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Ceri Witts Coaching

Holistic Health & Lifestyle Coach

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About Me

Ceri
Ceri

Hi I’m Ceri. I’ve been a Registered Mental Health Nurse working in Psychiatry for the last 20
years.

More about me

Recent Posts

  • Blog

    What Would Your Life Look Like If Nothing Held You Back?

    August 1, 2021
  • Blog

    A Vision For The Future

    July 20, 2021
  • Blog

    Adrenal Fatigue

    July 7, 2021
  • Blog

    What Pain Is Telling You

    July 7, 2021
  • Blog

    Food Is The Best Medicine

    July 7, 2021
  • What are some key tips for weight loss and optimal health?

My top ten tips provide some key takeaways when it comes to weight loss and good metabolic health:
1. Eat real food - as close to nature as possible.  Single ingredient foods like grass fed beef (not grain finished), pastured eggs (not caged).
2. Build muscle - lift weights, resistance/body weight workouts, etc 3-6 x per week.
3. Target protein - those who lift weights or perform more full body workouts should target the higher end of the scale.
4. Eliminate highly refined foods - remove the refined carbs, refined sugar and seed oils. 
5. Optimise sleep - 8-9 hours is ideal.
6. Conquer your mindset/stress - eliminate negative thoughts, come up with strategies to handle stress.
7. Keep fat bombs to a minimum - butter and cream for example.
8. Avoid eating refined carbs and fat bombs together - eating refined carbs plus fats is one of the quickest ways to gain weight.  This includes things like bagel with cream cheese, cereal with full fat milk, milk chocolate, donuts, pasta with cheese etc.
9. Get appropriate sunlight, fresh air and get out in nature! Start enjoying the outdoors.
10. Eat real salt - (I use Celtic sea salt) with water for boosting energy, powering workouts and reducing sugar cravings. 

Which one resonated with you the most? 

#toptentips #tipsforweightloss #sustainableweightloss #chekpractitioner #chekinstitute #holisticmentalhealth #strengthtraining
  • My hubby Rob spoke with me about his struggles to gain muscle mass.  He had tried many things in the past, including Crossfit which wasn’t sustainable for him.  He felt frustrated and lacking motivation to get started, which didn’t help his confidence.

Seeing his determination and potential, I asked him if he would like my help as a CHEK practitioner.  I knew that building muscle requires a holistic approach.  We spoke about his current health, diet and exercise regime.  I found he had been in a prolonged calorie deficit, which had slowed down his metabolism and made it difficult for him to gain muscle. 

I explained the concept of reverse diet. That it would involve gradually increasing his calories intake to boost his metabolism while ensuring he was consuming enough protein to support muscle growth.  Rob was initially sceptical but decided to trust my expertise.

I created a personalised nutrition and resistance training plan for Rob.  I emphasised the importance of a high protein diet to provide the amino acids necessary for muscle repair and growth. 

He’s been following along for a few months now and is making great strength gains in the gym, noticing physique changes, improved energy levels and feeling more confident in the gym.  He says it’s improved his overall well-being and learning the importance of a balanced and sustainable approach to nutrition and fitness. 

If you’re struggling to achieve your health and fitness goals, send me a DM and we can see how I may help.

#chekprofessional #healthandlifestyle #reversediet #resistancetraining #sustainable #holisticmentalhealth #marriedlife #familyvalues #holistichealth #drmovement #drhappiness #drdiet #4doctors
  • I was on a call with a client earlier this week and she shared with me that she would like to get her weight down.

She told me that she thinks she eats plenty of protein but after looking at her protein intake she hasn’t been eating anywhere near where she thought she was.

We’ve made a few changes to how we can increase this and I’m hearing these changes have been easy to implement! 

If you’re struggling to lose weight, tone up, wondering how/what to eat send me a message for a free consult to see how I can help.

I work with both men and women using a holistic approach with nutrition, corrective exercise and strength coaching.

#holisticmentalhealth #strengthtraining #ims1 #hlc2 #chekinstitute #holistichealth #macros #primalpatterneating #4doctors
  • The other day my hubby came time and shared with me what his chiro had said to him.
 
His chiro commented that he had noticed that he has been weight training since he saw him last and can see a big difference. 

I’ve written a strength training program for him that he can use via an App and he’s loving this approach. 

I work with both men and women in holistic health and strength training/corrective exercise coaching.

Send me a message for a free consult to see how I can help.

#ims1 #chekinstitute #correctiveexercise #holistichealth #holisticmentalhealth #strengthtraining #bodycomposition #primalpatterneating
  • What are some tips to improve my sleep quality?

It’s inevitable that most people may experience night of bad sleep, whether it’s because of a temperature or an active mind.

However, if you are having disrupted sleep more than 3 times a week, it may have more of a permanent impact on your overall health and exercise ability.  Sleep is paramount for overall health and performance.  We spend nearly one third of our lives asleep, which goes to show how important it is for our health.  The best thing is sleep is absolutely free! 

1. Get morning sunlight - blue light in the morning is needed to kick start the circadian rhythm. Morning light helps to produce melatonin at night.  You will feel more energised, wakeful and happy through the day.  This can happen even it’s cloudy.

2. Maintain good salt intake and stay well hydrated.

3. Don’t go on social media 2 hours before bed.

4. Eat a high protein meal for dinner.  The amino acid tryptophan gets converted into serotonin and then into melatonin.  You could get it from meat such as poultry, fish, nuts and seeds.

5. Stop eating 4-5 hours before bed.

6. Avoid caffeine after 12-2PM.  The effects of caffeine can last for several hours.  The half life of caffeine is about 5.7 hours which means that if you drink coffee at midday, then 50% of it will still be in your system at 6PM.

7. Don’t drink alcohol in the evening.  Although some people say a glass of wine or a beer helps them fall asleep, alcohol is shown to decrease sleep quality.  It also disrupts the natural REM cycle.

8. Dim the lights after 7-8PM.

This list isn’t exhaustive.

I have recently had a client implement some of these steps (and others) and it’s been a game changer for her.  Making small changes throughout her day to help with an evening routine.  It can be a challenge especially with responsibilities of children and small things can have a huge impact.  She’s noticed that she is getting to bed that bit earlier which has a knock on effect to how she feels the next day - improved mood, good energy and less food cravings.

If sleep is something you’re struggling with, send me a DM and we can see how I can help.

#chekpractitioner #sleep #drquiet
  • Are you getting to bed on time? 

One of the biggest obstacles I face when coaching people to optimal health is getting them to understand the importance of getting to bed on time.  We are surrounded by screens and blue light in todays world and we can forget that for thousand of years we lived in sync with the light and dark cycles of day and night.

A few years back, I started to notice some nagging ailments that didn’t seem to go away.  Postural problems/aching from the daily grind, poor recovery from exercise, trouble focusing on work, fatigue and food cravings. 

When we look deeply into our daily schedules, we can examine our day to day activities and what a typical day looks like for us.  A majority of symptoms may be due to circadian cycle disruption and sleep deprivation.

If we follow our natural sleep/wake cycles, we start winding down as the sun sets and should fall asleep by 10PM.  Physical repairs mostly take place when the body is asleep between 10PM and 2.00AM.  After 2.00AM the focus is more on mental repair, which lasts until we wake up.

If you go to bed after midnight, you’ve already missed over two hours of your physical repair cycle.

A disrupted sleep/wake cycle can also result in adrenal fatigue. 

Rest and focus on energy accumulation and regeneration is the key.  Most people dangerously overlook the healing powers of sleep, and sleep is one of the most important forms of healing for tired or sick people. 

I focus on foods, meals proportions, meal frequency and drinks as all these significantly affect sleep for better or worse. 

How is your sleep?

Taking on 1:1 clients in person and online currently.  DM me for a chat and we can see how I can help 

#chekpractitioner #ims1 #healthandlifestylecoach #sleep #adrenalfatigue #adrenalfatiguerecovery #tiredmama #womensupportingwomen #holistichealth #holisticmentalhealth
  • What is protein?

Protein is the building block of life - it is the second largest component of human tissue after water.  It is made of amino acids, which are the structural units of all our cells.  Our muscles, skin, hair, nails, organs and bones are all made out of protein.

Amino acids are needed for tissue repair and growth, energy metabolism on a cellular level as well as a number of other things.  The richest source of protein are meat, eggs and fish but it can also be found in nuts, seeds, vegetables, legumes and beans.  In 1 gram of protein there are 4 calories.

To maintain a certain amount of body weight and lean tissue, you need an adequate protein intake.  It’s much more important for overall health and performance to have an intake of protein more often than fats and carbohydrates.  When people are allowed to eat as much as they want on a diet consisting of 30% protein, they end up consuming an average 441 fewer calories a day than when eating only 10% protein.

Individuals who eat a high protein meal end up burning more calories for several hours after eating.  The higher thermic (the body’s expenditure increases for a period of time as our bodies work to break down the food we eat into nutrients that we can store or use) effect of protein also contributes to a higher feeling of satiety or fullness.

How much protein are you eating? 

DM me if you are struggling with where to start with this.
#metabolictyping #proteintype #chekims #healthandlifecoach #sugaraddiction #emotionaleating
  • What a week! 

Big shoutout to @mattsorensenhh and all my fellow Chekkies @wrightstuart_ 

A full on and great week spent with like minded individuals doing IMS 1.

We learnt so much:
- assessing clients physiological load (stress levels)
- write exercise programs to address low, moderate and high loads 
- assessing functional deficits and imbalances in the core and back musculature 
- design personalised exercise programs that balance the nervous system
- optimise posture to improve athletic performance and increase overall wellness
- implement a huge library of conditioning exercises 

I’ve loved my journey so far with the @chekinstitute but this one has been worth the wait to do my first in person course!

#chekinstitute #paulchek #ims1 #chek #chekkies #truewoo #mattsorensen
  • This week I’m studying Integrated Movement Science (IMS) Level 1 - Day 3 today! #chekinstitute #holistichealth #exercisecoach #chekpractitioner #programdesign #anatomyandphysiology #posturalassessment #healthandlifestyle @mattsorensenhh
  • How would I know if I’m overtraining? 

Many people may complain of feeling extreme fatigue, reduced performance, mood changes, sleep disturbances and other issues as a result of working out or training too much or too hard without giving the body adequate time to rest.

Often women (and men!) will push through these warning signs and can often end up with injuries and more frequent illness and infections.

Proper hydration and nutrition are also essential to performance, recovery and prevention.

How can we address overtraining? 

1. Train smart
2. Proper calorie intake
3. Create a routine for eating and sleeping
4. Make sure you have some time to do the things you enjoy with a balance to be productive
5. Hire a coach to help you and have accountability 

Allow yourself to take a break from time to time and listen to your body.  It’s when we rest that the body has time to recover, rebuild and come back stronger than before.

Several CrossFit sessions used to be the norm for me and I kept going with little sleep and poor energy.  A sure recipe for disaster in hindsight.  I sought a consultation with a CHEK holistic health coach to address this.  He took one look at me and told me the high intensity exercise had to stop if I wanted my energy back.  Even though that wasn’t what I wanted to hear, I knew deep down something had to change. 

It’s time to do something differently and take care of your health in the process.

DM me for more info #holistichealth #overtraining #metabolichealth #4drs #chekinstitute #holisticmentalhealth #strengthtraining #strengthcoach #restandrecovery #nutrition
  • How Often Should I Train? 

Resistance training (body weight exercises, resistance bands, weights, resistance machines etc.) 3-6 times per week (you can work your way up to 6 days if you can). If you’re just starting out, you may only be able to exercise 2-3 days per week.

You can train more often by exercising a different muscle group the next time you work out.  This gives the previous muscle groups worked time to recover.  The more you exercise, the more your body will become used to the routine and you will actually crave exercise.

View exercise as part of your daily routine like brushing your teeth, taking a shower or eating.  Part of your daily routine/lifestyle.

Daily walking of around 10-12,000 steps per day.  This really helps after large meals. 

I’m a women’s holistic health coach and I help mamas get back to feeling and looking their best.

Send me a message and we can see how I can help.
#womensupportingwomen #strengthtraining #resistancetraining #holisticmentalhealth #holistichealth #feelandlookyourbest
  • How can I gauge if I should push myself to train or not?

It’s a good idea to structure your workouts based on how you’re feeling on that day.  It’s wiser to back off when you feel like you’re too exhausted from your previous session.  Adding more stress on top of an already sore body won’t give you the desired results.

When we are pursuing the goal of the “perfect body” (does that even exist?) or “I have to lose weight” optimal gains and recovery can be pushed to the back burner in our drive to push ourselves through the pain. 

Based on a scale of 1-10, start measuring how you feel each morning and act accordingly:
10 - feeling like you could take on the world.  In that case, go for a heavy workout with no regrets!
1 - can’t even make it out of bed, a sure sign of overtraining.
5 and under - maybe you have some joint pain, too much muscle soreness, balance issues, feeling forgetful, brain fog.  Back off and have a rest day. 
Between 6 and 7 - have an easier day.  You’ll be feeling fine but not energised. 
Between 8 and 9 - ideal.  You’ll feel great and be motivated to train.  You’re eager to push yourself hard and ready to tackle squats, deadlifts or even HIIT.  Good to go for a heavy workout.

Don’t let yourself go below a 6 or 7.  Our bodies need plenty of recovery and time to repair themselves.  Awareness of how much your body is able to take is key.

If you’re struggling with knowing what sort of training to do, feeling too tired to train, wanting that push to start a training routine or a structured program specific for you this is something I help women (and men) with. 

Send me a message and we can chat about how I can help.
#womensupportingwomen #holisticmentalhealth #strengthtraining #personaltrainer #reversediet #adrenalfatigue #strongwomen
  • Why do I keep falling off my diet? 

I get this a lot.  Women (and men) perplexed about their own behaviour and if I can shed any light on their issue.

This is a form of self sabotage. 

What is self sabotage? By definition, sabotage means to destroy, ruin or wreck.  Self sabotage is a self-destructive behaviour that holds you back from achieving your goals. 

When I see self sabotage in weight loss clients it can manifest in many different ways.  These can include procrastination, self doubt, fear of success or failure, poor self care habits and a lack of self discipline.

Change can be very scary because it requires stepping outside of your comfort zone.  It’s always much easier to stay where you are, even if that’s not ideal.

Change also requires effort and consistency which is not easy to maintain.

We can overcome self sabotage by having a growth mindset.  We can view potential obstacles in our way as opportunities to learn. 

My mantra is consistency over perfection. It builds resilience.

It’s quite normal to want to avoid discomfort.  It’s difficult to let go of old habits and ways of thinking that don’t serve you. 

Do you self sabotage? For me I did all of the above, plus some. 

It is possible to change, changing our habits one at a time and doing it in small incremental steps so it’s not overwhelming and then having the “all or nothing” approach where everything must be perfect or nothing gets done.

I‘m a CHEK Holistic Health and Lifestyle Coach and I help women lose weight in a healthy way, wake up feeling energised, have sustained energy throughout the day and have time for the things they enjoy. 

DM me for more info and we can see how I can help.

#womensupportingwomen #holisticmentalhealth #holistichealth #strengthtraining #personaltrainer #proteinforthewin
  • Will weight training help me to lose weight? 

A healthy body composition includes more muscle mass in relation to fat mass. 

The most effective and powerful way to promote muscle growth is to do resistance training.  It results in increased lean muscles tissue and reduced fat mass even in post menopausal women.

Doing compound exercises like squats, bench and deadlift are excellent for building overall strength.

Do you have a structured resistance training program? 

Todays training:
Barbell Bench Squat 8-10 reps
Barbell Squats 5 sets 1 - 3 reps
Waiter Bow 8-10 reps
Good Morning 3 sets x 6-8 reps
Bench Press 5 sets x 2-4 reps

#resistancetraining #weighttrainingforwomen #chekinstitute #programdesign #womensupportingwomen #fatloss #weightloss #strengthtraining #holisticmentalhealth
  • I eat really healthily, but I can’t lose weight.  What’s happening? 

I hear this a lot. I eat really healthily but I can’t seem to lose weight.  Many women (and men) have different ideas about what “healthy eating” may look like for them.  I’d be here all day discussing it. 

I used to think I ate really healthy too.  Eating my meals and the having ultra processed food on top because of cravings as I wasn’t fuelling my body in the right way.  Being sleep deprived with young kids didn’t help the situation. 

If we keep it simple, there are a few barriers to weight loss.  This may include low muscle mass, eating ultra processed foods, nutrient deficiencies and sleep deprivation. 

If a body is healthy, it knows how many calories it needs.

Is your body and hormones geared more towards fat storage and low energy expenditure? This happens a lot in people that eat ultra processed foods.

So how do we address this?
1. We build muscle mass
2. We eat food in the right amounts in the right ratios. 
3. Adequate nutrients
4. Adequate sleep 

I can show you how! I’m a CHEK Health and Lifestyle Coach and I help women lose weight in a healthy way, wake up feeling energised and have sustained energy throughout the day. 

Send me a message and we can chat about how I can help.

#weightloss #fatloss #womensupportingwomen #chekcoach #holisticmentalhealth #holistichealth #mindset #reversedietjourney
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My Mission

To support one person at a time to take responsibility for their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health and well being

My Vision

Planting seeds of potential through knowledge and experience

  • Believe in yourself
  • If you can dream it you can live it

Recent Posts

  • Blog

    What Would Your Life Look Like If Nothing Held You Back?

    August 1, 2021
  • Blog

    A Vision For The Future

    July 20, 2021
  • Blog

    Adrenal Fatigue

    July 7, 2021

Contact

  • 0404 720444
  • ceri.witts@gmail.com
  • Moorebank NSW 2170 Sydney Australia
© Copyright 2023 Ceri Witts Coaching. All Rights Reserved.