by Keith Tucker | Oct 12, 2018 | Exercise For Optimum Health, Weight Loss and Performance, Health and Fitness Fundamentals
Change The Way You Think about Exercise and Change Your Life
I personally love a good workout and a good challenge, but a lot of people just don’t, they can’t think of anything worse and consider exercise a form of torture. You may hear how much fun exercise is and envy the ones that can just jump out of bed in the morning, looking forward to their daily gym session.
Changing your exercise mindset, and letting go of the pressure of ‘exercise’ will change your life (and your body).
Exercise Doesn’t Have to Be Painful
Exercise can and should be fun and something you can do each and every day. Because honestly – if you’re not having fun, how likely are you to continue doing it? If it’s not easy to do, how can you find time to fit it into your day?
It’s a whole lot easier to motivate yourself to go for a walk or a bike ride to the store than it is to run five miles, right? And you can fit a walk into your day every day. It’s easier to go play tennis with a friend than to climb on the cross trainer at the local gym. And much more fun, too.
Go Slow, and Just Get Moving
We have been told that to be healthy we need to do a sustained activity for twenty, thirty, or even sixty minutes. That a gym class such as spinning or boxercise or spending 60 minutes on a treadmill is what’s important. This form of staying fit just doesn’t appeal to a lot of people and therefore just isn’t sustainable for many.
If you are new to fitness, start slow, just get moving everyday. During your lunch break, don’t sit at your desk, get up and go for a walk. Instead of getting home and sticking another box set on, go for swim, try a dance class?
Moving your body means walking; it means being physically active. It doesn’t mean an hour in the spin class – unless you enjoy spin class. Exercise is fine as long as it’s part of a daily habit of movement.
Adopting a Healthy, and Active, Mindset
If you dread working out, find an activity that you enjoy and fits in with your lifestyle. The activity should require movement. Do something you enjoy that gets your body moving.
You can do it.
Keith
by Keith Tucker | Oct 11, 2018 | Exercise For Optimum Health, Weight Loss and Performance, Health and Fitness Fundamentals
5 Summer Holiday Tips To Stay Fit
So, it’s that time of year again! Summer holidays!! We’ve all spent months desperatly trying to cut out junk food and hitting the gym every day to get fit and get that summer body that we all want. But as soon we reach that all important holiday, we just let go and all of our hard work goes down the toilet!
Don’t get me wrong, your summer holidays are for relaxing and ejoying yourselves, but does that mean we sacrifice all of our hard work? Here are 5 summer holiday tips to stay fit and keep that body you have worked so hard for.
Here are some tips
Photo by Marion Michele on Unsplash
1 – Plan good nutrious snacks – Make some homemade protein bars, fruit and veg sticks and hummus, nuts and
non-processed meats. When on holiday we tend to go for the cakes and pasties, preparing healthy snacks will make a huge difference to your waisteline while you’re away.
2 – Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water, staying hydrated is very important, especially if you’re travelling to hotter climates. Choose smoothies and fruit and vegetable juices (if available) to help, and avoid any fizzy drinks.
3 – Be flexible with exercise – You may not be able to continue with your usual fitness routine, but squeeze in short sessions in where you can. Find a spot and do a 15 minute Yoga session or HIIT session, if possible take small weights and a yoga mat. Instead of lazing around on the sunbed for the entire holiday, add in a few activity’s or excursions.
4 -Choose healthy meals – It’s easy to go crazy at the buffet table, but make sure you eat a healthy balance of meat/fish, fruit and vegetables. You don’t need to be 100%, have some treats too but everything in moderation.
5 – Remember you are on holiday, and we all need to relax, so do what you can and again, everything in moderation will help you keep that body you’ve been training for before you’re summer holiday began.
Enjoy the summer everyone!
Keith
by Keith Tucker | Oct 11, 2018 | Exercise For Optimum Health, Weight Loss and Performance, Health and Fitness Fundamentals
Fat, but fit …
It’s amazing what you can convince yourself! Last year, I worked out twice a week, I watched what I ate (most of the time) and I could keep up in most gym classes, but I never saw physical results. I told myself I was in the “fat but fit” category, that I tried my best and I had to accept that I was a round person. But the truth is I was cheating myself; “fat but fit” is not a thing.* **
I was used to seeing pictures of myself looking bloated – and, to be honest, I was rarely self-conscious about it; I don’t mind how I look! But then I turned 30 … The dreaded phrase “the clock is ticking” started to rear its ugly head in conversation and I hate to say it, but my clock really did start ticking! I knew that if I wanted children late in life, I needed to make sure I was healthy for the
long haul. It was time to make some changes and getting a personal trainer was first on the list.
I set up my first session, and showing up for it was the hardest part of the journey!
I worried that I would be completely out of my depth, but I forced myself to go. We did a full body scan to see my starting point, which, unsurprisingly, was pretty dire – mind you, my hero of a trainer didn’t flinch once! We didn’t set any specific goals; my aim was to get into healthier habits long term, rather than losing a set amount of weight. But from the first scan, there were a few obvious things that I could address: my body fat, my resting heart rate and my muscle mass.
Then on to the workout! This was a bit of a shocker. I may have been able to keep up in the occasional Zumba class, but 30 minutes of HIIT with my trainer had me gasping for breath, like a fish out of water. He had me flinging around ropes, squatting, jumping and worst of all … the mountain climbers. But I left feeling good because I knew the only way was up. In the end, despite being red in the face from a combination of embarrassment and exhaustion, I found it fun!
It’s getting addictive …
Initially, I found that having a trainer waiting for me to show up made putting off my workouts much harder. Letting down myself was easy, but letting down somebody who turned up for me was much more difficult. But gradually, the reason for my motivation changed from guilt to enthusiasm … I took a photo the day of my first session, and another one two weeks later; seeing the initial results gave me a huge boost. My waist began to re-emerge and my face was visibly slimmer. I used that positive energy to fuel myself further. I’ve walked to the gym in the pouring rain, turned up with the worst hangover of my life and even trained with a stinking cold. Every time I saw a tiny improvement, I felt more motivated to turn up.
As I’ve continued to train, the thing I’ve appreciated most is the constant guidance. I used to feel like I pushed myself when I went to the gym, but having an expert on hand to tweak my form here and there makes an enormous difference. Now I know when I do 50 squats, they’re actually working and I’m not putting in energy to a movement that isn’t giving me results. My trainer has put a lot of effort into giving me variety, and when something is really fun, he works it in more often. I found out that I love boxing – and not just because I get to swing punches at the guy barking orders! It’s hard, really hard, but it’s fun to discover that I am capable, I can improve and I’m not a lost cause!
Six weeks later …
I had my second body scan and if I’m honest, I was a little disappointed; I lost 8lbs of fat (I was hoping for much more), but I had also gained 2lbs of muscle. One thing I was really happy about was that my resting heart rate went from 91 bpm to 65 bpm; I felt like that was a sign of dramatic improvement in my innards! But that thought process is a sign of improvement psychologically, too; I wasn’t focusing on the negative – I saw the positive result and ran with it!
So, 8lbs down and still many lbs left to shed, I’ve started the next round of sessions. I might not be fat but fit, but I do feel fat and strong! I’m more determined than ever to keep my positive attitude, keep improving and keep training!
Hayley x
Guest Blogger
* https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40921856
by Keith Tucker | Jul 12, 2018 | Exercise For Optimum Health, Weight Loss and Performance, Health and Fitness Fundamentals
Fitness Solutions For A Hot Weather Problem
I think we would all agree that it has been hot hot hot, not that I’m complaining I love the sun but it sure does make it harder to get my workouts done. Desparately trying to complete a workout in high temepratures is no fun, so what are fitness solutions for a hot weather problem?
Working out in high temperatures can cause a lot more stress on the body resulting in serious illness so here are a few tips to help you keep going with your fitness routine.
So how do you keep fit in this heat?
- No your limits – You maybe super fit if you exercise every day but in the heat you may find that you start to struggle a lot sooner than you would you ususally expect too. Don’t push it, listen to your body and stop if you start to feel faint, have chest tightness or generally start to struggle to complete your usual routine.
- Train first thing in the morning – Make your workout a morning one before it really starts to heat up, the longer you leave it, the harder it will become to get it done. It also helps set you up for the day, and will boost your motivation.
- Train indoors – If you normally go for a run or play an outdoor sport, try changing things up a bit. Try an indoor workout, if you have access to a gym maybe try a class or create a your own weight training circuit. If you don’t have access to a gym train at home in your living room.
- Try a low impact workout – If you usually do high impact training try something lighter. Perhaps yoga, pilates or maybe go for swim.
- Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate – Make sure you are getting your 7 pints of water a day as well has plenty during and after your workout.
- Choose your clothing wisely – No heavy t-shirts or thick shorts, make sure you wear breathable light fabrics to help keep you cool.
Well I hope this helps you out! Enjoy the sun, but remember train safe.
Keith
by Keith Tucker | Jul 3, 2018 | Exercise For Optimum Health, Weight Loss and Performance, Health and Fitness Fundamentals
How To Deadlift
Today we’ll talk to you about the deadlift. Why the deadlift? Well the deadlift is how we pick everything up safely. It keeps our back nice and straight and it means that we’re not compromised.
So let’s look at the deadlift technique. I put my toes under the bar, sink my hips back, drop down, grab the bar. Although we use lots of different grips, today we’re just going to go overhand. Keep your shoulder blades retracted and then push through your heels bringing your hips to the bar. On the way back down, I go to the hips first, then I go to the knees. If I bend the knees first, I just take my kneecaps off with the bar, so I get my knees out of the way, I come down making sure my back isn’t hunched.
I have a mirror here in front of me, so it’s good to get some feedback. I’ve been watching myself in the mirrormaking sure everything’s in place.
So toes under the bar, come down as you can see, I’ve lifted the bar up. We find most people don’t have the flexibility initially to get down to the lower position and they compromise in tucking their bum under or curving their back and being in a far from ideal position. So we start with our clients with a little bit of raise and as they get more flexible or stronger, we move them down one riser at a time.
Start with a bar that you know that you can lift and then you can add weight to that as you get confident with the technique and as your body gets stronger. So that’s the deadlift. This is where we start our clients off with their weight training to ensure they can lift stuff off the ground safely.
Keith
by Keith Tucker | Jun 26, 2018 | Exercise For Optimum Health, Weight Loss and Performance, Health and Fitness Fundamentals
Is Swimming Enough To Stay Fit?
Is swimming enough to stay fit? There is a yes and a no answer to this question, that i get asked regulary. “I swim or I am thinking about swimming, is that going to be okay in helping me to stay fit”?
The answer is, initially yes. Just getting in a pool if you’re not a swimmer and swimming up and down just getting yourself use to the water, is going to keep you fit and help you be strong, you might drop some weight as well.
The issue being is that people often just carry on doing the same thing of just swimming up and down and there are two problems with this.
- The first one is that, quite quickly they get a bit bored. They hit their 40 laps or whatever they can do in the 40 minute time frame they have given themselves. There often isn’t enough time to expand their training any further. Alot of people get use to that and see no further weight loss or fitness change.
- Secondly, is that the body gets use it and therefore stops changing. Swimming is like anything else, you need to be challenging your body. So doing high intensity interval training (HIIT). Jump into the pool, swim really hard and then relax, swim really hard then do an easy length and continue going hard then easy, hard then easy.
Changing that up will mean that swimming will keep you strong, keep you fit and help you lose weight. But continuing to do length after length, and the body will get use it quite quickly and therefore your swim session won’t be enough to stay fit.
Keith
long haul. It was time to make some changes and getting a personal trainer was first on the list.
