Exercise & Lockdown

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The arrival of lockdown #3 just after Christmas, in the depths of winter has the potential to see many of us struggle with both our physical and mental health.

It would be easy to retreat to our sofa with our favourite foods & drinks and wait for this chaos to pass. However it is more important than ever that we look after ourselves to:

  • protect our mental health
  • protect our physical health
  • put us in the best health possible just in case we did catch COVID
  • not have to play catch up in the spring
  • spend lockdown feeling good

With working from home and home schooling many of us are spending all day at home, in front of a screen and by the time we log off the last thing that we want is to exercise…We have some top tips and updates on official guidelines to help you through this lockdown:

  • take a lunch break, every day!
  • go for a walk before work or during your lunch break
  • block out time for wellness in your diary
  • track your daily steps
  • find something that you enjoy
  • plan your meals a week ahead
  • make a shopping list & stick to it
  • prepare healthy snacks for your day
  • identify any barriers getting in your way, how can you address them?
  • make time for downtime
  • try online classes and YouTube workouts
  • set yourself small targets/goals such as only having alcohol at weekends

The guidelines are clear about what we can & can’t do:

  • we can meet 1:1 with another house hold for out door exercise (socially distanced)
  • public places only, does not include gardens
  • we can still employ personal trainers for 1:1 training outdoors (socially distanced)
  • we should not do pad work (boxing) with anyone from outside our household
  • we can exercise up to every day if we wanted to

We still have lenty of options….The end is near and spring isn’t far away…

It’s up to you, what position do you want to be in coming out of lockdown?

Happy Health,
Tom’s

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home#exercising

lose fat without counting calories

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Counting calories is a great tool for managing your weight and has a proven track record for many reasons, these being:

  • the numbers don’t lie
  • we often have a distorted perception of what we’re eating, kcals and portion sizes (research has proven this)
  • we have bias beliefs on what is healthy & unhealthy
  • it’s almost impossible to accurately recall from memory all that we eat & drink and then estimate the calories
  • calorie counting makes you accountable
  • calorie counting gives you an honest understanding of what you’re eating and your relationships with food & drink

However, whilst an excellent tool tracking doesn’t fit with everybody. It can be time consuming at first and is not a sustainable long term approach. It can also encourage unhealthy mindsets around food. We’ve also found that people fear counting calories. In this article we’ve got some top tips to help you manage your calories without counting them.

>>>You can lose weight without counting calories and still enjoy your favourite foods<<<

Intuitive Eating
This means eating without emotional attachment to food whether positive or negative (guilt). Understanding when to eat and choosing foods that will nurture your body. Eating high fibre and protein rich foods at regular intervals will help you to manage hunger drastically reducing the chances of binging on high energy foods when you’re hungry. A good rule of thumb is to rate hunger from 1-10, 1 being extremely hungry and 10 being full..Ideally we should eat when we’re at 4/10..any lower and you’ve left it too long, any higher, ask yourself ‘do I really need this?’

Cravings vs Hunger
Often we overlook the reasons why we eat when we do. Unknowingly we all develop relationships between certain environments & feelings and foods, for example ice cream sales are much higher in the summer than winter. The more that we respond to these triggers the more ingrained and automatic our responses become, this is the formation of habits whether healthy or unhealthy.

A helpful exercise is to write a list of triggers that could cause you to make unhealthy choices eg. stressed = binge on sugar, in a parallel column make a list of positive responses eg. take 20 mins to relax/exercise etc.

Cravings = Specific foods, situational, pass within a short time – distract your mind!
Hunger = non specific, will eat anything, gets worse if ignored

Portion Control
By far the most effective way to drop fat. Smaller portions = less calories! (the basis of every diet & fad)
– use a smaller plate or bowl
– take longer to eat, enjoy every mouthful and savour the flavours
– pack out your meals with vegetables
– balance your macros

Takeaway Tips
– Focus on how much & how often you eat
– consume smaller meals at regular intervals
– prioritise vegetables and proteins over carbs and fats
– it’s ok to enjoy snacks – low kcal snacks are great for keeping hunger at bay
– there is room for sweets etc in your diet, in moderation and for the right reasons
– identify your negative triggers and create a positive responses
– set yourself short term goals that lead to your ultimate target
– monitor the outcomes – if you’re still not losing weight you’re not quite in a calorie deficit yet
– review and adjust the process when needed
– don’t stress, this is a long term lifestyle not a short term ‘diet’

Happy Health,
Tom’s

Slow Cooker: Pasta bake

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We’ve got a super healthy slow cooker recipe for you that only takes 10 minutes to prepare.

Stick it in the slow cooker in the morning and forget about dinner for the rest of the day, it’s taken care of.

Prep: 10 Minutes
Cook: 4 hours on medium / 8 on low
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
2x Chicken Breasts (skinless)
1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
1 Chicken Stock Cube
Black Pepper
80g Wholewheat Pasta
vegetables of your choice
1 garlic clove
cheddar or Parmesan to taste

Instructions:
– Chop Pepper, Onion & Carrot (or veg of your choice) and crush garlic and place in the bottom of the slow cooker (cut fairly chunky to stop cooking too quickly)
– Dice the chicken and place in the cooker
– Add chopped tomatoes and diluted chicken stock to just cover the ingredients
– season to taste
– Cook on medium for approximately 3 hours
– Add uncooked pasta and cook for 1 more hour
– add cheese to taste for the last 30 minutes
– Serve & Enjoy

Covid-19 Update for Personal Trainers

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On the 13th May the UK government released their guidelines for the return of sports coaches and personal trainers in the UK.

The great news is that we’re now clear to work with the public face to face in a safe manor. For us this means:

  • 1:1 only
  • outside in parks & gardens accessible without entering the home
  • no equipment provided by us for the meatime
  • sanitation pre & post session to be completed by both parties
  • a minimum distance of 2m to be kept at all times

This great news can be found here:
>>>CLICK HERE<<<

We’re sure that this news is as exciting for many of you as it was for us and we hope to see you soon.

Stay safe,
Tom’s

Slow Cooker: Asian Noodle Soup

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We’ve got a super healthy slow cooker recipe for you that only takes 10 minutes to prepare.

Stick it in the slow cooker in the morning and forget about dinner for the rest of the day, it’s taken care of.

Prep: 10 Minutes
Cook: 4 hours on medium / 8 on low
Serves: 2

clean eating
weight loss
personal trainer

Ingredients:
2 Chicken breasts (Skin Off)
2 Nests of Noodles
4 Mushrooms
1 Medium Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
500ml water
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (Low Sodium)
1/2 Teaspoon 5 Spice
1/2 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon Ginger Paste.

Instructions:
– Chop onions, mushrooms and crush garlic and place in the bottom of the slow cooker (cut fairly chunky to stop cooking too quickly)
– Place chicken breasts on top
– Mix together the other ingredients and pour over
– Cook on medium for approximately 4 hours
– Boil noodles and add to the soup. Slice up chicken breasts
– Serve & Enjoy

Surviving Self Isolation

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With the country on the verge of complete lock down all gyms have shut and we’re being encouraged to stay at home as much as possible.

For many this will have a huge impact on their happiness and diet & exercise routines, this doesn’t need to be the case though…Although you may have adapt there is no reason why you can’t continue pursuing your goals.

We’ve got some top tips to help you stay positive & feel fit during this difficult time:

  • plan your meals & food shopping in advance (finding some foods may be difficult)
  • batch cook and freeze to save time
  • stick to a routine – set bed times & wake up times
  • have a regular eating pattern – avoid unhealthy snacking
  • go into the garden regularly to reduce cabin fever
  • open windows & curtains to get fresh air & sunlight
  • have music on instead of tv in the background
  • make a list of things you want to achieve each day
  • make time for home workouts: youtube, skype with a PT, your own workouts
  • make time for Mindfulness and mental health such as meditation & relaxation
  • call & skype friends and family
  • try a new hobby or spend time on an existing one
  • start a project
  • remember: this is only temporary

Stay positive fitness friends, we’re all in this together so let’s make the most of it,
Tom’s

 

February Motivation Check

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Hey Fitness Fans,

As January draws to a close it’s a great time to take stock of your progress this year so far and set ourselves up for the month ahead.

– Did you set yourself any goals for the new year?
– How are you getting on so far?

February is historically a cold month in the UK and can feel like spring/summer is never going to come, this can have a huge effect on our motivation and lifestyle choices. We’ve got som top tips for your to keep smashing your goals for the year ahead:

Top Tips:


  • spring is just around the corner
  • summer bodies are made in winter, don’t leave it until it’s too late to ‘get in shape for your summer’
  • small changes make big differences: save a few calories here, burn a few there & the results soon add up
  • set realistic goals
  • regularly review your goals and adapt as needed
  • make time for you and remember to have fun
  • try a variety of exercises and sports, find what works for you
  • don’t be afraid to ask for help
  • keep it simple
  • plan ahead: applies to food as well as workouts

You’ve got this!

Happy Health,
Tom’s

 

15 Minute Holiday HIIT Workout

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We’ve got a simple 15 minutes Home HIIT workout to help you burn off some of those holiday calories….

You can do this anywhere, whether at home, a relatives or in a hotel room…

Set your timer for 4 sets of 45 second work & 15 rest, complete the circuit below with 60 seconds rest between rounds…

1) Squat Jumps
2) Lateral Hops
3) Plyometric Lunges
4) Start Jumps

Enjoy,

Why Cheat Days Are Killing Your Progress

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The concept of a cheat day is nothing new and is very simple, it’s a given day within a period of clean eating or dieting where you allow yourself a re-feed day where you eat whatever you want.

STOP: They Are More Likely To Kill Your Progress Than Aid It!

Theories Behind Cheat Days:
1) eating lot’s of food can help boost your metabolism, counteracting it’s slowing from calorie restriction

  • The reality is that the boost has been shown to only be somewhere between 3-10% and only lasts for 24 hours
  • Exercise is a far superior method for increasing your metabolism to counter act calorie restriction

2) It aids motivation and a mental boost as you get to eat the foods that you like

  • A good diet whether for weight loss or not can and should include a healthy dose of your favourite foods – eating clean doesn’t mean complete denial of junk food therefore rendering this point invalid

What Happens When Most People Have A Cheat Day
So, you’ve been really good Monday-Friday and hit your cumulative calorie target regardless of whether it’s for weight loss or maintenance, at this rate you’ll finish your week on target, however you heard that you should have a cheat day for the reasons above (or others).

So, on Saturday you go crazy and consume double your daily allowance of calories. If you are very good you’ll then be able to return to your normal target for Sunday, however even with only 1 cheat day you’re now over your target for the entire week meaning that if you haven’t gained weight you definitely didn’t lose any.

What You Should Be Doing:

  • Remember the golden rule: there is room for all foods in a controlled, balanced diet
  • 1st & foremost weight management is a numbers game, calories in vs calories out
  • Set yourself a realistic calorie target, you can gradually reduce this down if needed
  • Understand what your current calorie intake is
  • Calorie restriction & weight loss should be gradual over a period of months, not days or week
  • Use a calorie tracker initially to understand how many calories are in your favourite foods
  • Use exercise to stoke the fires of metabolism
  • Have a re-feed/cheat day monthly or even more infrequent (should still be controlled)
  • Remember, your diet should be fairly consistent over the majority of your life, therefore drastic and extreme interventions are unlikely to have longevity
  • Play the long game & you’ll enjoy better mental health surrounding your diet

We hope that you find this helpful, happy health,
Tom’s