BUF is joining The Biggest Loser: Transformed!

Ok ladies, I have some BIG news I’ve been bursting to tell you all about… I’m ridiculously excited to announce that I’m going to be stepping up alongside to take on the role of trainer on the completely revamped version of Channel TEN’s The Biggest Loser: Transformed!

The show starts filming later this year (3 months full-time!) and will be a completely fresh format, with more relatable contestant stories and a realistic and fun approach to fitness, nutrition and mindset coaching. It’s all about taking everyday people with inspiring goals and giving them a complete mind, body and nutrition overhaul, using the latest advancements in health, fitness and psychology.

Sounds fun right! For behind the scenes action as we start filming from November you can follow me !

Know someone who deserves a transformation?

If you know anyone you think would be great on the show, particularly any of the men in your life who may need a little nudge in the right direction, click here to find out more or to apply. Remember, the show is looking for everyday people this year, so anyone can put their hand up for a transformation!

My health and fitness philosophy

In the meantime, here’s a bit of an insight to my philosophies to give you a behind-the-scenes look into what to expect from the new format when the show goes live.

Knowledge is power

When you understand the ‘why’ behind certain types of training and nutrition, it becomes much easier to make the right choices.

For example, if all you know how to do is follow a strict meal plan, exactly as written, then what do you do when you’ve finished the plan? What if you can’t use your meal plan because you’re traveling, out to dinner, or stuck at work late? Being able to identify the best options for you, on the fly without needing to refer to a guide is incredibly empowering.

Likewise, understanding how to create your own workouts, or access sessions you can do anywhere and adjust them to suit your body type, goals and available time means you can work on your fitness goals anytime, anywhere, without relying on a PT or gym class to get you moving.

Keep it simple – use principles rather than rules

As Katharine Hepburn said, “if you obey all the rules you miss all the fun!”. If you build your health journey around rules (for example, eating a strict number of calories every day or never eating carbs), not only will you need hundreds of rules to keep you on track, you’ll also want to break them at some point (perhaps many), and likely get the guilts for it. But if you understand a few simple principles that will guide your health journey, you can apply those to any situation. Once you have your principles to refer to, nutrition becomes simple and finding the motivation to stick to your training plan is a lot easier too.

Add rather than remove

You don’t have to exercise nearly as much willpower when you’re adding things IN to your diet rather than cutting things OUT. A focus on eating the foods your body really needs first (veggies/proteins/fruits/seeds) is a positive way to crowd out less healthy or more calorie dense options. Once you get the good stuff in you won’t have space for much else! For example, at meal times fill half your plate with green and colourful vegetables or salad, a quarter with quality protein and the rest can be whatever you like within the healthy spectrum, examples might be some rice, a slice of sourdough, some delicious healthy fats from avocado, nuts/seeds, starchy vegetables like potato, or some fruit.

Got cravings? Swap don’t stop!

Humans are rebellious creatures, and if you tell yourself you can’t have something, that’s often when you want it most! So what to do if you’re craving chocolate? Choose the best quality and lowest sugar/chemical version available, for example ditch the cheap Cadbury milk chocolate (50% sugar) and choose a 70-90% cacao version (dark) with between 5-15% sugar instead. It may be more expensive but you’ll end up saving money because you’ll tend to eat less of it!

Get healthy to lose weight, not the other way around

You tend to get what you focus on, so talk about what you want, not what you don’t want.

If you wake up every day with the thought, “I have to lose weight” you’re focusing on your weight in a negative way, which puts a focus on everything you don’t have and all the ways you’re failing. Climbing back from perceived big failures is not motivating.

Instead, set your goals around getting healthy and nourishing your body in the best way possible, so your thought pattern becomes, “I am a healthy person”. This path will inevitably lead to weight loss as a side effect and you’ll do it in a healthy way. Small wins lead to big wins and help you feel inspired!

Slow down to speed up

It’s incredibly important to slow down when you eat. Relax, chew properly and taste your food, without multi-tasking at the same time. This will help your appetite signals register properly and reduce inflammatory responses (e.g. bloating, reflux). It will also blunt the cortisol spikes that can mess up your digestion, create inflammation and lead to increased fat storage. Slow down at meal times to speed up weight loss.

Workouts should rock your world

Ask me what the most effective workout program in the world is, I’ll introduce you to my secret weapon – it’s called “consistency” and it works a treat every time. In order for us to all stick to this incredibly effective program (hehe), we need workouts that rock our worlds! Keep your sessions interesting by taking some time to plan what you’ll be doing for the coming week on a Sunday night. Sign up to an online program, try 3-4 workouts at a new gym you haven’t been to before, or do some online stalking of world-class athletes and celebrities, then try some of their workouts in your own time!

Use the 1-2 rule with your vices & treats, such as alcohol

When it comes to foods we know we shouldn’t be over-indulging in but just can’t seem to stay away from, particularly when weight loss and optimised energy/health are the end goals, use my 1-2 rule as an easy way to cut down, without feeling deprived.

First up, be honest with yourself about your vices and what you might be having a bit too much of. Alcohol? Bread? Chocolate bars? Pasta? Office treats? Whatever it is you love a little too much, make a deal with yourself that you’ll indulge in 1-2 serves of those things, 1-2 times per week. For me, that means 1 glass of wine with my husband on a Friday and/or Saturday night, a slice of sourdough at Sat/Sun brunch and coffee with a little milk to kick start my morning a few times per week. Health goals, sorted. And I never feel I’ve overindulged, or am missing out. It’s a winner!

You can also use this rule when starting an exercise program. To make sure you don’t go too hard too soon, start with 1-2 high intensity or weight training sessions per week and just walk, stretch and move around as much as possible the rest of the time, but don’t stress about getting to the gym. This gets the ball rolling and makes sure you don’t get overwhelmed.

Approach fitness and nutrition like a hobby you want to do!

Be a fan girl. Stay curious. Do lots of research on the health topics that interest you. Find a community of like-minded women so you don’t have to train solo. Try new workouts. Go to courses. Hunt down new recipes. Listen to interesting podcasts on your walks or on the way to work. The more you know, the more fun you’ll have and the more consistent you’ll be.

Can’t wait until 2017 to begin your health mission?

• Join me for a free webinar this Tues 14 September at 5pm Sydney time, or;
• Join me and the BUF Girls in the next round of BUF Body or;
• If you already train with us and have your workouts sorted try BUF Body Nutrition, or;
• If you’ve already done BUF Body jump into my specialist shaping program, Look Good Naked!