Being a trainer for over 15 + years has shown me the pattern of individuals going through a season of indulgence to later go through remorse by losing the pounds for the New Year. I myself gain the weight in the past for the holidays comes with a drink in one hand and a fork on the other. Sharing meals with people and connecting is what we do best during these times. The psychology of overeating presented in a journal placed overeating being equivalent to sex and drugs for the release of dopamine into an area of the Midbrain called the Nucleus Accumbens. The reward signal by food, usually in the form of sugar and carbohydrate, is worth repeating. Dopamine, essentially is the greatest reward when it comes to feeling good about ourselves. The imbalance of gaining the weight comes down to excess of food with not enough movement for the body to burn the energy. A study done in McMaster University in Ontario called HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) showed that 30 second bike sprints for a total of three minutes led to the same muscle cell adaptations as two hours of long, steady bike riding. Basically, the concept of movement can be minimal to help balance an imbalance system due to over indulgence.

Here is our solution:

Invest in time in blocking off at least 30 minutes per week to start in having a movement practice. In can look like this.

30 minute training session followed by 30 minute massage/flexibility session. Your physiotherapy benefits can cover the training portion as long as it is under the care of Physiotherapist. Usually, something that is due to posture related like using a computer can be assisted by training your back and abs.
Drinking water with the same amount of alcoholic or sweet beverage to dilute the content. Of course limiting ourselves to 1-2 glasses would be helpful. Often I ask my client if the food they are about to ingest is something they work for? Our ancestors had to work for food and therefore obesity did not exist.
Revisit in a month and potentially add another day for training and journal each week to see what can be revised to improve.
What is your ‘WHY’? This is important and was eloquently spoken by Simon Sinek. We will continue to pursuit the wrong thing until we have fully committed to what overwrites our impulse to make wrong decisions. Our intentions must be clear to head in the direction with ‘Why’ as our compass. Here’s the video: Why?

Lose the weight and not your benefits. We work hard to have the life we live and letting your extended health care benefits go down the drain is a waste. Let us help you with what you already have to get you started in this journey in wellness. Here’s a link if you need to contact us: Book a Consultation

Thank you for making the time to read this!

Keep it Balanced,

Garnet Santicruz RMT, CPT, CMRP