The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have released weight management guidelines for women before/during/after pregnancy. You can take a look by clicking here. I’m the first to admit I am no expert in this department, so if you are, let me know where I’m going wrong. But the guidelines are 60 pages long, so here are some of the bits that caught my eye, and my personal comments in brackets…
Recommended viewing – Food inc.
Just watched the film Food inc. It is a documentary about the food industry in America. I highly recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in food and where it comes from. One of my favorite quotes from the film was the very last line. It was spoken by a farmer upset by what … Read more
Why do you go training?
I was talking to a guy in the gym I work at and he was complaining that the satellite TV channels aren’t working. It turns out that the main reason he comes is to watch the sports channels. This reminded me again that we are all different.
The Healthy Eating Pyramid
I am a firm believer in keeping things simple whenever I can.
Not only does this mean that I can keep my life nice and easy, but I also find that simple things make the biggest differences in life. Especially when it comes to food, drink and weight control. So probably the simplest thing that any of us can do to improve our health and give our bodies the resources they need to perform at a high standard, is follow this healthy eating pyramid:
Woo hoo! Someone wants to do pressups!
I was in a really good mood the other day. A lass who is a regular in the gym actually came up and asked how to improve her pressups! Most people grimace and run a mile when I mention pressups to them! So here is a rough and ready guide to pressups. How to do them and how not to do them..
Slimming pills: Do the claims add up?
News story looking at 5 slimming pills to see if their claims to help you lose weight are actually backed up by any research. Click here for the full story.
Link between inactivity and obesity queried
Researchers have challenged the assumption that a lack of exercise causes children to put on weight. Click here to read the whole news article.
Exercise Workshop last Sunday
So I did my first Exercise Workshop on Sunday, and first and foremost I want to say a huge congratulations and thank you to all who attended!
Exercise Workshop
Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, I had plenty of positive feedback (all of which was “good” or better!) and I think everyone learnt some new and important things over the 2 hours.
From the General to the Specific – How to get good at absolutely anything.
So you want to get good at something? It could be getting good at your sport, your diet, your job, your relationship or your school subject. But there are good and bad ways to go about this. One of the best ways is to work from the general to the specific. This means you spend time getting the fundamental, foundation principles right before worrying about the minute details. Get good at the general stuff first, then move on to the specifics. For example:
Carbohydrates, proteins & fats: The basics.
Food is probably the third most important thing in our lives after oxygen and water. But hardly any of us know anything about it. Do you know what carbohydrates, proteins and fats are? What do they do? Where do we get them from?
NHS watchdog NICE calls for trans-fats ban in foods
Trans-fats should be eliminated from food in England, NHS watchdog NICE has said. Click here to read the rest of the story from BBC news.
Do you have a healthy lifestyle?
Some things are just more important than others. Some things just need to be nailed before others. Some things are just so fundamental that without them, other things are simply not going to work. Some examples include:
Proprioception – The word of the day.
I have spent quite a while developing my Exercise Workshop (being held in Skipton on July 4th, click here for details). And one of the major goals of it is to coach people to simply “move” better, safer and more efficiently. Because one thing I have noticed over the years, is how few people actually know what bits of their body are doing, and where those bits actually are!
Exercise Workshop – Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) What does it do? Romanian Deadlift (RDL) This exercise strengthens the back, bum and back of legs. Why do it? To strengthen the back half of your body. A lot of us are over-strong in the front and weak at the back of the body. So this can help redress … Read more
Now taking bookings for my first Exercise Workshop.
Don’t forget, Sunday, July 4th from 10am – 12pm. My first exercise workshop covering safe, efficient and effective resistance training techniques. Click here to book your place on line, or you can come see me in the gym at Craven Fitness Centre. Bare in mind, I’ll only be there in the mornings these next couple … Read more
Coming soon…Exercise Workshop in Skipton
After weeks of fighting to get it arranged, I’m finally in a position to announce my first Exercise Workshop here in Skipton, North Yorshire! It will be an indepth tutorial on how to do some of the main, fundamental resistance exercises and how they cross-over to virtually every other exercise you do. It will cover … Read more
Fat and fit
I think I depressed one of my work colleagues today. I was showing them the scales that work out your body fat percentage. Unfortunately it gave a higher percentage than they hoped (it classed them as obese). So he asked how can he be classed as obese if he does so much training? Well, fitness … Read more
Priorities of losing fat
With 2 thirds of the UK population classed as overweight, there are plenty of people out there who want to lose some bodyfat. There are hundreds of diets to choose from, and thousands of “fat loss tips” to take in. And this can make things a little confusing for people. Which ones should you try? Which ones will work better? Which things are more important?
Common mistake: “What’s the best thing for…?”
A common mistake I’ve seen from many people I have trained with (from absolute beginners to those who are really very good). They want to know “The best thing for…”
Good luck Marion!
I want to say a big good luck to Marion who is running the Edinburgh marathon this Sunday! I’ve been watching her train and encouraging her this past year and she has been absolutely fantastic! She is retired, and last year decided she was going to run a marathon. It has been a difficult year with … Read more