Friday The 13th

Watch out for black cats, avoid mirrors and ladders. Most people associate Friday the 13th with bad luck. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (meaning fear). The term is a specialised form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen. In 2009, Friday the 13th will occur in February, March and November. Hope you're not superstitious.

Why Do We Store Fat?

Back when men were hunters and gathers, fat is not only a source of energy but is also stored in our bodies for insulation during the winter months and to protect vital organs. Fat isn't really an enemy. The problem is how much we're holding.

Women genetically have higher a body fat percentage than men because women are designed to have children and they need the additional energy for child bearing. Women usually store fat in their hips and thighs, while men tend to store fat in their mid-section.

Fat is used by the body to process vitamins A, K and D, which are all fat soluble. Without the fat on our bodies, these vitamins cannot be used in vital processes as well as growth and cell repair.

And yet another reason why we store fat is because we need the fat to adjust and regulate our body temperature. During winter we tend to carry extra fat to keep warm.

There are a lot of reasons why we store fat. A little fat is a good thing but it is important to ensure that you keep your fat at healthy levels. Depending on age, women should be in the range of 21% to 34% and men should be between 8% and 22%.

How Much Protein Do I Need?

This is a common question from my clients. As a rough guide adults need between 55 and 100 grams of lean protein per day.

For some food products, the food label will normally tell you how much protein is present in a portion of the food.

If you are buying meat an easy guide is to measure the quantity by the size of your fist. Any more than the size of your fist is more than you your body needs

21 Days

I'm sure you would have heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit. That means you have to do something at least 21 times before it begins to become part of your everyday routine.

Decide exactly what you want to do. Write it down and place it where you can see it every day, like on the fridge door. Be as specific as possible...for example, wake up 30 minutes earlier each day and go for a 20 minute walk.

Schedule time to do what you want to do (even if its 20-30 minutes), schedule at least 21 days on your calendar and don't let anything get in the way of your schedule. If you miss one of your scheduled days, start over and schedule another 21 days. Be consistent and dedicated to doing what you want to do.

Once you reach your 21 days, congratulate yourself and schedule another 21 days, and then another and so on, until you do those things you want to do, without even thinking about them...like brushing your teeth.

FebFast

If one of your new year's resolutions was to lose weight in 2009, here's a community event that may help you. FebFast invites people to sacrifice their alcohol intake during the shortest month of the year, and at the same time, raise funds to support organisations working to reduce alcohol and other drug related harms in young people. At the same time you might achieve one or more of the following by participating in FebFast; lose weight, have more energy for your day to day activities, regain balance in your drinking behaviour, have a clearer head, gain financial savings, enjoy deeper and more satisfying sleep or just generally feel better.   The $25 registration fee allows you to build a personalised online fund-raising page. If you have a special event in February like a birthday or Valentines Day, you can purchase a $25 date stamped Time Out Certificate to have a guilt-free day off  from your FebFast so that you can enjoy the event. But you will have to resume your participation in FebFast the next day. For more information, visit the FebFast website at www.febfast.com.au.

Nothing contained in this newsletter is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.