We have had a young girl in the gym doing work experience all this week. And while I hope it has been a good learning experience for her, I know it has been a good one for me. This is because she has been asking loads of good questions. Ranging from really simple, to really advanced, but all of them making me re-think and re-remember all the stuff I “know” about exercise.
This weeks circuit training sessions was…
It was the first week back off the easter hols, so we had a nice easy session this week.
The group was split into 2 groups, and they alternated between shuttle runs and the following exercises…
Many cereals ‘have more sugar than desserts’
In my usual glance through the news, I saw this story (click here). Would you have ice cream or a jam doughnut for breakfast? I hope not! But the story tells how many of our “healthy” breakfast cereals have more sugar than either of these unhealthy sweets.
Why weight training is like a garage
Because of films, magazines and the media, about 99% of people seem to think that weight training = bodybuilding. This is not true. Bodybuilding is only a small subsection of weight training.
Instead I want you to think of weight training as a car mechanics garage…
Should I eat more?
I’m back! I went back home to Aberystwyth for my holiday and have a fantastic time by the sea!
But I’m back now with just one story from when I was away. Chatting to an old friend who is very enthusiastic, and always wants to make sure she is doing the “best” thing to help her lose weight. And she showed me this story here, recommending average calorie levels be increased. So she wanted to know if she should now suddenly start eating more.
My top advice to beginners…
Here is some invaluable advice for anyone who is new to exercise, or is thinking about starting to exercise…
You want me to do WHAT to lose weight??
A couple of months back I wrote about the basics of the 3 main reasons people come to the gym to exercise. One of these reasons is to lose weight.
Fitness tests for kids in school.
Englands chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, has called for “routine fitness tests” for secondary school children in an attempt to fight childhood obesity and inactivity levels. Click here for the story.
Are you getting value for money?
It has been a quiet day in work today. Only a couple of people booked in to coach, and I couldn’t convince anyone else to play with me.
So I had to watch a group of young lads playing with the freeweights for 2 hours and must have done about 50 different exercises with the weights. They were having great fun, they never stopped doing something the whole time and they left slapping eachother on the back congratulating for a job well done.
Prevention is better than cure.
In the news today, it mentions that “two key treatments do not halt diabetes in people with early signs of the disease”. Click here to read the full story.
Keeping it simple brings real results
A regular in the gym I work at came up to me asking for newer, more elaborate exercises, because the ones she is doing now “aren’t working”.
Now I’ll be the first to admit that there is nothing wrong with doing new, funky exercises…but do them for the right reasons.
Exercise and hypertension (high blood pressure): how one can help the other.
I came across this article (click here) about hypertension (high blood pressure) this morning. In my work I regularly come across people with hypertension, so here is some key information about it…
Exercise during pregnancy: Update
After yesterdays post about exercise during pregnancy, there was a question about what specific reps and sets of resistance should be done. So here goes…
Exercise during pregnancy.
A good friend of mine just got herself pregnant again (congratulations Sarah!). So I thought I would quickly go over some recommendations for her and others in her predicament 😉
Its official: The importance of Background Activity.
A couple of weeks ago I explained how many people go to the gym, but don’t get the improvements in their weight/health that they want (click here for the article). And guess what? The government has just agreed with me! Click here to read about the report explaining how back in the sixties, we:
The dangers of being obese.
“There has been a “dramatic rise” in deaths in England in which obesity was a contributory factor, researchers say.”
This is the first paragraph in a story from the BBC news website (click here to read the story).
The bit that struck me was near the end when it says:
Call out for help!
This is a call out to anyone who: Cannot swim yet Wants to learn to swim Doesn’t mind being on TV Can get to the swimming pools at either Burnley or Colne in Lancashire If the above sounds like you, I need to hear from you NOW! Just contact me by clicking here, or leave … Read more
Don’t be miserable and have a pancake!
I’m one of those people who are not at all religious, but still use holy days as an excuse to have a good time.
What gets measured gets managed
Over the weekend I heard a couple of people in suits say:
“What gets measured, gets managed”.
They were talking about their business, but it applies wonderfully to exercise.
If you are serious about changing/improving some aspect of your health/fitness/performance/weight, it is essential to take measurements. If you don’t know where you start from, how do you know if you are getting better/worse/staying the same?
Whenever I bring the subject of measuring with trainees, they often say: