Posted on

Thursday, 22nd May

Judging your progress just on the weighing scale can be very destructive in terms of how it destroys self-confidence.

Everyone knows now we regularly have individuals who lose 2, 3, 4 even 5 inches off the waist in a month.

Most people would be and should be thrilled with that progress, because you usually look and feel heck of a lot better too.

The ones that aren’t have been conditioned to think of the scale as the ONLY measure of success. This is simply untrue but the media has told us that weight off the scale is the one thing we should worry about!

The medical profession will tell you that 1-2 pounds a week is the recommended weight loss, and this is the sustainable way to do it and keep it off.

When you hear of people losing 5 or more pounds in a week, this is usually due to drastic cuts in calorie intakes (usually faddy diets/shake and bar diets), and this may carry on for a couple of weeks until it eventually reaches a screeching halt.

When the individual gets frustrated and starts eating properly again, the weight piles back on quicker than ever before and usually leads to that person ending up at their all-time heaviest weight, and this can lead to low self-esteem and confidence.

What would you rather look and feel like? Clothes feeling really loose, changing sizes at regular intervals (perhaps down to sizes you haven’t been since you were in your early twenties), everyone complimenting you on how great you look, you start feeling full of energy and your workouts step up to your best ever levels,

OR

Just losing weight on the scales, feeling hungry all the time and even when you lose weight, you still have saggy skin left?

Then inevitably put the weight back on and 5% more-numerous In depth research of the diet industry says this is true.

Forget about the scales, your clothes and how you feel will always be a better guide. Your waist and hip measurements will be vital.

We test body fat professionally too, so this test will always confirm your progress.

Be realistic, and always look to lose weight and body fat sensibly.

Twitt
Posted on

Monday, 28th April

The lunch time to evening workout period in terms of food is an area many of you slip up on in sometime alarming numbers.

The problems that are created by not taking on enough food and fluids during these times can make all the difference.

Let’s assume you manage to eat breakfast daily, snack healthily and then have a decent lunch, if you don’t eat for the next few hours until you train at let’s say 530pm, what will happen is a dramatic period of low energy just as you need it most.

Then a low level performance is bound to happen, and in general a lot more people than you think can occasionally feel a little dizzy and light headed, DESPITE not training any harder than usual, quite often less in some cases.

You have to put regular fuel in the tank or you are not going to be able to put regular good performances in, simple as that.

We try to run a professional programme, and the idea is that you improve rapidly but safely.

So we put all that effort in programme design, we try to get the intensity of the workouts just right, and we try to make sure you don’t do exactly the same thing every day.

So the missing link for many of you has to be the afternoon sleepy time of day, when two things go through your head.

Either you think that “if I eat before training I will feel sick” or “there’s no point in eating this afternoon because I need to cut my calories to lose weight”!

BOTH OF THESE ARE PLAIN WRONG.

Take your fuel on board regularly and hit your training with an abundance of energy, then you will have a great performance and you will never have a light-headed experience again!

Twitt
Posted on

Friday, 25th April

Eating fibre-rich foods

1. Opt for breakfast cereals labelled wholegrain or oat-based cereals, for example porridge, bran flakes, Weetabix, muesli (no added sugar) or Shredded Wheat.

2. Swap white bread for wholegrain breads, such as wholemeal, rye and oatmeal.

3. Try adding beans and lentils to one-pot dishes such as Spaghetti Bolognese and Chili Con Carne. You could also try adding beans and lentils to soups, salads, casseroles or stir-fries. Beans and lentils are quite cheap and store for ages which makes them great store- cupboard ingredients. They also bulk out your meal making a Bolognese stretch to two or even three meals. I always add a tin of green lentils to Bolognese and often a tin of haricot or red kidney beans too. This is a great way to reduce your food budget.

4. Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day and include one portion to each meal. I find buying frozen vegetables useful in getting the fruit and veg quota. Frozen are just as nutrient rich as fresh and they keep longer. You can just grab a handful and place the bag back in the freezer without worrying about wastage. This saves an unbelievable amount of money over the course of a year, since most families throw away a lot of spoilt produce. Farm Foods have an excellent range of frozen veg at very reasonable prices, they often have deals on multiple buys.

5. If you make cakes, crumbles and muffins, use wholemeal flour instead of white. Avoiding buying shop bought cakes and muffins and making your own not only saves you money but is better for your waistline, since you know exactly what goes into them and can reduce the sugar content. Also if you have to make your own cakes and muffins every time, you are likely to eat less since you just don’t have the time or inclination to bake every day or even every week for that matter.

Eat to train,

Nicola.

Twitt
Posted on

Friday, 18th April

Intro to fat loss

For most people who want to change the shape of their bodies, the first thing that comes into their heads is the word ‘diet’. Often this is then followed by thoughts of following the latest faddy diet which typically involves cutting out carbs, eating only soups or eating just Golden Syrup or something!

Most people will then religiously follow these diets and mostly by around the second week will have lost a few pounds (along with their sanity).

Adopting a healthier body for life requires a change in your heating HABITS. Habits are easy to start yet hard to break.

If you want to change your body and your lifestyle, here is one thing you can do today.

1. Choose fibre rich foods

From today you are only going to buy wholemeal bread, brown rice and wholemeal pasta. Make today the last day you buy white bread.

That’s it. This simple change in your habits will ensure that you reduce your calorie intake. Fibre expands in the gut, thereby making you feel fuller and helping to prevent overeating. It also helps to satisfy your hunger by slowing the rate that foods pass through your digestive system and stablising blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that people who increased their fibre intake for 4 months ate fewer calories and lost an average of 5lb – with no dieting!

So make that change today, without having to feel those awful hunger pangs associated with the traditional diet.

Eat to train,

Nicola

Twitt