This is just a very quick update to let you know that I’ve got a guest post over on Cranky Fitness today, called “Advice for Grumpy Home Workers” – inspired by my own shift from office worker to home worker! Whether or not you work from home, you can probably find some advice there that’ll help … so do check it out!

 (I’ll have a full post here on The Office Diet tomorrow, so pop back then, too..)

One of the problems that many dieters face is that they set the goal to “lose 50lbs” and focus purely on the anticipated future happiness that this will bring. But that’s little help when you’re facing a day-by-day struggle with willpower and self-discipline.

Setting goals to improve your daily life

I’ve been reading a very insightful book called Personal Development for Smart People, by one of my favourite bloggers, Steve Pavlina. (Look out for a full review at some point soon on The Office Diet!) His words about goals in chapter three really struck me a few days ago:

“The point of goal setting is to improve the quality of your present-moment reality. … Many people set goals and then assume the path to reach them will require suffering and sacrifice.”

I think there’s a lot in this which particularly applies to dieters. We’re often in the mindset that diet = deprivation, that we have to go through “suffering and sacrifice” in order to shape up, to lose those unwanted pounds, or to improve our health.

What if, instead, we looked at a diet as something to improve our life today? How would this change the way you approach your dieting and the goals which you set for yourself?

Diet goals for today, not the future

For me, this means:

Getting regular exercise. I know that I feel less stressed, more “balanced” and more energetic if I go to the gym. Those aren’t effects which I need to wait months and months for … they happen straight away!

Eating foods I enjoy. Please don’t force yourself to eat things you don’t really like, just because you’re “on a diet”. If you think you don’t like any healthy foods, you just need to experiment a bit more!

Feeling in control. Would you rather be in control of what you eat, or would you rather food was controlling you? I like to be able to say “no” to chocolate when I know I’ve already eaten enough, or when I’m planning an indulgent dinner.

Having time to relax over meals. I love eating a leisurely meal with my boyfriend, or just taking some time in the middle of the day to browse through a magazine or book whilst having lunch. If you’re cutting down on what you eat, make sure you give yourself time to enjoy your meals to the full!

So instead of having the goal to “be 10lbs lighter by Christmas”, why not try setting goals like these?

• “I want to have more energy and enthusiasm every day.”
• “I want to know that I can eat chocolate if I want – and that I can turn it down if I want.”
• “I want to sit down and spend time over my meals.”
• “I want to try three new foods every week.”

For regular advice, tips and ideas to help you live a healthy lifestyle, get The Office Diet straight to your RSS reader, or subscribe by email (top right corner).

(Happy Hallowe’en to you all! If you’re having trouble resisting that tempting bowl of mini chocolate bars, then you might want to read Resist Hallowe’en treats…)I’ve been reading some great articles around the blogosphere recently, and thought I’d link to a few for you to enjoy too! This time, I’m going for articles which are a bit different from the usual run of quick weight loss and exercise tips…

Lucid Dreaming For Slackers on Cranky Fitness is a really fascinating read. I’ve been keen to try out lucid dreaming for a while but it always seemed like way too much effort. This is the Crabby McSlacker way! (If you’re wondering what the heck “lucid dreaming” is, it’s nothing too wacky – it just means being aware you’re dreaming whilst you’re asleep, and being able to control your dream.)

The cool thing: it’s a learnable skill. There’s a set of steps to follow, and if you do them, there’s a good chance you’ll eventually start having dreams where you’re aware you’re in a dream and you even get to control what happens.

The Skinny of Raw Food, a guest post on A Daring Adventure is another interesting one. My scepticism about anything that would involve not eating chocolate knows no bounds, so this was a great piece that dealt with a good few preconceptions I had about raw foodists.

Obviously if an apple has been burnt to a crisp there’s not going to be much goodness left. Eating raw is just taking that to the other end of the logical extreme - the closer to just being picked (or fallen!) from the tree, the better it’s going to be for your body.

What’s Holding You Back on The BridgeMaker was a very insightful read for me. I still have some hang-ups about body image and self-esteem, even though I’ve been a healthy weight – and reasonably fit – for years. This piece helped me pinpoint why.

Leave the Past Behind. What happened in the past must stay in the past. It can not define your present value or worth unless you allow it. When you make the choice to move forward, you are also making the decision to live in this moment, in the here and now. Consider what’s ahead; what’s next in your life and place your energy in discovering more of that. 

Hope you enjoy those pieces as much as I did!

And don’t forget that you can receive free updates by email (pop your address in on the top right), or straight to your RSS reader, if you don’t want to miss out on any of The Office Diet’s posts.

I’m delighted to bring you a guest post from Matt Higgins today! Matt has a 1st class honours degree in Sports Science (Physiology) from the 5* rated Liverpool John Moores university, as well as diplomas in sports nutrition and sports psychology. His first academic journal article is being considered for publication in the Journal of Sports Science. You can read more about him on The Office Diet’s About page.

Most people who have exercised intensely have felt it. Your muscles ache; you may get cramp or even feel like your muscles could light the bonfire on November 5th. “Damn you lactic acid, I wanted to do even more!”

For many, the perception still remains that lactic acid is a ‘waste product’ resulting from intense exercise and that such accumulation acts as one of or even the main cause of exercise fatigue. This view dates back to experiments completed in the 1930s by AV Hill and others, resulting in the belief that lactic acid was only produced where there was no (anoxic) or too little (hypoxic) oxygen available to the muscle due to the intensity of the exercise.

The facts about lactic acid

However, since the 1970s there has been an academic revolution on the theory of lactic acid and its role within exercise. Unfortunately, it appears such knowledge has not disseminated into the wider public audience, something I will now attempt to address.

Before doing so, it is important to quickly outline some science stuff. When lactic acid accumulates in the body the vast majority of it ‘breaks up’ almost immediately into a salt called lactate (La-) and hydrogen ions (H+). Therefore, when exercise scientists try to measure lactic acid in someone (as often happens for professional athletes), they are more than likely measuring lactate. It is for those reasons that the terms lactic acid and lactate are very often (here also) are interchangeable.

Lactate acid as a fuel

So then, if lactate is not a cause of fatigue, what does it do? Firstly, it is important to point out that the body is almost constantly producing and using lactate as a fuel. Yes, you read correctly – a fuel.

George Brooks, an American scientist, is an eminent researcher in this area. His experiments have shown that the brain, kidneys and liver use lactate as a fuel. Furthermore, the heart is an active lactate consumer with one study showing that up to 60% of the fuel used by the heart is lactate. Moreover, it is now widely accepted that a ‘cell to cell’ lactate shuttle exists. In other words, lactate that is produced in one type of muscle fibre is then used by another type of fibre for fuel. Other studies have demonstrated that lactate can actually be converted (by the liver) back in to glucose or glycogen to be reused by other tissues. In that case is lactate the saviour of all our exercise problems? Well, not really but to demonstrate this, we need to talk science again briefly.

What causes fatigue during exercise?

Although lactate is almost constantly produced and used (cleared) within the body, when we exercise intensely (i.e. 85% of maximum and upwards – hence anaerobically), lactate will accumulate in the muscles. Basically, the rate of production outstrips the rate of clearance and a build up occurs. In the 1930s, it was felt that this accumulation was the main cause of fatigue. However, we know now this not to be true but what is happening?

One school of thought was that the hydrogen ions (H+) that were released caused a decrease in pH in the muscle and therefore this acidosis, as opposed to lactate, was the cause of fatigue. To support this, some experiments have shown that Bicarbonate supplementation has helped increase power output in high intensity exercise suggesting it acts as a pH buffer in the muscle.

However, in contrast another study highlighted that the effect of acidosis previously thought to be implicated in fatigue had actually been described when the experiment was carried out at a non-physiological temperature. In other words, when the experiment was repeated at a temperature closer to the temperature of human muscle in exercise, the effect of acidosis was far less.

Confused? If so, you need not worry. Despite the vast amount of research being carried out into the cause of fatigue, scientists are still unable to pinpoint the exact physiological reason for muscle fatigue. Yes, various components are implicated but as yet, the search for this Holy Grail is still a work in progress.

What is now clear, however, is that lactic acid / lactate is not an exercise party pooper. In fact, it is an extremely important metabolic intermediary within the body that has many different functions. In fact, in a 2007 article in the Sports Medicine journal, George Brooks suggests that more research is required into how lactate maybe able to help marathon runners improve their performance. Viva la revolution.

Sometimes, we tend to see a lot of things that are bad for us as “treats”: things like chocolate, crisps, takeaways, lazy afternoons slumped on the sofa. I know I’m a bit prone to doing this too, but after an email from one of The Office Diet’s readers, I’m trying to rethink my attitude! Why shouldn’t I think of things that are good for me – like exercise – as treats too?

After all, I know that a trip to the gym is a real treat for me – when I was working full-time, it was a wonderful hour of freedom away from the office, and now that I’m studying, it makes a nice break from my desk. Going out for a leisurely walk with my boyfriend is also a treat, as is eating something delicious, homemade and packed with long-lasting energy, like pasta with a chunky vegetable sauce.

Here’s a few ways to think about your exercising as a treat, not a chore:

• If you work from home during some or all of the week, treat yourself to a half-hour walk every morning and afternoon as a break. You might want to listen to your favourite music or podcast while you walk, or use it as “couple time” with your partner.
• Pick a fun activity to do at the weekend – perhaps ice-skating, trampolining, rowing, skateboarding, or anything that you genuinely love to do. Set aside a morning or afternoon to indulge. If it’s something that brings out the big kid in you, so much the better!
• Get some friends on board, and have a blast doing something active together. How about a game of Ultimate Frisbee in the park, or an afternoon at an adventure playground with your kids? I love Lazer Quest (my competitive spirit comes to the fore when I get to prowl around and shoot people in the dark…), and I’m keen to try Paintball some day.
• Enjoy a long, chilled-out gym session: make some time for yourself, work off some energy on the machines, push yourself with the weights, and then take a long soak in the pool – or relax in the sauna – to wind down. Start viewing your workouts as “me time”, a chance to escape the computer, phone and pressures of daily life.

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If you’ve successfully reached a healthy weight range for your height, congratulations! But did you know that most dieters subsequently regain all the weight they’ve lost? If you want to be among that lucky few who don’t, read on…

Why you need a “diet again” weight

I’ve been “maintaining”, as it’s commonly known in dieting circles, for the past three years. Now, one of the nice things about not being “on a diet” is being able to relax, eat what I like, and enjoy the occasional indulgent weekend with friends. However, I know from experience that it’s easy for me to slip into bad habits. What I do is set a “diet again” weight: if I step on the scales and they’re showing this figure (or, horrors, a higher one), then it’s time to take a good hard look at what I’m eating, and cut out some of the less-good choices.

How to pick your “diet again” weight

I’d suggest giving yourself about 4lbs – 5lbs leeway to allow for natural fluctuations. For example, if you’ve successfully reached your goal weight of 125lbs, you might want to set your “diet again” alarm bell at 130lbs.

Using your “diet again” number to help you maintain your weight

Weigh yourself on a regular basis (not necessarily every week – every fortnight is enough when you’re maintaining, and stops you getting too obsessive).

If you’re over the “diet again” weight two weigh-ins in a row, it’s time to get out the food diary, clear the junk from the cupboards, and get back to healthy eating and exercising basics. If you need a reminder on what those are, why not check out a few posts here on The Office Diet?

• Five reasons to walk more
• What are wholegrain and wholemeal foods?
• Keeping a food and exercise diary

If you find those useful, you’ll love my Dieting Basics ebook (just $12 for everything you need to know about nutrition, healthy weight loss, getting started with exercise, and achieving a healthier lifestyle – not just a thinner body.) You can even download a free sample here.