Boost the burn!

As an expert in the field of weight management I was approached by BEFIT MAGAZINE for my seven top tips to increase the amount of caloires burnt during a gym workout, I thought I would share them with you!

 

1.       Mix it up.

When resistance training perform an upper body exercise followed by a lower body exercise. This makes the heart work harder by pushing oxygenated blood upwards initially then immediately to the lower body. For example: Tricep pull down à Leg press àChest pressàLeg curl

2.       Incredible Intervals

A workout routine including high intensity cardio followed by moderate intensity periods will increase calories burnt and cardiovascular fitness. After warming up attempt 2 minutes at an intensive pace, return to usual pace for 3 minutes and repeat four times.

3.       Back to the school play ground.

Skipping is a full body workout. Including just 10 minutes at the end of each workout will not only burn over 100 calories but improve flexibility, co-ordination and balance.

4.       Be a flamingo.

Perform all free weight exercises standing on one leg or alternatively on a bosu ball. Not only will you boost the burn but also tone your core.

5.       Don’t wait for weights.

Performing resistance exercises prior to cardio will allow you to utilise energy stores to ensure correct technique and maximum reps and weight are performed. The body will then turn to its fat stores to burn during cardio.

6.       Work that body

Incorporating explosive entire body moves, called plyometrics into your workout will not only increase the after burn effect, meaning more calories are burnt post workout but also improve strength, flexibility and innovation of muscles. Try press up à burpee straight jump, repeat 10 times.  

7.               Don’t forget to stretch

Research has found that incorporating an aerobic stretch sequence such as 10-12 of the popular yoga sun salutations can increase strength by up to 19%. More muscle means more calories burnt throughout the day.

Stop fadding about with food!

“All I am eating is six chicken breasts a day”, “I can’t eat anything but fruit before 3pm” are just two of the wacky diets I have heard people say over the past few days. Has the world gone mad? Scarily these statements didn’t come from the mouths of failing weight reducers or insecure teenage girls, but from fitness professionals. The people who are suppose to be setting a good example to the general public about following a healthy lifestyle.

Fitness instructors undergo intensive training to understand the mechanisms of the human body and how it responds to nutrition and exercise, therefore have the knowledge to understand the importance of following a balanced diet. It is apparent however that these seemingly “healthy” individuals have their own insecurities and are willing to ignore the textbook to try and gain results.

Six chicken breasts wrapped in lettuce a day would provide an estimated 650 calories, 125g protein and 8g fat, about 1/3 of the government recommendations.  Chicken itself is a very healthy food to consume; it is a source of iron and a good provider of fat soluble vitamins A and E. Eating just six chicken breasts a day certainly is not balanced and is potentially dangerous.

The idea of this diet choice, is to “increase lean muscle mass and decrease fat” however due to the low calorie intake it will result in the body utilising muscle to provide energy, decreasing muscle size and shrinking metabolism rate. This means the body will hold onto any energy intake and store it as fat, the complete opposite of the diet intention.  

Additionally it lacks vital micronutrients such as calcium, leading to bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Irregular cardiac rhythms may occur due to the poor nutritional status which could lead to collapse and coma.

As well as the health concerns with this dietary abuse it is inevitable that the eater will not be able to stick to it, often resulting in a binge. The binge is likely to consist of ‘bad’ foods, such as chocolate, bread, cake or crisps. The consequence of this binge will leave the eater feeling overwhelmed with guilt for falling off the diet plan and over eating and therefore leading them to restrict their diet again – ultimately resulting in a viscous starvation->binge->guilt->starvation cycle.

An additional hypothesis as to why fitness professionals may undertake these crazy diets to gain aesthetic benefits is due to the psychological term “starvation syndrome”.  This recognised condition occurs when an individual goes on a strict dieting ritual or other weight control behaviour such as the chicken diet. They begin to develop a dysfunctional scheme for self evaluation. It is likely they would over evaluate their eating, weight, shape and their control as well as how far away they are to achieving perfection. This leads to a low self esteem, leading to further restriction of diet and other weight control behaviour and more intense starvation syndrome.

Seeing as fitness professionals are surrounded by people in the gym attempting to achieve perfection all day every day as well as attempting to achieve their own body perfection it becomes a fixation. Their desire to accomplish the ideal body over rides their knowledge of a healthy balanced diet and this is when the unconventional dieting rituals appear.

It is a common assumption that low body confidence and restricted eating is associated with women, however recent research amongst sports participants revealed that 13% of males admit to binge eating at least once a week.  A binge is defined as a period of excessive or uncontrolled indulgence and this may be due to the restricted diets that some sports participants may consume. Further research performed by Fairburn and Wilsom (1993) revealed that dieting either contributes to or at least exacerbates binge eating. 

An additional study found that individuals in high levels of physical activity such as fitness professionals tend to be very careful about what they eat and often experiment with various dietary programs to enhance appearance and performance. However Bean (2003) concluded that there is a very thin line between paying close attention to detail and obsessive eating behaviours. This suggests that intensive training combined with food restriction such as the chicken breast diet may lead to an obsessive preoccupation with body weight and calorific intake and potentially chronic disordered eating.

Although vital for everyone to eat a healthy balanced diet it is even more vital that those taking part in regular exercise eat well to replace stores they utilise when working out as well as ensuring nutritional status is maximised. A balanced diet should follow the eatwell plate and the following eight tips:

1.       Base meals on starchy foods

2.       Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables

3.       Eat more fish

4.       Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

5.       Eat less salt

6.       Get active and achieve a healthy weight

7.       Don’t get thirsty

8.       Don’t skip breakfast

(NHS live well)

The simple facts are that it is incredibly hard to continually follow a balanced diet and those that are not motivated enough, but know they should be, such as fitness professionals often go in search for quick fixes. These unusual quick fixes will undoubtedly lead to failure, guilt and potentially a negative relationship with food. It is often helpful to take a step back and realise the importance of eating to live and not living to eat. After all food should fun.

References                                                                                                                                                                      

http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/eating-disorders-among-athletes

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1061/chicken-health-and-dietary-patterns

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/eight-tips-healthy-eating.aspx

http://www.swedauk.org/Research/published/dissertation.htm

Ogden 2003

Healthy Winter Warmer

With below freezing temperatures outside what could be more tempting that a big bowl of steaming hot soup to fill your tummy? ... That’s right steaming hot soup and crusty bread! (and you can even have this type if you are on a low carbohydrate diet!)

Unfortunately most commercially produced soups are high in salt and sugar, both we should only be consuming in limited amounts. Salt is necessary for the body to maintain water balance and it also brings flavour to food. Eating too much of it though can be hugely damaging, it not only can cause calcium loss, meaning a decreased bone density but can also increase blood pressure and appetite! Sugar, another bad ‘S’ food is simply empty calories, an empty carbohydrate source leading to weight gain.

However do not panic, below is a delicious simple recipe containing no salt or sugar and each portion contains two or the government recommended five a day!

Ingredients:

·         Vegetables for roasting – you can use up any leftovers hidden at the back of the fridge – i used swede, parsnip, carrot, mushroom, tomatoes and courgette

·         Herbs and spices to taste – I used dried chillies, black pepper, pinch of salt, basil  and chilli powder

·         Boiling water

1.       Wash and roughly chop all vegetables and place on baking tray

2.       Season with desired herbs and spices

3.       I added three dried chillies to give the soup a “kick”. I brought them over from Ghana and they last forever and have an amazing hot/sweet taste to them

4.       Cook vegetables in oven until golden brown, it will take 30-40 minutes depending on the vegetables

5.       Place roasted vegetables in a pan and cover with water, adding more seasonings if desired.

6.       Boil then simmer for 5 minutes

7.       Blitz with a blender, I prefer to use a hand blender to get a thick consistency.

8.       Poor into plastic container to store in the fridge of freezer.

Enjoy soup on its own or visit ilovecake-rachelanne.blogspot.com again soon for tasty low carbohydrate bread roll recipes!

High Protein, High Fibre, Low Carb, Low Fat Biscuits...yes biscuits (and they are tasty too!)

Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Go Lower and Primal Blueprint are all well known diets that follow the same idea that restricting carbohydrates leads to weight loss. But do these diets really work?

In brief the science behind the low carbohydrate diet is due to the blood sugar levels in the body. When a carbohydrate is ingested it is broken down in the gastrointestinal system to glucose, a simple sugar and absorbed into the blood stream. This simple sugar is used as the body’s primary energy source. The increased blood sugar  in turn releases the storage hormone Insulin from the pancreas. Insulin holds onto a glucose molecule, taking it into a body cell and storing it there until it is used as energy. However if the body does not require energy then the stored sugar will lead to weight gain.

Cutting back on carbohydrates means that the body has no immediate energy and therefore turns to the break down of fat or protein to use as energy. Utilising fat stores as energy mean that weight loss can result.

For an easy low carbohydrate, high fibre, high protein TASTY snack try making these simple chocolate biscuits.

Ingredients: (makes 12)

·         4 oz chocolate protein powder (whey or soya works well)

·         2 oz pure wheat bran (available cheaply from health food stores)

·         4 oz low fat cream cheese

·         0.75 oz sweetener

·         1 tsp vanilla essence

·         1 egg

·         Toppings are desired (I used almond butter, coconut and cocoa)

1.       Pre-heat oven to 180oC

2.       In a bowl mix together protein, wheat bran, cream cheese, sweetener and vanilla essence

3.       Beat egg and add to mixture

4.       Stir all ingredients until a smooth mixture, a small amount of water may be needed

5.       Roll into small balls and flatten onto a baking tray

6.       Top with desired toppings, (coconut, nut butters, seeds, cocoa, almonds, cashews, orange extract, lemon extract...)

7.       Bake for 12 minutes in preheated over

Please note that if you are not used to eating fibre rich foods it is vital that you increase your fluid intakes to avoid constipation.

Crazy celeb diets

As most of us are sitting rubbing our inflated bellies after the Christmas indulgence there are some celebrities going to extreme lengths to maintain their perfect bodies. Instead of the normal New Year’s resolutions of eating healthily, drinking less or exercising more these famous females will truly try anything to look the best on the red carpet.

Before starring in movie “Dream girls”, curvalicious Beyonce undertook a gruelling 14 day “Maple Syrup Diet”, losing a gigantic 20lbs during the two weeks. The diet meant consuming nothing other than the detox drink made from lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper dissolved in water.

The detox was created by neuropath Stanley Burroughs who recommends drinking at least six glasses of this concoction every day. “The diet has many benefits including weight loss, improved complexion increased energy, shiner hair and stronger nails”. So for the untrained dieter this detox appears to be the answer to not only make as lose weight but also look as beautiful as Beyonce. 

Registered dietitian Ruth Caveland says that anyone undertaking this diet should do some with extreme caution and under medical supervision. “This detox is a method of crash dieting and calorie intake is very low, under 500 calories a day. The fast weight loss is likely to be water loss and as soon as normal eating resumes the weight will reappear.”

So if you are looking for a quick fix to lose weight and want to experience constipation, irritability and hunger, common side effects of crash dieting. As well as tooth decay from the combination of lemon and syrup then follow in Beyonce’s footsteps with this maple syrup diet.

If you are not a fan of maple syrup perhaps follow on Jennifer Anistons track and trial the weaning diet. This super celeb who is almost as famous for her fabulous body as she is for her acting roles is said to have lost 7lb consuming pureed foods before starring role in film “Just Go With It”.

The diet was created by Jennifer’s personal trainer Tracy Anderson whom also trains Gwyneth Paltrow. “I wanted to create something where you eliminate toxicity whilst still keeping the digestive system going”, Tracey says. “Liquid cleanses do help you lose weight but you gain some back the following week.”

Aniston ate up to 14 portions of mashed food every day, the theory behind it being that partially pureed food is easier to digest and will lead to  a faster weight loss.

Dietitian Ruth explains that the weight loss is likely to be due to a reduction in calories. “The body has kidneys to eliminate toxicity and therefore a puree diet will not improve the excretion of toxicity but will lead to loose stools”

Rather than eat baby food like Jennifer Aniston, reality TV star Kim Kardasian prefers to tuck into six cookies and a small meal every day to maintain her renowned curves.

The cookie diet involves eating six of Dr Siegal’s specially made cookies, the recipe is secret but experts thinks it contains Okura, a substance that absorbs any liquid. Dietitian Ruth explains “Dr Siegal advises two glasses of liquid are drank with each cookie, tricking the body into thinking it is full.”

Dr Seigal explains that his diet works because the cookies are high in protein which curbs hunger. “We have over 500,000 people buying our cookies, the secret blend of amino acids is the reason why the cookie diet works”  

Ruth explains that this diet is another example of  crash dieting as it restricts calories so irritability and constipation will result. “The diet is appealing as it legalizes a food – the cookie which is banned from most weight loss programs”.

Despite Beyonce, Jennier and Kim losing weight on these diets they are only quick fixes and the common new year’s resolutions of drinking less and exercising more are the most realistic ways to lose weight and keep it off.

In terms of eating healthily aiming to eat a source of protein such as eggs, lean meat or fish with each meal will keep you fuller for longer as well as plenty of fruit and vegetables. Choosing wholegrain carbohydrates such as wholemeal bread and pasta which contain fibre and remembering to drink 6-8 glasses of water every day will help keep the digestive tract healthy and aid weight loss.

If you need a quick fix and decide to join these celebs in the world of crash diets be prepared for weeks of hunger, headaches and irritability.

For more information on eating healthily visit www.zestforfitness.co.uk

The outdoors is your playground

Imagine a way to keep fit which is right on your door step. Imagine a way to lose weight without paying a penny. Imagine a way to start your day feeling mentally revitalised and de-stressed. By simply embarking on regular outdoor exercise you can make these visions a reality.

We all know that physical activity is good for us, but working out in a natural environment has mammoth benefits; not only for our physical but also emotional and mental well being. Research has shown that just five minutes of ‘green’ exercise as it is commonly referred to can boost our self esteem and mood.

The government recommends we perform 30 minutes of moderate-intensive physical activity five days a week. However recent research by the BBC has shown that only 24% of us are participating in this. Leaving the majority of us at risk of heart disease, obesity and type two diabetes.

Professor Bridle, an expert in exercise psychology from Southampton University said 30 minutes a day may seem challenging for some so start low and build up. “You can get good gains with relatively small amounts of physical activity. More is always better, but less is a good place to start."

Sport coaches from Brianmac believe so little of us are exercising because of busy lives, expensive gym memberships and the belief that exercising is how we all remember P.E. at school, shivering in a t-shirt and shorts. With green exercise, meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines does not have to be miserable, the complete opposite in fact.

Exercising outdoors gives our body a natural source of vitamin D, a micronutrient essential for strong bones and reducing the risk of cancer. Furthermore green exercise burns up to 20% more calories than exercising in a gym or aerobic class, the ideal solution for those of us trying to lose weight. Researchers from the University if Essex explain that this is because the body is utilising more calories to keep the body warm as well as battling natural elements such as wind and rain. 

Jo Bartan an exercise specialist from Essex University explains that not only can a 5 minute walk in nature restore mental fatigue but also “the average membership fee for a UK health and fitness club stands at £442 a year”, meaning that cost free green exercise is beneficial to our bank accounts too.

 Tom O’Brian a personal trainer for Zest utilises the beautiful Surrey countryside when training his clients. “The uneven surfaces make it harder for the body to maintain stability therefore continuously training the core muscles” he continues to explain further benefits of green exercise “the outside is always open, you are not restricted to only working out during gym hours”.

So if you want decrease the risk of getting cancer and heart disease as well as increasing your self esteem, pull on your trainers and get exploring the great outdoors.

For more information on green exercise please visit www.zestforfitness.co.uk

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the biggest of them all?

For an increasing number of people today, muscles literally make the man. As societies fixation on appearance has lead to an increased number of us being dissatisfied with our bodies a new disorder has emerged. Roger Jones has lost his job, friends and family to this novel disorder, Muscle Dysmorphia (MD).

MD is characterised by a preoccupation that one’s body is not lean or muscular enough. Dr Robert Oliviardo an expert of the syndrome explains “it involves a disturbance in body image, similar to that of anorexia, except in anorexia individuals perceive themselves as fatter than they really are, where as those with MD see themselves smaller and weaker than they truly are”

A retired judge for the National Amateur BodyBuilders Association (NABBA) and an experienced personal trainer, Roger was shocked at his initial diagnosis of Muscle Dysmorphia, otherwise known as Bigorexia. “It took a while to admit that I had the syndrome but it is so obvious now, I was never satisfied with my appearance, I would reach a goal weight and set myself a higher one”

Roger’s relationship with body building began at a young age, “I was picked on a lot as a teenager and decided to do something about it, I set up a gym in my basement and aimed to get as big as I could”. Roger entered his first competition at 19 and won his class, from then he was “totally hooked”.

Roger would keep comprehensive records of what he ate, drank and weighed on a daily basis as well as his extensive workout routine. “I would spend at least 3 hours in the gym every day, if I missed a workout I would feel a huge amount of anger and guilt” Roger even missed his brothers’ wedding as it interrupted with his training regime. “My fear of getting smaller overruled my relationship with my brother” Dr Oliviardo reports that “an individual will often miss important recreational or social events because of their compulsive need to continue their workout schedule along with feelings that their body is inadequate for the public eye.”

Roger, whom has experimented with anabolic steroids in the past, admits that the use of muscle enhancing drugs is highly prevalent in the body building community. “Taking steroids was a vicious cycle for me, I would gain 15lbs relatively quickly then stop taking them and loose 10lbs, forcing me to start taking them again”. Roger stopped the use of these drugs after his diagnosis due to the long term consequences which include depression, thin bones, diabetes and ironically muscle weakness. “I started body building to gain health and confidence, instead it lead me to potentially causing huge damage to my body”.

Bingeing was another negative behaviour that regularly took over Roger’s life, so much so that a binge after a competition would commonly result in 10-20% weight gain within two weeks.   “The excessive fat gain in such a short period of time after looking my absolute best was devastating to my self esteem”. He would then try to diet excessively to remove the fat gained, often resulting in another binge.

Mary Shapeland from eating disorder charity BEAT explains “the cycle of bingeing and restriction can lead to vast metabolic damage meaning the individual can only eat small amount without gaining body fat”.  Roger reports the binge-restriction cycle is very common in the body building industry and feels it will only improve with education.

Roger was diagnosed with MD after taking part in an experiment studying Body Dysmorphia. “I think I unconsciously knew my obsession to be the biggest and leanest in the gym was not normal, I had just lost my girlfriend as I spent more time working out than with her which is why I signed up.”

Not only did the experiment, directed by Dr Olivardo report that a sufferer of MD will spend on average 325 minutes a day thinking about how small they are, but that many are obsessed with checking their size in the mirror up to 100 times daily.

He is now undergoing psychotherapy for his disorder. “It took me a long time to get treatment, I was so ashamed about my body and the condition but I felt so low I eventually asked for help”. 

Cognitive behavioural therapy has helped Roger to challenge his negative thoughts. “I feel happy and healthy for the first time in years”

Roger has finally realised that body perfection is unattainable. But how many more individuals will have to experience the devastating costs of Muscle Dysmorphia before society releases its belief that every individual must strive for the muscular ideal?