Why you should take fish oil/cod liver oil:The Facts

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Why you should take fish oil: The Facts

What is Fish Oil?

Fish oil is a fatty acid from the source, fish! This fatty acid is Omega-3. If you eat plenty of fish containing Omega-3 then you don't need to worry as much about topping up your intake with supplements.

However it's good to boost your omega-3 intake with supplements, however these will only support your daily intake. Don't replace foods with supplements, use supplements to support foods or food groups.

Studies have shown that fish oil can improve:

• Blood Cholesterol- LDL's or Low-Density lipoproteins are known as "bad cholesterol" as these transport cholesterol to cells that need it and too much can clog up the artery walls! However there is "good cholesterol" or High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL) transport cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver, which can either be broken down or passed through the body as waste. Fish oil can improve the levels of HDL's and LDL's.
• Lower's the risk of cancer- Taking fish oil supplements alongside a good intake of fish and antioxidants from fruit and vegetables will helps eliminate the risk of cancer in later life.
• Improves bone density- Fatty acids that come from fish and supplements help to maintain good calcium levels along with balanced healthy eating.

Remember:

Don't replace fish oils with fish, the fish oil only supports your daily amount of fatty acids.

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Top 5 Rules of Effective Training

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Top 5 rules of Effective Training

1) Don't always associate muscle soreness as the best way to judge your workout
Muscle soreness is a result of small tears in muscle fibres in working muscles. But it can an unreliable measurement tool. Muscle soreness occurs when you have reached a higher level in your training. Also if you haven't trained for awhile and you do the same workout again and if your a beginner and lifting weights for the first time.

2) Don't use the scales to measure your success
The scales can sometimes lie! Some people measure themselves different times in the day and wonder why they're different weights (duh-duh!). The scales don't tell you that it's not about gaining weight but about gaining lean muscle mass which will utilise fat more effectively and you will much better for it! Focus on tape measurements, photos and how you fit in your clothes as a measurement tool instead of the scales.





3) Supplements are only one part of the BIG picture

Supplements do what they say, they only supplement or support your intake. Protein shakes and amino acids alone wouldn't get you big results, but if you have foods rich in protein like lean turkey and tuna steaks alongside your supplements you can't go wrong with your nutrition in that perspective.

4) Training 5-7 times a week with very little rest is good? Hell No!

There is a thing as over training, and your body will have the reverse effect than adding muscle or losing weight. Rest is just as important as you need your body to repair and muscles to strengthen for the next workout.



5) Keep your head in the game


  It's not just about keeping motivated, it's about focusing on technique during a resistance exercise or remembering the next ratio on an interval on a treadmill. Research has shown that regular exercise improve concentration levels and memory.

Do you have rules for effective traning? Share them

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How I manage to fit 3 exercise sessions in every week and work full time

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How I manage to fit 3 exercise sessions in every week and work full time

  These last few months have been much busier in terms of workload and new opportunities, meaning more time working and less time to do exercise. However I still make time to train 3 times a week, I know I need to train 3 times a week and I also know that rest is just as important. Most of my work is on a night time, so I train early in the morning and it sets me up for the rest of the day. I train at the gym, and limit my workout upto 1 hour maximum.


Tips to make time and fit exercise in your schedule:

• Buy a diary- Input your work shifts, look at times where you have 30 minutes- 1 hour to do very effective exercise.
• Learn to say no- Friends invite you out every week and alcohol does no favours to your body, or family members want to go for a meal. Use that time to train and use it as one of your 3 sessions a week. I don't want you to not socialise with your friends so limit your nightouts to once a month!
• Plan the day after the day before- Write a schedule of the next day and look for opportunities to fit exercise in.
• Take a friend or partner to the gym- This way your more likely to go to the gym if someone else is working out with you.
• Train outdoors or at home- You don't have to train at the gym, if the weather is bad train in a small space at home, go for a jog outdoors and build up your cardiovascular fitness. Don't limit yourself to one place where you can train have a few options.

Try this 30 minute High Intensity Full Body workout

Sets-3
Rest- 30 seconds after the last exercise
Duration-1 minute on each exercise

Floor Inverted Shoulder Press

Spider-man Press ups

Alternating Lunges

V-Sits

Hill-Climbers

Anatomical Bicep curls

Any questions or even ideas that you helps you train even when your busy please share!

Develop, tighten and firm your chest

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How to develop, tighten and firm your chest

Want to have a chest like this?



If your sick of having no pectorals or chest muscles or you want to transform the "moobs" or man boobs then these exercises below will definately tighten, firm and develop your chest muscles. Developing your chest helps to hide away an excess fat on the abdominal region, so get working! Whether your a beginner or avid fitness freak these exercises will benefit you no matter what your fitness level! These exercises are ideal for women as well as men so it's a win win for all!

Double arm dumbbell pullover

Lie flat on a bench. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees and hold the dumbbells straight over your chest. Lower the weight in an arc above your head until you feel the chest stretch. Hold it for a few seconds and return to the starting position.

Push-ups


Go into a press-up position on the floor. Bring your hands closer together than you would do a press-up approximately shoulder width if not abit closer. Lower your body so your chest reaches a few inches from the floor. Elbows pointing out slightly. Raise your body and contract your chest, that's 1 rep.

Chest Dips




To do this exercise you will need parallel bars. Hold onto the bars at arms length. Lower your body, so that your upperbody is leaning forward about 30 degrees and point out your elbows slightly. When you feel the stretch in the chets hold your postion and return to the start position. Tip- for an extra benefit, contract the chest muscles when returning to the starting position.

Any exercises you like to develop, tighten and firm your chest? Share your ideas below
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High Intensity Interval Training

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High Intensity Interval Training

Burn more fat, more calories and improve cardiovascular fitness levels with much less time!

Most of us know that continuous or steady-state cardiovascualr training helps to improve fitness, burn fat and burns calories right? What if I told you there was a more effective way to lose weight, burn fat, burn more calories and improve fitness levels.




High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is a training method that requires you to use maximum or almost maximum heart rate, this training works your anaerobic energy system and your aerobic system.

Why HIIT?

• More calories can be burnt doing HIIT rather than continous aerobic training. 100 metre sprints repeated can burn approximately 1,225 calories an hour! Compared to continous training which burns approximately 500-700 calories.
• Performing maximum output during exercise requires longer rest periods than continuous training.
• It's ideal if your very busy and you want a quick workout, a 10-20 minute HIIT is enough to benefit you, burn the same amount of calories in a 45- 60 minute continuous workout.
• HIIT training limits muscle loss, whch can be more present in continuous aerobic training.
• HIIT fuels fat as an energy source and increases the fat burning potential. 

It's also great to mix interval with high and low intensity intervals. The instrucotr should vary the rest and work ratios with you so you don't adapt so quickly to the training program.

HIIT isn't for everyone

• It's not for beginners who have low fitness levels.
• You should be able to exercise at least 20-30 minutes of 70% of your Max Heart Rate.
• Gradually build up your fitness using HIIT or you will do too much!
• Make sure you do a warm-up and cool down

Any questions?
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How to beat the colds and flu's through diet and exercise

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This is a guide if you get a cold or it becomes flu or you always get colds and want to prevent it happening again. Follow these steps to strengthen your immune system and beat the cold.

Eat a big breakfast and eat it early in the day

Research suggests that eating a big breakfast and having it early in the day will reduce your chances of catching a cold. E.G. Porridge oats with mixed berries and a glass of orange juice.

Exercise to boost white blood cell count

Many studies prove that exercise increases white blood cell count. Other research goes one step further and has found that if you exercise regularly your unlikely to catch a cold or if you do manage to catch a cold then it lasts for a shorter time than someone who doesn't do any exercise.

Add more protein

Protein is great for growth and repair of muscles, bones, and cells, therefore protein will build up an immune response strenghtening immune cells and hormones. Food high in protein are fish, chicken and tofu.

Good sleep
Research has shown that less sleep decreases your immune system. It's recommended to sleep at least 8 hours. Get snoozing!

Herbal tea
Herbal teas or any hot liquids like heated blackcurrant juice is great for thinning mocus and remove it from the body.


Food packed full of vitamins
Increase your vitamin intake by eating fruits and fruit juices. E.G. Cranberry juice, orange juice, strawberries etc.


References
Chubak, J. (2006). Moderate-Intensity Exercise Reduces the Incidence of colds amongst post menopausal women. The American Journal of Medicine.
Schmidl, M. (2000) Essentials of functional foods.
Turner RB. The common cold. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone;2009:chap 53.

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Why hiring a Personal Trainer gets you better results than a gym membership

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Why hiring a Personal Trainer gets you better results than a gym membership
Pro's and Con's of Hiring a Personal Trainer

Pro's

• The training and nutrition is personal to you
• You can train one-to-one or in small groups
• You can pay by the hour or on a monthy basis, my PT service offers this and most others do
• Results based! All personal trainers will be focused on achieving great results for clients
• Tailored exercise and diet plans to meet your dietary and fitness needs

• Regularly check your weight or inches using the scales or a tape measure
• Gain technical aspects of resistance and weight training (e.g. don't lock out during the chest press) and also cardiovascualr training
• A personal trainer can train you at your home, outdoors, or indoors it just depends o the client's needs

Con's

• 95% of the great results comes from you and the other 5% comes from the trainer's tools to help you get the results!
• Results take time and noticeable changes in your body should be in the first 6-8 weeks
• Cost! Some trainers can cost what would seem quite a lot of money. Average PT session per hour is £30
• Don't expect results if your not willing to work HARD

Pro's and Con's of Joining a Gym

Pro's

• Pay monthly by almost all gyms, some bodybuilding gyms however offer pay as you train.
• Most gyms offer early opening times and late night closing times (long hours to train)
• You have access to resistance and cardiovascular equipment
• Social gathering, meet new friends, meet existing friends etc
• Concessions for students, OAP's, benefits etc
• Train at a time that suits you

Con's

• You don't get step by step guidance from a gym to follow through your fitness goals
• You left to your own devices and sometimes this can be pivotal to you reaching your goals or going to the gym for the sake of it and going nowhere with it!

Is this still you after a month's gym membership?

• The gym staff don't evaluate your gym programme after 4-6 weeks and see where your at with your exercise for all gym members
• Not enough knowledge passed on from gym staff to gym members about nutrition and exercise to help with eating habits, weight management, exercise plans and tips
• There is nobody who can push you every training session
• Less effective at burning fat than using a personal trainer
• They don't show that they care about your fitness journey than a personal trainer would.
• Don't offer any motivational techniques
• Don't look at your previous diet and exercise in depth and monitor, evaluate and progress your fitness goals
• No goal setting