Well, it has been WAY too long since I lasted posted a blog, and for that I apologise! I have been traveling around QLD for the most part of the last month conducting Health Checks for WorkCover staff.

A component of these health checks was Waist Circumference measurement.

Knowing this measure is a VERY useful piece of information as it provides feedback on your risk of developing metabolic complications and conditions such as Diabetes, High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, Impaired Glucose Tolerance, amongst many others!

So what are the recommended ranges?

For men:
-under 94 cm (37 in)

For women:
-under 80cm (21-32 in)

Being over these measurements puts you at a higher risk of developing one of these metabolic conditions.

The highest risk occurs once over the following measurements:

Men:
-over 102cm (40 in)

Women:
-over 88cm (35 in)

If you are over these measurements, it is a good idea to make some positive lifestyle changes to address this.

Some ideas to consider are:

Þ Be active everyday!
· Accumulate at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.
· Buy a pedometer to assist you in monitoring your relative activity levels on different days

Þ Eat more fruit and vegetables!
· Replace some of your usual packaged and processed snacks and meals with some good old basic fruit and vegetables!
· A snack pack of cherry tomatoes, carrot and celery sticks and a hard boiled egg is a yummy and sensible choice.
· Or try a simple crunchy in-season apple and a small handful of raw unsalted nuts.
· Always serve salad or vegetables with your main meal. Aim for this component of the meal to make up 50% of your plate or bowl.

ÞLearn how to choose Low GI carbohydrate based foods.
· The most recent research supports that people loose more weight, while being able to eat more, following low Glycemic Index eating patterns, than those on conventional and restrictive weight loss diets.
· Replace your sugary morning cereal with traditional oats
· Choose heavily grained or stoned ground breads (pumpernickel is great!)
· Add fibre (salad and vegetables) to your lunch and dinner
· Add a lean source of protein to most meals and snacks (e.g. tuna in springwater, low fat turkey slices, raw and unsalted nuts, low fat cheese slices, etc)

Þ Drink LOTS of water!!
· Did you know we often mistake thirst for hunger!
· Sip water regularly throughout the day! There is no one person who can survive off no water! If you do not get thirsty, this is most likely due to your thirst mechanism down regulating. Train yourself to drink more water and you will begin to look for it more! Try it for a few days!
· Try herbal teas or hot water with lemon if you cannot face cold water in the winter. The new “white” tea’s available on the market are delicious and contain more antioxidants than either green or black teas!
· If you cannot stand the taste of water, try adding a low joule cordial for flavour.
· Fresh fruit slices are also yummy in water! Experiment with sliced strawberries, mint, orange, lemon, lime!

Þ Drink less alcohol
· Alcohol gram, for gram, contains almost the same number of calories as fat! This does not mean you can never drink again but be aware of how much you do drink and aim to cut it back slightly. Even small changes add up over the long term!
· Try diet mixers with spirits
· Try some of the new low joule beers
· Be aware of standard drink quantities (e.g a standard glass of wine is 100ml), stick to these quantities and observe the guidelines for the number of standard drinks per day (2 for women, 4 for men), with 2 alcohol free days every week.

That is more than enough for now! :)

If you require more information, or would like one-on-one advice, please feel free to contact me on 0421 332243 and we can arrange a time to conduct an initial assessment face to face, via the phone or for those who are extra busy, email! :)

Cheers and remember, the smallest positive changes in your behaviour, can lead to the most extraordinary and profound differences to your health over the long term!