Expert Articles

We see it on the news every day: Obesity rates are up, diabetes is more prevalent than ever, the major cost of providing health care to the increased number of sick people.  Today we are more unhealthy than ever before.  Do you want to be a part of this ever growing number of sick and unproductive people?  Do you truly believe you can beat the battle with diabetes on your own?  If the answer to both of those questions is no, then you may well need a Personal Trainer.  Below are 10 reasons why you need help to fight the battle of the bulge.

 Sugar

Carbohydrates

Physical activity is vital for the younger generations development and lays the foundation for a healthy and active lifestyle. Physical activity not only provides health benefits, it provides learning experiences that link to the younger generations interests, abilities and identity.  Kids who are physically fit can also sleep better as well as being able to handle physical and emotional challenges better which helps in areas such as studying for a test, coping with stress and being more resilient.

When I work with people on the goal setting process it is important to first understand that reachable goals are CONSISTENT WITH YOUR VALUES. It is also important to note: The act of writing your goals down vastly increases your chances of success.

Often a major factor that is overlooked whilst on a weight loss program is your current social networks aka circle of influence. This article will cover why it deserves your attention - especially if you are looking for long term results.

Calories in calories out is still the most widely accepted hypothesis on how we gain or lose weight. This is definitely the case, there is no doubt that if an individual eats 2,000 calories per day and burns 2,500 he or she will lose weight. However this logic is the same as buying with a credit card, you are spending money you don't have; eventually the money or weight will go back on. So the question arises, if sustained weight loss is not about constantly monitoring the amount of calories we ingest versus the amount of calories we expend then what should we be monitoring to remain lean strong and healthy?

As we all know, food and fat loss go hand in hand, but without an educated thought as to why we eat the foods we eat, our fat loss journey could take much longer than expected. The aim of this article is to get you to understand why you would ever decide to prepare your own food and track how much you eat.   Diets, nutrition plans and food recommendations are forever changing, at least the adverts are. We start a food regime only to see a week later someone advertising the latest lemon detox diet and we find ourselves sucked into a dream that lemons will be the elixir to our fat loss. Of course, there's a bit more to it than that! One thing we certainly know, is that the amount of food we eat is crucial to eliminating fat. We all have a basal metabolic rate (BMR), of which, if we eat over the amount required, we will generally put on weight. Eating under this amount will usually induce fat loss. However the tricky part is consuming the correct amount of calories to support muscle growth yet, remaining under the metabolic rate so that the end result is fat loss and not weight loss. 'Weight loss' meaning the loss of fat, muscle and water. In an ideal world a person wanting to lose weight would eat a caloric intake tailored specifically to their daily activities. For example, for someone with a BMR requiring 2100 calories who burned 600 from running, would need to eat 1900 calories in that day to still lose fat without becoming catabolic and lose muscle. You lose muscle when you don't have enough calories in your body to support muscle recovery, putting you in a catabolic state. The body is either in an anabolic state or a catabolic state (growing or destroying muscle tissue). It is never in-between either one. Yet since we don't always know how much energy we have burned in a day, it is hard for us to calculate the right amount of food to eat when we change the meals we have everyday. The food we eat over the course of a day is part of the method enabling us to reach our end result. If we change our method, i.e. our food intake on a daily basis, we will never know if the method we tried the day before worked, because nothing happens overnight. We need at least a week to confidently say we've seen a difference. I'm not by any means saying you must stick to a simple and boring plan of the same meals 7 days a week for the rest of your life, but limit the food you eat to a couple of different options for each meal you have and be aware of what and how much is in them. That way you know if you have option 1 of 3 for breakfast you have consumed 300 calories and will have 1600 left for the day. If you were to instead grab a takeaway from the cafe on your way to work, that meal will more than likely take you over your BMR for the day. Even if it's the same meal you have at home, there's a reason why cafe food tastes better than home cooking, and that's because it's designed primarily with taste in mind, so is likely to be high in salt, fat and sugar. Nutrition is a secondary consideration, so who really knows what is in it! Depending on the amount of fat you want to lose it might not happen as quickly as you think. But knowing what's in your meals will make for good progress. 

When assessing clients progress, I like to use these 3 measuring tools; body weight scales, girth measurements and photos. Using these 3 tools to assess your progress and results makes it more accurate and reassuring.  By using these 3 tools, you know for sure whether or not what you are doing is working and you're succeeding. Give them a try!