The 80/20 rule – Live the Ginger Girls lifestyle

Anyone who’s been in maintenance will agree that the group needed a mix up, so once again, the boffins over at Gingers HQ has come up with a brand-new concept to keep it interesting, and most of all keep you on track! As we roll out this concept however, there has been a few concerns that have been raised, so I felt a quick blog for anyone joining the group to read will help to get everyone in the right mindset, and stop the potential free for all that these groups could become!

I have to start with my favourite saying, and the philosophy behind any plan I write for Ginger girls, health is the goal, weight loss is just a nice side effect! If you think coming in these groups means you can eat whatever you like and stay under calories, your wrong. Your own health has to be the main motivating factor for following the 80/20 rule, and although you may not exactly feel motivated to do it all the time now, you have to understand there’s a reason there is a health crisis in this country. Trust me, I’m the worst for thinking I’m invincible, but we really shouldn’t wait until we have health problems to make a change in our diet, and I don’t want to take anything away from the great work you will have all done so far in accountability, because obesity is the main factor for health complications, there are also a lot of other markers to show that what you consume is effecting your health.

The most recent one I’ve heard can affect anyone, so ask yourself if any of these symptoms sound familiar:

· Trouble seeing in low light

· Blurred vision

· Degrading eye sight

· Dryness

· Light sensitivity

· Ocular discomfort

All sound like pretty common side effects of getting old, don’t they? Well regular consumption of seed oils can cause the risk of blindness to DOUBLE, and these are just some of the signs that this is a happening to you right now! The trouble with seed oils, is that it is in every processed food you can imagine, from bread, to chocolate, to anything in batter. Even cereal, pre-cooked frozen chicken or peanuts will have enough seed oils in them to affect your health if consumed regularly enough. This might sound like scare mongering slightly, but you have to understand my motivation in writing the plans the way I do, and why first and foremost we should all try to follow the 80/20 rule for our long-term health, this is why we called it a lifestyle group. The seed oils are just a drop in the ocean when it comes to what can affect your health (don’t even get me started on the links between sugar and cancer), this is why, as part of the 80/20 rule, we should avoid off plan foods where necessary. Just because you can have a breadcake with your meal, do you need to? That’s a genuine question as well, would it stop you over eating on something else down the line? If yes, go for it! That’s the point of the group, if your doing it out of laziness or a misunderstanding of why you’re here, then its time to put the bread away.

I referenced keeping your weight down, because mostly that’s why you are in this group, and if you want to use it the best you can you must therefore track EVERYTHING! Yes, this means tracking alcohol as well. The 80/20 rule can only work if you understand everything you are putting into your body, calories soon add up, and you need to balance them out somewhere or the scales will start to creep up again, and if you’re here, the chances are they’ve crept up in the past, don’t let it happen again! There’s no way of knowing if your following the 80/20 rule if you don’t track everything, so really this should be the main piece of advise your take from this blog.

This brings me in to my next point, stay accountable to the scales. You can’t just ignore them and hope for the best, if you’ve had a bad weekend, that’s the best time to get back on them and understand the damage that might have been done, the longer you leave it, the more damage will be done, and you’ll be back in accountability before you know it, and you’ll have to restrict yourself to get back to your target weight.

Finally, I want to discuss the reasons behind the groups. Ginger Girls is about women supporting women, and every single one of you have the opportunity to be a leader in your group, whether you have the title or not. If you are a negative influence on the group, posting off plan after off plan, there’s a very good chance you can drag someone else down with you. Alternatively, if you are following the rule to a tee, tracking everything, dialling it back when you need to, exercising a lot and keeping yourself in good shape by putting your exercise first, you become a role model for every single woman around you! A high tide should raise all ships, so let’s get behind each other and do what these groups are designed to do!

Let’s summarise for those who might have got bored of me waffling on:

1. Track EVERYTHING

2. Eating off plan is not a necessity, use it wisely, your health will thank you

3. Be a positive role model to your group

And finally,

4. Put your health first, whether that’s mental or physical

Thanks for reading,

Aaron

Ps. Its Train and track, not track and train