I have been running over the last few months and competed in the Liverpool 1/2 Marathon a few weeks ago, which was a very good event and well worth trying out.

Over the last 3 weeks I have moved onto weight training again, this stopped altogether with my house move etc, so it is good to get back. I am training somewhat differently this time by slowing all the movements down, so same exercises (predominately) but executing them slower and the strenghth gains have really been excellent.

Don’t get me wrong I am not going so slow I have to reduce the weight to much, but a couple of kilos less but perfect execution and taking just an extra 1-2 seconds during each lift with a split second hold at the half way point (takes all the momentum out and encourages the muscles to work that bit harder).

I still super or tri Set and don’t rest any longer between each rep, but execute the actual positive / negative part slower. Give it a go and feel the burn from rep 5 or 6 onwards.

Good luck and I promise not to leave it as long before the next post,

Carbohydrates

 Wholegrain Pasta              New Potatoes                Porridge Oats   Rye Bread Sweet Potato                        Muesli                               Beans                   Malt Loaf Noodles                                  Oatcakes                          Brown Rice        Dried Apricots Basmati Rice                         Dried Figs

Protein

Extra Lean Minced Beef                           Turkey or Chicken Breasts     Eggs            Skimmed or Semi-skimmed Milk          Low-fat yoghurt           Sunflower or Pumpkin seeds                                             Salmon Fillets Mackerel or Sardines tinned in Spring Water                              Red Kidney beans      Lentils

Fats

Olive Oil               Avocado                     Rapeseed or soya oil               Oily fish Peanut butter   Low fat dairy produce

Remember watch those portion sizes, a FIST of Protein, a FIST of Carbohydrates and the rest of the plate in Vegetables. Drink plenty of water, particularly before you eat, and exercise regularly. To learn more visit:www.fittoyou.co.uk or contact Stephen 07825 348961

Prepared by: Stephen Davies

 Progress Report for Bxxxx

 Bxxxx is a 68 year old female, Bxxxx started a 1to1 Personal Training programme in September 2008, at that time her weight was 204lbs and her measurements totalled 195.5” (see table below for break down). Her BMI was 32.3 which falls in the obese categorisation.

We started training once a week for 50 minutes at a time; this was increased to 2 sessions per week in March 2009.

  When we initially started training Bxxx found it difficult to maintain a constant work rate for longer than 5 minutes at a time, without feeling out of breath and increased pain in her right knee, overtime we have strengthened the leg and knee area and Bxxx is now able to undertake squats and running without suffering any knee pain, she is also able to maintain a high intensity work rate for the full 50 minutes.

 On the 27^th October 2009 her weight was 178lbs, a weight loss of  26lbs, which is a steady weight loss across the period of training, Her total measurement are now 173.25”, reflecting a loss of  22.25” (see table below for break down), and her BMI has fallen to 28.8, which has moved Bxxx into the Overweight category. Although Bxxxx has made massive strides forward I feel she could have achieved a little more to reflect the hard work she puts in during the training, we have discussed, and agreed that Bxxxx will keep a food diary, so we can analyse her eating habits in more detail. (update: I weighed Bxxx this week and she has lost an additional 3lbs, in 1 week, since keeping a food diary).

 In July, I introduced walking into the programme on a regular basis, with the intention of building up to some running, Bxxxx has done exceptionally well with this, and we now walk/run once every week, Bxxx is now completing a brisk 35 minute walk followed by 1.4km of continuous running, and we increase this every week, which is superb.

 Her functional fitness has improved immensely, so activities in every day life have become easier and more enjoyable, like keeping up with the grand children, gardening, training her dogs etc.

 Overall all I am very pleased with Bxxx’s progress, and more importantly I know she is happy with her own achievements to date.

Anyway if any one has any great marketing ideas, systems or proven knowledge, I sure would appreciate it.

Thanks

The Winter Months are coming, and most of us will gain weight unless we have a strategy.

Blame the fact that most mammals gain weight over the winter due to colder temperatures or less daylight. The question remains, how do we avoid fattening up over the winter? Most attribute it to a lowering of metabolism; if so, how can we increase our metabolic rate in the winter months to minimize fat gain?
Metabolism is a combination of physical and chemical processes that are responsible for regulating and maintaining your body health. All of the nutrients responsible for these processes come from your diet. Your metabolic rate is the amount of calories you expend every day.
Three factors determine your total metabolic rate. The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the rate your body uses energy for vital body processes. The rate you burn energy during physical activity and the rate you use energy during digestion of food are the two other factors factors involved in your total metabollic rate.
Research has proven that in order to either lose fat mass or maintain your current state, your metabolic rate and calorie expenditure should be equal or more than the amount of daily calories you consume. If you accomplish several days of this negative imbalance, it is likely that you will lose body fat.
The notion of consuming certain foods that increase metabolism has some validity. Research has shown that chili peppers and spicy foods increases metabolism, but only slightly and only for a short period of time. Even green tea has been investigated, but researchers concluded that normal amounts would have no effect on losing fat mass. There are no foods that have been scientifically proven to increase your metabolic rate enough to shed unwanted pounds.
The entire process of eating food in general does increase metabolism. Therefore, eating frequently but small amounts is more advantageous than eating two or three larger meals per day. Furthermore, protein requires about twenty-five percent more energy to digest when compared to most carbohydrates and could be part of the explanation why high protein diets tend to have better weight loss results. However, there are some carbohydrates that are termed as negative-calorie foods. These foods use more calories to digest than the calories the foods actually contain! For instance, a 25 calorie piece of broccoli (100grams) requires 80 calories to digest, resulting in a net loss of fifty-five calories. In fact, a large number of foods combine low calories, delicious taste, and excellent negative calorie properties. Some of these natural foods are asparagus, apples, beets, berries, brocolli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chillies, cucumber, garlic, lettuce, grapefruit, lemons, mangos, onions, oranges, papayas, pineapples, spinach, turnips, zucchini, to name a few.
Of course, exercise must be mentioned as a major factor that will increase metabolism. Specifically, the higher the intensity and the amount of time spent at high intensity, the greater the metabolic rate will be elevated and the longer it will remain high. Simply monitor your heart rate after an easy sixty minute run, versus a ten kilometre running race, pushing your physiological limits.
Resistance training also increases metabolic activity and is responsible for maintaining and gaining muscle mass.Muscle tissue burns calories at rest. Even when not formally exercising, activating muscles by fidgeting, walking around, or wiggling your toes and fingers while watching TV increases your metabolic rate. So always keep moving!
The science is clear on how to ward off unwanted fat. Bottom line; you must focus on low calorie foods, eat them often in the day, but ensure that adequate protein and essential fats are consumed. Couple this eating strategy with regular exercise, pushing the intensity, and you have the formula to stay trim over the winter.

This article was originally published in IMPACT Magazine in February 2008 and written by Calvin Zaryski.