No More Weight Loss Excuses

You'll have noticed a short break in my blogging recently.  I wasn't taking time off at the beach (well, maybe just a little bit). 

I was putting the finishing touches to an e-book that I've been working on.  It's called No More Weight Loss Excuses and it contains the solutions to all the most popular barriers and objections that people come up with for not being able to lose weight and keep it off.  Things like:

• I don't have time
• I don't like exercise
• I've got a slow metabolism
• I've got a sweet tooth
• I never get fast results
• I have an addictive personality
• My life is too busy and stressful

Into the e-book I've crammed in as much advice as I can that will help achieve weight loss results like never before.  

It's a collection of all the most useful information that you'd have to search for ages to find and pay a high price to obtain from a variety of experts.  

I wanted to put as many solutions together in one place to save people time and money. 

So, if you like my blog, check out the ebook here.  Or click here if you're in the UK.

Lose 6 Pounds in 3 Weeks

Gained a few pounds? This great cardio plan will see you back in shape in no time.

Women's Running Magazine

Run Yourself Slim

If you're running to lose weight, here are some tips I wrote for Women's Running Magazine on how far, how fast and how often you should run for maximum fat-burning effects.

Motivation, Accountability & Fantastic Feelgood Results

This morning I delivered a presentation to a group I haven't seen for 8-weeks.  Since we met last, every single one of them has made positive changes to either their exercise routine, their diet, or their approach to rest, recovery and work-life balance.  


And they've had some amazing results including completing a marathon, losing up to 18 pounds, experiencing more energy and feeling calmer and more productive.  


They all agreed that knowing we were meeting today focused their mind over the last few weeks and kept them on track with doing the right thing.


At the same time, along with some of my friends, I've recently entered an event in September and we've discovered already that the focus of the date in the diary has led to some dramatic improvements in how successfully we work out, the choices we make when we eat and drink and how we prioritise rest, recovery and 'me' time.


So, I'm thinking a lot about motivation and accountability and advising everyone to get something in their diary that will ensure that living healthily and getting the right results with your fitness, energy and weight management are a top priority.  


Whether it be a run or a bike race, a charity event or something social you want to look your best for, give yourself a deadline for when you want to be in great shape and you'll be amazed at how quickly the actions that get you fantastic results will fall into place.


And if you feel the need of any extra accountability, let me know what your event / deadline is.

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How Coffee Can Make You Fat

It may come as a shock to some of you but your daily cup of coffee may not be as good for you as you thought.

Many people congratulate themselves that they don't add sugar to their coffee but remember there's sugar in milk and sometimes as much as 4 teaspoons in a large sized latte!

All that sugar flooding into your system in one go means that inevitably some will be converted to fat and stored right where you don't want it to be.

A Cappuccino will have slightly less sugar.  Filter coffee is the best choice.  


Remember this when you reach for the caffeine and choose the option that will pep you up without weighing you down.


See Coffee Featured on the list of 7 things that won't make you fat

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Why Can't I Lose Weight? Part 2

This is a question that I get asked all the time.  I made some suggestions in the blog of the same name Why Can't I Lost Weight? but because it's such a key area of interest I wanted to revisit the topic and add some more suggestions.  Here's the next installment.

Why can't I lose weight?  Part 2 - Hidden sugars

The average American consumes 2-3 pounds of excess sugar PER WEEK.

We know there's sugar in sodas, sweets, chocolate and desserts but that's only part of the story.  Where does the rest of it come from?

One source is low fat food.  Shocking I know.  Why is low fat food high in sugar?  Mainly to give it more flavour.

Lets use yoghurts as an example.  Most people like yoghurt and anyone who wants to stay healthy will opt for a low fat version.  I took a closer look at some yoghurts today and found that one brand of natural, probiotic, 2% fat yoghurt had 3 teaspoons of sugar in it.  Another brand of low fat fruit flavoured yoghurt had 6 teaspoons of sugar in it.

Yes, you read right, 6 teaspoons of sugar in a small 150g pot of yoghurt.  One pot of this yoghurt a day would see you consume 35,050 calories a year which could leave you heaving around an extra 10 pounds of body fat if you're not careful.

If you want to check out how much sugar is in some of the food you eat, look at the label, find the sugar quantity in grams and multiply this by 4 to get the amount of sugar calories in the product.  Then divide this by 16 to work out how many teaspoons of sugar are present.  When you're shopping compare similar products and opt for the ones with the least sugar.

Then you can lose weight!

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howzey

Drop a Dress Size for the Holidays

When was the last time you went on a diet in November?

There's something about this time of year that makes us want to hibernate, slow the pace down and put off all good intentions to the New Year.

But why put so much pressure on January when you've got 40 glorious days left to change the way you look and feel for the Christmas Holidays. It's time to ditch those resolutions and see this year out with a bang. Want to know how to drop a dress size or trouser size before this year is out? Here's how.This year, take this new approach. Rather than biding your time until the end of the year, get ahead of the game and decide now to see how much of a difference you can make to your fitness and your body shape by the time you get to Christmas.

Here's how you'll do it.

• Break your 40 days into blocks of 4 days.

• For each 4 days, plan three days of focused healthy food, drink, activity and lifestyle that you know will ensure you reach your target

• Plan 1 'free' day of eating and drinking what you want and, if you like, taking the option to not exercise without guilt.

• Use each 'free' day to assess your approach for the other three days, make sure you are definitely on track for the right result and plan any adjustments to your routine for the following 3 days.

There may be some challenges along the way - many of you will have thanksgiving to contend with for example - but say focused on your target every day, follow the cycle of doing what works, reviewing your progress and updating where necessary, and you'll be amazed at what you're capable of achieving.

If you do have to get through Thanksgiving along the way, here's some handy advice:

How to avoid Thanksgiving weight gain

4 Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving

Photo by Christi Nielsen (Flickr)

The Truth About Celebrity Fitness

Staying in shape when you’re rich and famous must be the easiest thing in the world. What with your own personal trainer, a yoga instructor on call, your own dietitian, nutritionist and chef, how could you possibly go wrong?

Most people look at celebrities in magazines or on television and assume that keeping a killer figure must be simple. After all, what else do they have to do with their time? And for many years, celebrities themselves perpetuated this idea by claiming to be blessed with good genes and saying that they’re lucky that they don’t have to work out much or watch what they eat to preserve their great physique.

Well things are a bit different now.

When Gwyneth Paltrow appeared on Oprah last year, she shared with the world video footage of her fitness workouts. The most amazing thing about this was just how hard she trained: 6 days a week and for 2 hours at a time. Her incentive was to get her post baby body back into shape for the red carpet. But she didn’t once say that it was easy, she didn’t say her slender shape was a result of fate or genetics and she didn’t claim to be able to eat whatever she wants without any weight gain. She said it was tough going but well worth it for the results she achieved.

The idea that celebrities do nothing but party and still look fabulous is now well out of date. The truth of the matter is that they spend as much time keeping their bodies trim and toned as we spend flicking through magazines marvelling at how fabulous they look. Take Madonna for example. Can you imagine anyone who isn’t a professional athlete training as much as she does? Probably not. She works out hard 6 days a week and eats the strictest of diets and never, ever lets up. This is the realty of an age defying body and is the new face of celebrity fitness.

Celebrities who work to get their bodies fit and healthy don’t just lounge in front of the TV, eat take-outs and hope for the best. They don’t drink alcohol most evenings and they don’t overeat. They take their body image very seriously indeed because looking better than good is how they make their money.

So isn’t it time to stop envying the results celebrities achieve with their workouts and start being inspired by their dedication and single mindedness? We should stop poring over images of them looking lean and toned only to feel resentful that we’re not as lucky as they are to be famous and fit – we should see their great bodies as the fantastic end goal we too could have if we were willing to put in the same amount of work or, in many cases, just a fraction of the effort they put in.

Not every celebrity is as strict as Gwyneth and Madonna. There are some who have great fitness levels that are more achievable and just as aspirational. Take Evangeline Lily or Anna Friel as examples. They are regularly photographed out running. Jennifer Aniston works out everyday to maintain the bikini body of a 25 year old despite being 40. And look at any of the contestants from Dancing with the Stars who rightly boast about their fabulous new figures gained from tough, daily 8 hour dance sessions. Working hard for your body is very much a badge of honour these days and great results are well and truly earned.

Celebrities who still yo-yo diet are out of favour because we all know how it will end. The new era of celebrity sees their body as their tool of the trade and shortcuts and fad diets simply won’t do. Sad to admit but everytime you see Oprah lose weight from a different faddy diet, in the back of your mind you wonder how long it will be till it all piles back on. We’re always suspicious of sudden weight loss and not very respectful of it but it’s time to focus on the positive role models who show us what hard work in the gym can achieve.

There’s no denying that there are great advantages to having a personal trainer on call but the single factor that gets results is free and you wont find it in a private gym or on a Balinese Yoga retreat.

It’s in your head and it’s readily available.

A good dose of determination is what it takes for anyone to have their dream figure. Celebrities have this motivation in bucket loads because they know they will be photographed wherever they go and they know women and men the world over will be scrutinising the images in search of saddle bags and cellulite. The key to making this principle work for you is setting your own goals and focusing completely on what you will achieve if you put the effort in. Model the celebrity approach and think about all your forthcoming social engagements and situations where you may be photographed or you’ll be ‘on display’. Imagine how great you’ll feel if you’re in the best shape of your life whenever you meet friends, colleagues or someone takes a family snap.

Focus on the exciting aspects of looking stunning and feeling confident and you’ll find it much easier to follow in celebrity footsteps and embrace regular fitness and make it a fundamental part of your life.

4 Tips to Having A Healthy Thanksgiving

Following on from the post yesterday about how to prepare yourself for Thanksgiving and make sure you don't gain tons of weight from pure overindulging, here are some quick tips to try out during the day that won't get in the way of having fun and spending time with the family.

They'll also help you feel good and avoid the holiday bloat.

Rule 1 - I know you don't want to set your alarm on your day off but try to get up early and do a little exercise. Even if it's just running on the spot for 10 minutes and a few press ups and crunches on the floor. try to do something and spend at least 20 mins doing it. Trust me - this will make you feel energized and buzzing for the day ahead.

Rule 2 - Pace yourself. Today is not a competition to see how much you can eat and drink. the moment you feel full, put your fork down and clear your plate away if you need to. Don't just ignore your tummy - listen to it. Turkey is actually a great low fat meat to eat and the vegetables are good for you so eat a decent portion but try to lay off pastries and breads if you can and don't have a carb fest.

Rule 3 - Drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated and make you feel full so you'll eat less. Keep a large bottle on the dining table and drink a large glass before the meal. it really will make you feel less hungry and chances are that you'll eat what you need, now what your eyes devour.

Rule 4 - play some fun games with the family after the meal - don't just fall asleep in front of the TV. Maybe even wrap up warm and get everyone to go one a short walk with you. You'll all feel great afterwards.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Photograph by numstead

150 Minutes a week to stay fit

150 minutes is the amount of time the government in the US and UK recommends you should do each week in order to maintain good health and fitness.

Do you do your 150 minutes of exercise a week? Didn't think so. Unfortunately, many of you reading this will fall short of your exercise quota for the week every week.

And yet 150 minutes only works out as just over 20 minutes of rigorous exercise a day in exchange for a healthier body. So what's stopping you? We can all try to spare 20 minutes so how can you start fitting this burst of activity into your day.

I've got some suggestions:


1. Power walking - not a slow stroll but try to go up hill and if you can handle it, walk moderately for 1 min and then really speed up for 1 minute then slow down a little for one minute then speed up for 1 minute, You should aim to do the last minute as a sprint / fast run.

2. Jumping Rope - keep one in the house and go outside after work or first thing in the morning and skip. This will get your heart pumping and help to burn calories and tone your arms and legs. And it's fun.

3. Walk up and down the stairs repeatedly - at least 10 times till you can feel yourself getting short of breath. If you did this everyday you would realise how much easier it gets by day 3. Keep it up.

4. Do some strength training. Push ups, press ups, crunches, squats, lunges and using some light weight do bicep curls and try shadow boxing whilst holding the dumbbells.

5. Attend a gym class or play a game of ball with the kids. take part in something that keeps you in perpetual motion with other people and have fun doing it.

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Is your coffee habit making you fat?

While I was making my morning coffee today I was remembered something my nutritionist friend told me recently.

Caffeine has a half life of around 4 hours which means that if you drink one cup at 8am, you still have half the caffeine from that cup in your system 4 hours later - at 12 noon. And then you have half that amount still in your system at 4pm and so on through the day.

You can easily see why nutritionists recommend a maximum of one cup a day - it's plenty to deliver enough caffeine to last you for 24-hours. You can also see how 'chain drinking' one coffee after another can cause the jitters and loss of focus - you are literally flooding your system with one of the most powerful stimulants known to man.

It's even worse if you take the contraceptive pill....

Women taking the contraceptive pill having 1 cup of coffee should expect the the half life of caffeine to be increased to 5-10 hours and if you are pregnant it's roughly 9-11 hours.

So, although a little caffeine can help with fat burning, too much will over stimulate your system and send your blood sugar levels on a rollercoaster throughout the day which can make losing weight difficult. Too much caffeine backing up in your system will also make it difficult to sleep and disrupted sleep patterns lead to weight gain.

So do yourself a favour and start cutting back on the caffeine from today. Aim to reach a point where you have a single cup each day and really enjoy it. Seek alternatives at other times safe in the knowledge that more caffeine at this point will do you more harm than good.

Photograph by غzǻҰёll ♥ RAINBOW ! (Flickr)

Best Breakfasts when trying to Lose Weight

Breakfast like a king - that's what they say and this doesn't mean a fried breakfast or French pastries galore to start your day. You need something low in fat, high in taste and most importantly, a meal that will see you through to your 11a.m. snack without leaving you feeling hungry and unprepared for your day ahead.

Here's My Top 5 Best Breakfasts to have when you want to get your day off to a healthy start and keep the pounds off. Choose one each day - not all!

What to Eat.....

1. 2/3 pieces of fruit chopped up and a large spoonful of fat free plain yogurt on top. Sprinkle some nuts and seeds on top.

2. Scrambled Eggs on wholemeal or granary toast. One slice of toast and no butter needed. Add handful of sauted mushrooms or tomato to the side to bulk it up.

3. Porridge made with fat free milk or water with a handful of berries - strawberries, blackberries or blueberries - on top and a sprinkling of nuts and seeds.

4. Grapefruit and Muesli. The muesli may be filling on it's own but the grapefruit on the side is a great source of Vit C to kick start your day. (check the label for amount of salt and sugar in it - go for healthiest, organic brand you can buy. With fat free or 2% milk.

5. Boiled eggs or Poached eggs on toast. Again, no butter needed on the wholemeal toast. Add the mushrooms or tomato to the side as with the scrambled eggs.

What to Drink...

Green tea would be an ideal hot drink to have if you're serious about your diet and a cup of hot water and a slice of lemon if you are deadly serious. Otherwise, if you are going to have coffee, make it small, black, no sugar. And with tea, not too much milk and no sugar.

Look out for My Top 5 Best Lunches next week.

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Photograph by Zyada (Flickr)

7 Things to Eat That Won't Make You Fat

When it comes to foods that are good for you and those that are fattening and will ruin your diet, we all know about the obvious ones (no cream cakes, fast food etc) but sometimes, it can feel like you just don't know what you are able to eat that won't ruin your diet.

Last week we spoke about the importance of keeping a food diary to help you see exactly what’s going on with your food routine.

Hopefully you’ve had a chance to note down what you've been eating so I thought it would be useful today to offer you some changes to consider following your discoveries with your diary.

1. Water- Sometimes when you think you’re hungry, you’re actually thirsty. Drink water regularly throughout the day so that you always know if you feel hungry, it is actually time to grab something to eat and not your thirst talking. Water is the dieters friend.

2. Fish- A great source of protein which is filling without loads of saturated fat. Oily fish contain essential fatty acids which are good for you as they actually help the body metabolize fat and control weight. Try and eat fish at least twice a week and give your fat burning a helping hand.

3. Raw vegetables- Lettuce, broccoli and carrots are a great way to get lots of vitamins and nutrients and they also require lots of chewing which means you eat more slowly which means you eat less. Try to have greens on your plate for lunch and dinner everyday.

4. Coffee- Can help your body to burn fat more effectively but only if its plain, black coffee. Avoid milk and avoid sugar and stick to one or two cups per day. Don't fall into the trap of ordering a skinny latte - the name is skinny, the impact on you won't be.

5. Apples- Or pears, or indeed any other type of fruit. Eat one portion at the beginning of every meal. This will help you achieve your 5-a-day but will also stimulate your ability to feel full and make sure you eat less at each mealtime. Try keeping 3 pieces of fruit on your desk each day and every time you fancy a snack, grab one instead of heading to the vending machine.

6. Fibre- From bran, beans or wholemeal bread. Plenty of fibre keeps your digestive system in good shape which means that whatever you consume can be processed and broken down efficiently. Remember, better out than in!

7. Nuts and seeds- Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and flaxseed. High in energy, high in fibre, filling and nutritious, nuts and seeds are the best snack you can opt for in a busy day. Just a few at a time will prevent you reaching for cookies, chocolate, sweets or cakes. Try having a handful of seeds after every piece of fruit.

No Gym Workout

Otherwise known as the The Power Circuit

Returning to Monday's theme of boosting the intensity of your workout, here's a mini circuit that will really shake up your weight loss regime. The key here is to do these exercises one after the other almost as though you were going against the clock.

The power circuit is:

Skipping x 50
Squat jumps x 5
Squat jumps with a tuck x 5

Run through the circuit 4 times and see how you feel. You'll be tired but you'll now know that you're capable of some really tough exercise. Use this as a guide for all future workouts. For the fastest results, you should always work this hard. It's the difference between losing weight and toning up slowly, and doing it fast.

Skipping

Keep your stomach tight
Keep your shoulders relaxed
Stay light on your feet

Squat jumps


Stand with your feet hip width apart
Sit back into a squat position
Using your arms to get momentum, jump as high in the air as you can
Land gently, bend your knees and get into the squat position again
Repeat for 5 jumps

Squat jumps with a tuck


Stand with your feet hip width apart
Sit back into a squat position
Using your arms to get momentum, jump as high in the air as you can and bring your knees up to your chest
Land gently, bend your knees and get into the squat position again
Repeat for 5 jumps
Follow the same pattern as for the squat jumps and this time,
Repeat x 5

Truth About Skipping Meals

While we’re talking this week about how to get a small waist it seems like a good time to mention how your eating pattern will play a part in achieving a million dollar mid section.

If I had £10 for every time a client has asked me why they skipping meals is so bad and why if it works for models, why can't it work for them, I'd be retired and living in Mauritius by now! So here it is, the definitive answer about why it's bad for you and can even make you fat.

Why Skipping Meals Doesn't Work

1. We all need energy to survive. If you consume more energy than your body requires you will store it around your body as fat. These fat stores are almost limitless.

2. If you don’t consume as much energy as your body requires, your metabolism will slow down. Your body does this in order to cling onto whatever energy it has stored. This is the body in starvation mode. This is what it does if it thinks there is no food around. It goes into this mode after only a few hours of you not eating.

3. If you skip a meal and put your body into starvation mode and then eat something later in the day, your body is grateful. It’s crying out for energy. But it’s not yet convinced that danger has been avoided or that food is now in abundant supply. So it won’t yet snap out of starvation mode. Instead it will store as much of the energy you now give it as possible. This energy will be stored as fat.

4. If you follow the same routine tomorrow and the day after you will train your body to become really efficient at storing body fat. Your stomach may appear flatter, but I can't stress enough, YOU BECOME A FAT STORER.

Why eating regularly does work

1. On the other hand, if you eat regular amounts of the right food, your body will be comfortably persuaded that there is plenty of food around and it does not need to be in starvation mode. It will happily use the energy you consume as there is no need to store it because your body knows the next meal or snack will never be too far away.

2. If you eat regularly you will train your body to use what you eat and drink efficiently and you will minimise the amount of body fat you store.

So, please, no more skipping meals but remember:

Eat right
Eat regularly
Eat a variety of foods
Eat the right portion sizes

And for those of you with short memories, don't skip meals. It plays havoc with your memory.


PS - the reason that some models are able to skip meals and stay rake thin is because they skip A LOT of meals and for a long period of time. If they were to start eating normal portions, they'd gain weight, like the rest of us. Theirs is a long road to starvation as opposed to occasional skipped supper. You don't need me to tell you just how bad that is.

Photograph by ngering (Flickr)

How To Get A Small Waist Part 2

I posted Part 1 of How To Get A Small Waist yesterday featuring 2 exercises to get your waist tighter and more defined. I hope you've had a chance to try them out.

Here are the final 2 exercises as promised and remember, don't forget the cardio. Do that in combination with these 4 moves and you'll get the quickest results. Here we go...

Scissor kicks

• Lie face up with your knees and hips at 90-degrees
  
• Straighten one leg and lower this foot towards the floor keeping your stomach tight and your back flat to the floor
  
• Just before this foot hits the floor, bring it back to the starting position
  
• Repeat on the other side
  
• Repeat x 15 each leg
  
• Be extra vigilant about your back staying on the floor
  

Reverse crunches

• Lie face up with your knees and hips at 90-degrees
  
• Tighten your lower abdominal muscles to bring your knees closer to your chest
  
• Your lower back will lift off the floor
  
• Lower your legs to the starting position but don't allow your knees to travel too far forwards
  
• Avoid any arcing of the spine by keeping your abs tight as your knees come forwards
  
• You should feel the pinch in your abs but don't be tempted to swing backwards and forwards.
  
• Repeat x 15
  

Eating Your Way To A Great Night’s Sleep – Part 2

Following on from Part 1 of Eating Your Way To A Great Nights Sleep, I hope you've had a chance to try out some of the tips for breakfast, snacks and lunch. Today we’re going to look at how to handle the second half of your day. Even if you just try a couple of the tips, I'm sure you'll start feeling the benefits of improved sleep very soon.

Peckish at 4pm?
Your afternoon snack should be fruit that’s high in vitamin C as this helps to reduce stress. Choose your snack carefully as not all fruits are created equally – this chart will help you size up your options.
Fruit Tip - Eating a couple of oat cakes at the same time will slow the release of the fruit sugars into your system.

Dinner
Choose an evening meal that contains a small amount of brown rice which is a good source of B-Vitamins to keep your system running calmly and smoothly. Combine this with grilled salmon or tuna steak and some green vegetables. Oily fish will give you another burst of tryptophan and the green vegetables contain magnesium to help calm you through the evening. A lack of magnesium can leave you feeling jumpy so top-up on your greens.

A Glass of Wine with Dinner?
If you like to have an alcoholic drink in the evening, have it with your meal as this will limit any drastic impact on your blood sugar levels that could cause disrupted sleep later on. And stick to one or two drinks maximum. The same rule applies here as with the caffeinated drinks earlier in the day – enjoy the first and then ask yourself do you really want any more or would you rather have a good night’s sleep? Ideally, avoid caffeine after midday and allow your body to rid its effects from your body in time for bed.

A little treat
If you’ve got a sweet tooth and like chocolate then the end of the day is the best time to indulge yourself. Choose a couple of squares of dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids for a burst of feel-good chemicals followed a slight drop in blood sugar to ease you off to sleep. Stop after a couple of squares though and don't feel obliged to finish it all in one go!

Nightcap
A good quality hot chocolate is even better as the calcium in the milk helps to calm your mind while the drink will cause your body temperature to be raised slightly and then it will cool. This temperature cooling simulates what happens when you sleep and can help you to drop off more quickly.

Sweet Dreams!


Coming Soon: The Best Exercises For Great Sleep


Photograph by Anushruti R (Flickr)

Sleeping Your Way to Weight Loss

I was speaking to someone recently who made an interesting observation.  She went away for a long weekend having weighed herself before she left.  She then weighed herself on her return and found that she had lost a couple of pounds.  As usual, she weighed herself a few days later and noticed that the weight had returned.  I asked her what had changed over the period and she wasn’t sure.  Although she had been in a different environment, she’d followed her regular routine with food and exercise.  When she thought about it in more detail, the only thing that was different while she was away was that she slept better.  She slept for longer and had a deeper sleep resulting in her feeling more refreshed when she woke up. 

 Had she slept herself slimmer?
And could the return to a sleep deprived routine account for her weight gain?

The answer is yes, it could.  Research has shown that lack of sleep can make you fat.  If we consistently fail to get enough sleep, our bodies release less leptin into our system.  Leptin is a hormone that signals the state of fat stores.  Sleep deprivation also causes our bodies to release more ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger.  The result of these changes in the balance of our system increase the likelihood of overeating which can, in turn, lead to weight gain.

Even if your tiredness doesn’t lead you to overeating and gain weight, not getting enough sleep can cause problems with your weight loss progamme.  Feeling tired can be stressful and when we’re stressed we produce more of the stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol.  The presence of these hormones in your system can force your metabolism to slow down and hang on to fat. This can impact on your fitness workout, making it less effective in burning body fat than the same routines performed when you are feeling calm.

Remember this if you ever encounter a period when you’re not getting the results you want from your fitness programme or diet plan.  There may be no need to change your exercise or your food routine but instead look at your sleep pattern.

Here are the golden rules of getting enough sleep:

1. Work out how much sleep you need and schedule the ideal hours for getting this sleep

2. Stick to a routine and stick to it. Establish a bed time and a waking time and you’ll sleep well in the hours in-between

3. Clear out your sleeping environment.  Bedrooms are for sleeping so get rid of the TV, computer, any exercise equipment and put all clothes away every evening.

Isn’t that refreshing?  The key to effectively managing your weight is to sleep!  Okay - maybe just in part. There's no escaping the fact that diet and fitness are the greatest contributor to losing weight but it's worth bearing in mind next time you let your weight worries stress you out and keep you awake.


Coming Soon: Changes you can make to your exercise plan and food routine that will help you sleep better.


Photograph by John Carleton (Flickr)

 

 

 

 

How to Be A Fat Burning Machine

One of the Fitness magazines I write for had a short feature on 'Yoga on Ropes'this month. A new fitness trend that has gained lots of publicity and even caught David Beckham's eye.

I've not tried this myself but it looks like a great way to strengthen and stretch all your muscles with a variety of postures and holds. My only question was over the claims in some reports that a workout with the ropes could burn more calories in 45 minutes than you could hope to burn in a spinning class. I've tried spinning and, having witnessed hundreds of classes over the years can safely say it's definitely one of those workouts that demands you 'feel the burn' and push yourself to your fitness limits. I don't doubt the yoga ropes are effective, I'm just not sure they'll burn more calories than spinning.

It raises an interesting point though. I'm often asked which exercise burns the most calories and what's the best way to shape up quickly. There are plenty of charts and graphs detailing how many calories different types of exercise burn, but beware, there are some inconsistencies between these.

You've got to remember that people with good fitness levels are conditioned to burning calories, particularly fat calories more efficiently than people who aren't so fit, and so will have a higher calorie burn for exactly the same activities. If you put a well trained runner on a treadmill for 15 minutes, they'll burn more fat calories than an unfit person who spends most of their time sitting on the sofa, who is walking along beside them.

So really, when it comes to burning calories effectively, what matters most isn't what you do, but how often you do it. Keep challenging your fitness regularly in a variety of ways and you'll become a fat burning machine who gets great results from whatever activities you spend your time on. This includes the many other uses for the Ropes beyond yoga which a quick visit to the manufacturers site will show you.

As far as yoga on ropes goes, plan this type of session as you would a regular yoga or pilates session - a couple of sessions a month of this type will be great and you can make these the best possible calorie burners by working hard at all your other activities. That way you've got a regular routine that balances cardio work with strength training along with mobility and flexibility sessions giving you a balanced routine that keeps you in tip top shape and free of injury.




Photograph by chicagopublicradio (Flickr)

How Celebrities Stay So Skinny

The quickest way for a female celebrity to get lots of column inches is to be photographed looking super svelte after having a baby. Its the headline the editors love the most and readers seem to lap it up. Sure, in some cases, the weight has come off due to hard work in the gym and a rigorous diet but some of the time, all isn't quite what it seems. Sometimes celebs lie about how they stay so skinny. It’s a modern phenomenon whereby shrinking women seem to be the norm and the skinnier you are, the more famous you'll become. Being overweight is simply not an option and having curves is no longer appreciated as an attractive thing.

The reason I'm posting about it now is because a few celebrity personal trainers have gone on the record talking about some of their famous clients and the secrets tricks they use to stay slim and the lies they tell to deceive the public about how they keep their size 2 figures.

I stay slim from running around after the kids or the weight fell off after the baby sound familiar? That's the kind of soundbite you hear after an actress has returned to her pre baby weight a whole week after giving birth! okay, I'm exaggerating but not much..

I’ll give you the highlights here but the full article is worth a read if only for you to feel wonderful about yourself afterwards.

“Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, who has trained Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, and Penelope Cruz, says: "I had one actress training with me four times a week in addition to daily exercise bike classes.
When the Press asked how she'd 'transformed' her body, she said: 'Oh, I do yoga and hike with my dog.' It makes me laugh.":

According to this report, the road to size zero isn't as easy as they tell you in the celebrity magazines. Here are some of the most popular short cuts used by celebs to stay skinny:

*Drugs: Adderall - It keeps you awake while killing the appetite;
Cocaine - Ditto;
Clenbuterol - prescribed to treat respiratory problems in horses but happens to cause fatloss in humans - Neigh!
*Diet Pills
*Steroids
*Extreme faddy diets: Boiled eggs and boiled eggs only

“Celebrity trainer David Kirsch says: "I had a client who was getting ready for the Oscars and all she ate was one meal a day - of two boiled eggs! I was able to persuade her to add some almonds and a protein shake and some vitamin supplements.
"It's a self-defeating strategy, you need to eat enough, and particularly protein, to build lean and toned muscle in the first place."

*They fast (lets call this what it is - voluntary starvation)
*They Master Cleanse, otherwise known as the lemonade diet: water mixed with maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Beyonce made this famous after swearing by it to help her shed some weight for her roles in Dreamgirls.
*Laxative teas - many actresses are taking laxatives in the form of "dieter's tea".
*Chain-smoking
*Guzzling Coffee
*Wearing a smokers patch
*Living in the Gym - Literally. Three hours a day, every day for three months anyone?

Can you imagine living your life with the pressure (self-imposed) to be so underweight all of the time. To keep starving yourself and working yourself so hard and damaging your health in the process. Just so you can be super thin? Its simply not worth it.

Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson believes "There's no straight guy in the world who knows the difference between a size 14 and a size 4."

But sadly, I don't believe these women aren't staying super skinny for men, they are more likely doing it to show other women.

Read the full article here.

Photograph Christi Nielsen (Flickr)