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LOSE YOUR FIRST 5LBS WITHOUT GOING TO THE GYM

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 14:42:21 GMT

Many of us are lead to believe that in order to lose weight, we need spend hours in the gym daily, running, doing HIIT training, sweating our little arses off but what if I told you that you didn’t need a gym membership to see changes in your body composition? What if there were just a few tweaks you could make to your day to day life that would start your fat loss journey?

Start weighing out and tracking your food using an app like MyFitnessPal. Do this for a week and see where your calories average out then drop them down by 100 and track at that CONSISTENTLY for the next 2 weeks. Then drop by another 100. If you do this accurately and consistently, you will begin to see changes!

Protein source and vegetable intake - on the topic of nutrition, incorporate a protein source with every meal. Protein is a very important macronutrient . increasing your portion size of vegetables will not only provide you with a load of health benefits, but it will increase the volume of food on your plate, leaving your feeling more satisfied without all the extra calories.

Walk. Get out on two 30-45minute walks per day. Increasing your daily activity levels is the easiest way to begin your fat loss journey and will also improve energy levels, mood and fitness. Get up half an hour earlier and walk, or get out on your lunch break, or take the long route home

Swap your usual coffees and fizzy drinks for water. Not only will this save you hundreds of calories, but being hydrated improves energy levels, training performance, cognition and ensures the body is functioning properly. Water is vital for every process in the body, including your metabolism so make sure to sip it consistently throughout the day and avoid allowing your body to become dehydrated.

Sleep better and for longer. Many of us don’t understand the importance of sleep when it comes to fat loss. In order for the body to be happy and in a responsive state, it needs to be well rested and under minimal stress. We can reduce stress by sleeping and recovering more. We also know how we head straight for the sugary treats when we’re feeling a little sleep deprived which will inhibit progress.

Here are a few simple swaps to save you hundreds of calories:

Swap your usual Saturday night Chinese for a homemade chicken noodle stir fry and some shop bought sides. Easy to track into MyFitnessPal and over half the calories of a Chinese.

Swap your morning and afternoon Latte for an Americano with hot milk

Swap full sugar fizzy drinks for a diet alternative or sparkling water with a splash of sugar free squash

Swap oil for low calorie spray

Sara has lost 15kg and 20cm from around her waist so far by making a conscious effort to improve her habits

CARDIO OR WEIGHTS?

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 14:42:19 GMT

In short - BOTH.

Many women are scared of resistance training. We’re lead to believe that lifting weights will make us look manly, bulky or turn us into the hulk. This is far from reality.

I have been lifting weights for 8 years and I’m yet to turn into the hulk.

I want to be toned is such a common phrase that I hear on consultation calls, but in order to achieve a ‘toned’ physique, we need muscle mass. Simple. Having a ‘toned’ physique means having muscle mass and a low enough body fat percentage to see this muscle.

As women, we don’t have the ability to build muscle at the rate of, or to the level of men. Men have higher levels of testosterone meaning that their ability to develop muscle is far greater than ours.

That being said, having muscle is a GOOD thing. Not only aesthetically but lifting weights improves strength, improves posture, increases metabolic rate (more food - yay!), improves bone mineral density, offsetting muscle wastage as we age and it aids weight loss. Resistance training is for everyone - I have coached 80 year old women and you can bet they were using weights in their sessions.

Cardio is usually everyones go-to when it comes to going to the gym. Jump on the cross trainer for 10mins then move onto a treadmill for 20 and finish off with a 30minute HIIT class.

When it comes to fat loss, cardio is really useful tool. Gradually increasing expenditure throughout a dieting phase aids fat loss. Cardio is also hugely important for cardiovascular health and general fitness. It should make up part of our training, but it shouldn’t make up all of our training. Solely focusing on cardio when dieting will just lead to a smaller version of what you are now.

SO, having a combination of both forms of training allows the best overall success. The resistance training allows us to build shape on our bodies and cardio aids the fat loss process. Both have their own health benefits, both mental and physical.

Rebecca Naylor used to think that she had to solely do cardio in order to tone up, but a combination of both weights and cardio allowed her to shift her baby weight and transform her body.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 12:41:17 GMT

5 easy habits to add into your daily routine from tomorrow that will instantly make you feel amazing, improve your health and have a positive impact on body composition, mood and energy levels.

Who doesn’t want to feel fit, healthy and alive?

Walk - not only great for your fitness and physical health, but amazing for your mental health. No one ever felt bad after a nice stroll. I tend to advise to my clients to hit between 8000 - 10,000 steps each day. Yes it is amazing for increasing daily expenditure, which is the easiest way to improve body composition, but it encourages clients to get outdoors, get some fresh air and sunshine on them - improving their mood and productivity.

Train - you don’t have to train everyday. You don’t have to do crazy 2 hour training sessions, but getting into the habit of adding some resistance training and cardio into your week will not only have you feeling physically better but again improves mood and gives a huge sense of fulfilment. Focus on building strength from one session to the next by tracking your weights. Weights are the easiest way to help you feel mentally and physically strong, empowered and

Eat vegetables - stop eating like a child and start eating your veg! You don’t have to deprive yourself of the ‘fun foods’ (chocolate, wine, cereal etc) but making a conscious effort to eat a variety of veggies with each meal will nourish the body, leaving you looking and feeling better. Veggies are also high volume and low calorie, meaning you can pile your plate high for not many extra calories. Big portions = happier you.

Drink 3L of water - Start your day off with 0.5-1L of water and aim to drink 3L per day. You will feel more energised and it does wonders for your skin. Dehydration impacts mood, energy levels and training performance. Keep a bottle with you at all times as it will act as a visual reminder to drink. Fill up 3x 1litre bottles the night before so they’re ready to go. No excuses.

Sleep - stop staying up past midnight for the sake of it. Get into the habit of going to bed at a more reasonable time and setting a consistent wake time. You will feel far more energised and won’t rely on sugar and caffeine to get you through the day. Sleep is vital for recovery and if the goal is weight loss, we need to prioritise sleep. The last thing you’ll want to do if you’re feeling tired is eat well and train. Poor sleep will have a huge knock on negative impact. Don’t skimp on sleep!

Have a look at your daily habits and ask yourself if they make you feel good? Is there anything you could change or add it to improve your mood, fitness, energy levels and lifestyle?

Client Holly who has worked on implementing positive habits into her daily life and look at how far she has come. The little things really do add up to big success.

WHY STARVING YOURSELF ISN’T THE ANSWER

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 14:42:21 GMT

Ever started a diet, get a week in and fall off the wagon? You then get ‘back on the wagon’ but fall off again when Friday hits.

Yes you and the majority of women, jumping from diet to diet in a bid to lose a few lbs.

The thing is though, diets set you up to fail. They make you cut everything out of your life that you enjoy - carbs, bread, chocolate, fats, alcohol - the list goes on. Not only that but they drop your calories unnecessarily low to a level that just isn’t achievable, leaving your feeling frustrated, miserable and bloody hungry!

We all know we need food to function. Food provides us with energy so there’s no surprise that you’re ready to face plant a burger when the weekend hits because your body is craving fuel.

And so the cycle begins.

You starve yourself Monday to Friday. You overeat Saturday and Sunday, eating all the foods that you have banned from your life. You then feel guilty when Monday hits and get back to starving yourself. The vicious cycle continues.

If you were to add up your total calories from the week and weekend and take an average, you would see that actually daily you are eating FAR more than what your diet suggests.

Not only is this the fastest way to achieve to an awful relationship with food, but you are guaranteed NO results from this method.

Starvation style diets also have a knock on affect on your energy levels, which lowers mood and motivation. Desire to train will be low due to poor energy and training performance will suffer with insufficient fuel. If we want to progress with out strength and fitness, we need to be fuelling the body. Low energy leads to less movement and expenditure which will make it harder to lose weight.

See where I’m going here?

So what SHOULD you do?

Find a happy medium - eat higher calories consistently throughout the week and weekend to avoid the weekend binges. If you’re not starving the body, the urge to overeat won’t be there.

Stop cutting out the foods you enjoy. Instead reduce portion sizes of these things and factor in a bit of what you fancy everyday. If you’re not depriving yourself of everything you enjoy, you won’t face plant a pizza, a share bag of chocolate, 3 bottles of wine and a takeaway on a Saturday.

Gradually reduce calories over a 12 week period. Reducing your daily calories by maybe 50-100 every 2 weeks will ensure that progress is consistent and nutrition remains manageable.

Client Ellie Mae healthier, happier, leaner, better relationship with food and her body.