It is hard to cut processed sugar out of our lives. Even I have problems letting go of sweet things, and Iâm a fitness instructor!

I’m Rob Hall, Operations Manager at The Shrewsbury Club, and I wanted to take a little time to explain about processed sugar and the need to lessen one’s intake and combat it with proper exercise.

Did you know if you drink one can of non-diet fizzy drink a day you may be taking in 39 pounds of sugar each year? Startling, isn’t it?! It makes you think that by cutting just one fizzy drink a week, you could lose weight without trying! That’s a fact.

But I get ahead of myself…. What is processed sugar? It is that lovely white sugar you use in baking, in your coffee, and in almost any food we eat that has sugar. Most often you find processed sugar listed as refined sugar, but it is the same thing.

Instead of using this type of sugar to sweeten stuff, you could switch to agave extract, honey or stevia. (Have you ever tried Manuka honey? It isn’t cheap but it tastes wonderful and contains lots of organic goodness.) You could also start looking for minimally refined sugar, which is able to keep some “impurities” – impurities actually being minerals and vitamins your body could use.

It is hard to decide what you should do about sugar given the many health articles online, in magazines, and fitness expos that tell you sugar is bad. No one wants to cut it out completely. You also read plenty of articles about why synthetic sugars or artificial sweeteners are bad for you. One day you are told artificial sweeteners are the best and the next cancer studies are knocking it right back.

So, what do the fitness instructors at The Shrewsbury Club do about it? We reduce the amount of sugar we take in and fight the rest with high intensity workout. The thing about sugar is that if you allow it to remain in your body it will turn to fat. It will create cellulose and it will make you feel tired after a time.

Instead, why not enjoy some of your favourite snacks and get a sweat on with our fitness team? We are on hand to help you with proper dietary advice too. We will help advise you on how to start cutting back the bad stuff, what exercises can help you the most with removing sugary stores from your body, and how to tone up.

And remember – you don’t sweat, you sparkle!