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

I’m Too Old (Inc Case Study)

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We can all find reasons why we can’t exercise or eat well, unfortunately age is definitely a common one.

It may be true that as we get older we feel less energetic but the reason for this is often not down to our age but the number of years we have been inactive and/or eat poorly.

The truth is: as we get older it becomes even more important that we remain active, to:
– reduce cholesterol & blood pressure
– maintain muscle & mobility
– reduce risk of: osteoporosis, heart disease, Cardio Vascular disease and some cancers
– maintain mobility & independence
– increase energy levels
– protect mental health
– & many more

Considerations:

By all means you may have developed health conditions over the years and may be very unfit at this point, therefore the following considerations should be made before starting your healthier lifestyle (it’s never too late):

– consult your doctor regarding any pre existing health conditions
– start slow & build up the intensity over time
– favour non weight bearing/low impact exercise such as swimming or an exercise bike
– any movement is better than none
– small changes add up over time
–  consider attending a class or using a personal trainer for additional support
– always warm up & cool down
– always finish with gentle stretching

Case Study:

We’ve had the pleasure of working with many retired people and the lady below is a shining example of what we’re capable of in just 10 weeks, even at 63 years old:

Capture

Happy Health,
Tom’s

What Are Super Sets?

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Super sets are a form of resistance training that sees you move immediately from one exercise to another with no rest…

This is an incredibly time efficient way of training and can also be used to increase the intensity of your workout. You can super set opposing muscles such as the biceps & triceps to save time, utilising the time that you’re resting the first muscle worked…

You could also use a super set to target the same muscle from 2 angles such as pairing a bench press with a chest flye. This will help you to continue hitting the large, primary mover (chest) even after the smaller muscles (delts & tris) start to tire…

We’ll do some videos on this which cover Pre&Post Exhaust training.

T.Bar Rows for a Bigger Back

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T Bar rows are a great mass builder for the upper back…

– lift the bar into place with your legs
– keep your back straight and fold from your hips
– keep your head up
– retract your shoulder blades and pull the plates to your chest
– slowly lower and repeat
– return to the floor by bending your knees and hips