Yes, I know that’s very “80’s”, but it works — so why knock it! If you’re trying to manage your weight be very specific about what you want to change (i.e. do you want to put on muscle, or do you want to lose fat?) and decide by how much you want it to change (measurable numbers please). Make sure that not only is it an achievable goal (talk to your trainer about that), but also that it’s realistic for you personally.

You’ve probably tried to do this before, so you know how your body responds — don’t place impossible or improbable targets on your head. It’s too de-motivating. Finally, let’s all decide to achieve that goal by 31st March 2010—before the cooler months set in. Don’t forget for those of you with longer reaching ambitions, it’s easier to set intermediate targets in bite-sized chunks (e.g. for a 2-3 month periods) than aiming for a vast change in one fell swoop.

Did you know….? Only around 25-30% of your diet should be protein

The large majority of us in New Zealand eat a high protein diet, in the mistaken belief that  not only is protein good for us, but that it energises us and helps us control our weight.  Hopefully you picked up on the word “mistakenly” because on both counts that assumption is incorrect.  Protein does not give us energy—that is the role of carbohydrates (as we discussed in the first article of Aghhh, what can I eat), and although eating a meal containing protein helps to give us that “full”  feeling for longer, the role of protein is to provide the building blocks of our bodies.

Clearly if you are a growing child, pregnant or a body builder, then you will need more “building blocks” or protein than the average adult who only needs to repair and maintain the body.  However, for adults even the most strenuous body builder can only metabolise a maximum of 2g pure protein/lb body weight/day.    What happens to all that extra protein we add to our diet?  The body converts any unused protein into fat.  From there it may remain as fat, or if we require more energy than the body’s first choice of fuel (carbohydrates) can provide, then we may start using some of our fat stores. Our meals should contain no more than 25% – 30% protein from mixed sources.

Got 30 minutes free for exercise?

If you are short for time and feel like you need to exercise, here is how you can manage a resistance programme in a short period.

1. Choose 4-5 Resistance exercises (using weights) such as: Squats, Lunges, Lat Pull down, Dumbbell row, Bench press, Leg press.

2. Choose 4-5 Anaerobic exercises (using only body weight) such as: Burpees, Squat jumps, Fast push ups, Sit ups or other Core exercises.

Start your programme with the first resistance exercise doing between 8 – 12 repetitions, then move to your first anaerobic exercise doing between 10 -20 reps. Then move through the 5 sets of exercises like that.

E.g.
1. Squats (resistance) x 10 reps then 10 x squat jumps (anaerobic), Repeat for a 2nd set.

2. Bench press (resistance) x 10 reps then 10 x burpees (anaerobic), Repeat for a 2nd set.

3. Lunges (resistance) x 10 reps then 10 x fast push ups (anaerobic), Repeat for a 2nd set.

4. Lat pull down (resistance) x 10 reps then 10 x Sit Ups (anaerobic), Repeat for a 2nd set.

5. Dumbell row(resistance) x 10 reps then 10 x burpees (anaerobic), Repeat for a 2nd set.

Tips:

• Always warm up for 3-5 minutes before exercising.
• Try and alternate between lower body and upper body exercises if you can.
• 10 sets of Resistance and 10 sets of Anaerobic in total like the example above, will mean that you have exercised for approximately 20 minutes.
• Always concentrate on good form and good posture. This programme should take about 15-20 minutes maximum when you are used to the structure.
• Always cool down and stretch afterwards, Check out my previous articles in the archive on how to warm up, cool down and stretch your body.

There will be at least two sessions held before Christmas and then regular weekly sessions in the New Year.

Get your body moving in a group environment and bring a friend. Great value at $10 per class.

Sessions limited to 10 per class, to register contact Tanya Taylor

e: tanyataylor@clear.net.nz or ph: 021 971 973 or 3390390

1. Be Specific About Your Fitness Goal:

• Who: Who is involved? That’s easy! “I …”
• What: What do I want to accomplish? Again, be specific here: “… want to lose 2 kgs… ”
• When: Establish a time frame. “… in two months …”
• Which: Identify requirements and constraints. Which way are you going to do this? “… by eating right and exercising …”
• Where: Identify a location. The more details you fill in to form a complete picture, the more likely you will be to execute the plan. “… in the gym …”
• Why: Give specific reasons, purposes or benefits of accomplishing the goal. “… so I can be healthy, fit and energetic.”

“I … want to lose 2 kgs … in two months … by eating right and exercising … in the gym … so I can be healthy, fit and energetic.”

2. Make Your Goal Measurable:
OK so you have set a specific goal and have started making positive changes in your life toward achieving it. But how do you know how well you are doing? Measuring your progress at frequent intervals is as important as setting the goal in the first place. Nothing will boost your confidence and morale than seeing your body change for the better in the mirror every day.

3. Set Attainable Goals:
Think small, attainable targets and you’ll be alright because it’s the attaining of small goals that boosts your morale and helps you aim higher.

4. Be Realistic:
Be realistic and ask yourself what the chances are that you will stick to any drastic change in behaviour:

• Do you have two hours to spare for running? Every single day?
• You won’t eat cake? What about on your partner’s / kid’s / best-friend’s birthday?
• No fried foods?

5. Stick To Timely Goals:
This is the “… in two months …” part of the goal statement. By limiting the time you have to accomplish a goal you have a fixed timetable to work with and the sense of urgency that will spur you to keep on track.

Go ahead - set a S.M.A.R.T. fitness goal right away and work towards it!

While most people

It is key for the stability and strength of your back, which in turn controls your posture. An improved posture and technique will then lead to improvements everywhere else.

A strong core will enable you to run faster, work longer and lift more and should not be overlooked when doing any exercise – there’s always time to do some core work no matter what you’re doing.

The benefits don’t end there either; researchers for the U.S. Army tracked the injuries of male and female soldiers during a year of field training in which they periodically performed the standard Army fitness test of situps, pushups, and a two-mile run. Those who could hiss out the most situps were less likely to suffer from injuries.

A great core won’t stop you from having to call in sick now and then, but studies show that people with flat abs are:

• 25% less likely to develop heart disease;
• 35% less likely to have a heart attack;
• 41% less likely to develop high blood pressure;
• 40% less likely to develop kidney cancer;
• 60% less likely to develop gallstones;
• 14% less likely to develop osteoarthritis.

Leading on from these undeniable statistics, A Canadian study of more than 8,000 people over 13 years found that those with the weakest abdominal muscles had more than double the death rate of the people with the strongest midsections. No surprise when you consider all the health conditions associated with belly fat.

It can’t be ignored, a good core is central to your quality of life, and if you’re wanting to improve your performance, it is definitely the place to start. And plus, a nice core really does look good doesn’t it slynkey girls!

Of course, on the flip side of that are the articles that try to convince you that you must eat tonnes of food you would not normally touch with a barge poll.

The fear if you don’t eat it is that you will shrivel up into a brain dead , cholesterol-ridden, poisoned-livered zombie. If you were really going to eat all the recommended food you’d probably put on a kilo a week in unwanted weight unless you had the activity levels of a pro-athlete at the height of their training…. most of us need to go to work, so that much activity is unlikely.

Starting this month En Forme training studios, together with A Womanz Place—Anyplace are producing this blog to try to bring some sanity back to your nutrition. We hope you find this both informative and fun. If you have any ideas or questions for future articles, please feel free to send me an e-mail: kathy@awomanzplace.co.nz

Did you know….? At least 50% of your diet should be “carbs”

At least 50% of your diet should be “carbs” First of all—what exactly is a “carbohydrate”? Mostly we think of bread, pasta, rice, cake, biscuits, potatoes, etc. The list can go on and on, but in fact those fruit and vegetables that we’re encouraged to eat are also carbohydrates.

Now when you think of the recommendation to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day (of which the majority should be veg, rather than fruit), then it starts to make sense that at least 50% of our daily diet should be carbs.

But don’t let that fool you—your body still requires the cereals (e.g. wheat & rice), pulses and potatoes to the same or even greater extent than the fruit and veg. These are the real energizers that keep us going—but try to avoid the really processed forms such as white bread/ rice/ pasta otherwise you’ll miss out on all that fibre content (more on that in the future).

In fact, if you’re reasonably active and not a couch potato, then the percentage should really go up to 60% of your daily intake. So don’t avoid carbs—they are good for you, just don’t overdo the white bread!

Recommended daily intake:

• 3-5 vegetable serves/ day
• 2-4 fruit serves/ day
• 5-11 cereal & potato serves/ day

Meals & portion sizes

The most common question I get is “How much should I eat?” and “What is a serving?”. OK, I admit these are two questions, but I feel they are related. In today’s world we rush our meals (if we have one at all) and everything is bigger— bigger dishes, bigger restaurant servings, bigger ‘eyes;! We miss meals because there’s no time, so when we do finally get around to eating, we feel half starved. In fact our bodies have physiologically entered a “starvation” state with the associated changes.

The net result is that we eat fast, we eat too much, and we make the wrong choices (fats and sugars are even more appealing when we’re very hungry). It takes around 20 minutes for the products of digestion to begin entering the blood stream and for us to start feeling satisfied, so either eat more slowly and don’t feel bad about leaving food on your plate. Only eat enough to satisfy your hunger. If you must eat fast, then only eat half your food, wait for a while and then decide whether you’re still hungry and want more! Better still, would be not to leave such big gaps so you don’t get to the “starving” state. You’ve probably heard about eating 5 – 6 meals a day. It’s true, but by “meals” you can think “snacks” for at least half.

Smaller breakfast, lunch and dinner of about equal size or even big breakfast, medium lunch and small dinner, with a mid-morning fruit and nuts snack for example, and a midafternoon fruit and pottle of yogurt; finishing the day with a couple of biscuits and a glass of milk. Yes—biscuits, but not too much cream or chocolate please!

Bircher’s Muesli — a healthy variation

Ingredients:
100g rolled oats
200g strawberry yogurt
½ cup milk
½ cup apple & blackberry juice
60g dried fruit & nut medley
1 diced mango or other seasonal
fruit (try orange & apple
combined, or stone fruit, etc)
This is one of my favourite breakfasts. The recipe was originally derived from Weight Watcher’s and indeed, if you are on a low fat diet, you should use low fat yogurt and reduced fat milk. The ingredients here are sufficient for 4 small or 3 medium sized servings.

Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except for the mango (or other fruit) together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
2. Eat & enjoy!

N.B. Oranges & apples can be added with all other ingredients

Goal Setting Steps
Simply stating unplanned goals is unwise. For example, if you list a goal like “I am going to be 2 kgs. lighter this time next year,” this is too vague and you are likely to lose interest in your goal. Start setting positive fitness goals and steps to reach them based on your results.

Decide on your goal, think about your time frame, your budget, your availability to change eating habits and exercise. Speak with a Fitness Professional to discuss if your goal is realistic and then set the steps towards achieving those goals.

“I … want to lose 2 kgs… in two months … by eating right and exercising each week … in the gym … so I can be healthier, look fit and feel energetic!”

What are S.M.A.R.T. Goals?
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that describes the various attributes a goal should have to ensure maximum probability of success.

S – specific
M – measurable
A – achievable
R – realistic
T – timely

How Can I Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals For Fitness And Weight-Management?
Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain muscle or just be fit, setting S.M.A.R.T. goals will give you an edge by keeping you focussed and motivated throughout your endeavour.

I’ll write more about setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals in my next article!

What is Circuit Training?

Circuit Training is amongst one of the most common ways to exercise. One benefit that Circuit Training can give you is a combination of Resistance & Cardio, so giving not only your heart a challenge but also creating a leaner body.

The advantages of Circuit Training are:
• Develops strength and endurance
• Appropriate form of training for most sports
• Can be adjusted to suit age, fitness and health of an individual
• Exercises are simple enough so that you feel a sense of achievement in completing them
• A wide range of exercises to select from which will maintain your interest and enthusiasm

The Best Circuits involve good challenging exercises with short rest breaks between each exercise. Depending on how much time you have and want to spend in your session there are a variety of resistance exercises out there to choose from. You could select from 3-6 exercises plus 3-6 cardio movements. Aiming to do each station or exercise for 30-90seconds. A Circuit Training format is completed one exercise after another.

The exercises within each circuit are separated by brief, timed rest intervals, and each circuit is separated by a longer rest period. The total number of circuits performed during a training session may vary from two to six depending on your training level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced).

If you are working to your full potential you will guarantee to sweat & lose kilos. It is important to conduct a warm up at the start of the session and a cool down at the end of the session.

This means that the muscles won’t get worked many times in the week and will have a better chance to recover.

The most common splits to use are:
• Shoulders & Traps
• Back & Biceps
• Legs & Ab’s
• Chest & Triceps

Use compound exercises that workout the whole body, this is more effective and functional rather than just Isolated exercises e.g. (Compound) Squats or deadlifts compared to (Isolated) Leg extension & leg curls…

Do a short workout before your cardio session. So, perhaps do a light warm up and then do 20 minutes of weights and finish with a half an hour on the treadmill. Putting your weights session before your cardio session seems like a good option for those women wanting to lose weight. The reason for this is that the glycogen in your muscles which you need for energy has been depleted with the weight lifting leaving you with less to burn through in the cardio session.

Conclusion
Weight training has so many weight loss benefits. Try and perform more than you usually do and see what the results are. Lastly, the importance of Hydration for the body to function well.

Drinking water is fundamental to our existence. Many people don’t consume enough water, and can become dehydrated without even knowing it, especially when you exercise. Your body is made up of 60 per cent water, which provides the fluid it needs to function efficiently.The recommended intake is about six to eight glasses a day. So when you exercise, make sure you sip water BEFORE, DURING and AFTER exercise.

“ YOU CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT A CAR, BUT YOU WILL DIE WITH NO DRIVE!”

Last month

Use these exercises to lengthen the muscle and tendons, reduce tension and increase relaxation. Remember to stretch before exercise and after exercise. Stretch gently and slowly.

Neck and shoulder:
This stretch can be done standing or sitting on a chair. While standing tilt your head sideways towards the left shoulder as your left hand pulls your right arm down and across, behind your back. While sitting, with your right hand on side of chair to fixate your arm, tilt your head towards your left shoulder, use your left arm to assist or to add pressure. Feel the stretch through your neck.

Stand in a doorway; reach back with one or both arms, fixating your hands below shoulder level. Feel the stretch through your shoulders and chest.

Shoulder and upper back:
Interlock your fingers above your head with your palms facing upward, push your arms slightly back and up. Feel the stretch in your arms, shoulders and upper back.

Kneel back on your heels, keeping your bottom fixed down, stretch both arms out in front along the floor pressing your palms down into the floor.

Back:
Lie flat on your back, stretch your arms above past your head and straighten down your legs, pointing your toes – make sure your back is flat on the floor and not arched. Stretch in both directions. This exercise if great for stretching out the spine.

Triceps:
Lift your arm above your head and hold your elbow of that arm with your other arm, gently pull the elbow behind your head. Feel this stretch in the back of the arms and shoulder joint.

Remember to hold stretches up to 2 minutes if possible, or as comfortably possible.