Six weeks in and this may be becoming a habit!
Fitness
People ask me to help them get 'fit' but what do they really mean?
Fitness has many components, in this email we'll look at it from 5 perspectives.
1. Muscular Strength
What can you lift or carry? How heavy is that shopping bag?
2. Muscular Endurance
Endurance, ah yes we've just looked at that one (last week). This is the ability to keep going, for the muscles to contract time after time for a long time.
3. Cardiovascular Endurance
The ability of your heart and lungs to deliver and keep delivering the fuel and oxygen you need to continue your workout.
4. Flexibility
This one is often forgotten. You may be able to run for miles but can you move easily and bend and stretch without effort? Tomorrow we'll look at how to increase this component.
5. Body Fat Composition
How much fat is in your body? Deposits of fab in and around organs can be dangerous and you might still have thse even though you look slim. Get you body ft checked out - are you skinny or skinny-fat?
And so to 'F'
Fasting
Some religions practise it
Sometimes you have to do it for medical reasons
In truth (unless you get up every few hours during the night) we all do it.
Fasting is taking a break from eating, not just a usual, between meals or 'I'm full' couple of hours break but longer periods.
The 8-10 hours between you last meal in the evening and first the next morning is a period of fasting. It's easier to fast when you're asleep too!
Breakfast is called break fast because you are breaking the imposed (by sleep) nighttime fast period. (In my world breakfast is the first meal of the day, whatever time you have it, it's not always an early morning thing.)
Fasting for longer periods, regularly , say once or wice per week can be a way to get your body to start burning body fat for fuel. It also works well as a method of reducing calorie intake as long as you don't make up for it on your other meals of course! Some believe it gives your body a rest from constantly digesting and processing food. Allowing it to recover and repair more effectively.
It will not harm you (unless you have a medical condition that precludes fasting - check with your doctor before trying if so), it is natural and your body can cope wth it. As a way to help fat burning and calorie reduction I've personally found it very useful.
Try doing your cardio workout in a fasted state to increase the fat burning effect - it's hard and feels horrible but it works!
Fear - it's stops many of us from doing many things
Fear of failure
Fear of looking silly
Fear of what your friends might say
Fear of taking the first step
Fear of what success might bring
We know, we see it all the time. We help, we support. We feel it too.
Dont be scared - we're here to help. Whether you've never been in the gym before, or never done exercise or you're going for a personal best, we're here for you.
Take a first step by contacting us via our website or facebook - you don't even have to make a call. Fill in the form and we'll take it from there.
Feel the fear and do it anyway!
Fat
Don't call yourself FAT, say you have too much of it perhaps but don't define yourself in terms of a macro nutrient folks!
Anyway, less of that and more of what is it and what is it for!
Well as I said, it's a macro-nutrient along with carbohydrates and proteins. You should be ingesting it, you need it to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. However, fats have the highest number of calories per gram at 9, protein and carbs have 4 in comparison.
Now, before you panic and stop eating fat - remember my first point, you NEED to eat it. Also, unlike carbs it does not produce the spike in insulin that would case the storing of energy as fat...yep, fat does not make you fat.
Like all things, eat fat in moderation and make it the right fats. A little bit of yellow marbling on your steak is going to add to the flavour afterall.
Flexibility
Can you touch your toes without bending your knees?
Can you grab the fingers of one hand with the others, behind your back?
No?
Most of us should be able to.
Maybe you need to work on your flexibility?
It's not just a 'party trick' to be able to place your hands flat on the floor whilst standing but that one may actually save you from some back pain - tight hamstrings can lead to that too.
So how do you get more flexible?
The first answer that might come to mind is to stretch.
However, make sure that you have help to ensure you are stretching correctly,
Or even doing the correct type of stretches (no static holds on cold muscles please),
Do them often,
Progess (may them harder) them.
You could take a stretching class - specific classes do exist (we have one at my gym) or take a Yoga or Pilates class.
Drink more water - yep, lack of hydration can damage your flexibility too so get the water in!
And whilst your in the kitchen filling your glass make sure you eat well too - veggies, fruits, meats and fish.
Fitness
People ask me to help them get 'fit' but what do they really mean?
Fitness has many components, in this email we'll look at it from 5 perspectives.
1. Muscular Strength
What can you lift or carry? How heavy is that shopping bag?
2. Muscular Endurance
Endurance, ah yes we've just looked at that one (last week). This is the ability to keep going, for the muscles to contract time after time for a long time.
3. Cardiovascular Endurance
The ability of your heart and lungs to deliver and keep delivering the fuel and oxygen you need to continue your workout.
4. Flexibility
This one is often forgotten. You may be able to run for miles but can you move easily and bend and stretch without effort? Tomorrow we'll look at how to increase this component.
5. Body Fat Composition
How much fat is in your body? Deposits of fab in and around organs can be dangerous and you might still have thse even though you look slim. Get you body ft checked out - are you skinny or skinny-fat?
And so to 'F'
Fasting
Some religions practise it
Sometimes you have to do it for medical reasons
In truth (unless you get up every few hours during the night) we all do it.
Fasting is taking a break from eating, not just a usual, between meals or 'I'm full' couple of hours break but longer periods.
The 8-10 hours between you last meal in the evening and first the next morning is a period of fasting. It's easier to fast when you're asleep too!
Breakfast is called break fast because you are breaking the imposed (by sleep) nighttime fast period. (In my world breakfast is the first meal of the day, whatever time you have it, it's not always an early morning thing.)
Fasting for longer periods, regularly , say once or wice per week can be a way to get your body to start burning body fat for fuel. It also works well as a method of reducing calorie intake as long as you don't make up for it on your other meals of course! Some believe it gives your body a rest from constantly digesting and processing food. Allowing it to recover and repair more effectively.
It will not harm you (unless you have a medical condition that precludes fasting - check with your doctor before trying if so), it is natural and your body can cope wth it. As a way to help fat burning and calorie reduction I've personally found it very useful.
Try doing your cardio workout in a fasted state to increase the fat burning effect - it's hard and feels horrible but it works!
Fear - it's stops many of us from doing many things
Fear of failure
Fear of looking silly
Fear of what your friends might say
Fear of taking the first step
Fear of what success might bring
We know, we see it all the time. We help, we support. We feel it too.
Dont be scared - we're here to help. Whether you've never been in the gym before, or never done exercise or you're going for a personal best, we're here for you.
Take a first step by contacting us via our website or facebook - you don't even have to make a call. Fill in the form and we'll take it from there.
Feel the fear and do it anyway!
Fat
Don't call yourself FAT, say you have too much of it perhaps but don't define yourself in terms of a macro nutrient folks!
Anyway, less of that and more of what is it and what is it for!
Well as I said, it's a macro-nutrient along with carbohydrates and proteins. You should be ingesting it, you need it to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. However, fats have the highest number of calories per gram at 9, protein and carbs have 4 in comparison.
Now, before you panic and stop eating fat - remember my first point, you NEED to eat it. Also, unlike carbs it does not produce the spike in insulin that would case the storing of energy as fat...yep, fat does not make you fat.
Like all things, eat fat in moderation and make it the right fats. A little bit of yellow marbling on your steak is going to add to the flavour afterall.
Flexibility
Can you touch your toes without bending your knees?
Can you grab the fingers of one hand with the others, behind your back?
No?
Most of us should be able to.
Maybe you need to work on your flexibility?
It's not just a 'party trick' to be able to place your hands flat on the floor whilst standing but that one may actually save you from some back pain - tight hamstrings can lead to that too.
So how do you get more flexible?
The first answer that might come to mind is to stretch.
However, make sure that you have help to ensure you are stretching correctly,
Or even doing the correct type of stretches (no static holds on cold muscles please),
Do them often,
Progess (may them harder) them.
You could take a stretching class - specific classes do exist (we have one at my gym) or take a Yoga or Pilates class.
Drink more water - yep, lack of hydration can damage your flexibility too so get the water in!
And whilst your in the kitchen filling your glass make sure you eat well too - veggies, fruits, meats and fish.
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