Press 'Reset' after your holiday to get back on track

Sun, sea, sand, adventure, good food and drink, thats what holidays are made of! Time spent outside in the fresh air relaxing with our friends and families (as much as you can with children!) can be so good for the body and soul offering a break from the norm and a chance to explore pastures new. 

However we all know how carried away we can get with overindulging in the local food and alcohol and before we know it the pounds have crept on.

Worry not, the damage can be minimised and you can set yourself back on track within days. Follow the steps below to feel more energetic, lighter and for your clothes to not fit so snuggly!

1. Don't panic - Its tempting to think "oh well I am never going to lose the weight”. I always tell my clients to press the ‘reset button’. Now you are back home, fill your basket with wholesome healthy foods on your first food shop. Limit processed foods, especially those containing sugar, refined vegetable oil and processed highly refined carbs such as pasta and crackers.

2. Exercise everyday for at least 20 minutes - A combination of both cardio and resistance exercise is crucial to burn body fat and tone up at the same time.

3. Up your water - Ensure you are drinking enough pure water daily as flying and drinking alcohol all dehydrate the body. Every cell in your body requires water and it also helps with weight loss and increasing energy.

4. Get in those zzz's - Flying through timezones or enjoying long summer evenings can mean less sleep. Sleep is a time for the body to repair and again can make a big difference to energy and when trying to lose weight.

5. Try this meal plan below for the next 5 days:

• Key principles are:

  • 3 x meals a day

  • No snacks between meals

  • Meals made up of steamed and or raw vegetables and salad, a source of protein and a source of healthy fat. (No potatoes, rice, pasta etc.)

• Breakfast example:

  • Pea, onion and spinach omelette cooked in butter or coconut oil

• Lunch example:

  • Avocado, lettuce, cucumber, radishes, celery with turkey slices (fresh from the deli is possible)

• Dinner example:

  • Homemade chicken and vegetable curry (made with spices and coconut milk) served with cauliflower rice

For more information and if you would like the help of a personal trainer please contact Red Hot Personal Training for an initial consultation. Don't forget to subscribe to receive our free blogs. 

Increase your energy and vitality today

Clients of Red Hot Personal Training often ask what are the things that they should focus on to increase their energy and vitality. The list below is by no means exhaustive but it’s a great starting point.  Remember unless you make the change nothing will change. 

Reduce your sugar intake.  Watch the sugar content of your food.  Keep a food diary and see how much sugar you actually consume throughout the day, it may just surprise you! Sugar can play havoc with your energy as you spike your insulin levels (that initial sugar hit soon followed by the slump) leave you feeling lethargic and can also lead to overeating. Learn to read labels for sugar content. Remember to look for "of which sugars" on food labels. (4kg = 1 teaspoon of sugar).  Aim to consume no more than 6 teaspoon of sugar daily. Especially limit fruit juice and fizzy drinks and also avoid drinks that look healthy but are secretly sky high in sugar.  Some so called "green smoothies/juices" have as much sugar as soft drinks. CHECK THE LABELS YOU MAY BE SURPRISED. Click on this link to read a blog we wrote last year about the sugar content in childrens packed lunches. https://www.redhotpersonaltraining.com/health-fitness-blog/2015/8/19/packed-lunch-ideas-for-kids-and-adults-alike?rq=sugar.

Make sure you take a brisk walk outside for at least 15 minutes a day.  A wood, forrest or green leafy park is best but a walk around your street will still count! Take time to appreciate the nature around you and focus on breathing deeply and calmly. This is great for boosting your circulation, working your muscles, fat loss, better sleep and a great mood booster too!

Top up your vitamin D levels with 20 minutes of sensible sun exposure to your arms and legs each day (not in the midday full sun).

Avoid blue light late at night.  Lots of interesting science is emerging on this topic and we think this is going to be a very important subject. This means turning off your mobile phones and tablets at least 1 hour before bed. 

Fill up on a rainbow of colors each day.  Fill your plates with a variety of vegetables as this allows us to gain a huge variety of vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in a bland “beige” coloured diet. Click on this link to read more on this subject. 

https://www.redhotpersonaltraining.com/health-fitness-blog/2016/4/18/eat-the-rainbow?rq=rain

What is the best diet & exercise for your body type? (Part Two)

Want to know how to eat and workout for the best results for your body type?  In our last blog we identified the 3 distinct somatotype body types:  Please read Part 1 first if you have not already done so.

Once you have worked out your body type, use the information below to help fine tune your nutrition and exercise plans to get the most success with your goals whether they consist of weight loss, increased muscle or body sculpting.

ECTOMORPHS

Nutrition

SOURCE:RODALE WELLNESS

• Stay hydrated with plenty of fresh plain water
• Eat natural unprocessed foods
• Avoid drastically cutting carbs (eat enough vegetable carbs)
• Eat adequate calories to facilitate lean muscle growth (Don't use the excuse of having a faster metabolism to eat junk food as this does nothing to grow muscle)
• Eat plenty of broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, chicken, turkey, oats, brown rice, coconut oil or ghee, nuts, seeds and nut butter. 

Fitness training

• Focus on gaining strength
• Dont overtrain - dont overdo aerobic activities if your goal is to increase muscle and tone
• Ectomorphs tend to excel at cardio and avoid or do minimal weight/resistance training.  
• To increase muscle mass, increase strength and sculpt an ectomorph type body use heavy weights and body weight exercises
• Train 3 times a week to allow lots of recovery days to give muscles a chance to repair and grow.

MESOMORPH

Nutrition

• Stay hydrated with plenty of fresh plain water
• Eat natural unprocessed foods
• Watch overall food consumption as Mesomorphs tend to overeat as they feel its relatively easy to loose weight
• Include lots of healthy fats such as avocados, butter, olives, oily fish etc

Fitness training

• Try sprint training (build up to this if new to running) as its great for fat loss and muscle building
• Train 3 times a week to allow lots of recovery days to give muscles a chance to repair and grow
• Target multiple muscle groups each training session
• Pilates is great for mesomorph body types

ENDOMORPHS

Nutrition

• Stay hydrated with plenty of fresh plain water
• Eat natural unprocessed foods
• Watch carbohydrate consumption (especially later in the day) (try to get your carbs from vegetables as opposed to processed carbs such as bread, crackers, biscuits etc)
• No food within 3 hours of bedtime
• Fill up on protein at each meal and include loads of vegetables/salad
• Eliminate sweets and reduce alcohol
• Snacks if eaten should be smaller than the size of your palm
• Have a high protein and fibre breakfast such as an omelette of eggs, spinach, red peppers and spring onion

Fitness training

• Your goal should focus on burning fat whilst increasing muscle to gain a lean and toned body
• Train at a high intensity with little rest between sets to burn stored body fat
• Avoid long periods of sitting, exercise for 30 minutes a day (7 times a week) with two of those sessions using heavy weights/body weight exercises and one session being a HIIT session

With the above guidance you can take your nutrition and exercise to the next level and may see results faster and better then ever before.

If you are interested in knowing more about your body type and how we can help you achieve the best results please get in contact.

What is the best diet & exercise for your body type? (Part One)

Struggling to lose excess weight or wondering just why you can't gain any muscle? To take your physique to the next level it may be helpful to know your body type (somatotype) and how knowing what type it is could influence a successful outcome.  By eating the right foods and exercising in the way that is best for your particular body type success may be closer than you think.  Below you can see the three distinct body types consisting of Ectomorphs, Mesomorphs and Endomorphs.  

In this blog (Part 1) we will help you identify which body type you are. Most people may find they have a mix of types, however, there is usually characteristics of one type that resonates most with each person and this would be classed as your dominant body type. 

Source:Rodale Wellness

ECTOMORPH

• Long, lean and willowy with a small frame
• Small shoulders, chest and buttocks
• Low body fat percentage
• Hard to gain muscle mass
• Low muscular strength levels - finds resistance training a challenge, prefers low slow cardio
• Hard to gain weight 

MESOMORPH

• Gains muscle easily
• Naturally muscular and strong
• Naturally lean
• Broad Shoulders
• Gains fat easier than Ectomorphs

ENDOMORPH

• Harder to lose body fat and to keep it off
• High body fat percentage (may be overweight)
• Body shape more rounder, softer or curvier, or pear shaped
• Gains fat very easily
• Larger shoulders
• Sensitive to processed and refined carbohydrates 

Part 2 of our follow on blog will detail the appropriate training and nutrition that will help you get the most success for each body type.  Be sure not to miss the next blog by subscribing FREE. (On the right hand side of this page)

Journey to Becoming a Runner

A little nervous and anticipating what was to come, Debbie lined up against almost 400 others at the start line of Horshams 5k ParkRun.  Not once had she imagined herself running this distance.

Just six weeks ago Debbie started training with Red Hot Personal Training (RHPT) with the aim of becoming fitter and to achieve inch loss.  At first we focused on incorporating strength training and small bursts of running to increase her aerobic capacity, burn fat and increase muscle tone.  Her positive enthusiasm and the way that she embraced the training, nutrition and lifestyle changes given by RHPT have not only seen her loose weight (fat loss/inch loss) but also the ability of achieving so much more than she thought possible.

"Just one minute, that is all you need to run for" is what Debbie became familiar hearing on our training sessions.  That quickly increased to three minute bursts after just a few weeks with Debbie starting to notice her improvements.

It is so important to set yourself training goals and we thought that a 5K ParkRun would be perfect for Debbie as she was really enjoying running and showed excellent improvement as the weeks progressed.

The minutes ticked by during the first Kilometre of the 5k ParkRun and Debbie showed little signs of slowing.  We paced the run so she would not start too fast and then burn out and we tackled the slight inclines of the terrain using mental methods allowing her to drive upwards with ease.

As a Personal Trainer, I am always delighted and in awe when my clients achieve a personal goal, like the nurturing of a baby bird that learns how to use its wings and fly for the first time.

Crossing the finish line Debbie asked if we had achieved it in under 45-50 minutes (a goal time we had set) "Oh yes I said, you have smashed it and did it in 38 minutes and 40 seconds!"

Well done Debbie, I am so proud of you! 

If you were inspired by Debbie and would like to try a ParkRun just visit http://www.parkrun.org.uk and if you need any help with the training please get in touch with us here at RHPT. 

Do you know the benefits of drinking water?

Click on the video to watch a short video highlighting many of the benefits of drinking water.  Drink up everyone!

Brought to you by Red Hot Personal Training, Sussex.

Want a strong core?

What is your core?

When you hear the words core training what comes to mind?  Endless crunches that seem to produce no results?

A great number of people believe that your core muscles consist of only your abdominal muscles which is just not true.  Muscles of the core region include the abdominals and the hip and spinal musculature.  In fact when you strength train your core you aim to target all the muscle groups that stabalise the spine and pelvis.

Side plank

A strong core can help you with your functional fitness (those crucial ab and back muscles you call upon every time you turn, bend and lift) and also from an aesthetic perspective (sculpting and tightening that mid section!). 

Suffer from lower back pain?  

In some instances, weak or poorly controlled core muscles can be associated with lower back pain.  Correctly strength training the core muscles will result in them being stronger and more correctly balanced with less uneven strain being placed on the spine. 

Core Workouts

A great core workout may incorporate planks and side plank exercises to encourage a neutral spine position with a natural curve in the back.  Other excellent core exercises include the glute bridge that can help stabilise the pelvis. 

Using a swiss ball to perform core exercises on can be a great tool to really target those inner hard to reach core muscles whilst also adding an element of fun to the routine. Progression can then be made onto a push up lateral row that engages all the core musculature at once resulting in a thorough core workout.

Kitchen Workout Part 2

Lets work out those arms! No excuses, as all you need are two equal sized tins from the cupboard.  Watch the video clip below for a quick demonstration and give it a try. (Remember to warm up first by jogging on the spot or performing star jumps for a minute just to get the body ready). 

Missed last weeks blog ? Check out our 'Kitchen workout part 1 ' using just bodyweight exercises and don't forget to keep an eye out for part 3 next week.  You can also subscribe to our FREE weekly health and fitness blog so you never miss a future blog. x  

Pathway to muscle definition, increased fat burning and a stronger body!

Who doesn't like the sound of the above title? Do you spend many hours a week at the gym pounding away on the treadmill and wonder why you are not seeing your body change?

A new client came to Red Hot Personal Training in search of ways to improve upon her body shape and in particular muscular definition and asked why she had not seen her body change at all despite going to the gym 3 times a week and running on the treadmill for 30 minutes?  Now there are many answers to this question that would effect her results including diet, stress levels, hormones, sleep pattern etc however, our next question was very important. Do you incorporate the free weights, suspension equipment, medicine balls etc available or ever do bodyweight exercises? No she replied I just want to burn calories as quick as I can and go home as I really don't like running!

After explaining the benefits of incorporating all these other options into her exercise routine we set clear goals for her to reach that would utilise a variety of exercises equipment and also the addition of body weight exercises that would challenge her and force her body to adapt and change for the better.  

The take home message we really want to get across is please don't stick to the same exercises routine for every session.  Give the treadmill a break for a bit and explore other options. Mix it up and your body will always be kept guessing. Add in those bodyweight exercises including planks, pull-up, press-ups, squats, lunges etc and see your body increase in strength and muscle tone.