Joanna Hall - The GI Walking Diet - Lose 10lbs and Look 10 Years Younger in 6 Weeks

LOSE 10LBS AND 10 YEARS IN 6 WEEKS

Cover

Title Page Joanna Hall THE GI WALKING DIET LOSE 10LBS AND 10 YEARS IN 6 WEEKS

Introduction: Active Ageing – One Foot in the Future

Part I: Dealing Positively with Ageing

1 Physical Changes

How Old Do You Feel?

Changing Your Attitudes and Habits

How the Body Ages

Ageing and Body Weight

2 Emotional Challenges

Emotional Stress

Emotional Eating

3 Making it Happen – Changing Habits and Attitudes

Get Active!

Small Steps for Big Change

What Is a Habit?

Have I Left it Too Late?

Part II: Opening the Window of Opportunity

4 How the GI Walking Diet Works

The Exercise Plan

The Eating Plan

5 Getting Ready for Action

Your Five-minute Body Road Test

Establishing Body Facts

Testing Your Fitness

6 The Six-week Exercise Plan

How Hard Should I Be Exercising?

Warming Up and Cooling Down

The Walking Plan

The Strength Plan

The Flexibility Plan

The Balance Plan (Optional)

Check Your Posture

7 The Six-week Eating Plan

How the Eating Plan Works

The Macronutrients You Need

The Micronutrients You Need

The Anutrients You Need

Drinks

The Menu Plans

8 Meal Ideas and Recipes

Breakfasts

Lunches

Carb Curfew Dinners

Carb Curfew Soups and Stews

Carb Curfew Desserts

Snacks

Glossary

About the Author

By the Same Author

Copyright

About the Publisher

Ageing isn’t really ageing – it’s inactivity that’s the problem

As we progress through life, we may find it more challenging to be as active as we once were. The ageing process imposes changes upon our bodies that can gradually reduce our capabilities, but this can be compounded by lack of physical activity. There are many reasons for being inactive. Often, life seems to get in the way as we spend time focusing on careers, bringing up a family or caring for elderly relatives. We may be so busy that we feel guilty about taking time out for ourselves. Whatever the reasons, you may find your middle has got thicker and you’re not feeling quite the way you’d like to at this stage in your life.

Sedentary lifestyles contribute to a number of physical complaints that start to creep in as we get older. Suffering from – or a fear of suffering from – arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, creaky knees or a troublesome back can all be potential barriers to getting us moving. The sad truth is that by not taking an active role in your body’s ageing, you are accelerating the process of decay. Yet there is a viable alternative that can make you feel better, look better and lose that middle-age spread.

Asking people to define their level of activity is often a sensitive issue. In my experience of working with clients, I have found that many of us tend to overestimate how active we are. This is not because we are lazy, though some of us by our own admission do prefer to curl up with a good book. To me, the confusion comes from the different ways we can define being active.

Ask anyone about their day and they usually reply that they are tired because they have been very busy and active. We naturally associate tiredness with a physically active day. When you probe a bit deeper, however, you often find that their day has not been physically active – it has been active in quite a different way. You can, in fact, be geographically or mentally active.

Here’s the scenario for a geographically active day. You wake up and think about the things that have to be done. You need to drop clothes off at the dry cleaners, pick up dog food for Fido, get to work, get across town for a lunch meeting, get back to the office to finish a report, grab something for dinner at the supermarket, get home, unload the car, cook dinner, get things ready for tomorrow. It gets to 8pm. You are tired. You have had a busy day and you’ve been all over town but you have not moved your body much – the car has moved, the train has moved but in reality your body has not really moved that much. You have been geographically active but not physically active.

Here’s the scenario for a mentally active day. You wake up in the morning, having been up half the night thinking about all the things you need to do. The monthly report needs to be completed before 10am, and the sales director wants figures by 11am. You’ve got a dinner party to plan for Saturday night, and you need to do the online shop by midday to get the home delivery service to deliver by 5pm on Friday. Your tax return is late so you need to get on with it. You also need to speak to the family about the arrangements for Christmas or that special occasion. It gets to 8pm. You are tired. You have had a busy day. Your brain has been all over the place – but you have not moved your body much. You have been mentally active but not physically active.

Our days will always be geographically active and mentally active but we have to encourage ourselves to be more physically active, and this is where this book comes in.

At this stage in your life, you may find you have more time for yourself than before. Your children may have left home. You may be retired or working part-time. This could be a real opportunity for you to make time to get active.

I have designed the GI Walking Diet to be realistic and achievable for everyone. What one person might find achievable could be difficult for someone else. That’s why you will find a variety of programmes that actively assist and guide you to improve your health and fitness and achieve sustainable weight loss. While the overall plan guides you to walk your way to fitness, weight loss and health improvements in just six weeks, your progress starts with small steps that are achievable for just about everyone.

In Chapter 1 we’ll look at the physical changes that occur as we get older. Chapter 2 tells you all about the emotional side of ageing. Chapter 3 explains how taking small steps can bring about big changes to your lifestyle. In Chapter 4 you’ll find out about the GI Walking Diet, why it’s achievable and the huge impact it can have on your health. In Chapter 5 we’ll address exactly where you are now and how you can get ready for your six-week plan. In Chapters 6 and 7, the plan is clearly laid out. All the exercises are described and illustrated so they are easy to follow, and the week-by-week guide gives you both a structure and a flexible approach to success, guiding you to achievable results, whatever your ability. Getting in shape and losing weight doesn’t mean missing out on great food, and in Chapter 8 you’ll find delicious recipes that easily fall in with the GI style of eating you can enjoy on your way better health.

Having good intentions about starting a diet and exercise plan is one thing – knowing where to start can be a minefield. My specially-designed ‘at a glance guides’ in Chapter 6 will help you get going. You can use them as starting points or as handy references as you progress with the programme.