It's all about damage limitation ...

Ok so, it's safe to say we are in the throes of Christmas. Christmas parties, catch ups with friends and families, club night outs, office party nights... etc  it's such a lovely time of year!!

Along with nights out, the shop aisles are heaving with delicious rich, indulgent food, chocolates, wine, etc etc. Just begging to be eaten. And why shouldn't we? Don't we deserve a treat? It's Christmas after all, the season of overindulging!

I'm not going to tell you to avoid the treats, life is too short!

What I'm going to write about is how to enjoy Christmas, but try not to pile on the lbs, and spend the next three months trying to get back to our pre festivities weight. It is possible to have your treats, and keep the weight off .... so keep reading...

Here are some tips to keep us fit, healthy and slim over the festive season, whilst at the same time not having to resort to the food that only Rudolf really enjoys!

• In relation to treats, don't feel like you have to eat everything in sight. Only have something which you genuinely really like and will relish. Sometimes we tend to eat mindlessly, just because it is on the plate in front of us. When you are eating your treats, savour and enjoy every bite, really taste the food. But don't go back for seconds just because it is there in front of you. Don't eat just for the sake of it. 
• On dinner nights out, fill up on healthy food before you head out. When you go out, avoid the bread basket!!  
• When drinking alcohol, make every second drink a pint of water.
• Have smaller portions. If you are having desert, share with a friend, or just have a few bites then put it away.
• At home, instead of eating from the tin of roses, put a few in a separate container for you, and tell yourself that is your quota for the day / week. Just don't make it half the tin ! :)
• Eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for our stomach to register it's full. 
• Start each day with a healthy breakfast, e.g. porridge, eggs, fruit and yoghurt. 
• Exercise every day. Even if it's just a 20 minute walk, getting out in the fresh air will do your body and mind the world of good!
• Lock the kitchen ! Just make sure to give the key to someone else in the house :)
• During the day, drink lots of water. 
• If you do end up eating a tin of roses, mountain of pavlova, two bottles of wine etc... , don't beat yourself up over it. Just forget about it and move on!!! Just don't do it every day :)
• Weigh yourself when you get up tomorrow morning. And weigh yourself every few days over Christmas. I usually don't like the scales, but if we do see the numbers creep up, it might just put us off eating that 5th mince pie :(
• On Christmas day, don't overflow your plate. Fill your plate with lots of sprouts, carrots, turkey etc, and limit the stuffing, gravy and roast potatoes. At desert, have your trifle or whatever, but make it a small portion. 
• Don't tell yourself  "I've started so I may as well go on eating junk, what harm is another biscuit going to do". Remember, a calorie is a calorie. The more calories we eat and don't burn, will be stored as fat. So, one less biscuit means less calories that we will have to burn off!

             Most importantly, enjoy the festive season!!! If you do fall off the rails, don't worry about                it!!! It's not the end of the world and we will have all year to get fit and healthy again! 

Time to get rid of the spanx ....

Imagine there was a way you could create a slimline waist which looks like you are wearing one of those very expensive "pull you in all over" spanx garments ....??  Wouldn't it be brilliant if you could narrow your waist and give you an overall slimmer, more toned look??
Well, guess what? There is!!

You know the crunches, oblique curls, full sit ups etc, which we all know and love to hate? They are fantastic  exercises and do work your abs, and make them strong, however these mainly target your outer abdominals, your rectus abdominals and obliques. Very important exercises to do, keep doing them, but we also need to work other muscles in our midsection.

Under these outer layer muscles is a layer of muscle called the transverse abdominals. They wrap around your midsection horizontally, mainly just below your belly button. They support your organs, and stabilise your spine. For people who suffer from their lower back, I am sure they know all about the importance of strengthening these muscles, as these muscles, if weak, often lead to lower back pain.
From a vanity level, as already mentioned, they are the muscles which, when they are strong, give you that look that only a spanx can!

So, I guess there is only one thing for it, we have to work these babies and make them as strong as you can! These muscles can be especially weak in ladies who have had children, as they are the muscles that lie at the bottom of your tummy area, and are stretched and pulled during pregnancy and childbirth. The pelvic floor is also located near these muscles. Aim to work the pelvic floor at the same time as you work these, and you will be well supported :)

Here's one exercise to work your transverse abdominals, it's called the vacuum.  

To begin, stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart from each other. Place your hands on your hips. This is the starting position.
Now slowly inhale as much air as possible and then start to exhale as much as possible while bringing your stomach in as much as possible and hold this position for 20 seconds. Try to visualize your navel touching your backbone.
One isometric contraction is around 20 seconds. During the 20 second hold, try to breathe normally. Then inhale and bring your stomach back to the starting position.
Once you have practiced this exercise, try to perform this exercise for longer than 20 seconds. Tip: You can work your way up to 40-60 seconds.

Here's another one to try:

Get a medicine ball, football, or rolled up towel. Go into a normal plank position, and put the ball in between your knees. Now do a plank as normal, but really squeeze the ball between your knees. At the same time focus on working on your pelvic floor, and focus on keeping your lower tummy tight. You should feel your lower tummy muscles activating here, they are your transverse abdominals (hopefully!) 

For a lot of people, the midsection, and lower tummy especially can be quite tricky to strengthen. Make a special effort to do some work on you transverse abs, and see if you can notice a difference in a few weeks.

Just to note, it is vital to watch your diet also, you may have strong abs, but if they are covered in a layer of fat, you will never see them!  

Exercise of the Week - Side Leg Raises

These beauties are a lovely exercise to do in the evening whilst watching TV. Here's how to do them:

 1. Lie on your side, have one arm bent and resting underneath your head.  Your other arm should be in front of your body palm facing down on the mat.  Legs should both be straight, with your bottom leg touching the mat, and your top leg on top of your bottom leg.

2. Once in this position, bring your top leg up and down, in a slow, controlled manner. Don't forget to keep your tummy tight, and your body should be in a straight line.

3. Do 3 sets of 15 on one side, then swop over and do the other side, we don't want one hip more toned than the other ! :) And don't forget to breathe!! 

  

These exercises work your abductor muscles, Gluteus Minimus, Gluteus Medius and TFL primarily. Therefore, you should feel these working all around your hip and bum.

Enjoy!!




Sorry I haven't been posting as much these days, I'm mega busy doing a Personal Trainer course with NCEF in Dublin most weekends, I'll soon be qualified! :) NCEF are affiliated with University of Limerick. The course is keeping me very busy with both practical work and theory, but it will be so worth it when I'm done! I am really loving it, I have gained a mountain of knowledge which I just can't wait to start sharing :)


After Christmas I'll be able to take on clients for personal training, and help them achieve their fitness goals, I just can't wait !!

 

Exercise of the week - Get off the couch :)

I have been writing every week about various exercises, and they are all fantastic and do get you results if you do them regularly and in conjunction with a healthy diet. Variety is the spice of life and that is why I like to tell you about a new exercise every week. Not only does variety keep boredom at bay, it also challenges you by keeping your body guessing all the time.

Do you know what? To burn calories and tone up, all you have to do is get off the couch and do something physical! Once you get your heart rate elevated, you are working your aerobic system and using calories for energy. The ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), makes the following recommendations:

 Cardiorespiratory Exercise

• Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. 
• Exercise recommendations can be met through 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (five days per week) or 20-60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise (three days per week).
• One continuous session and multiple shorter sessions (of at least 10 minutes) are both acceptable to accumulate desired amount of daily exercise.  
• Gradual progression of exercise time, frequency and intensity is recommended for best adherence and least injury risk.
• People unable to meet these minimums can still benefit from some activity.

Resistance Exercise

• Adults should train each major muscle group two or three days each week using a variety of exercises and equipment.
• Very light or light intensity is best for older persons or previously sedentary adults starting exercise.
• Two to four sets of each exercise will help adults improve strength and power.
• For each exercise, 8-12 repetitions improve strength and power, 10-15 repetitions improve strength in middle-age and older persons starting exercise, and 15-20 repetitions improve muscular endurance.
• Adults should wait at least 48 hours between resistance training sessions.

Flexibility Exercise

• Adults should do flexibility exercises at least two or three days each week to improve range of motion.
• Each stretch should be held for 10-30 seconds to the point of tightness or slight discomfort.
• Repeat each stretch two to four times, accumulating 60 seconds per stretch.
• Static, dynamic, ballistic and PNF stretches are all effective.
• Flexibility exercise is most effective when the muscle is warm. Try light aerobic activity or a hot bath to warm the muscles before stretching.

Cardioresporatory exercise is anything that gets your heart rate up: walking, jogging, swimming, circuits, spinning, etc are all excellent choices. 30-60 minutes 5 days a week is not a whole lot is it? And once you start taking regular exercise, it can quickly become an addiction! 

So, go on, decide now that you are going to take regular exercise, along with watching your diet. You won't regret it !

   

Stuck for ideas on what to ask Santa for? Maybe add some dumbbells to your wish list....

I saw this article on another website and really think it's a worthwhile read..

This is why I include resistance exercises in my circuits classes.  It's also worth mentioning, you can get lean muscle from body resistance exercises (without equipment) like push ups, squats, lunges, etc. 

Also, you don't have to lift really heavy weights to get muscle tone, beginners should start with 1-2 lbs dumbbells. Definitely put them on your wish list from Santa if you haven't got them at home!  

Finally, it has to be said that cardio is also a critical factor in any exercise programme and cannot be ignored!! In terms of calories, cardio obviously does burn a lot of calories as mentioned below, (e.g. look at the low body fat that runners, etc. have) along with all the other health benefits, they being too long to mention! Personally, I love my cardio as much as resistance training, I will always be a cardio junkie at heart!!:)

For my new spinners, you get the benefits of both a cardio workout, and those hill climbs up Harry Smith's are fantastic for leg muscle (and don't worry, we won't get legs like Arnies, women just don't have enough testosterone to build that much muscle! )    

                                ******************************************************

"The number one thing I hear from women is that they want to lose body fat. But when I tell them that they need to start lifting weights, they’re surprised. While most of them understand that lifting weights and building muscle will lead to better health and a better body, almost all of them think that building muscle is something you do after you lose the fat. The fact is that nothing could be further from the truth.

Why Wait to Reshape Your Body?

Ladies, if you have excess body fat to lose, building muscle is your best strategy. It’s not something you do to shape up what’s left over after you lose the weight. It’s what you do now to speed that weight loss and end up with a fabulously reshaped body once you hit your fat loss goals. Why make transforming your body a two-step process that takes twice as long?

I’ve seen so many women diet until they’re miserable and reach their fat loss goals only to end up with bodies that are thinner, but no more attractive. They have no shape, no muscle tone and no energy and once they go back to eating normally, they gain the fat right back. That’s a terribly sad and frustrating thing after suffering through a deprivation diet and hours and hours of cardio classes.

In this post, I’m going to explain:

* how building muscle will speed up your fat loss

* how building muscle will keep you from gaining the fat back again

* how you can start reshaping your body now, not later

* how you can do all this without starving yourself or ruining your health

Building Muscle Boosts Metabolism and Burns More Calories

Too many women make the mistake of thinking that they have to cut their calories to the bone in order to lose fat. In truth, cutting your calories too low will cause your metabolism to slow dramatically and also play games with your hormones that will cause your body to store even more fat (more about that later).

If you’ve ever plugged in your height and weight to a calorie calculator to see how many calories your body needs each day, you may have assumed that where calories are concerned, a pound is a pound. But that’s not true. Muscle works hard and therefore requires calories. Fat does not. The only thing your fat tissue contributes to your daily calorie requirement is the few extra calories needed by your heart and other muscles to support that fat.

Every pound of muscle you add to your body increases the number of calories you need each day. At the same time, by working out to build that muscle, you’re increasing your calorie needs even more. Yes, creating a calorie deficit will speed your fat loss, but the more calories you need to begin with, the easier it is to cut a few without going hungry or harming your health.

The workouts you’ll do to gain that lean muscle are also going to help you burn fat. For years, women were told that they had to go to endless cardio classes in order to burn fat, but most cardio workouts only burn carbs. Few of them last long enough to prompt your body to start burning fat for energy. You’ll burn some calories during your workout, but they’ll come from whatever you ate earlier in the day, because cardio is an aerobic workout. In other words, the work you’re demanding of your body can be accomplished through oxygen and carb stores.

On the other hand, weight training requires explosive bursts of strength and energy that are anaerobic. This means that your body can’t do the work simply by converting oxygen into energy. Once it burns through the energy you have on board, it will have to start burning stored fat as its fuel.

Not only that, but your metabolism will be increased for several hours after your workout, as your body replenishes the oxygen stores in your muscles.

Building Muscle Repairs Hormonal Imbalances that Keep You Fat

Excess fat and cutting calories to lose that fat have a negative impact on several hormones. That impact will actually stimulate your body to store more fat, not shed it.

First, the excess fat you’re carrying leads to insulin resistance. Your body’s cells become less sensitive to insulin, which is charged with carrying glycogen (the form of glucose your cells use as energy) across the cell membranes. When your cells become less sensitive to insulin, your body is left with glycogen that it can’t use, so it converts it back to glucose and stores it as fat, usually around your abdomen, hips, butt and thighs. Of course, this creates a cycle. You store more fat, so you become even less responsive to insulin.

Second, cutting your calories too low in order to lose fat actually stimulates the release of cortisol into your bloodstream. Too little food is a stressor and cortisol is a stress hormone. What cortisol does is prompt your body to take more of the calories you are eating and store them as fat, because your body thinks food is scarce. So you’re eating less, but actually storing more calories as fat and burning fewer for energy. This is one of the reasons that extreme calorie restrictions cause fatigue.

Building lean muscle while eating a sane diet will help you to reset your hormones. Less cortisol will be released, so your body will then start converting fat back into glycogen so you can burn it as energy. This helps to improve your insulin sensitivity as well, which will further spur your body to burn stored fat.

Building Muscle Allows You to Look Great Once You Lose the Fat

Women who think they need to lose fat before they start building muscle are shooting themselves in the foot. First, they’re probably going to cut their calories too low and rely on cardio to burn the fat. IF they make it to the magic weight loss goal that they’ve set, they’ll find that they weigh less, but they don’t look much better. We’ve all seen those women who are thin, but have no curves, no shape and no muscle tone.

When you build muscle as you’re losing fat, you’re creating a new body beneath that layer of fat. Once the fat comes off, all of the hard work that you’ve put into building muscle is suddenly revealed. Now you can see the strong abs, the curvy backside, the defined back and everything else you’ve been designing underneath that stored fat.

If you’ve ever been to New York City, you’ve probably seen the construction sites where they place a huge façade over the front of the building while the work is being done. The remodeling is happening beneath that cover, you just can’t see it. Once the façade is removed, suddenly you see the results of all of that work. Stored fat is like that façade. Building muscle helps you to pull a little bit of that away each week, and at the same time, reshapes what’s behind the façade. Once the fat is gone, you’re left with a redesigned, healthier, and shapelier you, not a thin, unhealthy shell.

You may have been thinking that you’d spend four or five months losing twenty pounds of fat and then another four or five months building muscle to reshape your body. But what I’m telling you is that you can do both at once and have your new body in half the time or less.

Which Would You Rather Do?

What it comes down to is this: would you rather starve yourself to lose water and muscle and then spend months trying to get that muscle back? Or would you rather start building your new body today; while eating plenty of healthy food and still losing fat?

I’m betting I know the answer and I have good news for you. Losing fat by building muscle is faster, healthier, more effective, more fun and a lot more satisfying than dieting and cardio alone. When you’ve reached your fat loss goals, you’ll not only wear smaller jeans, you’ll make those jeans look good"

*******************************************************************************************************************

Exercise of the week - Jack Knife Crunch.. .

So, how are we all doing? Are you being good for November? We made a pact in our house not to eat any junk or drink any alcohol for the month of November. So far it's going good but today is my son's 4th birthday so we may make a little allowance today ... as long as we keep our treats to only on special occasions we will do ok! :).
When you are doing any challenge, break it up into smaller bits. So, for the month of November, just go from week to week. Tell yourself you will be as good as you can for 7 days. At the end of that 7 days, go for another 7 days, and so on... It is more manageable then. And just think of the rewards at the end. If you are very disciplined for a month, in terms of both diet and exercise, you would be amazed at what you can achieve, trust me! Just give it a go and see.... For me, the exercise is the easy bit, the diet is the more challenging part. Anytime I have a craving for sugar, I try to have an alternative. e.g carrot stick, fruit, some nuts, some sweet potato, even some raw brussels sprouts (yum!)... or I have a cup of peppermint, green tea or pint of water instead. Just have something to distract you from the sugar craving!!  At the end of the day it is a battle of "you V's you" !
 

This week's exercise is for the abs, it's called a Jack Knife crunch. This one is brilliant as it hits both the lower and upper abdominals, so you get to feel double the burn! I always feel better when I feel the burn when doing exercise, as that way you can almost imagine the muscles working and getting stronger and more toned!

Here's how to do it:

Start by lying on the ground on your back, head and shoulders touching the ground, hands behind your head, feet flat on the floor.
Now, crunch up and at the same time bring your legs up, try to keep your legs as straight as you can. The guy below in the picture is quite advanced and so his legs are straight. Just aim to get them as straight as you can... Now, reach your hands towards your toes, as you bring your legs up. You don't have to touch your toes, just go as far as you can. Now slowly release back to the start position. That's one rep. Don't forget to breathe out as you go up, breathe in as you go down.

These are tricky so aim to do one set of 10 to begin with until you get used to them. They hurt, don't they!!  

Lose a stone in 2 weeks, & get a six pack in six weeks !!

Grabbed your attention didn't I! ? Sorry.... I lied.....

The shelves in the newsagents are always full of magazines with captions promising us immediate weight loss, and toned tums, just like magic! I admit, I used to be one of those people who snatched up these magazines, parting with my hard earned cash, and ran home to read them to find the magic formula which is going to melt the extra lbs away! Like always, I was just reading what I had read a hundred times already...

The thing is, there is no magic formula to weight loss, there is no secret ingredient that is going to melt fat away. The secret is hard work and discipline. Cutting calories and taking part in daily exercise, that is what is going to melt fat away. Energy in, versus energy out... For every lb you lose, you need to cut about 3,500 calories. Simple as that.
There is no way you can lose a stone in 2 weeks and keep it off. If someone does lose a lot of weight quite quickly, it will be mainly fluid they will be losing. For every 1 gram of carbohydrate we eat, we store 3 grams of water. Therefore, if people start following low carb diets, it will be mainly water they are losing in the initial weeks. Once they start eating normally again, which they will, the weight will go back on.

Also, you cannot get a six pack in six weeks. Would you be surprised if I told you that we all have six packs? We do, it is just that a lot of them are covered in fat so we cannot see them. The only way to see our six packs is to lose body fat by following a healthy, balanced diet and take part in regular exercise (and not by doing endless amounts of sit ups, that will only hurt your neck and back!).

Every article in every  magazine which promises to give us the holy grail of weight loss, will all be giving us more or less the same tips on diet and exercise, which most of us know already.

These will include:

• Drink lots of water
• Eats lots of fruit and vegetables, especially lots of green leafy vegetables.
• Cut down on salt.
• Avoid processed foods, instead eat natural, clean foods.
• Cook your own meals so that you know what is going into them.
• Avoid alcohol as much as possible.
• Avoid sugar.
• Take regular exercise, interval training is especially beneficial for fat loss.
• Stay away from cappucinos, lattes, hot chocolates ... drink herbal teas instead, or water.
• Replace white, processed flour for wholegrain.

So, there you have it, as I see it anyway! The moral of the story is don't get caught up with miracle quick fixes. It all boils down to hard work and discipline, and just saying "No" to junk food and "Yes" to exercise !

I know it sounds boring, and hard work, but believe me, it is so worth it! You will have a constant spring in your step, you will be thrilled come Christmas when you feel like a million dollars in your party dress, which you tried on in the shop and it fitted you like a glove... You won't know yourself with all your extra energy.... So go on, decide to put in the hard work now and your body will reward you, I promise.

Make a decision now to be as good as you can be for the month of November, and see how good you feel ! Finally, try to stay away from the sweeties tomorrow night that you have stashed away for the "trick or treaters". Give yourself a treat and don't eat any! Once you start eating them, you might find it hard to stop! (If you are anything like me ... :( )  So best off to avoid completely...




   



      

Exercise of the week - Spider Man Crawl (one for the kids also!)

This weeks exercise is a tough one (and funny one!), but is one of the best all over body exercises you can do. Like all new exercises, take time to get your technique right. There is no point only half doing exercises with poor technique, it's better to do one rep with correct technique, rather than lots of reps of an exercise with poor technique!

Here's how to do it: Get into a normal push-up position, knees off the floor for this one unfortunately! Lower your body down until your nose and pelvis region are just off the floor. Ok? Now, begin to crawl whilst keeping your body as low to the floor as possible. As you are crawling, bring right knee to right elbow, then left knee to left elbow. You should look a bit like a spider crawling!

If you have kids, they will love doing this one with you! Mine especially love it as they think they can have a spin on the "spider", who needs weights when you have kids around !:)

Anyway, crawl for ten movements, or until you reach the end of the room, then turn around and crawl back again. Aim to do 30 crawling movements in total.

If you are doing this at home, maybe close the curtains or the neighbours might start getting worried about you !:)

With this exercise, you work almost every muscle in your body, so it is definitely worth practicing and perfecting! You definitely feel the burn on your core, arms, and legs especially, please try it and let me know what you think!  

  

New Spinning Class, and other ramblings...

Ok so, if you have been reading my blog, you know that I constantly strive for everyone, including myself, to be healthy, fit and happy! Life is so short, it is a waste to sit around wishing to be healthy and fit, you just have to get up and push yourself to lead a healthy life in a fitter body! It is not easy, I admit that. There are constant temptations around us trying to lead us astray. Every shop we go into we are faced with fresh bread and cakes, tins of biscuits and chocolates, sweets for Halloween and Christmas... the list is endless.  Constant temptation, it takes a very strong will sometimes to walk past these temptations. Also, we all lead such busy lives, it can be hard to fit in exercise during the week. However, to be fit and healthy, we must avoid temptation (most of the time), and we must fit exercise into our lives, there is no choice about it unfortunately.
It is not all doom and gloom however, instead of sweets and cakes, why not treat yourself to some beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables. If you are craving something sweet, why not munch on a delicious pink lady apple, or some grapes? If you are hungry and craving a quick fix to fill you up, why not have some nuts and seeds, or some veggie sticks and hummus? At lunch time, why not make some delicious butternut squash soup at the weekend, and have this? Some people think that because you are eating healthily, it has to be boring, but this is far from the case!
For some lovely healthy dishes, why not check out Rozanna Purcells blog "naturalbornfeeder"? Some delicious recipes waiting to be discovered...

Onto my new spinning class now. I love teaching my circuits class every Tuesday night in Cloyne, it is like my new drug, I just love it! It is fantastic to see everyone working so hard and getting fitter week after week... So, I've decided to set up a new class. " Sunrise Spin & Abs" . As the name suggests, it is a morning class every Monday morning from 6.15am - 7.15am. A brilliant way to start your week. Yes, I know it is early, but there is something so special about exercising in the morning. It does take a little more effort to get out of bed that early to exercise, but once you are up and out, you will be delighted with yourself, and once the class is over, guaranteed you will be even more delighted with yourself having done such a super workout so early in the morning! You will definitely feel more energised for the rest of the day, and will be able to face the day's challenges with more gusto!
Spinning is such a super workout, check out my post on "Cloyne Fitness" Facebook page to read all about it!
My new classes will be starting Monday, November 10th at 6.15am sharp, in Cloyne GAA Gym, might see you then !:)
  

Weekly Exercise - Don't forget to stretch !

Instead of the usual weekly exercise, I am going to talk about stretching. Stretching and flexibility are unfortunately, a vital part of training that is often neglected. Stretching is as important as the workout itself! I myself have neglected stretching over the years and am now suffering with tight hamstrings as a result. The good news is that tight muscles can be worked on. How do you loosen out your muscles? Stretch, stretch, stretch !

What is the definition of flexibility? It is the ability to move or stretch through a large range of motion around a joint.

Why should you work on your flexibility?
The more flexible are you the less prone you are to muscle injury. Tight muscles, if overworked to a large extent, can, and do snap. Ouch.
Stretching also helps prevent lower back problems. If your hamstrings are tight, these can pull on your pelvis resulting in lower back pain.
Being flexible helps maintain good posture alignment, I spoke about the importance of good posture before. For example, if you have tight pectoral muscles, this can result in rounded shoulders and a rounded back due to the muscles pulling you forward. Prevent this by stretching out your back muscles.
Being flexible can also improve sports performance.      

How often should you stretch? It is recommended that after your initial warm up you should do a quick stretch of the muscles you will be using in your workout. e.g. Hamstrings, Quads, Hip Flexors, Calves, Back, Shoulders.  
After your work out perform the same stretches but hold for longer, 20-30 seconds.

Below is how to do a Hamstring stretch. Ensure to flex your toes towards your face. If you can't reach your toes, then wrap a towel around your toes.

Please don't neglect your stretches. I know it can be very tempting to come back from a run or from a gym session and jump straight into the shower without stretching, but just spend 5 minutes stretching out your muscles and you will reap the benefits.

    

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to work your derriere !

Some facts about our glutes:

• There are 3 main muscles in your glutes : gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus and gluteus medias. The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle.
• Your glutes are involved in everything you do, from walking, running, standing, and gives you better balance in general. Therefore, the stronger they are, everything you do is positively impacted.
• Your glutes are one of the largest muscle groups in your body, therefore when you engage them, they torch serious calories.!
• Weak glutes can lead to injury. If your glutes are weak, it puts extra pressure on your hamstrings etc, which may result in injury. So keep them strong!
• You should work your glutes at least 2 - 3 times a week.
• When you are doing on glute exercises, concentrate on squeezing them, this activates all the muscle fibres to their max, resulting in a stronger derriere!

    Here is a favourite exercise of mine for the glutes. Easy but effective !

• Lie on the floor on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
• Lift one leg off the floor with your knee bent towards your chest.
• Now drive through the heel that's on the floor and use the power to lift your glutes and hips off the floor as high as possible. Squeeze your glutes as much as possible.
• Now lower back down again.

Three sets of 12 (on both legs), 3 times a week, and you'll have a pert bum by Christmas !

 

Do portion sizes matter when eating healthily?

A calorie is a calorie, whether it comes from good, nutritious food, or if it comes from junk. The energy you take in, calories, must  be burned off as fuel for your body, or else it will be converted to fat and stored. There is no magic science when it comes to fat loss, calories in, versus calories out.

Some of us get fooled into a false sense of security when it comes to eating healthy food. We think, because it's healthy, we can eat larger portions. This is true to a certain extent, there are a lot more calories in a large plate of chips, compared to a large plate of celery ! So, work away, have a plate of celery! Also, lettuce and other greens have very little calories so if you are feeling hungry, don't hesitate to fill up on these.

Other foods which are good, nutritious food, e.g. wholegrain products, fruit, root vegetables, milk, cheese, fish, meat, pulses etc, should be the main source of calories in our diets, but also should be eaten in moderation.

It's worth looking at the chart below for an idea on what a portion size should be. I think a lot of us can be heavy handed when plating up pasta and potatoes especially, so it is worth getting a little kitchen scales and weighing out your portions. The recommended portion size for pasta is 25g before it is cooked, you'd be surprised at how this compares to what you would actually eat without weighing it out! Potato should be no more than 2 dessertspoons. And look how much cheese is recommended, usually they say the size of a small matchbox, it is very small really, isn't it. A lot of us would eat double that at least!

Have a look also at the following websites: www.healthpromotion.ie, and www.weigh2live.safefood.eu.
They are excellent websites to guide you in the right direction.

For anyone trying to lose a few pounds, just by cutting back slightly in your portion sizes can make a huge difference!


 

The Principle of Overload - Very Important !

Sorry now to bore you a bit, but the following is important to read if you want to get the most out of your training sessions...


Definition:  The principle of overload states that a greater than normal stress or load on the body is required for training adaptation to take place. The body will adapt to this stimulus. Once the body has adapted then a different stimulus is required to continue the change. In order for a muscle (including the heart) to increase strength, it must be gradually stressed by working against a load greater than it is used to. To increase endurance, muscles must work for a longer period of time than they are used to. If this stress is removed or decreased, there will be a decrease in that particular component of fitness. A normal amount of exercise will maintain the current fitness level.

What this principle is saying is, that if you want to increase fitness and get stronger, you must keep pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. If you don't push yourself, your body will get used to whatever exercise you are doing, and will not change. If you are a runner, then you should try running faster, or longer, or introduce more hills etc. If you lift weights, then you should try lifting heavier, or increase your sets. If you are a gym goer, or attend classes, then you should be constantly pushing yourself to work harder. Every athlete, even elite athletes, are constantly challenging themselves and pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones. Exercise never gets easier, but your body will reward you for the extra effort!

No matter what level of fitness we are at, from the absolute beginner who has never exercised, to the elite athlete, we must constantly challenge and push ourselves. So go on, the next workout you do, make sure you make it a challenging one !



On another topic completely, I am so excited to say that I am starting a Personal Training course this weekend in Dublin. It is an add on to the qualification I have already with the NCEF. So, all going well, come December, along with teaching classes, I will be a fully fledged personal trainer, scouring the county for eager clients to work with :) Bring it on :)

      

Exercise of the week - Skipping

Skipping can burn up to 110 kcal in 10 minutes if you do it fast enough!! 

Do you remember when you were little, and you loved to skip ? Maybe or maybe not .... ? Remember being so good at it that you were even able to do fancy skipping, like crossovers, double unders etc...? Well, it's time to invest in a good old fashioned skipping rope and start skipping ! You can get them in most sports shops or Argos do them also.
Skipping is a fantastic way to burn calories, and so cheap and convenient to do ! It will improve cardio respiratory fitness, flexibility and co-ordination. It's a great exercise also for toning hips, thighs and bums, so get skipping !!!

Before you get started, make sure you get a rope that is the correct length. Stand in the middle of the rope and lift up the handles. They should reach just below your shoulders.

Once you get the hang of the basic skipping move, here's some you can try.

Bell Jumps: Jump forwards and backwards as you skip.
Running Step Skips: Pull your knees up in front of you as you skip.
Jumping Jack Skips: Do jumping jacks as you skip.

Here is a 20 minute workout you can do incorporating a skipping rope:

• Warm up by jogging on the spot for 3 minutes.
• Do as many ab crunches as you can in 1 minute.
• Skip for 3 minutes quickly.
• Do as many push ups as you can do in 1 minute.
• Skip for 3 minutes quickly. (Try Bell Jumps)
• Lunge on alternative legs for 1 minute.
• Skip for 3 minutes quickly. (Try Running Step Skips)
• Tired yet??? :)
• Crunch for 1 minute.
• Skip for 3 minute. (J.Jack skips)
• Push ups for 1 minute

Cool down and stretch.

If you do this workout as fast as you can, you could potentially burn around 300 kcal in 20 minutes ! Impressive isn't it :)

Cloyne Circuits class, get ready to skip :)

Exercise of the week - Lunge

Wow, isn't the time flying! It is the 1st of October already and the days are starting to really close in. I hope everyone is super motivated and are keeping up their exercise regimes, and healthy eating! It is hard to keep committed and motivated all the time, but if we do our best, we will get there!! Just keep striving for progression, keep with it.

I hope by reading this blog, it is helping even a tiny bit to keep motivated and keep going :)


This week's exercise targets the legs and bum mainly, so if these are your "problem" areas, get lunging!!
If you like, you can add in resistance by holding dumbbells by your sides. Get dumbbells as heavy as you can, aim for minimum 5kg each side.

Here goes...

1. Start by standing up straight, legs slightly apart.
2. Take a good step forward with your right leg, then bend down as if you are geneflecting in Mass. Make sure you keep your back upright and your chest up, and do not let your knees come over your toes!
3. Come back up to the start position, then repeat on the left leg. Also remember to squeeze your bum and put all your weight into your heels. Finally, remember to keep your abs nice and tight! A lot to remember but all very important steps!!


Relatively easy exercise to do and very effective!

Do these every second day, 3 sets of 12 on each leg, and you will have a tight, pert bum before you know it :)

 

Are you an emotional eater ?

Do you crave sugar and junk when you are down, stressed, tired, bored etc ? Do you reach for the biscuits if work is stressing you out ? Do you crave chocolate in the evenings when the kids are in bed and you want to treat yourself to something "nice" . Do you crave sugar if you have had an argument with someone you care about and are upset ? If so, then you are an emotional eater. To be honest, I think a lot of people are emotional eaters, including myself. There is good news however, once you identify why you emotionally eat, and what emotions trigger cravings for junk, then you are on the road to recovery !
Here are some tips to stop you letting your emotions control your eating habits.

1. Write it down. Every time you crave junk even though you are not hungry, instead of giving in, grab a pen and paper and write down how you are feeling. You may laugh at this but it does work. By the time you have written down your feelings, you will have forgotten about what you were craving. Just hide your notebook somewhere out of sight if you do not want anyone else to read it !

2. Distract yourself. They say cravings last only 3 minutes ! So, ring a friend, have a bath, read a book, listen to music, go out for exercise, play an instrument, just do something to get you away from the kitchen !

3. Get rid of temptation out of the house. If it's not there you can't have it !

4. Be strong, mind over matter. Once you can control your mind, then you can control your stomach. Just say no. ! Use your emotions in a positive way, rather than in a negative way.

5. If you have a slice of cake or whatever tempting you in the fridge, just dump it ! Once it is gone you will feel much better that it is not sitting there, tempting you.

6. Google "sugar" and read about the negative effects it has on your body....

7. Drink a pint of water.

8. Think of  why you shouldn't give into your cravings. Picture yourself in three months time, looking and feeling fantastic.

9. If your cravings happen at night, just go to bed  earlier if you can !

10. If you must nibble on something, make it healthy. Raw vegetable sticks, a small few nuts and/or seeds, some fruit are all good options.

Many of us are very healthy all day and delighted with ourselves, but all our good work could be quickly undone in the evening by making poor choices when it comes to snacking. So, be aware of why you are snacking, and what exactly you are snacking on !

Caterpillars and Butterflies

According to the Daily Mail yesterday, September is the second "fattest" month of the year. As per their research, the average person gains around 5 lbs in Autumn. This is due to people hibernating in front of the TV during the dark evenings, snacking on unhealthy food. People are not as motivated to go out and exercise, and get more comfort from sitting inside in their warm houses, letting the pounds slowly creep on.

Why not be in the minority, and don't let yourself fall into the "average person" category. If you are reading this, then you are not going to fall into this category, because you care ! You want to get fitter and leaner, well done you! We will not let the dark evenings of Autumn and Winter get in the way of our quest for healthier bodies. It is very easy to find excuses not to exercise and the dark evenings is definitely a well used excuse. Lets not use that excuse! We are stronger than that.
Our bodies are more covered up now with the weather getting cooler. We are starting to wear jackets and jumpers again. We are like caterpillars, all covered up in extra layers.  However, this doesn't mean that we have to let our bodies also get covered up in fat! Why not use these months to get fit, toned, and healthy. Then, next year, when the weather starts to warm up, we can shed our layers and emerge as beautiful butterflies! We will have worked hard all Autumn and Winter on toning and getting leaner bodies. We can then use Spring and Summer to show off our toned limbs that we will have worked hard on all Autumn and Winter ! Sounds good doesn't it!?
So, lets do it!!

There are so many exercises and workouts you can do at home, and all you need is a pair of runners and a willing body! You can get ideas from my "Exercise of the week" on this blog, of fantastic exercises you can do.
Or, if you don't feel like working out at home, then join a fitness class (like Circuits in Cloyne:)), or why not join a running group? Another option is to get a friend to go walking or running with you in the dark evenings.
Your diet is also a critical factor in weight management. You cannot underestimate the significance of your diet when it comes to weight control. If you eat crap, you will feel like crap, gain weight, and be demotivated to exercise. Eat healthily, fuel your body for exercise, drink lots of water, and your body will love you for it!

There really is no excuse for putting up weight in these darker months. Remember, we don't want to be the "average person" who puts on weight in Autumn! Think of the beautiful butterfly that is going to emerge next year when we start shedding the layers again!!


 

We all know that white bread, white pasta, crackers etc are bad for us .... But why exactly?

It has been drilled into us for a long many years how we should avoid any processed, refined carbohydrates like white bread, white pasta, crackers, cereals, etc. We all are told repeatedly that over consumption of these processed carbohydrate will lead to weight gain, and that we should stick to the smart carbohydrates like wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, etc.

Unfortunately, yes, the experts are right, processed carbohydrates are bad for us, and will lead much quicker to weight gain if overconsumed, but why oh why is it so hard to keep away from them ....?
Do you ever notice that no matter how much white bread, or biscuits you eat, you never feel full? Yet if you eat a plate of roasted vegetables, sweet potato, and a salmon fillet, you would be very satisifed... Why is it so easy to overeat the "bad" stuff? ??

Point One: The difference between refined white foods and their healthier counterparts is processing and fiber. Most white carbphydrates start with flour that has been ground and refined by stripping off the outer layer, where the fiber is located ! And guess what? It is the fiber that fills us up! So how are we supposed to feel full with no fiber?
So anything white has little or no nutrients to fill us up and provide the body with what it needs. It is very tasty yes, but nutritious, sadly no.

Point Two : The body absorbs processed white grains and simple sugars quite quickly. Increased blood sugars from these foods trigger a release of insulin, and overeating these foods leads to elevation of insulin levels. Why is it bad to have too much insulin? If your body releases too much insulin, it will begin to lose its sensitivity to insulin, which means that your cells won't receive as strong a signal to sponge up excess sugar out of your blood, resulting in high blood sugar.
Excess insulin is also known to cause weight gain, since insulin promotes the storage of fat.

Why does insulin promote the storage of fat?
We know now that once we eat anything, the hormone insulin is produced. White processed food results in higher insulin being produced. The functions of insulin are:

• To absorb glucose, fatty acids and amino acids.
• Starts building glycogen from glucose (preferred energy to fuel exercise), fats from glycerol and fatty acids, and proteins from amino acids.
• The fatty acids are then absorbed from the blood into fat cells, muscle cells and liver cells. In these cells, under stimulation by insulin, fatty acids are made into fat molecules and stored as fat droplets. Therefore, the more insulin, the more the fatty acids are made into fat molecules and stored as fat.   

Also, unfortunately for us, it is possible that fat cells will take up glucose and amino acids, and also convert them into fat. Our bodies are experts at making fat!!!

So that's the end of the science lesson for today! I've explained it as simply as possible, apologies if you got bored half way through :( . For me, if I understand why something happens or how, I am more inclined to go along with it. It is good to know why exactly we should run a mile from anything processed or refined. When doing your supermarket shop, avoid the middle aisles where all this "nutrient poor" food is, and fill up on "nutrient dense" food from the outer aisles. e.g. lots of fresh fruit and veg, sweet potato, lean meat, fish, etc. etc. All of this food is absorbed much slower into the blood stream, doesn't cause a spike in insulin levels, actually fills you up, keeps you full for longer, and gives you lots of energy to fuel your exercise.

       Remember, eat for long term nourishment and not immediate satisfaction!! 

Exercise of the week - Burpees !

Hey! I've not posted in a week, apologies! I've been so caught up with, and excited about planning and preparing for my new classes which I started last night. I couldn't think of anything else but my new venture :) I was like a child waiting for Santa to come !!
So, they started last night, and I am so thrilled now that I've begun. A lovely bunch of people turned up, who worked super hard last night for the first night. I know that as the weeks go on, and we all get to know each other, we will not only work hard and sweat, but we will also have fun along the way. If we all put in our max effort, before we know it, everyone will start to see their hard work paying off! So if anyone who is reading this was there last night, thanks so much for coming, and for putting your trust in me. I will do my utmost to make sure you enjoy it and work to the level that your body is capable of, in order to see good results!

So now, it's time for exercise of the week, the Burpee. This exercise is a tough one, it will get the heart rate right up, and works almost every muscle of your body! It really is a fantastic all rounder. So here goes..


1. Begin in a standing position.
2. Drop into a squat position with your hands on the ground.
3. Kick your feet back while keeping your arms extended. (You can do a push up at this point to make it more challenging)
4. Immediately jump your feet back in to the start position.
5. Jump up from the squat position to a standing position.

See the diagram below. Picture 4 shows the push up, but you can leave this out if you wish.

If you are a beginner, try to start off by doing 5 of these at a time, at your own pace, and work up from there...

These are on my list for next weeks class!  

  

Exercise of the week - Wall Sit

This weeks exercise is deceptive. It looks easy, but once you are sitting into it for any length of time, you will start to feel the burn! It is a brilliant one for convenience as all you need is a wall! So no excuses, ok !:) 

This exercise works the core, legs and bum, thus the reason why it's one of my favourites! 

Here's how to do it:

1. Stand in front of a wall (back to the wall about 2 feet in front of it) and lean against it.
2. Slide down until your knees are at about 90-degree angles and hold, keeping the abs contracted, for 20-60 seconds. Do not rest your hands on your lap!
3. Come back to start and repeat, holding the squat at different angles to work the lower body in different ways.

If you want alternatively you can sit into it and hold for as long as you can hold it for, without standing up!

To make it more difficult, hold some weights in your hands and hold your arms out to the side, this will incorporate the deltoid (shoulder) muscles into the exercise. 

Try it tonight and enjoy :)  

                      

Strive for progression, not perfection

It is not easy. It is definitely not easy. What's not easy I hear you ask ? Living a healthy life all of the time is not easy. It is well worth the effort, but it is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and discipline to stay committed and on track when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. If it were easy, everyone would be walking around with perfect, toned bodies, eyes, skin and hair sparkling, and a mighty big spring in step, bursting with energy and positivity. The reality is that those of us leading a healthy lifestyle, are just working on bettering ourselves all the time, doing the best we can, some days being easier than others.  Life can be a struggle, everyone has problems and worries to deal with. Life is also very busy, we have to balance work, with families, with housework, with illnesses maybe, and a whole lot of other things thrown in the mix. So, isn't it only fair that we go easy on ourselves?
Being healthy shouldn't be such a huge chore in our lives, we have enough to worry about. There is so much in the media nowadays about being healthy and slim, and perfect. On every magazine cover there are different celebs flaunting their bodies (mostly airbrushed I might add!). If we are striving to look like those celebs, we do have a huge chore on our hands ! Every time we pick up a newspaper we are reading about the latest diet to try, and the latest book to buy that will promise to help fight the flab forever. No wonder we are so hard on ourselves and the strive for perfection. However, if we strive for perfection, I personally think we are setting ourselves up for unhappiness. What happens if our idea of perfection is never reached? What is the perfect body anyway, and even if we had one, would we be finally satisfied? That is a whole other blog.....
In the meantime, why don't we go easier on ourselves and strive for progress, not perfection? I won't deny that we should definitely be all as healthy and fit as possible, but we should praise ourselves for every small effort we take to leading a healthy life. Why not take pride in every healthy decision you make, no matter how small. Take pride in denying yourself that second helping, saying no to biscuits and cake, going for some exercise, swopping white for brown... it's all progress... and we should slap ourselves on the back for those efforts we take. It would be easier sometimes to just sit on the couch and have cake, rather going out to an exercise class, or going for a run, even though we know the latter option is definitely the better.... It can be hard sometimes to motivate yourself, especially in the evening after a long day at work, or a long day at home minding the kids.... So go on, every time you do something healthy when really you'd rather take the easier unhealthy route, tell yourself well done, and you will feel much happier about your decision even before you go for some exercise, or say  no to that cake !:)

It is actually the journey to health and fitness that is the best part, not the destination.

The power of positive thinking ... I can do it!!

Positive thinking is vital for achieving success. A positive outlook on life is one of the most powerful assets you can have. Positive people expect success, good health and happiness. When you are introducing any change to your lifestyle, if you are not positive, you will find it much more difficult to achieve your goals.

This is very true when it comes to diet and exercise. If you are trying to lose weight, if you are negative and tell yourself that you will not have any willpower to stick to a healthy diet, then you definitely will not make it any easier on yourself. Sticking to a healthy diet can be very challenging, even the person with a huge amount of willpower will admit to that. There are so many temptations at every turn. Every time I go to the supermarket, I have to run past the bakery section to avoid looking at all the gorgeous cakes, buns and bread! Tins of roses are starting to appear in the shops ... In restaurants nearly everything comes with chips ....I have a treat press for the kids at home ... In these challenging situations, you must try to stay positive. Remind yourself of the reasons why sticking to a healthy diet is so important to you, remind yourself of how you will look and feel in the future when you do stick to your healthy lifestyle. When you do stick to a healthy lifestyle, you will look and feel fantastic.

The same is true for exercise. If you are starting a new exercise plan, or are a regular exerciser, you must stay positive. I am a big fan of running, and enter an occasional road race. The last race I ran, it was a lap I had to run twice. As I finished the first lap, I was feeling tired. I thought to myself that I will never be able to run another lap. Pride got the better of me however and I told myself to keep running. I did and I finished the race in a reasonable time. If I had let my negative thoughts take over, I would have just stopped after one lap and went home feeling deflated. Exercise can be very challenging. If you are really pushing your body out of your comfort zone, it can be very easy to give up and go home. It is vital that you stay positive and tell yourself you can do it, you can run that extra mile or extra 100 metres, you can do more burpees, you can cycle faster, you can squat deeper.... Your mind can give up before your body does, but don't let it. You would be surprised at what your body can achieve if you let it, and don't let negativity hamper your efforts in getting fit and healthy!  

What is your posture like now as you read this?

Good posture is so important as we lead our daily lives. When you practice good posture, not only is it healthy for your spine, but it can improve your self confidence, and instantly make you look and feel taller and slimmer.

As you are reading this, notice how your posture is. If you were slouching, sit up straight and take note of how you feel now. Feels better, doesn't it? Try to remember during the day to sit or stand tall. It can be easy to forget, especially if you are sitting at a desk and absorbed in your work, or busy rushing around, but do make an effort to keep from slouching.

Try these tips to help perfect your posture:

• When you are standing, there should be an imaginary straight line that connects your ears to your shoulders, all the way down to your ankles.
• Pull your shoulders back so that they are in line with your earlobes. 
• Pull your tummy in, and keep your abs engaged.
• Imagine your nipples are headlights, and you are using them to light up the road ahead :)

• If you are sitting at a computer, sit up tall. Push your hips as far back as they can go in the chair. 
• Lower your chair if needs be, to make sure your feet are planted firmly on the floor Make sure your upper and lower back are supported.
• Sit close to the keyboard and make sure the keys are centered with your body.
• Make sure your shoulders are relaxed, and your wrists and hands are straight.
• It is recommended also that you take small breaks from sitting at a desk and walk around for a few minutes.

                                              "Stand tall, reach high, and dream big"   

 

Exercise of the week - Tricep Dips

This week I'm going to talk about Tricep Dips. As the name suggests, these hit the tricep muscle, which is at the back of your upper arm. A lot of people dislike this part of their body, but with this exercise, you will be wearing sleeveless tops all year round to show off your toned triceps!
The beauty of these are that they can be done anywhere, anytime! All you need is a chair, bench, step, couch ... anything at all which is a few inches off the ground.

1. Sit down on a chair. (Easy! :)) Position your hands behind you, shoulder width apart on the chair.
2. Slide your bum off the chair with your legs extended out in front of you. You can keep your knees bent or straight, if you are a beginner I suggest keeping them bent, (see picture). As you progress and get stronger you can straighten your legs.
3. Nearly straighten your arms, but keep a little bend in your elbows.
4. Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body towards the floor until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle. Keep your back close to the chair.
5. Once your elbows are bent to 90 degrees, straighten your arms as you rise back up. Keep your shoulders down and relaxed as you perform this exercise.

Aim for 3 sets of 15 reps of these every second day.



                                                     

Addicted to weighing yourself?

I used to have an unhealthy relationship with my bathroom weighing scales. Every day I used to hop on the scales two or three times a day, and either jump off in disgust, or step off gracefully with my new lighter weight. It was a bad addiction, as it definitely did dictate my mood for a while after weighing  in. If I saw a number I liked looking back at me, I felt like a million dollars. If I saw a number that didn't reflect all the hard work with diet and exercise I was putting in, I felt fed up and disappointed. How could it be? I would have been super clean with my diet, exercised everyday, and still either stay the same or even be up a lb or two !!!
Thankfully, I have since seen sense and weigh myself only once a month now, and in the morning. For me, I do need  to keep the scales, even though others might say to throw it out altogether. I need to keep it as it does help me stay on track. If I depend on my jeans to tell me If I've gained weight, I might attribute the tight jeans to they just coming out of the wash .....

I now believe however that you should definitely not weigh yourself everyday like I used to. Here's why:

1. In a day your weight can fluctuate 5lbs or more !!! What you've eaten or drank, how your body has digested the food, your bowel movements, time of month for the ladies, even the time of day can dictate the weight on the scales.
2. Muscle weighs more than fat. If you have been doing a lot of training, you may have gained some muscle, therefore pushing up the number on the scales.
3. The number says nothing of your health. You have changed your eating habits, exercise regularly, and drink lots of water. Obviously you are feeling a lot more energetic, sleeping better at night, are less moody and have less cravings for sugar and processed food. Is all of this reflected on the scales? No. This leads me onto the last point...
4. You are working really hard with your nutrition and training. You feel fantastic and hop up on the scales assuming you are going to see a smaller number. You do not see the results you want, and in an instant you feel overweight, frumpy, and dejected. Not only do you now feel rubbish, it might make you rebel and undo some of your hard work. You might be tempted to say what's the point, and raid the fridge. This would be such a shame, wouldn't it! Isn't it amazing that in an instant, your mood can change as a result of a number on a scale.

You know in your head that you are doing all the right things, so don't let a piece of equipment dictate your mood! Instead, remember all that clean eating and exercise you are doing, and let that dictate your mood !
If you do have weight to lose,with a lot of hard work and determination, you will see that number move down in your monthly weigh ins. Just have patience and keep with it ! And keep happy :)

Foam Rolling

I have a confession to make .....in the past I really neglected one vital thing after working out... Stretching. Years of not properly stretching, along with sitting at a desk in an office, resulted in my hip flexors and other muscles becoming very tight. I would notice it in the gym, if I am squatting very low, especially squatting with weight, I would get to a point where I simply feel I cannot go any deeper, I just felt restricted in my movement. This was due to my hip flexors being tight and short. However, it was not too late to reverse, as I have found out. I use a foam roller now almost every day and find it fantastic. I feel it really is loosening out my muscles and I am getting more flexible every week.

What is foam rolling?

Foam rolling involves rolling the soft areas of the body on a foam roller to stretch and loosen out the muscles and tendons. It increases circulation and boosts metabolism. It helps reduce the risk of injury, releases tension, and increases flexibility, all of which can lead to improved performance.
Some areas which are rolled out are the gluteus to open hips and quads, also quads, iliotibial bands (the muscles on the outside of your thighs), and hamstrings.
Some experts recommend foam rolling at the start of a workout, I foam roll whenever I think of it, not necessarily before or after a workout.

If you are foam rolling follow these tips:

1. Stay on soft tissue and avoid rolling over bone or joints.
2. Aim to roll over each area at least ten times.
3. If you find it particularly painful, hold for a few seconds to allow the muscle to release.
4. Expect it to be sore, it actually can be quite sore, especially at the start. Over time, it will get easier, I promise ! Just keep with it.

If you look up YouTube you will see lots of clips showing you how to do it correctly .
You can buy foam rollers in most sports shops.