Tag Archives: Fitness

Dr Michael Mosley and The Fast 800 launch natural shakes delivered to you for post-lockdown health ‘reset’.

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michaelmosley fast 800 shakesLifestyle programme, The Fast 800, has launched 200-calorie shakes, packed with natural ingredients containing essential nutrients that will help to support immune systems across the UK.

High in protein and containing 26 vitamins and minerals alongside an ingredient-list of natural foods the average shopper will recognise, The Fast 800 shakes offer the ultimate combination of nutrition and convenience.

Created by Dr Michael Mosley’s team at The Fast 800, the shakes are founded on scientific evidence suggesting low-carb, fibre and protein-rich Mediterranean-style diets offer some of the best quality nutrition. The Mediterranean diet has been much-praised by the science community, given the abundant evidence showing those who adhere to the way of eating experience long-term weight loss, reduced heart disease and type 2 diabetes risk, amongst other health benefits.

While low in carbohydrates and with no added sugar, The Fast 800 shakes are rich in fibre, aiding beneficial gut flora in producing chemicals that reduce inflammation and support immune function.  These trillions of microbes that live in the large intestine are central to good health and play a significant part in maintaining a healthy immune system.

The fact that each 200 calorie shake also contains 20g protein is also important, because we all need healthy amounts of good quality protein every day to preserve our muscle mass and support our immune system.

Co-founder of The Fast 800, Dr Michael Mosely said accessing quick and convenient nutrition during lockdown has been tricky for many due to the closure of cafes and restaurants. In addition, many of us have struggled with periods of inactivity for a variety of reasons during lockdown, so with the country looking to re-open, now is a great time to reset your health regime with these healthy, natural and nutritious shakes.

“These shakes are packed with natural ingredients, including a quarter of your daily dose of 26 vitamins and minerals in every drink.

“You can read the ingredients list and know exactly what is in them, so they’re a terrific option when the thought of cooking isn’t appealing, or you’re time-poor.

“While I don’t think shakes should be used as a frequent replacement for a well-balanced meal, this is a convenient alternative to the processed foods we often turn to when we are stressed or when fresh food is not easy to access. They are also really helpful when doing a rapid weight loss diet.”

The shakes formula predominantly comprises seeds, nuts and coconut, whey (vegetarian) or pea and hemp (vegan) protein, and sweetened naturally with stevia. The shakes’ naturally higher levels of protein and unsaturated quality fats are the key to keeping you fuller for longer, helping to avoid cravings and endless snacking.

Many meal replacements contain added sugar, artificial sweeteners or simple carbohydrates to improve the taste and counter their low fat content. While cheap to produce, such shakes are not formulated according to scientific evidence and are not ideal for long-term health.

 

  •     Available in vegetarian and vegan bases in three delicious flavours: vanilla, chocolate and strawberry
  •     Shakes cost £18.99 per pack, or £1.90 a shake
  •     Only available via www.thefast800.comand delivered to your door
  •     Manufactured and distributed in the UK
  •     The shakes contain 200 calories per serving when made with water
  •     Simply add 50g of shake powder to a shaker, pour over 300ml of cold water or milk, shake well and drink
  •     Dr Mosley recommends consuming them alongside a diet comprising Mediterranean-style food
  •     For more information, visit www.thefast800.com

 

 

Secrets to Slim Legs Revealed By Women’s Fitness Expert

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Australian Fitness Expert Rachael Attard Shares
Proven Strategies for Achieving Lean, Toned Legs
– Personal Trainer Sheds Light on Six Common Mistakes Preventing Fitness Goals –

Australian personal trainer and nutritionist Rachael Attard is successfully tackling a point of frustration for active women across the globe – how to achieve toned, lean legs. The trusted fitness expert is sharing her six proven reasons why legs don’t slim down despite regular exercise and a healthy diet, including common mistakes and how to avoid them.

“I hear from so many people that they’re training hard, eating well and focused on their fitness goals, but their legs aren’t getting slimmer,” said Attard. “Legs are the hardest area to slim down for most women. It’s easy to go down the wrong path when trying to achieve leaner legs, but a series of mistakes including doing the wrong types of workouts or not eating enough are likely to blame.”

According to Attard, mistake No. 1 is that you could be doing the wrong workouts.

“I see a lot of women solely focusing on doing heavy squats and lunges,” Attard said. “While those exercises are great for overall fitness, they won’t necessarily help slim down your legs if that is your main goal. I recommend switching it up and focusing on a mixture of cardio and resistance workouts along with walking.”

Cardio will help you drop body fat faster and resistance workouts will help you build muscle and burn more calories.

Mistake No. 2 is overtraining your legs, with women assuming that focusing on the legs as a problem area is the smart choice. The fact is, according to Attard, you can’t spot reduce fat from specific areas of your body through resistance training. This is an impossible effort, with results achieved much quicker and easier by adopting total body movements that work every area of your body equally, such as burpees and mountain climbers.

Not getting enough cardio is mistake No. 3 on Racheal’s list, which is a key element of achieving slim, toned legs. “Cardio is definitely not dead”, says Attard when it comes to slimming down your legs effectively.

At least 30 minutes of cardio daily is recommended for the best results, which Attard says can consist of simply walking.

“A lot of people don’t consider walking an exercise, but it’s one of the most effective exercises for lean legs, as it rids the body of overall excess fat including your inner thighs,” she says.

Attard is a big proponent of walking and advises starting each day with a 5K walk and incorporating as many steps into your day is at the top of her list of ways to achieve slimmer legs.

Overeating is mistake No. 4, which Attard attributes to most women not tracking their daily caloric intake and actually eating more than they realize. She recommends calculating your ideal daily amount of calories online, and eating approximately 200/250 calories less than that number without going below 1,200 calories per day. Conversely, not eating enough is mistake No. 5. In the same way you sabotage your fitness goals by overeating, under-eating can actually result in bigger legs. This is attributed to the fact that calorie restriction reduces your metabolism, which makes it harder to burn extra calories.

Finally, mistake No. 6 on Attard’s list is overall health and lack of awareness of a broader health issue that could be restricting your fitness success. This could include hormonal imbalances that cause weight gain and make weight loss harder to achieve, which can be helped by consulting a doctor or naturopath.

Rachael Attard is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist who holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, a Cert III and IV from the Australian Institute of Fitness, and a Certificate in Sports Nutrition from the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Her 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program was developed from her years of training women and helping them feel good in their skin, and fall in love with exercise and their bodies.

Additional details about Rachel Attard’s 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program can be found online, at https://www.rachaelattard.com. The website includes access to the program, a free body type quiz, insightful blog posts and more.

You Don’t Have to Love Your Body, Just Don’t Hate it.

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pregnant, woman, pregnant woman, Catherine Balavage

Me when I was pregnant with my son.

It is fair to say that at some point most of us have had a complicated relationship with our body. Women in particular get a rough ride. The media constantly tells us we are not tall enough, thin enough or tanned enough. Yes, the body positive movement has happened, but it is being sold to us by the same people who made us feel crap about our bodies for decades, and do not get me started on how their tagline is usually about ‘real’ women. It is so condescending. There are no fake women. Airbrushing women within an inch of their lives, while those women were already over five foot ten and a size eight, does not make these women an ideal that ‘real’ women no longer have to aspire to because you are woke now.

The beauty industry is still trying to sell us cellulite creams. In 2019 I was still seeing articles on how to get rid of cellulite. It is truly shocking. Babies have cellulite, children have cellulite, even men have cellulite, but for some reason only women are told that it is somehow not normal and we have to spend our time and energy getting rid of it. God forbid we work on our brains instead of our thighs.

P.S: dimples are cute.

Yes, I rant a bit but I have my reasons. As a teenager I thought my body looked awful. All I saw was flaws. Now I am in my thirties and I think it truly is amazing. There are parts I am not keen on, the bits of fat that accumulate around my C section scar and are hard to shift, for example, but I refuse to hate it. My body has made two beautiful children and been through two very different births: one emergency C section and one VBAC. It has been pregnant four times but only has two children and it has endured two traumatic surgeries.

The last few years I have been the fittest I have ever been in between my pregnancies. I am at my lowest weight in ten years and I am proud when I manage to make healthy choices, and gentle on myself when I do not. It makes me sad when I think about how long it took me to love my body on my good days, and not hate it on my bad ones. When I was a teenager I was ill with glandular fever. I was bedridden for years and it took a lot of time to get healthy again. My education was affected and it is only now I am managing to find the time to rectify that. You would think it that was an important lesson but I spent my twenties working fourteen hour days, going to parties and over-exercising. Turns out you can not exist on canapés and champagne alone. My main food groups were pasta and cereal. It is embarrassing to think about now that I try to make sure I have at least five-a-day and that I do not exert my body to much.

What I am trying to say is that your body is amazing. YOU are amazing, and while you do not have to love every part of your body, do not hate it. It is a miracle.

My Favourite Personal Trainers PTs | Wellness

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I don’t go to the gym. It is not that I do not want to, it is that I like to save time and money. Sweating in front of strangers is not my idea of fun either, so I workout at home. This has not stopped me finding some amazing personal trainers. YouTube is full of them. I love PopSugar Fitness, Fitness Blender and Joe Wicks. I cannot recommend these sites enough and I hope you check them out. They have changed not only my body, but my life. Here are some of my favourite personal trainers and their workouts.

Jeanette Jenkins.

Jeanette takes no prisoners. She does an INSANE 500 calorie workout. She helped me lose a stone in weight. She is so happy and positive. I feel so happy after doing her workouts. Hell, I even feel happy while doing it. Even if it hurts like hell.Check out all of her workouts. They are all amazing.

Amy Rosoff Davis

Amy is another brilliant trainer. I did the workout below three times a week when my daughter was a few months old and I lost half a stone and completely changed my body shape. Her focus on BarreCore looks easy but is hard as hell. It really reshapes your body. Her other workouts are great too. She trains Selena Gomes.

Kelly and Daniel from Fitness Blender have a huge amount of amazing workout videos. They even have workout programs which are cheap and that makes sure you workout different muscles each day. Their site is work a look: Fitness Blender. One of their great workouts is below.

I am now focusing on keeping the weight off. Okay, okay, I should not be too hard on myself as the three times I put on a lot of weight I had either had an injury or had a baby. But the above people helped me get fit and healthy each time. I find it hard to lose weight and keep it off now. Make sure you go at your own pace. I have done low impact modifications when I have hurt my knee or am starting up again. These are my recommendations. They worked for me, I hope they work for you too.

 

Great Christmas Gifts For The Fitness Fanatic

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Go Fit Cross Extreme Ab Wheel

abwheel gofitabwheelcrossfit

The GoFit Ab Wheel is an excellent way to obtain a more defined toned set of abs. The rolling action of the Ab Wheel trains both the upper and lower abdominal walls. The Ab Wheel has dual wheels and non-slip foam grip handles.

  • Excellent to obtain more defined toned set of abs
  • Trains both upper and lower abdominal wall
  • Dual wheels
  • Non-slip foam grip handles
  • Combine with cardio program for washboard abs

I loved this. I do a lot of HIIT and this great workout tool takes your work out to a whole new level. 

From bodybuilding.com

 

ProSource Total Upper Body Conditioning Multi-Grip Pull Up Bar

pullupbar

Finally, The heavy duty Multi-Grip Pull-Up Bar is made with high grade steel for a sturdy design that’s built to last. The multiple grip positions allow you to perform wide, hammer, and close-grip pull-ups and chin-ups, and hanging abdominal exercises. You can also place on the floor to use for push-ups or triceps dips. It slips easily onto any standard doorframe and can hold up to 300 lb. Convenient for at-home workouts, it’s easy to assemble and built to last – a perfect workout accessory to strengthen your entire upper body in the comfort of your own home.

Features

  • Ideal for pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, dips and leg raises
  • 12 cushioned foam grips
  • Work muscles from a variety of angles
  • Fits onto standard door frames 24”-36” wide or can be wall-mounted
  • Portable design that is quick and easy to assemble

 

A great bar to reach your peak fitness. It brings the gym into your home.  A great tool that lets you train like a pro at home. Highly recommended. A great gift. 

From bodybuilding.com

 

Polk Boom Bit Wearable Speaker 

polkboombitwearablespeaker

Polk BOOM have launched this truly wearable ‘Ready for Anything’ Bluetooth Speaker. Combining music listening and hands-free phone convenience in a ruggedized enclosure that is sweat, dirt, sand and shockproof, BIT is the perfect accessory for anyone who lives an active lifestyle. Measuring only 7 cm x 3 cm, BIT’s robust clip can be secured to any item of clothing, backpack or cycle helmet, whilst its three-hour play time is ample for even the most ardent of commutes, rides or workouts.

 The Polk BOOM BIT is available in Black, Sport Blue, Volt Yellow, Lava Red and a two-toned Grey/Mint

Griffin Survivor Adventure 3 cases in 1

griffinsurvivoradventurephonecase

A fantastic phone case which fits the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 6 and 6s. Survives an 8ft drop on concrete. Is a thin case with 2 extra backs. A great case that protects your phone while you get fit.

Griffin Survivor Adventure Case for iPhone 7/6S/6 is available here.

 

Arnicare Bath & Massage Balm

arnicare

For those who like nothing more than to relax and unwind after a busy day, Nelsons arnicare arnica Bath & Massage Balm, is a dual purpose balm enriched with Evening Primrose and rich Sweet Almond oil to naturally hydrate the skin. Designed for massaging into tired muscles or for use in a relaxing bath following a hectic day, the natural properties of Arnica Montana extract and sweet scents of Lavender and Grapefruit essential oils help calm senses and relax the mind.

Great for a post-workout bath or massage. Helps with muscle aches. Stick it in a stocking as it is great stuff. 

From boots.com and hollandandbarrett.com

 

Arnicare Cooling Gel

arnicacoolingelarnicare

With more people than ever now interested in health and fitness, and with such a variety of exercise classes on the market, we all know someone who really works hard when it comes to training. Nelsons arnicare arnica Cooling Gel is ideal for massaging into tired and over-worked legs, to help cool and revive them. Combining the natural benefits of arnica with the refreshing sensation of grapefruit oil and menthol, it could even be the gym bag essential for those fitness resolutions in the New Year.

Really helps when muscles are aching. If you buy this for a fitness-obsessed friend they will be very grateful. 

From boots.com and hollandandbarrett.com

 

Don’t trust your scales – why you should be focusing on reducing your visceral fat, not your weight

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don'ttrustthescalesBy Andy Kay, Training Manager at British Military Fitness 

If you’ve been watching your scales to see if your exercise regime is paying off, you might be wasting your time. New research has found that doing between two and four months of endurance training can cause either no, or very minimal, reduction in body weight, with participants in a study losing only between zero and 4kg of weight.[1]

Does this mean you should throw in the towel and swap evenings working up a sweat for nights on the couch? No! The same researchers studied the reduction in visceral fat, and found that after two to six months it was markedly reduced, with participants who had lost no weight, having reducing their visceral fat by 6%.

So, what is visceral fat?

Visceral body fat is what is created when the body stores excess calories as fat cells around your organs. You might not always be able to see it on the outside but excess visceral fat is bad news, being known as a risk factor for coronary heart disease and diabetes, as well as being linked to a number of different cancers and even Alzheimer’s disease.

This is because an excess of visceral body fat can interfere with liver function and can disrupt your organs’ normal function. This can lead to an increase in cholesterol, particularly bad cholesterol, as well as increased insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.

How much is too much?

It can be hard to identify if you have too much visceral body fat, but the World Health Organization recommends that a waist to hip ratio higher than 0.9 for men and 0.85 for women is high risk. Divide the circumference of your waist by the circumference of your hips to work this out.

What can you do about it?

As the researchers found, exercise is highly effective in reducing this type of fat, even if it has little effect on weight, with every 1% reduction in body weight associated with a 3% reduction in visceral body fat. Steady state cardio such as running, cycling and swimming, as well as exercise classes based on high intensity interval training such as BMF, are highly effective in reducing fat and helping people to get fitter. Exercise two to four times a week to gain the benefits, and ensure you are leading an active lifestyle the rest of the time, with more time spent walking and less spent sitting down.

What are the first steps to reducing visceral fat?

If you have a high waist to hip ratio and want to reduce your visceral body fat the first step is to get active and start exercising. From there, the focus should be on limiting portion sizes and making sensible choices when it comes to nutrition. Swap sugary and salty snacks in favour of complex carbohydrates, protein and vegetables and try to prepare as much of your own food as possible.

For more information, please visit: www.britishmilitaryfitness.com or to sign up to a free British Military Fitness trial go to: https://www.britmilfit.com/try-bmf-for-free/

[1] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.12406/abstract

 

 

 

Top Tips on Reducing Sore Muscles after Your Workout

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Whether you’re a Gym Bunny or a Fitness Newbie, you may have heard the term DOMs floating around the gym a fair few times. Yes, that achy feeling you get the day after a workout when you can’t go down the stairs without assistance or as I like to call it, a Muscle Hangover. As a Personal Trainer, this has become a word engrained into my vocabulary on a daily basis and for numerous reasons. Top of the list is that it is the number one excuse from clients, especially beginners to training who complain this is why they no longer wish to carry on with their workout regime and on the flip-side, others claim to be not working hard enough if they don’t have DOMs. So let’s debunk DOM’s or as it is more widely recognised, ‘Delayed Onset of Muscles Soreness.’

Firstly, DOMs can occur anywhere and to anyone no matter how experienced or beginner you are. Some can’t live with it, some swear by it, in any case, if you have been recently exposed to unfamiliar or intense physical activity, chances are you will experience this soreness. Let us dispel the myth that this is a build up of lactic acid in the muscles, that’s generally not the case and even so, does this really answer your question as to what DOMs are and how to get rid of it? Probably not. So let me start with an explanation which is easier to digest, DOMs appear to be the product of inflammation caused by connective tissue micro trauma, the small tears we make in our muscles when training. This in turn can be productive if you’re trying to build your muscle groups however, extreme soreness can also be counterproductive and hinder your training abilities… in training much like your diet, there is an everything in moderation approach. Despite the fact that we may not be able to get rid of DOMs completely we can certainly help to reduce them and with summer coming up and many a marathon to be run, we popped in for a masterclass with Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel and Top YouTube expert Lucy Wyndham-Read, to provide us some much needed muscle relief tips.

Lucy Wyndham-Read

Lucy Wyndham-Read

Cool down stretches are a must and exercise expert Lucy Wyndham-Read advises us on a few crucial cool down stretches.

IT band stretch – It’s very important to carry out this stretch after exercising as it helps to realign the body and avoid the risk of injury. Stand up straight with one leg crossed over the other and then lean towards the top leg. You will feel a stretch along the side of the other leg, so hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the opposite leg. Remember to breathe deeply the whole time.

Hip flexor stretch – This stretch is similar to a lunge but requires you to leave your knee on the floor with your opposite foot out in front. Make sure your hips are aligned, pointing straight ahead to avoid any rotation in the pelvis. Press the toes on your back foot into the ground as well as your knee and your front foot to activate the lateral hip stabilisers. Hold for a minute and then repeat on the other side.

Sitting calf stretch – Sit on the floor with one leg straight out in front of you. Place a towel around your foot and gently pull your toes towards you until you feel a stretch in your calf. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other leg. You can also rub Nelsons arnicare arnica Cooling Gel into your muscle, as it contains grapefruit and menthol which help to cool and revive.

Standing calf stretch – This is a classic stretch for the calf muscle which is ideal for doing after you’ve worked on your legs. Stand facing the wall, just under arms distance away from it. Hold your arms out in front of you and place your palms against the wall. Keep your feet parallel and take one leg back as if about to lunge. Bend your front knee and press through your back heel. Hold for approx 30 seconds and then switch legs.

And if you want to stretch along with Lucy, check out her YouTube channel;

 

As well as stretching, you can also help to reduce DOMS by using soothing creams or gels. We recommend specially formulated Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel. This non greasy formula is ideal for massaging into tired legs after a workout combining the natural benefits of arnica with the refreshing sensation of grapefruit oil and menthol to cool and soothe the skin. We just loved taking the time out to pay our body some much needed stress relief and being allowed to indulge in a little massage after a heavy workout to relieve our tired limbs.

Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel is priced at £5.40 for 30g and is available from Holland & Barrett, Superdrug, Boots and Amazon. Visit Arnicare for more information.

So no more excuses guys. Don’t forget your stretches, arm yourself with Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel and love your workout.

British women are damaging their health with weekday diets and weekend bingeing

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fitness-get healthyBritish women could be seriously damaging their health by sticking to strict diets during the week and binging at weekends, according to health experts.

Researchers have discovered a “feast or famine” culture with the majority of young women aged 18 to 40 (80 percent) restricting their diet during the week, only to overindulge at the weekends on junk food and alcohol.

Unsurprisingly, the survey showed Monday is the day women consume the least, with as many as one in ten consuming as little as 1,000 calories on the first day of the week.

A further one in twenty stick to a dangerously low calorie intake of 500 calories a day from Monday through to Thursday.

But on a typical weekend, the majority of women (83 percent) admitted they over indulge, with one in ten consuming 3,000 calories per weekend day (average) – with a further one in twenty admitting to binging on 4,000 calories or more on a Saturday or Sunday.

In terms of alcohol consumption – the average number of drinks consumed on a typical weekend evening (3 drinks) was more than three times the amount drunk on an average week night (less than 1 drink, 0.7).

Nutritionist Karen Poole said: “For many of us the weekend is typically a time to kick back, relax, catch up with friends and enjoy a little indulgence. Sometimes though it can simply mean too much of a good thing.

“If, at the weekend, you ramp up your junk food calorie, refined carbohydrate and alcohol intake, then you are looking at a potential sugar overload and your body will have to work hard to deal with the major increase in blood glucose levels, storing any excess for the future.

“Bodies function better with a regular varied diet of lean protein, essential fat and fresh vegetables providing a rich supply of vitamins and minerals.”

The report also revealed that a weekend of excess leaves 47 percent of women feeling tired and ill-equipped to deal with the busy week ahead.

The triggers for entering into a “binge” were also revealed, including a stressful week at work (40 percent), office cakes and treats (18 percent), a Friday takeaway (24 percent) and a Saturday morning fry up or bacon sandwich (27 percent).

83 percent admitted that on the whole, they are guilty of weekend excess when it comes to food and alcohol.

A further 77 percent said they wished they were more moderate with their health habits and indulgences.

Yesterday a spokeswoman for Spatone, which commissioned the survey among 2,000 women said: ‘’The working week can be long and tiring enough but if you’re also not eating a consistently healthy and balanced diet you may find your energy levels might suffer as you’re not getting enough vitamins and minerals to maintain normal energy function.

“Allocating time for rest, healthly eating and exercise throughout the week rather than dieting at the beginning of the week and then becoming unhealthy towards the weekend, can make it much easier to maintain energy levels and reduce tiredness and fatigue.

“Those who can’t get their iron requirements from dietary sources alone could consider taking a natural food iron supplement like Spatone”.