Minna Bussey

Helping women walk their way to balanced blood sugar, lasting satiety, and that “finally free” feeling. One step at a time — toward your best life.

I coach with heart, science, and a healthy dose of straight talk.

27/12/2025

I’m not special, I’m not immune, and I’m definitely not “naturally disciplined”.

If I ate like I used to, I’d crave sugar nonstop. If I relied on “portion control”, I’d overeat. If I waited to feel like moving my body, I often wouldn’t.

I’ve just learned how to eat and live in a way that reduces the daily fight.

Maybe I inherited some good habits and decent genes but trust me, if I drift out of my routine, it shows on my waistline VERY quickly. Just like it does for most of us.

This isn’t about being special or lucky. It’s about understanding your biology, setting yourself up properly, and repeating the boring stuff long enough that it works.

We’re all just human.
On Christmas Eve I overdid carbs and sugar on an empty stomach and paid for it with a brutal headache.
On Christmas Day I did it following my own advice: food first, chocolates after. Less fallout, no headache.

I do feel those two days on my waistline today though. But it’s fine. Back in routine now and it feels good.

How about you? Did Christmas treats cause you to spiral?

26/12/2025

I’m lucky: we spent Christmas with family who flew over from Finland and the UK.

Christmas can be a lovely time, but it can be a tough time for many too… not everyone has family around them, or people to spend it with. It can also bring up grief, complicated relationships, or a lot of pressure to “feel festive” when you simply don’t.

If this season felt heavy for you in any way I’m sending a bit of extra warmth to you ❤️

20/12/2025

First day with my mum, sister and nephews 🇫🇮

1. - 3. Morning walk on a very windy beach

4. Home time.

5. Exercise snacking. The way I intend to go this Christmas period: a little bit when ever I can.

6. My favourite food: burgers.

7. - 9. Evening at Dubai Mall.

10. - 11. What my camera rolls really looks like.

18/12/2025

A few take aways from this autumn’s Step by Step groups that are wrapping up in a few days...

- It’s possible to half your visceral fat in under 3 months.
- It’s possible to lose 15cm from your waistline in under 3 months.
- Stress can absolutely stand in the way of your weight-loss goals.
- When you don’t eat enough protein it very quickly shows up as cravings for “empty foods”.
- Sometimes the stress of having your already busy schedule full of exercise classes can outweigh their benefits.
- Community is SO valuable on your way to sustainable change!

But most importantly, my key message on our last Zoom today was:

Habits don’t change for good unless you’re open to personal growth. The inner work and the practical changes have to happen together. 🙏🏻💕

15/12/2025

These are my non-negotiables for self-care. What are yours?

1. Steps:
I don’t go to bed under 10,000 steps, and I actually aim for a 15,000 daily average.
This was the first promise I kept to myself, and everything else built on top of it.
(Only exceptions: being sick, or stuck on a long-haul travel day. Otherwise I get it done. And still after all these years the daily achievement feels so good!)

2. No starch or sugar on an empty stomach:
I never start my day with starch or sugar.
I do eat them sometimes but never first thing, and never on an empty stomach. If I have them, it’s after a proper meal. Huge difference for blood sugar… and for how much you end up eating.

3. Protein is the queen:
Protein leads every meal, always.
Satiety is what freed me from sugar cravings and binge eating, and protein is what drives satiety. I choose my protein first, then build everything else around it.

14/12/2025

Most women want to lose belly fat…
That doesn’t happen by doing endless sit ups.

It’s all down to working with our hormones and metabolism. Doing the boring basics consistently.

Here’s the short version:

1. Eat for low insulin
Protein first. Non-starchy veg.
Carbs... You earn those with movement and muscle.
If you sit all day, they get stored. No escaping that fact.
Also if you’re still following the ancient old advice of eating 5 - 6 times per day... stop! Make your meals so satiating that you only need 2 - 3.

2. Move
Daily and consistently.
Make the barrier so low you actually do it.
You don’t need hour-long workouts, start with ten minutes consistently.
Walk as much as you can, throughout your day.

3. Relax + recover.
Because cortisol raises blood sugar… which raises insulin… which parks fat around your waist.
This is not woo woo stuff it’s very real.
Say no. Do things you love. Think about how you breathe and make time for it.

03/12/2025

I had my first ever DEXA bone density scan this week. I was a bit nervous because there is osteoporosis in the family, but my numbers were good: spine above average and hips in the normal range. 🙏🏻

So why test now instead of waiting?

- Bone density can drop after 40 with zero symptoms, you don’t feel it happening.

- Looking fit doesn’t guarantee strong bones; density can decline quietly.

- Most women only discover low bone density after a fracture.

- A DEXA scan shows whether your training, protein intake, and overall habits are actually protecting your bones.

- If something is slipping, catching it early gives you the best chance to stabilise or even improve it, waiting makes it far harder.

What actually supports bone density?

- Strength training with real load

- Enough protein

- Vitamin D + calcium from food

- Impact-based movement, not just gentle walking. (Hence I’ve recently introduced vest walks, running, and interval jumps in my exercise routine. I’ll share more soon.)

- Low chronic stress + solid recovery

Don’t wait! Test! Even if you have to do it privately it provably costs less than you think and you’ll thank yourself later in life.

02/12/2025

Happy National Day UAE 🇦🇪
What do I love about living here?

- Safety: going for a walk through dark alleys… no problem.

- Sunshine: can’t lie, waking up to ☀️ does wonders to one’s mood.

- The buzz. Sure the traffic is insane but I’m a city girl and love having life around me. Even though I’m home a lot these days I love knowing it’s all at my finger tips.

- Cleaniness.

- Easiness of life. There’s an at home service for everything. Even filling up your car.

- Richness of cultures. My girls have friends with such diverse backgrounds, love it.

(There are also things that drive an efficiency loving Finn nuts… but let’s leave those out today 😅)

01/12/2025

It’s very rare I eat processed sugar in any format anymore. Here’s how I managed to shake my sugar binging habit.

1) I cleaned up my environment.
This is a must. If you’re stocking the very things that are making you use every ounce of your willpower not to eat them, in your kitchen drawer, that willpower will end one day. Why make it hard on yourself? You don’t NEED to have your favourite sweets in the house for anyone’s sake. You might tell yourself that you do... but you don’t.

2) I started feeding my body instead of starving it.
Starvation attempts in all of their glorious formats (they would be named “diets” or “detoxes”) used to be my go-to most Mondays. (Of course... what else can one do after binging on sugar all weekend...?) For decades I tested this method and I can assure you: it does not work. It’s a cycle from hell. Everything started changing once I started feeding my body enough of the very things it had been crying for all that time: real, nutritious foods.

3) I quit alcohol.
Yeah I didn’t want to admit it to myself either... what social drinking and the hangovers that followed did to my eating habits. But those days after were the days it was impossible to say no to Haezen Daez strawberry cheesecake ice cream, and whole hazelnut milk chocolate. (Anyone else....?) Since stopping drinking 10 months ago I can count with one hand the times I’ve had sugar in ultra processed format.

I still eat sugar. I eat fruit, berries and dairy most days. I eat what ever my daughters might occasionally bake (recently it’s been the most delicious banana bread) or a dessert that’s offered to me at a friend’s house. I might eat my favourite dessert in my favourite restaurant. But I don’t overeat sugary UPF on weekly basis.

Sugar hook is real! Being surrounded by as much sugar as we are these days is tough for most of us so I feel for you.... But the good news is that there is a way out! It needs intention behind it but it can be done 🙌🏼

Address

Dubai

Telephone

+971569284888

Website

http://www.minnabussey.com/

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