It's fair to say that in the UK the majority of us don't move as much as we should.

Now more than ever with so many working from home and the winter weather!

Exercise alone in terms of influencing weight loss isn't that effective, but exercise has so many hundreds of benefits aside from weight loss.

We are more overweight now than we were 50 years ago and back then a lot of us actually consumed more calories than we do now!

Our activity levels play a big part in this.

The basic approach is if we burn more energy than we bring in we'll create a calorie deficit and lose weight.

Obviously if we take in more than we burn then we tip the scales the other way.

We are much less active at a society level than we used to be which makes it harder to create the good calorie deficit which leads to weight loss.

We walk less, have less active jobs, we spend less time outdoors and you can have food delivered to your house without even having to pick up the phone! Brilliant....

Diet makes or breaks weight loss but the more active we can be the better for your health as well as for weight loss.

Here are 10 (in my opinion) easy ways of boosting your daily activity:

1. Walk to work - If it's walkable do it, if not even something simple like parking further from work all adds up

2. Chose the stairs - I always laugh to myself at airports when I'm the only one using the stairs. Even those horizontal walkways which are designed so you can KEEP WALKING and get along faster are an excuse for people to just stand on so they don't have to move!

3. Walk On Your Lunch Breaks - Get away from your desk and get some fresh air

4. Stand More - Don't spend your day moving from chair to chair

5. Cycle If You Can - Good for your health and the environment, great for the short trips rather than taking the car

6. Stop Buying So Much Online - Leave the house and walk around the shops

7. Play Outside With Your Kids Or Friends - Put the ipad and phone down

8. Go Straight To The Gym Before or After Work - Get more healthy activities into your routine, do it pre or post work as it's much harder once you've got home and sat down!

9. Clean The House & Garden - A great way of boosting activity

10. Drink More Water - Inc urination will get you moving more too as well as staying hydrated being essential to your health

10 simple ways of boosting your activity without it eating into your time too much.

See how many you can add to your routine, they may not seem like much on their own but honestly they all add up.

If you want to add some structured and fun exercise sessions into your routine to really boost your fitness and get a healthier lifestyle then why not join one of our small group exercise programs.

Our February 28 Day Online program registration has now opened.

More details this week about that.

If you can't wait until then just reply with 'February' and I'll send it all through.

Have a good active day,

Jamie Stedman

When I try to teach people how to change their eating habits the main sticking point usually comes around one food group. What do you reckon it is? You guessed it! CARBS Oh we do love carbs in the UK. Bread, biscuits, chocolate, pasta, potatoes, cake, all of it! People genuinely believe that they can't live without it. Did you know that it has been scientifically proven now that you can eat a bowl of soup without dipping bread in it 😉 ? Carbs does get a bad name though which is sort of unfair. Just like fats and proteins it is a food group that we need. Cutting out carbs completely is not a good plan in the long term - controlling your carb intake however is key to a healthy body and losing weight. Good carbs are good, bad carbs are very bad. They lack nutrition, they stimulate our appetite and make us overeat. This in turn leads to excess calories and weight gain. Quick run through, good carbs: Rice (brown/basmati) Potatoes (white/sweet) Quinoa Beans Root vegetables (carrots, swede, parsnips) Fruit (lower sugar ones like berries vs bananas and grapes) Bad carbs: Cake Chocolate Biscuits Pasta Bread Crisps Booze If you eat sensible portions of the good and keep the bad stuff to a minimum then you can FINALLY get control of your weight.The problem with the bad carbs is the higher sugar content stimulates the brain and leaves us wanting more. As there is so little nutrients in them then we want more and more without our brain telling us they're full. In 8 years in the industry I've heard on numerous times:'I just wanted a couple of crisps then had the whole bag''I was just going to have one biscuit the had them all' I'm yet to hear:'I made two boiled eggs for breakfast but then got a taste for them and ate 12' I live in hope though. You see the eggs fill you up, the crisps don't. The more processed/refined carbs we eat the more we crave them. They key really is to not start eating them.Many people are all or nothing in their approach, if you try and dip in and out they end up eating too much. Unfortunately there is no magic formula you just need to get the following right: 1. Healthy food shop with the right foods 2. Plan and prepare your meals so you don't get stuck and end up snacking/having a sandwich 3. Eat wholesome foods to fill you up and stop snacking 4. Make nicer meals on the weekend and enjoy them (even if they do have some of the bad carbs) 5. Do some exercise to allow you to have more carbs if you love them Sorry to say but it's not too exciting it just takes a little planning and some willpower. It's time to snap out of your habits.This year I've introduced my Habit coaching system into our Fitter Body Ladies plan to help clients change their wicked ways! Every month we pick one habit at a time like 'controlling your carbs' and we spend two weeks focussing on it. We then take two weeks to keep up the good habits before introducing a new one. Jamie Stedman

The first full week of the New Year is nearly done. How has it gone for you? The start to this year is like no other and it's so easy to get swept up in the negativity and getting scared and obsessed with the news. I admit I don't tend to make full resolutions in the New Year, I like to just work on little things at a time. One thing I'm working on (since just before Christmas) is reading the news less, I used to check 5-6 times a day and 95% of the stuff on there is negative and makes you feel like s**t! I'm going to still make sure I'm aware of what's going on but I could see the negative impact it was having on my mood so since cutting it down I've been more present at home and happier 🙂 The pandemic may have changed our lives but it doesn't have to change everything. - Why should the pandemic impact: - enjoying a nice meal with your family/partner - going out for a nice long walk on a fresh sunny day - reaching your weight loss goal - progressing with your career and performing in work - improving your strength/fitness We have control over these things and we've never had more time to enjoy them. That's what I'm feeling positive about. I've created our best ever challenge for our members (drop a jeans size in January), I've enrolled onto a development course for me as a business owner (haven't had time to do this before) and I'm enjoying spending more time at home and trying new recipes. Task for you: WRITE DOWN (it's more powerful when it's written down) 3 things you feel positive about. Save it on your phone, put it on the fridge and whenever you start to feel a bit negative remind yourself of this. Have a great weekend! Jamie Stedman

I'm excited!!! I want to show you my lockdown project 😀 This project has been a few years in the making in truth but I've used the time in the office over the last couple of weeks to put it together.This is the Fitter Body Ladies Hall Of Fame I have collated some of the best results over the last couple of years together to celebrate the ladies success. I must note that this page has just some of the results. Not all ladies wish to share their results Some results are harder to document in this way. Some of our best results don't involved weight loss. They involve feeling stronger mentally, getting fitter, improving health and reversing illness. I really wanted to get this together to help motivate ladies from Llanelli. To prove that there's people living right where you do who have busy lives just like you but they're changing them. They're losing weight They're getting fitter They're reaping the rewards. I'll let the ladies do the rest of the talking! Click here to check out the Fitter Body Ladies Hall Of Fame Have a great weekend, Jamie Stedman PS If this inspires you and you want to see results like this then get in touch. We have online memberships available or you can book your slot for when we reopen fully.