Subscribe now

Let’s run some quick numbers. It takes roughly 7,000 calories to gain 1kg of body fat (or 1,000 extra calories per day for a week). Even if you ate that much extra per day, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll gain 1kg of fat, because your energy expenditure isn’t the same every day. But what if you ate all those extra calories in a single meal?

When we overeat, we tend to think that all of that extra food is going to turn into fat, which is not necessarily true. Your body’s first priority is to use up the extra calories as energy. After that, a portion of those extra calories get used up in digestion, and you will naturally get hotter and more active as your body tries to use up more of the extra energy. The rest is converted to glycogen and will get stored into your liver and muscles (and with each gram of glycogen you store, you will also hang onto 3g of water). Your body’s least preferred way of using up carbs is to turn them into body fat; this mostly happens when you regularly overeat.

Aside from carbs, sodium can also lead to more water retention - so a salty, high carb meal will normally lead to your body weight going up. Not only that, but you’ll have more food travelling in your intestinal tract, which makes you heavier.

When you binge, a lot of the weight you gain is water, not fat. One single meal probably won’t lead to too much fat gain, especially if you exercise regularly (you’ll quickly use up the extra calories for energy) and get back on track with your healthy eating for the next meal.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

Without routine (especially one that fits well into your lifestyle), there’s no way you’ll be able to stay consistent long enough to see results. And without awareness around your routine and body status, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of life and slip back into unhealthy patterns.

Any time that I’m not where I want to be with fitness, it’s usually because I lost awareness and let life get me out of my regular routine, both of which impact my consistency. The good news is that with a few good habits in place, you’ll have a much easier time staying aware and sticking to your routine. And even when you (inevitably) fall off course, you’ll have this list of actionable habits to get you back on track.

1. Exercise regularly. It increases your daily energy expenditure, helps preserve muscle, and helps build momentum to make better choices with your diet too.

2. Stay aware of measurements. This will keep you from “accidentally” gaining 3-5kgs. Weigh yourself regularly and take measurements every 1-2 months.

3. Eat similar foods. This will decrease the number of food-related decisions you make each day. The more food decisions you make, the more likely you will get stressed and make a poor choice.

4. Manage hunger. Be intentional about finding a meal schedule that fits your lifestyle. From there, find food that fill you up and keep you full (whilst still targeting protein and whole foods).

5. Set daily priorities. Wake up and have a clear outline for your eating and exercise for that day. Life happens, and things won’t always go according to plan, but some planning beats none at all.

6. Get back on track. Everyone overeats, skips workouts, and falls off track. What matters is how you respond. Don’t let a few off-track choices turn into many.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

It’s common to get an answer of between 7-10 for the first question, but when it comes to weekends, most people would probably rate themselves a little lower. And that’s okay, for some of the time. You can occasionally go over your calories and eat whatever fun food you want and still get results. But occasionally doesn’t mean overeating 3-4 times every single week.

If you want to see results, you have to be consistent with your intake most of the time. I would say a general rule is hitting your targets 80% of the time; in terms of a month, this would equate to 24 days of excellent macronutrients, and 6 days where you may have a little extra.

If you struggle with staying on track, particularly from Friday to Sunday, here are some tips:

• Plan ahead of time, to the best of your ability. The more you can know about the details of your weekend plans, the better.

• Track ahead of time. Figure out what you’ll be eating and plan it into a tracking app or food diary. Do the same if you know you’ll be having a few drinks too.

• Adjust accordingly. If you know you’ll be having a high-calorie evening, try to keep your meals lighter during the day, and try to add more protein and vegetables to keep you full.

Keep in mind that your macros are designed to keep you in a mild calorie deficit, meaning that you WILL lose weight if you stick to those numbers. You may feel a bit hungry on some days, so have some low calorie snacks on hand for those times (eg. rice cakes, plain popcorn, Greek yogurt). Stick to your plan, be consistent with it, and the results will follow!

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

It’s a little bit of a funny time, since we were on a roll before Easter, but now it feels almost like starting from scratch. The good news is, you don’t have to be perfect right out of the gate. After all, some improvement on the past week or two will be better than nothing! Let’s look at what we could do:

• Get out for a walk on a morning. It sounds silly, but being outside and moving will start your day off well physically, and really help you focus on your other healthy habits throughout the day.

• Concentrate on drinking 2 litres or more of water in a day.

• Make sure you set a proper night time routine to get the best sleep you can. If you have better quality sleep, you will be more focused, less fatigued, and have better recovery, all of which leads to better decision making (eg. healthy foods), less cravings, and you’re less likely to look to food to give you energy!

• Plan when you will do your second weights workout of the week/your hard cardio for the week. It’s sunny all week and not too cold yet, make the most of it!

• Open a notebook or a food tracking app and track a meal. After all, tracking one meal is better than not tracking any meals!

• Cut out post dinner snacks from Monday to Friday.

• Set aside 10 minutes of your day to stretch.

These are just some examples of what to do this week. You could do one of these or more, but it is super important to do something towards your health and fitness goals this week, as we don’t want to fall into bad habits and be behind the 8 ball any further. We’ve done the hard work building healthy habits at the beginning of the year, now let’s re-focus and get ourselves in even better shape by the start of winter!

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

Short-term fluctuations on the scales are real and normal, especially some big changes that can happen overnight if you have had a bit of a food blowout. But this does not mean changes in body composition have taken place.

You simply cannot gain a few kilograms of fat overnight. Even if you ate 35,000 calories (the equivalent energy value of 5kgs of fat), you still wouldn’t store all that energy as fat in its entirety.

Some of that energy would be expended by exercise and small movements, increased heat production, the thermic effect of food, the energy cost of digestion, the digestibility of the food source, and the caloric availability of the food source. Other factors include how much fibre was in the meal, how much sodium the meal contained, how much water you have had in the day, how much sleep you did or didn’t get, and how stressed you are. After all of that, the increased weight on the scale is food volume and water retention.

The worst thing you can do is to over-restrict your eating from there on, due to feeling guilt or shame from over-eating. This creates a negative behaviour pattern of binging and purging, which is not only unhealthy, but will make long-term weight loss harder.

If your weight was up the day after you have over-eaten, simply get back on track with your normal food routine, be consistent with it, and your weight will normalise within a week.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

• Plan ahead. This seems simple enough, but how often do you have the best of intentions, only to find that you’ve completely blown out by the time Monday night hits? To me, planning ahead means putting some time and thought into what you will be doing. This could be:

• knowing exactly what days and what type of training you’ll be doing each day

• making sure that you have enough groceries to last for the weekend

• looking at a restaurant menu ahead of time and knowing what you will order

• deciding that you won’t eat dessert or will limit yourself to two drinks when at a friend’s barbeque

• drinking lots of water so that you’re feeling more full and less likely to overeat/overdrink

• eating less carb-heavy foods during the day time if you are going out at night

• planning some extra exercise to counteract the extra calories you’ll be eating/drinking

• planning and preparing your healthy meals for Tuesday next week

• IF you feel like you’ve eaten too much, get back on track with the following meal! The most common thing I see is when someone has had a “bad day” and then spend the rest of their long weekend eating everything in sight. It’s probably recoverable if you have one blowout meal, but if you let that continue and last for the whole 4 days, then that’s what will set you back.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

If your goal is long-term fat loss, increasing your water intake can be a simple and effective starting point:

• Appetite regulation: Mild dehydration can be mistaken for hunger. Drinking water may help you feel fuller and reduce overall food intake, especially if consumed before meals.

• Energy expenditure: Some evidence suggests water can slightly increase metabolic rate, though the effect is modest.

• Lower calorie intake: Replacing sugary drinks with water reduces total daily energy intake, which supports weight loss.

• Exercise performance: Adequate hydration supports blood volume, temperature regulation, and muscle function, helping reduce fatigue and maintain workout intensity.

• Waste removal: Water is essential for kidney function and the removal of metabolic waste. Fat loss ultimately produces carbon dioxide (exhaled) and water as byproducts.

• Energy and mood: Dehydration can contribute to fatigue, reduced concentration, and increased perceived stress, which may negatively affect motivation and decision-making.

• General health: Proper hydration supports skin health, cognitive function, and cardiovascular stability.

A common guideline is around 2L per day, though individual needs vary based on body size, climate, and activity level. Active individuals may require closer to 3L per day.

Increasing your water intake is a low-effort habit that can support both health and weight management, especially when combined with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

In general, the more body fat you have, the more leptin your body produces. This should signal the brain to eat less and maintain energy balance. Conversely, when body fat is low, leptin levels drop, which can increase hunger and reduce energy expenditure. However, it’s not as simple as “more leptin is better” for weight loss.

In many people with higher body fat levels, the body can develop leptin resistance. In this state, leptin levels are high, but the brain does not respond effectively to the signal. As a result, appetite may remain elevated and energy expenditure may not increase as expected. The brain may even behave as if the body is in an energy-deficient state, increasing hunger.

Ghrelin, on the other hand, is often referred to as the “hunger hormone.” It is produced mainly in the stomach and increases appetite, particularly before meals. Ghrelin levels typically rise when you haven’t eaten for a while, and fall after eating.

Both hormones respond to your energy balance and eating patterns. During weight loss, leptin levels tend to decrease and ghrelin levels may increase, which can make you feel hungrier and less satisfied.

It’s important to remember that no single hormone controls body weight or appetite. These processes are regulated by a complex system involving multiple hormones, the brain, and environmental factors.

That said, some habits may help support better regulation of appetite signals. Research suggests that adequate sleep, regular physical activity, and a consistent eating pattern can be beneficial. There is also some evidence that omega-3 fatty acids (such as those found in fish oil) may play a small supportive role.

A practical takeaway is that feeling hungrier during weight loss is normal. Being prepared for this (eg. by planning meals and snacks) can help you stay consistent. Some people also find that drinking water between meals can help manage hunger, although this doesn’t replace the body’s need for food.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

Some fats are considered essential because the body cannot produce them on its own. These are known as essential fatty acids and come mainly from the omega-3 and omega-6 families. Fatty acids are generally grouped into saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Another type of fat is trans fat, most of which are created during industrial processing, where oils are chemically altered to improve shelf life and texture in foods. High intake of these industrial trans fats has been strongly linked to increased risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, so it’s a good idea to keep them as low as possible.

Dietary fat also plays a role in hormone production. Diets that are extremely low in fat may reduce testosterone levels in men, which can make it harder to maintain muscle mass and strength during weight loss.

From a health perspective, diets that replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats are associated with better cardiovascular health. Examples of foods rich in unsaturated fats include olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. However, when it comes to losing weight, the type of fat you eat matters much less than your overall calorie intake. All fats contain the same number of calories per gram, and current evidence suggests they have very similar effects on metabolism.

For weight loss, the most important factor is maintaining a sustainable calorie deficit with a diet you can follow consistently. Once that foundation is in place, prioritising mostly unsaturated fat sources can help support long-term health.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

While carbohydrates are not what you’d call an essential macronutrient (meaning you don’t need them to survive), that doesn’t mean they have zero benefits. During digestion, carbs are broken down into single-sugar molecules (like glucose, fructose, and galactose), and enter circulation. Glucose is of crucial importance to survival, and is readily used as energy by our red blood cells, our brain (except in times of prolonged fasting), our muscles (which store glucose energy as glycogen), and is relied heavily upon during high-intensity exercise.

Our bodies have developed a comprehensive system to regulate blood glucose and transport to tissues. When carbohydrates are ingested, your blood glucose goes up, stimulating insulin secretion, which drives blood glucose back to a normal level. If your blood glucose begins to fall, your body secretes glucagon to increase blood glucose.

With the increased focus on obesity and Type 2 diabetes, insulin has gotten a bad rap in recent years. It increases glucose, amino acid, and lipid uptake into tissues like muscle and adipose, and it also inhibits lipolysis, the process by which stored triacylglycerols are broken down and released as free fatty acids into the bloodstream (the first step of the fat burning process). But keep in mind that all of this exists on a continuum. It’s not as if you release a small amount of insulin and fat burning shuts down everywhere in your body.

The body is always simultaneously burning and storing fat. It will be the relative rates of each that determine body fat loss or gain. It’s tempting to see the information about glucose and insulin and believe that we should only be eating fat while omitting carbs, because then we would be burning a lot of fat. That’s true, you would be burning a lot of fat, but you’d also be consuming a lot of fat, and if you were consuming more total calories than you expended, you would end up storing body fat because your rate of fat storage would exceed your rate of fat burning. The overall net gain or loss of body fat will depend on the total energy balance.

The single most important thing you can do for your health and body composition is to choose an approach that allows you to adhere to the diet and sustain it for long periods of time.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

However, protein isn’t just for getting big and strong. High protein diets have also been demonstrated to be superior to equal-calorie low protein diets with regards to fat loss. This is likely because the thermic effect of protein is about 30% more compared to carbohydrates (5-10%) or fats (0-3%), meaning your body has to use more energy to digest protein than it does for carbs or fats. Further, high protein diets cause a shift in weight loss favouring increased weight loss from fat versus from lean tissue, which has two major benefits: first, sparing more lean tissue means losing more body fat; secondly, sparing lean body mass during a diet has been associated with decreased incidence of weight regain, as well as a better maintenance of metabolic rate.

Some additional benefits to a higher protein diet include a greater satiating effect (making you feel more full), and an increased release of anorexic hormones (which reduce food intake). In simpler terms, eating protein will fill you up more quickly, keep you feeling full for longer, and also help stop you overeating.

Keep in mind, that not all sources of protein are created equally, so it is important to have a diverse intake of foods. Animal sources that I would recommend include eggs, fatty fish, lean cuts of red meat, poultry, and dairy. Some great plant based sources are legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and vegetables.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

Unfortunately, calories don’t take the weekends off like we do, and all the extra energy you consume has to go somewhere, which is likely getting stored as body fat if you aren’t accounting for it. Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your weekends by having more to eat, or more energy-dense foods. It just means you would need to compensate by having less earlier in the week.

Imagine if you said that you wanted to save money and were going to keep to a budget of $100 per day. If you hit that budget for 5 days, but on the weekend you went on a shopping binge and spent $500 each day, do you think you would still save money? You may, but it would take you longer to get to your savings goal, or it may mean that you were now losing money each week instead of saving.

This may sound like a silly example, but it’s one I see often with people trying to diet. To get the best results, you have to have a plan, and you have to use some form of tracking your intake. If you just call the weekend “cheat days” or tell yourself that you can eat more because you’ve eaten well and trained all week, you’ll end up as one of those people baffled that they can’t lose weight no matter what diet they try. It is extremely difficult to lose weight when you’re binge eating on the weekends. Create some structure to your week and strike a balance between eating some foods you enjoy while staying within your macronutrient targets. You’ll lose weight and might be surprised with how well you can sustain your healthy habits!

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

I would suggest the first thing you do is to record what you have, or feel like having, each day for a week. Try to recognise what you were doing, how you were feeling, and how you felt afterwards (if you eat something). For example, it’s pretty common to feel like something sweet after dinner, especially if you’ve had a dessert in the last day or two. But being aware is a good first step.

One thing I like doing is recognising a craving, and trying to distract myself for 10 minutes - do some work, read something, or some housework! It’s also a good reminder to take a big drink of water, as you may actually be thirsty instead of hungry.

Another simple self-control method is to remove the temptation, and not have your favourite snacks in the house. This means if you really want something, you would have to go and get it from somewhere, which puts the barrier of time in between your immediate craving and actually eating something, which can be enough for you to think if you really want or need that food after all. If you can’t avoid having things in the house, try instead to place it somewhere that you don’t see it all the time; as the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind!

Some general diet-based ways you can reduce your cravings are to increase your protein intake (to keep you feeling more full), include fibre and healthy fats in your meals, making sure you eat frequently and regularly, get 7-9 hours of sleep per night, and drink 2-3L of water per day.

And of course, if you do end up eating something, realise that it’s not the end of the world! You can still make great progress by simply getting back on track for your next meal, and try some of the above strategies in future when that sweet tooth hits.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

I have spoken before about getting back on track after a bad meal or missed workout; recognise it as only one moment in your week, and try to get back on track for your next meal or workout. But if we go a little deeper on the reasons why our plans have gone astray, maybe we can discover a way to make us more able to stick to our healthy intentions.

Ask yourself how much you actually plan your week out ahead of time. Do you know what days you will be exercising, and what those workouts will involve, and how long they will be and to what intensity? How about how much exercise in total you want to complete for that week? I feel it is always important to have the answer to all these questions at the start of the week.

If we were talking about food, maybe you can think of having a consistency goal of hitting your carbohydrate targets for 4 of 7 days in the week, or making sure you have over 100g of protein each day, or drinking 2L of water each day, or not having any chocolate for the week - there are dozens of things you could focus on. Having a few of these written down or at least addressed will be much more helpful than an arbitrary goal of “eating clean” or “being good” this week.

As the saying goes: “fail to plan, plan to fail”. If you truly plan your week, you will be much more likely to achieve your long term goals!

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

It can be likened to brushing your teeth or getting your kids to do their homework. You just do it, even when you just want to go to bed or the kids want to go and play instead. You have to understand that you will not always be motivated to do the things that you know you should do, and that’s ok. But you have to be able to fall back on strategies that will get the job done. If you expect to always be motivated, then you won’t follow through on your plans and you’ll keep finding excuses to not do whatever it is you’re meant to be doing. For change to happen, you’ll just have to do it, even and especially when you don’t want to.

Some strategies for this can include writing your plan down and putting it somewhere you’ll see it often (eg. note on the fridge or your work desk), telling others about your plan, setting a phone alarm for you to do something, booking something in for the future so that you have an approaching deadline, and giving yourself a reward for after you’ve done it (or resisting that little treat until you’ve followed through on your plan).

Remember, first you take action. From your action, you get results. From your results, you get motivated. With that motivation, you take more action, and so the cycle continues. But it all starts with action. So stop waiting until you’re motivated, and make the decision to do something every day that will get you closer to achieving your goals. Keep it simple, keep doing it, and start building those healthy habits!

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

I advise everyone to prioritise eating mostly from whole food sources. This means anything that is a single ingredient (eg. a fruit or vegetable, a natural protein source, nuts, seeds, legumes). This will help reduce your overall calorie intake (by up to 70%!); on top of that, it will keep you feeling full, stabilise your appetite and cravings, give you sustained focus and energy, and help to balance your hormones and circadian rhythm.

Next, consider your protein intake. A quick rule of thumb is to take your goal bodyweight in kilograms, and multiply it by 2: that’s how many grams of protein you should be aiming to eat each day. Once you have this number, divide it evenly between all your meals (typically 3-6 meals per day is recommended). By including high quality protein in every meal, you won’t get behind. Chicken is great, but don’t eat it for every meal - that’s boring! Some other options include: red meat, seafood, other poultry, eggs and egg whites, low fat dairy, and supplements like whey protein.

After you have your protein sorted, add some fruit and vegetables to your day. This will help you reach your fibre and micronutrient needs, which are important for overall health, and help to keep you feeling full. You may want to add more carbs to your main meals for satiety; in this case, starchy carbs are best (eg. rice, potatoes, bread, beans and legumes). How you distribute your carbs throughout the day will not affect fat loss, as long as your total daily calorie intake is on target.

Next, you may need to add some fats to your day. You could do this by adding avocado to a salad, or olive oil as a salad dressing, or adding butter to your cooked vegetables, or choosing a fattier cut of meat (red meat and some seafood is higher in fat), or even adding things like seeds or crushed nuts to a meal. Similarly to carbs, the way you distribute your fats throughout the day will not affect fat loss, as long as your total daily intake is on target.

Use these steps to build up a perfect meal, and try to repeat that for your other main meals of the day. You can then adjust your snacks to fill in the gaps (eg. fruit if you need more carbs, a protein shake if more protein is needed, or nuts or nut butter if you need more fats). We all know consistency is key, and by planning out a day and tracking your intake, you will be maximising your results and be well on the way to reaching your goals!

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

Behaviour change isn’t just about motivation or willpower. It’s about navigating a new routine, some level of discomfort, and the demands of life. For example, if you decide to cut out sugar or alcohol, it’s very common to experience increased cravings, low energy, irritability, or even headaches in the first 10–14 days. Not much fun! But this often means your body and brain are adjusting to something new, so if you do feel this way, remind yourself that you could be on the right track.

The same applies to movement goals. Walking 10,000 steps per day sounds simple, but there will be days where time runs out, the weather is poor, motivation is low, or work and family take priority. These moments are where habits are either built or abandoned. I would say to have some kind of backup plan for these times: breaking your exercise time up into “exercise snacks”, or walking later in the day, or doing an indoor yoga or mobility session.

Another challenge with behaviour change is expecting linear progress. New habits rarely feel easy straight away. They require repetition, patience, and flexibility. Missed days don’t mean failure; they’re part of the process. What matters most is returning to the behaviour rather than giving up entirely. This is why sustainable change works best when goals are realistic and tailored to your lifestyle. Instead of forcing rigid rules, it’s often more effective to ask what you can maintain most of the time, and how you can adapt when other things demand your time and attention.

Long-term success with diet and exercise comes from understanding that behaviour change is a skill: one that improves with practice, support, and realistic expectations. When you plan for the challenges, you’re far more likely to stay consistent and see meaningful results over time.

If you’d like some help planning and sticking to what can work for you, leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch for a chat!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

A lot of people can come off the end of year break feeling like they need to make some changes with their health and fitness. For some of us, the start of the year is a great chance for a fresh start; but for others, these changes come more from a place of shame around recent behaviours, rather than looking forward to improved health outcomes.

Along with this, it can feel productive to overhaul everything at once: to train every day, cut out entire food groups, and promise yourself that this time will be different. And for a few weeks, it often is. Motivation is high, energy is high, and results might even show up quickly. But when life gets busy, stressful, or unpredictable, as it always does, that all-or-nothing approach falls apart.

I’m not trying to talk you out of your reasons for embracing change, but I would encourage you to consider the reality of your situation. It is absolutely possible to set and achieve goals, no matter what your motivation is. But make sure you are including things that improve you in some way and you can stick to, rather than punishing yourself for your past.

I’m not interested in what someone can do for 14 or 30 days. I care about who’s still training in March, and July, and December. I care about the people who keep at it when motivation fades, when progress slows, and when life doesn’t cooperate. That kind of consistency doesn’t come from gritting your teeth and suffering your way through a complicated plan. It comes from habits you can actually live with.

Real change is choosing a schedule you can maintain instead of the “perfect” one you’ll abandon. It’s building strength gradually, not chasing exhaustion. It’s learning how to train and eat in a way that fits your life, instead of fighting against it. And it’s understanding that progress doesn’t disappear just because you have an off night, or a busy week, or a stressful month.

My advice is to focus on what’s realistic for you right now, not what sounds impressive on paper. Look honestly at what’s held you back before - not to judge it, but to learn from it. And set small, achievable goals that stack up over time. Because lasting progress isn’t built in a dramatic reset. It’s built in repeatable actions, practiced consistently, long after the excitement of a new year has worn off. That’s how change actually sticks.

Comment below if you want to talk further about your goals for 2026!

Leave a comment

That’s all for today! Stay safe and stay healthy,

Todd

Subscribe now

Rather than viewing the Christmas break as a time where routines completely disappear, think of it as a chance to simplify them. You don’t need a full training plan or a strict meal schedule. A few steady, repeatable habits can help you feel better day to day and set a positive tone for the year ahead.

During this two-week break, aim to move your body for around 30 minutes per day. This could be a walk, a light run, a gym session, or even active time with family. A helpful guideline is working toward 8,000 steps per day - not as a rule, but as a gentle target that encourages daily movement. Fresh air, daylight, and low-stress activity can do wonders for both energy and mood.

Hydration is another habit worth leaning into while routines are more flexible. Aim for at least 2 litres of water per day. Keeping a bottle nearby and sipping regularly can help support digestion, energy levels, and recovery, especially during a time of year when meals and sleep patterns may be less predictable.

When it comes to food, the focus doesn’t need to be on restriction. Instead, prioritise protein at your main meals. Whether it’s meat, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, or legumes, including a solid protein source helps you feel fuller and more satisfied. A simple strategy is to eat the protein portion of your meal or snack first. This can naturally reduce over-eating and help balance blood sugar, without needing to track or cut anything out.

As you think ahead to the new year, it can be helpful to reflect on behaviours rather than outcomes. What habits made you feel your best this past year? Which ones felt difficult to maintain? The goal isn’t to be “perfect” in January, but to build habits you can return to again and again throughout the year.

This Christmas break doesn’t need to be a reset or a write-off. Think of it as a practice period, where small, supportive habits help you feel good now and quietly set you up for the months ahead. Keeping things simple, consistent, and kind to yourself may be the most effective approach of all.

That’s all for today! If you or anyone you know would like to talk more about your goals for 2026, simply reply to this newsletter. Let’s get to practicing those healthy habits over Christmas!

Todd

Leave a comment

One of the simplest ways to stay healthy this month is to lean on micro-habits: tiny actions that help you feel good without taking much time or effort. For example, try the “one-drink rule”: enjoy your festive beverage, then follow it with a glass of water. It’s an easy way to stay hydrated and help avoid that sluggish feeling the next morning. Or choose a quick “10-minute refresh” during your day. Whether it’s a walk around the block, a light stretch, or simply stepping away from your desk, those short breaks can boost your energy far more than you might expect.

Another habit that I find helps avoid over-eating is starting your day with protein. Whether it’s eggs, yogurt, beans, tofu or a protein shake, having a protein-rich meal to start the day helps stabilise your appetite and keeps you satisfied longer. And don’t underestimate the power of keeping healthy choices visible - placing healthy snacks (such as seasonal fruit) where you can see them makes reaching for something nourishing feel almost effortless.

Of course, another challenge this time of year is the pressure to be “all or nothing.” It’s easy to say, “I’ll start fresh in January,” especially when the calendar is stacked with events. But remember, doing something is better than doing nothing. A single glass of water, a short walk, or a balanced meal still counts. These small steps build momentum and help you feel more in control of your health - even on your busiest days.

It’s also important to remember that physical health is only one part of the picture. The Christmas period is about celebrating those closest to you, and social and family time plays a huge role in your overall wellbeing. Sharing meals, enjoying traditions, or laughing with friends can lift your mood, reduce stress, and support mental health just as much as any workout or balanced meal. Staying as healthy as you can is valuable, of course, but that’s not to dismiss the importance of your mental wellbeing, which makes up just as much of your overall health as sticking to a nutritious diet or regular exercise routine.

If you’d like to put one of these ideas into practice, here’s a simple mini challenge: drink one extra glass of water today, or take a 10-minute walk after you get home from work, whichever feels easiest. You might be surprised by how good it feels to do just one small thing for yourself.

As you move through the rest of the season, give yourself permission to keep things simple. A few doable healthy habits can help you feel your best, without taking away from the fun of this time of year.

Reply to this newsletter if you’re looking to make the right moves for your health and fitness in 2026!

Todd

Leave a comment