It is no surprise that as a nation, Australia is getting fatter. This is not something we can merely blame on genetics either. We are getting fatter as a nation because of two main factors – we eat too much and the wrong kinds of foods and we don’t exercise enough.

Over the years of working as a Personal Fitness Trainer, I have witnessed and worked with many amazing transformations and continue to do so. The vast majority of people will utilize the service of a Personal Trainer to lose weight. One thing that I continually remind people is that if you continue to do the same thing or apply the same amount of effort you will continue to get the same result. This certainly applies to weight loss or lack of it. I also believe many people don’t apply enough effort to instigate the change that they are after. We humans are creatures of habit after all and most of us don’t like to take ourselves outside our comfort zone. Well, I’m about to burst a few bubbles because in order to instigate change particularly lasting weight loss and improved fitness and health we do have to apply some effort.

There is a great saying that I believe is very true. ‘Your lifestyle supports the shape you are in’. If you are overweight, then your current lifestyle is not helping you become leaner, fitter and healthier. If you are in great shape then there’s a good chance that you choose to eat well and exercise on a regular basis. Certainly there are some factors that can account for what I call ‘weight loss road blocks’ such as an underactive Thyroid, Estrogen dominance and Insulin Resistance, however, these problems can be addressed and treated by your Doctor and you can get the ’weight loss’ ball rolling once again with positive healthy lifestyle choices.

I hear time and again from individuals that weight loss is impossible because of a strong genetic link within the family for obesity. I have also worked with and witnessed firsthand individuals who have obese family members who have blown this ‘myth’ out of the water. By this I mean that they have chosen to be lean and healthy through lifestyle choices – Perfectly possible. I believe that anyone can achieve his or her goal and create a lean healthy body despite any of the above ‘excuses’. It is a matter of firstly making the decision to change then applying the appropriate strategies and putting in some effort which sometimes will take you outside your comfort zone. How much effort you ask? There are 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week. Forty minutes to one hour of moderate to intense exercise a day or up to 7 hours of exercise per week is not much in the scheme of things, however I believe is essential along with a diet void of processed foods and sugar. If you think this is too much or you don’t have time, how much time do you spend watching TV, on the internet or sleeping in? The choice is yours.