We often feel that if we can’t turn up to our workout ready to give 100%, then we shouldn’t bother at all – and that if we’re not sweating or pushing ourselves, then we’re not achieving anything.
But this is just not true.
If you’re tired, in pain, or just simply not in the mood, 99.9% of the time, you’re still best to turn up to your workout and do what you can.
While sometimes it IS a good idea to take some rest, it’s more often true that doing a bit of […]
I quite like the idea of plant points.
It’s something which the American Gut Project came up with a while ago and which seems to be gaining popularity lately.
I like the concept of focussing on increasing your intake of certain foods, and allowing the less preferable foods to naturally reduce. This is an approach I’ve used with clients for years.
Now, first up: plant points do NOT mean that eating plant based is the way to go.
(In fact, I’ll be posting something about this in the Facebook Group next week)
Protein is really important and […]
Knees are funny little things.
You could argue that they’re not very well designed; they’re fairly complicated, plus they have to take a lot of weight despite the lack of support they have compared to, say, your hips.
And so, knees are easily and frequently injured.
So, how can we make our knees less likely to get injured?
By making sure the joints above and below are working in the way they’re designed… That’s your hips and your feet / ankles!
If your hips are tight and the muscles around them are weak, then every time you […]
There are all sorts of reasons you might not fancy joining a gym, but, do you need to bite the bullet if you want to do resistance workouts? Do you need the equipment in the gym if you’re to make decent strength gains?
Well, with 16 years experience in designing home workout programs, I’m here to let you know that it is absolutely possible to improve your strength at home!
One of the biggest benefits of exercising at home is the convenience. Not only does the time you have to commit to your workout reduce because of not […]
Are you struggling to lose fat from your middle?
It’s the most common area for people to want to lose weight from, yet it is also the most stubborn area to see progress.
So, here are some ideas for where to focus your attention:
Nutrition
If your diet isn’t right, you’re going to struggle to get your belly fat to shift.
So, make sure you’re mostly eating whole, real foods with plenty of protein and veggies, and are keeping super processed food to a minimum. Make sure you’re doing this at least 80 […]
First up, if you haven’t already, please come and join my new Facebook Group – it’s full of practical advice and ideas to think about when working on your health and fitness.
I meet quite a lot of people who feel that if they can just get their weight loss going by being ‘super strict’ or by following some kind of restrictive or diet for a short time, that they’d then be able to revert to a more moderate approach and continue to lose weight in a healthier way.
But, nine times out of ten this doesn’t […]
Most of us would benefit from strength training, although one could argue that the importance becomes greater with age.
As we age, the amount of muscle we have on our bodies naturally reduces, and this means that our strength reduces too.
Of course, that means changes to your figure, but more importantly a reduction in muscle mass and strength also means decreased motor control and balance – which then means higher chances of falling.
I believe that with strength training, we can reduce your risk of injury in general by maintaining and improving your strength and coordination.
Then we can think […]
First up, if you haven’t already, please come and join my new Facebook Group – it’s full of practical advice and ideas to think about when working on your health and fitness.
There are so many benefits to using resistance training. If you keep generally active as much as you can, and have time to fit in one kind of structured workout, then resistance training has to be it – it has the most broad spectrum benefits… In fact, when we lay out the benefits of resistance work, it really shows how true this is.
Mental Health
This […]
Is it important, or even necessary, to track your calories and macros if you’re aiming to lose weight?
Short answer: no.
Longer answer:
Sometimes tracking the numbers can be helpful – it can help you to keep track of what you’re eating, it can help you to keep your head in the game, and it can also give you confidence that you’re both reducing your intake yet still eating enough.
Likewise, when you’re trying to lose weight, although reducing your intake is definitely necessary, it is also important that you eat enough protein in order to avoid […]
I’m often talking about the importance of resistance training for fitness, health and weight loss, and that is absolutely the best place to focus your exercise efforts.
Resistance training should be your priority.
But there is some benefit to adding in aerobic exercise too.
Make sure you choose something you enjoy though – don’t look only at the calorie burn and instead also consider what you’ll be able to maintain long term.
If you love a nice long walk on the flat, that’s great. If you prefer to do something that feels a bit more like exercise […]
