food and sweets – the unhealthy top of the food pyramid.

However, while this strategy was effective in helping me avoid unhealthy foods, it didn’t necessarily ensure an explicitly healthy diet either. I still found myself eating high-carb foods which, though not as bad as processed fast-food or sugary treats, wasn’t necessarily the healthiest alternative either.

I started to cut down on high-carb foods such as white bread and pasta. I started incorporating more vegetables into my meals, which led to a newfound appreciation for vegetable soups and salads (see recipes below).

The change was noticeable.

I saw my weight dropping at a faster rate and I also began noticing other positive effects. I was feeling better about myself. I had more energy and had a more positive outlook overall, which made it easier to accept the new changes. It worked as the perfect incentive.

However, as I began to lose more and more weight each week, I started to get a little nervous. My newfound diet and exercise program was working… maybe a little too good in my opinion.

To be continued…

Recipes

Asian Salad 

You’ll need:

• A large, mixing bowl
• 1 cup of spinach leaves (thinly sliced)
• 1 cup of red cabbage (thinly sliced)
• 1 cup of green cabbage (thinly sliced)
• 1 cup of shredded carrots
• 1 large Spanish onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 small tin of corn kernels
• Salt to taste
• Dressing of your choice (I use honey Dijon)

Optional: Any extras you wish to include e.g., roast chicken, heated frozen squid, etc.

Method:

1. Add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl
2. Mix until satisfied
3. Enjoy!

Vegetable Soup

You’ll need:

• A large, steel pot
• Olive oil
• 1 large brown onion (chopped)
• 3-4 Garlic cloves, crushed (optional)
• Carrots (chopped)
• Green beans (chopped)
• Zucchini (chopped)
• Spinach leaves (chopped)
• Sweet potato (chopped)
• Potato (chopped)
• Pumpkin (chopped)
• Any extra vegetables you have (chopped)
• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 liter of beef stock
• 2 sachets of bouquet Garni (still in the sachets)

Optional: Grain bread rolls with some butter. Cheese, roast chicken etc. for toppings.

Method:

1. Preheat the pot at a mid-high temperature
2. Add a slurp of olive oil
3. Add onions and garlic – stir until golden
4. Add all vegetables, beef stock, then the Garni sachets (make sure the sachets are not torn throughout the process)
5. Add a dash of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce into the mix, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
6. Stir to perfection and wait until it starts boiling.
7. Once boiling, turn down heat to mid-low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
8. Carefully remove the Garni sachets from the pot
9. Once vegetables are soft, turn off the stove. You can either puree the soup if you would like too.
10. Add any additional toppings, such as cheese or roast chicken

The post My Weight Loss Journey: Part 4 – Diet and Nutrition appeared first on WeFlex | NDIS Personal Trainer & Exercise Physiologist.