Truth be told, consistency remains key to achieving life-changing goals, be it in your career, relationship, or health. So when starting a diet or fitness plan, we attempt to push through our limits to adhere to a predetermined routine or formula.

Nonetheless, no matter how insistent we are in our body goals, none of us are perfect. At some point, our best can look different daily, inevitably affecting our consistency, discipline, and commitment.

 

Is 100% consistency even doable?

 

A hundred percent consistency is relatively perfection. Nobody is perfect, and this applies to technically many aspects of life. A reasonable space for mistakes or freedom is always a good allowance.

In fact, a comprehensive study involving 1,000 participants with nearly a million data points revealed that maintaining 80-89% consistency in one’s health and fitness regimen is significantly more sustainable than striving for 90-100% consistency.

Intriguingly, over the span of a year, the group that achieved 80-89% consistency experienced only a marginal difference in weight loss, shedding just 4 pounds less than those who maintained 90-100% consistency. This finding highlights the importance of pursuing a balanced and realistic approach to health and wellness rather than seeking perfection.

 

How consistent do you really need to be to make progress?

 

This could be mind-blowing, but you don’t need to be even fairly consistent to achieve results. Interestingly, the same study revealed that there was no significant difference in outcomes among groups that achieved various consistency levels, such as 50-59%, 60-69%, or 70-79%, in their weight loss program.

Even making a minimal effort—no matter how small—can lead to noticeable changes and improvements in the long run.

 

Each of us is an isolated case.

 

Your goals should be tailored to your unique starting point.

Take, for example, someone who hasn’t exercised in a year. For them, achieving 100% consistency might involve being active only three days a week. Consequently, 40% consistency would translate to just 1.2 workouts per week. By setting goals that align with your personal circumstances, you can create a more engaging and achievable plan for success.

Likewise, our individual circumstances may influence how we paint consistency in our weight loss plan. For instance, working adults and parents juggle multiple responsibilities daily. Planning and preparing healthy meals may be more challenging, making it more difficult to stay on top of their diet.

At Hearty Health, we aim to prepare and deliver the heartiest and healthiest ready-made meals straight to your doorstep. Contact us today for a no-obligation sample of our nutritious menu, created and cooked by our professional chefs.

 

Takeaway

 

Consistency is still key to every successful weight loss journey, but you are not required to conform 100% of the time. Give yourself some allowance for mistakes. Remember that the journey isn’t a pass-or-fail game.

Remain consistent, stay healthy, and don’t fret if the big changes don’t happen quickly enough for your liking. Baby steps still mean you are moving forward.

Browse our blog page for more health-related content.

 

Think you’ve got enough of the sunshine vitamin? Arguably one of the more popular vitamins out there, the reason behind this nickname is the fact that vitamin D is produced by our skin in response to direct sunlight. Unfortunately, despite the abundance of daylight hours we get during the course of the day, at least 17% of adolescents and 32% of young adults are vitamin D deficient, according to a study. This is why in today’s article, we want to give you three reasons why we love vitamin D—and why you definitely should too! 

 

1. It helps keep your bones strong. 

One of vitamin D’s primary benefits is that it regulates how we absorb calcium and phosphorus. Phosphorus helps calcium build strong bones, but it’s the sunshine vitamin’s job to make sure both of these are processed by our bodies to aid in the growth and development of bones and teeth. Insufficient vitamin D can increase the risk of bone abnormalities like osteoporosis, which is why it’s important we get as much sunshine vitamin as we can! 

 

2. It fights off disease. 

Another vital benefit of vitamin D is that it helps improve our immune system, especially against certain diseases. In fact, one study found that enough of the sunshine vitamin has a significant effect on heart health by decreasing the chances of getting heart disease. That’s a great win for your heart just because of one vitamin alone! Yet another study discovered that vitamin D also lessens the likelihood of catching and developing the flu. 

 

3. It can boost weight loss. 

A study found that extra calcium and vitamin D can have an appetite-suppressing effect when participants who took daily calcium and vitamin D supplements ended up losing more weight than their counterparts (who were only taking a placebo supplement). A different study also looked into the effect of the sunshine vitamin on overweight participants and discovered a significant improvement in cardiovascular disease risk markers. 

 

But aside from the sun, how do we ensure we get our daily dose of vitamin D? Apart from supplements, fatty fish and seafood are rich in this vitamin: some examples are salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, anchovies, oysters and shrimp. You’re hitting two birds with one stone, too—these are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids! Some fortified foods have vitamin D, too: orange juice, cow’s milk, and tofu are just a few examples. Whether it’s through the sun, vitamin D-rich foods, or supplements, Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that we should make sure we get enough of for its amazing benefits! 

 

Yes. You read that right. What’s better for you isn’t freshly cooked, straight-out-of-the-oven pasta but a reheated one! This is important because if you’re anything like us, then you love pasta too! Inarguably a favourite around the world, pasta is preferred by a lot of people because of how simple and versatile it is. It’s also pretty fun—it goes with almost any sauce and comes in many shapes. But what about reheated pasta is good for you exactly? Well, to answer that question, we first need to talk about this undeniable truth:

 

Unfortunately, pasta is fattening.

 

This isn’t a surprise considering it’s a type of carbohydrate, and carbs are known to become simple sugars once digested and absorbed by the body. This causes our blood glucose levels to rise. In order to balance everything out, our pancreas releases the hormone insulin, and the result? Just as quickly, our blood glucose levels drop and surprise, surprise: we then become hungry again. This is a complete contrast to fibre—fibre-rich food produces a much more gradual rise and then fall of sugar levels.

 

According to University of Surrey scientist Dr. Denise Robertson, there’s a way to make pasta act more like fibre: by cooling it down after you cook it. The process changes the pasta’s structure and turns it into something called “resistant starch.” It’s named so because cooked starchy food, once cooled down, becomes resistant to the enzymes in our intestines that break the carbs down and turns them into sugar. But what of people who hate cold pasta and cold food in general?

 

This is where reheated pasta comes in.

 

In an experiment done by Dr. Robertson along with Dr. Chris van Tulleken with a group of volunteers for BBC’s Trust Me I’m A Doctor, they discovered that while cooling down pasta after it was cooked had less of an effect on blood glucose levels, cooking, cooling and then reheating it was even better: it reduced the spike in blood glucose levels by 50%. Talk about resistant starch being as resistant as ever!

 

This is, of course, no reason to start overindulging in pasta. It just goes to show that simply changing the temperature without changing anything on what you include in your pasta recipe can have a positive impact on your food! So no, don’t throw away the leftover pasta in your fridge—not only will it be such a waste, now you know that reheated pasta is definitely good for you.

 

Not a lot of people believe in counting calories for weight loss. There are also recent studies suggesting that the time-tested “calories in versus calories out” philosophy for weight loss isn’t as accurate and universal as we once thought. You even have social media influencers claiming that you need to eat more if you want to weigh less.

No wonder people find it confusing.

Regardless of whatever your diet or lifestyle, calories can play a huge part in helping maintain a healthy diet. Here’s how many you should be enjoying per day.

 

What Exactly are Calories (And Why Do They Get A Bad Rap)?

A calorie is defined as a “unit of energy.” In the context of food, a calorie measures the amount of energy in the food and beverages that we consume.

It is also, unfortunately, linked to weight gain and weight loss. That’s because excess calories—aka the energy your body didn’t need to expend—are stored as body fat.

But let me be clear: we need calories. Calories are the fuel that runs our bodies. No calories, no fuel, no energy. Simple as that.

 

Maintaining a healthy, ideal weight is all about the calories we eat (and their quality, but that’s a different tangent). If you want to optimise your energy levels without packing on the pounds or lose weight without jeopardizing your health, it’s best to portion your daily caloric intake to what’s recommended for your age, stage, gender, and level of physical activity (aka exercise).

Here’s that handy guide we promised you:

 

The Ladies

Age/Stage	Little to No Physical Activity	Fairly Active	Totally Active
19-20	2,000	2,200	2,400
21-25	2,000	2,200	2,400
26-30	1,800	2,000	2,400
31-45	1,800	2,000	2,200
46-50	1,800	2,000	2,200
51-60	1,600	1,800	2,200
61-75	1,600	1,800	2,000
76+	1,600	1,800	2,000

 

As you can see, there’s definitely a certain age range where your recommended daily calories peak before gradually declining. This is due to the fact that our metabolism generally slows down as we start to age. With the exception of genetics and lifestyle, your metabolism at 30 isn’t going to be as fast and efficient as it was when you were 21.

Sad, but true.

So if you’re wondering why your 23-year-old stomach could remain flat after eating a whole dish of baked macaroni but your 28-year-old thighs seem to swell with just a tiny bite of lasagne, this is why.

Just remember that this calorie recommendation is generalized! We’re all built differently, and that’s beautiful. If you want to truly optimise your bodily functions or create a meal plan for healthy weight management, a registered dietician can give you a more accurate number.

 

The Gents

Age/Stage	Little to No Physical Activity	Fairly Active	Totally Active
19-20	2,600	2,800	3,000
21-25	2,400	2,800	3,000
26-35	2,400	2,600	3,000
36-40	2,400	2,600	2,800
41-45	2,200	2,600	2,800
46-55	2,200	2,400	2,800
56-60	2,200	2,400	2,600
61-65	2,000	2,400	2,600
66-75	2,000	2,200	2,600
76+	2,000	2,200	2,400

 

For the gentlemen, there’s a bit more variation in terms of age and activity level than there is for women. For instance, women aged 31-45 can eat 2,200 calories a day if they’re very active. That’s the same recommended caloric intake for the next 15 years.

On the other hand, men aged 31 to 35 can eat 3,000 calories with constant physical activity. Once they hit 36, they need to eat about 200 calories less even with the same activity level.

And, of course, men can eat more. In fact, men should eat more. It’s long been established that men have higher dietary and caloric needs than women. At 76 years old, they can afford to eat a minimum of 2,000 calories a day without worrying about weight gain. Women the same age can only eat 2,000 calories if they’re still exercising or moving regularly.

To wrap this up, I’m going to reiterate what we mentioned earlier; these numbers are generalized. As far as giving you a starting point to plan your meals and get your overeating (or under-eating) under control, sure; follow this table religiously.

But! For a more personalized approach regarding caloric intake, talk to a registered dietician or nutritionist. They can give you the best calories-per-day schedule to suit your body and health goals.

 

To find out more about how you can get Hearty Health ready meals direct to you or at your facility, simply call 1300 728 764 or email office@heartyhealth.com.au

We love hearing transformation stories and actress Rebel Wilson’s incredible 18kg (or 60 lbs) weight loss is no exception. She not only inspires us with her commitment to health but also her new sunnier outlook on life. 

She set a goal and achieved it, all through hard work and cleaning up her diet. We’re sure there was a lot more work to it than that but in the interests of keeping things succinct, here are 3 important lessons we can take away from her lifestyle change.

 

1. Leave off the Sugar

It’s no secret that overeating can often be a symptom of deeper issues. Wilson recently revealed her own struggle with emotional eating, sharing how she would consume 3,000 calories per day. 

“My way of dealing with it was just eating donuts,” she said after boldly making the decision to change her unhealthy lifestyle. 

Instead of eating those sugary treats, Wilson said she would drink a bottle of water instead. It takes discipline but if Rebel Wilson can do it, so can you!

 

2. Follow a Diet Plan

While there are many diet plans that promise a lot, however, simply eliminating junk food, reducing dairy and gluten and cutting your sugar intake can be a simpler way to approach things as the Mayr Method suggests. Rebel reportedly follows this method and it has been working its wonders on her.

 

3. Start Walking

“I want you guys to know that the majority of exercise I’ve done this year has just been me going out for a walk,” the 40 year old actress tells her fans through her Instagram account. “That is free, you can do it, it’s safe.”

Physical activity can improve your metabolism and help you burn excess fats. 20-30 minutes of moderate to intense activity 3-5 times a week can help you strengthen your cardiovascular and immune system which is great for your overall health.

Wilson also mentioned the importance of being accountable. Doing things in secret might leave you discouraged and downhearted. Instead, be open about your goals, talk to your coaches or dietitians, track your progress, or share your weight loss journey on social media.

 

Losing weight might sometimes seem impossible but if you keep these three steps in mind and continue with them at a slow and steady pace, you’ll lose those excess pounds and get to your goals. That’s a guarantee!

 

At Hearty Health, we love helping our clients stay on track and excited about their meals. If you’d like to know more about getting our freshly packed chef-prepared meals sent directly to you email us at hello@heartyhealth.com.au