Losing weight, eating more healthily and exercising more are probably the three most popular wishes people make when the New Year dawns, but despite the best intentions, obesity problems have only got worse over the past decade, according to the World Health Organization. The “Estimated overweight and obesity slide show” on its online global infobase indicates that in 2002, 2005 and 2010, the general body mass index (BMI) – used to measure body fat levels – rose among both men and women. Once primarily affecting developed countries in the West, the overweight issue has gone global, even in Asian societies where the general diet used to be low in fat.
According to Sam Wong from the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China, more than half of the city’s young adult men (54.1 per cent aged 20-39) and around a quarter of their female counterparts (25.9 per cent) are overweight or obese (BMI 23 or above); the rates of central obesity (waist circumference 90cm or above for men; 80cm or above for women) for men and women were 22.2 per cent and 10.8 per cent respectively. The rates are even more alarming among the middle-aged group (40-59 years of age).
Quitting a bad habit, especially smoking, is also one of the most common New Year resolutions. More and more countries are enforcing smoking bans at indoor locations, including airports where smokers are confined to claustrophobic “glass cages”. Yet despite the obvious inconvenience, humiliation factor and well-publicised health risks, steady streams of travellers are still regularly seen puffing away in these smoking lounges.
So the million-dollar question is: Why is it so hard to change? Some experts seem to suggest that things are getting worse as the world is getting more competitive and time-poor. “We only have a limited amount of physical and emotional energy available every day. The more energy we spend on ‘survival’ at work, at home or socially, the less energy we have left to create positive habits and sustain healthy behaviour,” says Henry Chamberlain, industrial and organisational psychologist and president of the Hong Kong Psychological Society (HKPS). “Modern life is taking a massive amount of psychological or emotional energy from us and leaving us with little left to spend on ourselves.”
Chamberlain’s wife, Dina, is a counsellor and psychologist and she points out one of the most prevalent excuses people make for not changing. “The unfortunate thing is that people may immediately react by saying ‘I do not have time for this nonsense. Give me a quick recipe and I will be able to follow it. I do not have time to go sailing and now you want me to spend time on reflection?’ Well, yes, I do, because this might lead to a new way of working smarter so that you will free up time for the things that you enjoy.”
So, put down your smartphone and start thinking… or read these easy-to-follow steps, suggested by experts in psychology, life coaching, dietetics and physical fitness, all designed to enhance your mindset and allow you to benefit from permanent changes in lifestyle.
HENRY CHAMBERLAIN, psychologist & president of the HKPS
Get your bearings: Firstly acknowledge that behaviour is complex, and quick fixes will not produce sustainable change – in fact, they require time and effort.
Take time to think: You have to be very clear about what you want and why you want it. When setting change objectives they have to be clearly specified, concrete and specific. You have to be able to see, feel and taste the end result.
Think even more: Clear awareness is needed of what the change will require from you. What will it cost you? What will you give up? What will you lose? How much effort will it take? Most people give up when the going gets tough because they did not anticipate the difficulties.
Take more time: If you are not prepared to commit time and energy you may as well give up before you start. You need time to reflect and create new habits. You need to repeat the new behaviour, monitor your success and make adjustments.
Ease yourself in: Don’t take on too much. Most people cannot take on more than one or two changes in their life at any given time. Be realistic and first get one habit under control before you tackle the next.
Engage others when needed: For some things we may need external help, support and motivation. A coach can challenge us, inspire us, help us set clear objectives and hold us accountable to our commitments. We can also enlist the help of a friend, a family member or a support group to provide support and motivation.
DINA CHAMBERLAIN, counsellor & psychologist
Sleep properly: Although new research shows that not everybody needs exactly eight hours of sleep, we do need more than six hours and we need it at a specific time of the dark cycle. Travelling across time zones changes the dark and light cycle in the body. Things like sleeping in complete darkness and quiet, having a full-spectrum light available, eating certain food groups and doing simple body movements can restore equilibrium quickly.
The old power nap – the 10-20 minutes at lunchtime on your arms or even on the office floor may save your day. It may give you enough energy to face the afternoon, not overeat at dinnertime and maybe do a 20-minute walk after work. The power nap should not be longer than 30 minutes.
Write things down: Making a journal can help a lot. Keep track of your emotions when you succeed, when you fail or when you really crave something, because it might help you better understand what is happening. If you are working late and you order food delivery, do you order the same old pizza or fried rice? Why not a healthy alternative? It takes the same effort in ordering, but the outcome can be different.
Praise yourself: Making a journal can also be an “I did it!” victory book. Write down all your successes, however small they may seem. We tend to focus so much on the negative that we forget to remember the small successes. Write it down if you did your core exercises while waiting for the lift. It can be these small changes that lead to the bigger, bolder changes.
Celebrate with friends: Celebrations are best shared. Find an accountability partner, someone who will rejoice with you, or nudge you with a text asking how it is going, without pushing you to go too fast.
Be realistic: The consequences of an action should also be thought through. For example, stopping coffee intake can lead to headaches; if you are aware of this, you can start the change process over the weekend or a period of leave instead of two days before the most important presentation of your career.
Make time in your calendar: Schedule break times in your day calendar and honour those appointments. It may be simply to eat your apple, go to the washroom on the upper floor and walk the stairs, or stand up and roll your shoulders with five neck stretches or five belly breaths. Remember, if you do not schedule it, it is not going to happen. Positive planning becomes a lifestyle and a habit.
Don’t postpone: We love postponing – I’ll start tomorrow… on Monday… next year… are phrases we know only too well. Even if you cheated at lunchtime, you are still able to do the right thing at dinnertime. One slip-up and a failure here and there should not deter you. Just start again at the next opportunity and work on the motivation for change again.
CARRYING EXTRA BAGGAGE?
Staying slim in today’s food-abundant society is a challenge for anyone, but frequent travellers face more obstacles than most. Whether it’s the onboard tuck shop or the working buffet lunch, it’s easy to graze your way through the day.
Jet lag also plays a part, as sleep deprivation affects the body’s ability to regulate appetite. Research by Dr Shahrad Taheri from the University of Birmingham has found it takes only two nights of having two or three hours’ less sleep than normal to result in 15 per cent more ghrelin (a hormone that boosts appetite) and 15 per cent less leptin (the “full-up” hormone) being produced, leaving you feeling hungry all the time.
Eating while you work is another culprit – have lunch in front of your laptop and you’ll eat twice as many snacks later in the day than you would if you left the office to eat, according to a study from Bristol University. “If you don’t pay attention while you eat, it doesn’t get encoded as a memory, which is why you eat more later,” Professor Marion Hetherington from the University of Leeds says. It’s also easy to miss “full-up” signals when you’re distracted – research shows we take in 14 per cent more calories if we eat while watching TV.
Lack of routine is another factor. “Consistency is crucial when it comes to staying slim and healthy. It’s what you do the majority of the time that counts,” says nutritionist and author of How Not To Get Fat Ian Marber.
One that works for lots of people, says diet guru Judith Wills, author of Escape The Fat Trap For Life, is cutting out “white” stuff. “Avoid white rice, white bread, white pasta, and other refined carbohydrates such as biscuits, pastries, pies and cakes,” she says. “Nutritionally, you get nothing from them but calories.”
Also, keep a glass of water by your wineglass and drink more from that. And, as we make better food choices when we’re not starving, consider pre-eating before big events. “I order an omelette and salad from room service, so when I go out, I’m more likely to lay off the canapés,” Marber says.
Small changes can make a difference over time – create even a small “energy gap” (by taking in fewer calories than you burn off) most days of the week, and you will lose weight. Research has shown that losing just 10 per cent of your body weight (for example, 9.5kg if you weigh 95kg) reduces your risk of diabetes by 58 per cent, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduces the risk of several cancers.
– Sally Brown
