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 :)