MY TOP 10 HEALTH & FITNESS TIPS
Hey all,
Hope you are well and having a great start to this new week! A couple of people have asked me to share and post, what I consider to be my top 10 health and fitness tips. So here you go. If you have any questions, please drop me a line!
Top 10 Health & Fitness Tips:
Hey guys, a couple of people have asked me to share a few of my top health and fitness tips. So here you go. If you have any questions, please drop me a message :-)
1. NUTRITIONAL BASICS
Food is your fuel. It fuels your body to reach your goals. If you don't have real, proper nutrition through quality food (not processed rubbish), you are going to have set backs and not reach your goals as quickly as you would like. Maintain a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates (carbs), complete proteins and fats (fish oils and flaxseeds)
2. PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE:
We all live busy lives. However, we all should try to prepare for our day/week. Make your health and fitness goals a priority which you need to prepare for. Prepare yourself nutritional by making all of your food in advance and you will increase your chances of success. E.g. Cook all your food on the Sunday for Monday-Wednesday and Wednesday evening, prepare all the food for the rest of the week. You don't have to think what you are going to have for lunch - and not eat bad foods or skip meals.
3. EAT MORE!:
What?? Thought we have to eat less to drop weight?!
Eat up to 5 times a day about every 3 hours to stimulate your metabolism. Include two "mini-meals" in between your main three meals during your day. As your activity levels decrease throughout the day (unless you exercise after work), eat less as the day goes on.
4. PORTION CONTROL:
This tip is so basic, but always is overlooked, especially if people are going to be eating more. Chicken breast and meats should be no bigger than the palm of your hand. Pastas and spaghettis should be no bigger than your fist. I also suggest you could use smaller plates and bowls so you don’t over fill your portions, because studies show that people serve themselves 20-40% more food when using larger plates.
5. ENDURANCE TRAINING: BEING PREPARED
If you are endurance training, you need to ensure that you are adequately hydrated and to be sure that you are eating properly. This is because this type of training is very demanding on your body. You should be doing a mixture of cardio and weight training (not necessarily heavy). And to increase your aerobic capacity, I would advise introducing interval training to your routine. You are likely to sweat loads, so be prepared!
6. MOTIVATION
Motivation is absolutely essential. Without it you will struggle to get yourself out of the house to the gym or wherever you’re going to be training! Ask yourself every day “Why am I doing X?” Constantly remind yourself of your goal. Use visual tactics; Put a picture of your goal body/accomplishment on your fridge or wardrobe. Buy that dress/suit a size smaller so it’s incentive to reach your goals.
7. CORRECT TECHNIQUE:
When you are exercising in any format (Gym, Personal Trainer/Bootcamps), correct technique is key. Otherwise you run the risk or injury and not getting the best out of the workout. If in doubt, ask!
By maintaining good technique, you are guaranteeing to activate the muscles you are looking to train. The person who stays injury-free and has the better technique, reaches their goals much faster.
8. FAT LOSS BASICS:
Forget calorie counting and stepping onto the scales. Instead concentrate on body fat % and how you actually feel and fit into your clothes. Eat lean meats, increase your fruit and vegetable intake and cut out the processed foods or those high in sugar. Add a good varied exercise routine in and you will notice a difference in next-to-no-time.
9. PHYSICAL CHANGES
If you feel that you need to keep an eye on the scale as motivation and things don’t seem to be going in the right direction, take photos – You are most likely adding muscle and dropping body fat. Take photos on a weekly basis and you will be able to notice a difference! (Ensure that you take the photos in the same position with the same lighting)
10. CARBS FOR ENERGY
We all love carbs! Some a little more than others. However, we have to watch our carb intake. Carbs can cause your body to store fat.
Also, as a side not, when you are doing cardiovascular workouts, it’s important to do more than 20 minutes as you as in the first 20 minutes of exercise, your body is burning carbohydrates for energy. Every minute past the 20 minutes threshold, you will start to more stored body fat.
Have a great week and keep training! :-)
