Meal Portions
The human body can only digest a certain amount of food at any one sitting.
Top Tips For Portion Control
On this post there are two website links that will direct you to the Cancer Research UK main website which can be useful for anyone.
The first link has a good overview of why you should control your portion size both at home and whilst eating out and some useful sensible tips that you could try out:
http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/obesityandweight/portioncaution/
The second link (which can be clicked through to at the bottom of the above webpage) gives a very useful list of 10 top tips to control your weight and other tips / tick sheets at the bottom to help you stick to the programme:
Snacking!
Most people have a certain snack they like or crave such as chocolate, crisps, sugary sweets, cake etc. Reducing the intake of these items or cutting them out altogether can have a big impact on the amount of calories you consume.
Snacks are generally small and light in size and you need to eat a lot of them to feel full. The problem with this is that even one serving or portion of the snack can take you close or exceed your guideline daily allowance (GDA) for things like sugar, salt, fat, calories etc.
Food labels can be misleading in regards to the totals and percentages of your GDA shown in the tables and ‘traffic light’ system on the packaging.
Snacks should be a way of helping you achieve your 5 fruit and veg a day rather then quick and easy boredom treats which even though they taste good do not have much in the way of nutritional value, just lots of sugary calories which if aren’t burnt off during the day will become stored as fat cells.
Low glycemic index (low GI) snacks that have complex carbohydrates in them which take the body a long time to break down and give a slow release of energy throughout the day are a lot better for you.
Group Exercise Is Good For Your Health!
“Exercising together appears to increase the level of the feel-good endorphin hormones naturally released during physical exertion, a study suggests” according to the BBC News Channel – visithttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8257716.stm to read the whole report.
2009 Wettest November In History!
The Met Office has said last month was the wettest November on record, with an average of 217.4mm (8.6in) of rain across the UK.
The previous recorded average of 193.6mm (7.6in) dates back to 1951.
Well done to all my boot camp members who came out and trained through the wet conditions. The sessions only last for 45 minutes so if you turn up wearing sensible clothing then you should stay warm and dry and still be able to have a good beneficial workout.
I’ve got Gore-Tex waterproof trainers, water resistant tracksuit bottoms, a waterproof golf jacket, waterproof gloves and a water resistant hat that keep me warm and dry whilst I run the outdoor boot camp sessions for my members. I picked them up from different places like TK Max, Sports Direct and eBay.
When I used to be in the Royal Marines Reserve (RMR) we used to say ‘If it aint raining, it aint training!’.
If you can enjoy the sessions through the wintertime then you’ll love them in the summertime!
Burn Calories Even When You’re Resting!
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a specific type of interval training routine. It is mostly used for individuals trying to lose weight. It has a number of distinct goals and differences which make it unique.
It’s basically circuit training which takes your body out of its comfort zone helping you to achieve your results whatever they may be (weight loss, fat loss, body toning, pre ski training, sports specific training, general health and fitness…).
People of any fitness levels can perform circuit training as there are different ways and different intensities to perform all exercises and people can work to their own ability.
It could consist of many different exercises such as squats, lunges, squat jumps, squat thrusts, ski sits, calf raises, leg swings, short sprints, long sprints, sprints on the spot, wall press-ups, bench press-ups, box press-ups, tricep dips, static tricep holds, crunches, sit-ups, seated crunches, v-sits, flutter kicks, twists, side bends, jumping jacks, step-ups, mountain climbers, static stomach holds, planks, side planks, hip raises, superman dorsal raises, resistance exercises using a partner and the list goes on and on bringing equipment into the equation.
After circuit training you accumulate something known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). This leaves your body regenerating for 24-48 hours after the actual workout, which elevates your metabolism, so you burn more calories (fat), even when you are doing nothing!
HIIT and circuit training has been proven to be more beneficial than conventional stop start gym workouts and continuous exercise like cycling, swimming and jogging.
Fitness Training All Year Round
Well done to all my outdoor boot camp members’ and one to one personal training clients who continued their fitness training through the coldest winter in 30 years.
It’s very beneficial to train all year round. Some people slow down and don’t do as much during the winter which means they have to work a lot harder in spring and summertime to get their fitness back up. It’s also good to train in all seasons as your body’s immune system becomes stronger and you’re less likely to catch common colds.
When you train in the winter you burn more calories from your body trying to keep warm and when you get a bit wet from the rain you also burn more calories as your body tries to evaporate the water that is on your skin.
Boot camps last for 45 minutes and after the warm up everyone soon warms up and most people end up removing a few layers of clothes. 45 minutes of work for boot camp or 60 minutes for personal training then a short walk, jog, cycle or drive and you’re back home in the shower!
This is the first winter that I have ever done any outdoor training on snow and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. The snow was dry, crisp and clean and was good to jog and sprint on and actually made the sessions a bit more challenging as the leg muscles have to work harder to move through the snow. My members and clients who turned up said they enjoyed the sessions too!
Exercise Calculator
Please visit the following website to find out how many calories you are approximately burning during exercise:
http://www.healthdiscovery.net/links/calculators/calorie_calculator.htm
Type into the box your weight in pounds (lbs) and how long you are exercising for then click ‘Compute Calories Burned’.
For Get Fit Boot Camps the time would be 45 minutes (Circuit Training).
1 stone = 14 pounds
1 kilogram (kg) = 2.2 pounds
For example:
10 stones = 140 pounds
60 kg = 132 pounds
It will work out according to your weight approximately how many calories you burn during all the different exercises that are listed. Circuit Training is on the right hand side 4 rows down under the Gym and Home Activities title.
What Is Pantothenic Acid?
Pantothenic acid is popularly known as vitamin B5. This water-soluble vitamin acts as an antioxidant and plays a very important role in the decomposition of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. In addition, it is used in the production of several enzymes and helps the central nervous system to communicate with the brain. It has a broad role in the human body, so preventing pantothenic acid deficiency is very important.
The Herbalife Active tasty protein bar has 10g of grade 1 protein in it, 15g of low GI carbs and only 2g of saturated fat in them. They have 7 vitamins in them including 50% of your RDA/GDA for Pantothenic Acid which is why they are so good to have straight after a workout / on your training days as they rebuild and tone up your muscles and help to get rid of some of the free radicals (waste) from your workout.
They only cost 22p more than your regular unhealthy chocolate bar or if you sign up as a VIP 25% discount client they only cost about 7p more and you’re putting much better nutrients into your body.
How To Exercise Early
Early morning exercise is a great way to kick start your day and has many benefits:
– Avoiding air pollution, which climbs as more cars hit the road
– Missing the heat of the day or evening in the summer
– Can lead to clearer thinking and increased energy levels during daytime activities
– A positive start to the day will inspire you to keep up the good work and eat well
– You won’t need an additional shower in the middle of the day
The following website has some very useful information / tips about morning exercise:
http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_2192789_exercise-early-morning.html
It also has other useful sections about developing and sticking to exercise routines under the photo of the women stretching. You can click on ‘From Quick Guide: A Fit Lifestyle’, scroll through the numbers or click ‘See All Articles In This Quick Guide’.