Such a good question and a simple one to answer. The main focus is you. It's so rare to take time out of your day to focus on yourself. It actually feels weird. Which is why it can be so powerful.
More practically, the difference in working with me over (many) standard health care providers in this space is the real world consideration, mindset change and real life application.
We Don't Exist In A Vacuum
Although we like to think a simple change in our diet can be all the change we need this sadly isn't often true. A change in the way we eat for most of us can be absolute gold for our body, mind and happiness. But in order to make it work and crucially to make it last, there are a considerable number of factors to consider.
Our sleep, our daily movement, our environment, our jobs - they all matter. With a background in the epidemiology of obesity, wrapped in the study of holistic nutrition, backed up with years of real life experience, I know that food can't be changed sustainably without learning more about what triggers our cravings and causes our behaviour.
Considering Your External Environment For Weight Loss
And I don't mean plants and animals. Ethnography is the study of how we humans interact with the physical (both natural and built) environments around us. It's a hell of a lot more psychological than you think and until you consider these external factors you're unlikely to get very far very fast.
Case Study: my partner Scott (sorry Scott for throwing you under the bus) 😉 lost 7kgs in our first lockdown. He wasn't even trying. With no access to coffee shops, morning baking, a pie on the way to work, chips at the pub - it happened effortlessly. We ate delicious food and (like many) had cocktail hour as a close to daily event. While everyone else was grabbing family bags of chips and ice cream with the lack of accountability, I knew that to keep our mental health intact and to come out of lockdown better than we went in, good food and movement were crucial. But the really big change was simply the environment.
Your Internal Thoughts & Beliefs
These external factors all play a part in building your internal thoughts and beliefs around your health and around food. By the age of 18 I had been called "chubby", "big boned", "the fat one". And it's amazing how many of these flippant comments stick with us.
What internal stories do you tell yourself? That you're not fit or healthy, that you've "always struggled with your weight", that "you tried to lose weight before and it didn't work". All these stories you repeat to yourself are full fiction and unpicking these is a huge part of what we do.
A Simple Process & Proven Framework
Life is complicated enough, so the way we work is simple. We start with a chat (and nutrition consultation).
They are really casual sessions but give some epic insights. They last around an hour and a half - taking time to focus on all aspects is really crucial. It covers us having a really good chat about where you are right now and where you would like to be, along with some discussions around changes you can make (if any).
We run through:
- Your Health Story: Where you are at right now
- Your Goals: Where do you want to be
- Any Challenges/ Road Blocks you currently have or envisage
- How you want that to feel (if I could wave a magic wand and make it happen - no limits)
- We talk about what the ultimate outcome could be
- We discuss the gap between what you are doing now and what's stopping you from getting there
- How we can work together to close this gap for you
A Nutrition Framework That Works
The consultation can be followed by simple follow up notes, or a tailored fitness and nutrition plan with ongoing (weekly or fortnightly) support.
With a tailored fitness and nutrition plan you gain the tools and framework to change the way you look at your day, the world around you and a number of other lifestyle aspects.
It covers:
Your Day Analysed (what you don't see...)
Tailored Notes on your current health
Nutrient Breakdown with food notes and shopping list
Notes on fitness, movement and mental clarity
We cover alcohol, technology and sleep (all crucial but often ignored)
Finally it's broken down into a weekly plan with simple recipes
Your weekly framework for succes is right there for you on a page with daily movement suggestions and a meal plan, with built in flexibility to accommodate for your lifestyle, family and job
From here we catch up weekly - taking time out to talk about you (often rare!) and chat through any questions or challenges you might be facing
It's not uncommon to lose well over a kg a week if that is your goal. Additional wins by my clients include muscle gain, reduction in mood swings, mental clarity, feeling confident at the beach, sex lives taking off... it's incredible what comes when you decide to choose yourself.
If you want to book in for a consultation to talk through aspects you might be missing. Drop me a line.
Get in touch on Facebook or Instagram at @amysfitnessandnutrition, drop me a message to 0272 650 350, or check out more at amysfitnessandnutrition.co.nz.
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