The power of resistance bands

Resistance bands could be the one piece of workout equipment that can take your body to the next level of fitness, strength and overall muscle tone.  As a Personal Trainer, Pilates instructor and pre and post-natal teacher (www.redhotpersonaltraining.com) I find resistance bands a wonderful, versatile and full body strengthening little 'gym in my pocket' tools that really do work wonders.

Bands come in a variety of lengths and strengths so suitable from beginner to advanced athlete and some are made in a loop construction that adds to the versatility and variety of exercise combinations that can be used. They are budget friendly and can easily be used while away from home travelling as they are so portable and require little space to use. (Many of my clients travel with work a great deal so when they are away from home they can continue with their exercises whilst away).

Resistance bands allow you to get a full body strengthening workout without the use of any free weights or gym machines.  The key here is that working out with resistance bands produce a different type of tension on your muscles than that of free weights or resistance machines. They produce progressive tension so they actually create more resistance through the range of your repetitions. This is a good thing as the bands will be targeting your muscles fibres in a different way than you would achieve by just using free weights and machines alone. Resistance bands strengthen the neuromuscular system where it is weakest which is at the end of the range of motion but do not place as much strain on the joints than using heavy weights thus their is less chance of injury. 

Have you reached a fitness plateau?  Resistance bands can be an excellent way to add an element of fun and variety into your workout and can be just what the muscles are looking for to overcome that stagnation.

You can do just about any strength training exercise using bands. In fact an entire full body workout can be achieved (including a band warm up and cool down) using a set of small loop bands (in different strengths) and one 1.5 meter single length band. My diary is usually very full and that sometimes leaves very little room for me to work out myself. A short 20 minute band session can be amazing at achieving an excellent resistance workout in a short amount of time. 

Some body weight exercises can be taken to the next level by simply adding the use of a resistance band. For example, a plank with an alternating rear leg lift could be done with a loop band attached around the ankles for added resistance. 

If you have not tried integrating bands into your workouts you simply must give it a go as they are such a wonderful addition to any workout.

If you would like the help of a personal trainer or to purchase gift vouchers for a loved one please contact www.redhotpersonaltraining.com

The building blocks to a better body.........

There is definitely something to take away from the 'Three Little Pigs' children's fairy tale and its not just for children. Children's stories are often written in a way to teach them valuable lessons with characters making mistakes thus helping children to translate them into real life situations.

In the story, the first little piggy was a little bit lazy and grabbed at the first thing he could to build his house. Unfortunately straw isn’t great raw materials for building a house and so the wolf ate him. This is like the person who grabs at the first sugary treat before stopping to think or eats processed foods at every single meal. Yes it gets the job done and you fill you stomach but in the long run the lack of nutrients will keep you constantly craving food and the body will just keep sending you hunger signals.  This little piggy did not put the time and effort into building his house much like those that don't take the time for exercise.  Even those of us who are extremely busy can learn to incorporate exercise into our daily lives so there really is no excuse.

The second little piggy built his house out of wood and yes it was stronger than the straw house, but the wolf still managed to blow the house down and eat the pig, it just took a little more effort on the wolfs part. The second little pig is like the person who still eats processed junk food BUT is “exercising” so its ok?? To some this might sound ok as the exercise will 'burn off' the junk that they are eating. If only it was as simple as that.  

The body constantly needs nutrients to build and repair and get stronger and the fuel that you supply it with and the exercise that you give it will ultimately make up 'You'. If you keep putting the junk and poor quality foods into your body and deny it of all the nutrients it needs and deny it of exercise, it simply WONT be able rebuild you a better body.  Simply put, you cannot out exercise a bad diet, or expect to do well on a good diet with no daily exercise, the two truly go hand in hand.

So that leaves us with the third little piggy who was the one who took his time, put the effort in and sourced the best materials and built himself a house of bricks and eventually outsmarted the big bad wolf. He kept it simple and built a house that would last for years.

To truly build yourself the best, strongest and most robust body (to keep that wolf at bay) does it not make sense to give it the best raw materials (nutrition) possible and the movement (exercise) that it needs and craves?

How to make your dream body a reality

Many people use this time of year to make New Years resolutions and dream about changing their bodies for the better.  Is this one of your resolutions this new year?

Picturing in your mind what you would like to acheive is fantastic but here are a few ways that can help you actually get there.

How committed are you to change? 

Your dream body will not be made overnight so understanding that you will need to commit to make exercise a part of your daily life and improving your diet so you consistently eat well are key to success. This is ultimately what we must strive for.

What do you need to focus on to get there?

Choosing an exercise programme designed for your individual body and personal goals in conjunction with a healthy diet will definitely improve your fitness, body shape and confidence not to mention enhance your mood and stamina. This is where a personal trainer can be invaluable and help you take away the guess work of what to do and when and motivate you to achieve your best.   

If you’re truly serious about your fitness goals make a commitment to yourself to do what it takes to make that happen. Keeping a diary of your exercise, increasing your daily vegetable intake and water consumption can have a big impact.

Remind yourself why you want to make the change

Do you want to be able to keep up with your small children in the park without getting out of breath, wear that size 10 bikini, be confident to stand up and present your work to a room full of people, sleep better? 

These are all achievable with the help of regular exercise and a healthy diet. Get excited about your goals and the final results, but make no mistake, if you don’t consistently exercise and support your training with a healthy diet, those results will never exist outside of your imagination and you’ll never find out how amazing it feels to have achieved them.

Always remind yourself of your goals and just go for it!

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.

Summer fitness with the kids!

Due to the positive feedback we received from our 'get fit with the kids at the park' video clip last summer, we thought that we would share it again this summer holiday so if you have not seen it before or want to see it again just click on the video below and why not be inspired to 'get fit with your kids'! 

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  

2016 Highlights

As we approach the mid point in 2016, we thought we would give you a run down of our top 5 most popular blogs this year in case you have missed them. 

1) Simple at home Fitness Tests, part 1

Our series of four blogs just after the new year, gave you 4 simple fitness tests that covered  aerobic, core, resistance and flexibility that you could try yourself at home.

These were some of our most popular and discussed blogs as you fed back what score you had achieved and how you were going to try and beat it next time. 

If you haven't done these tests then I would recommend giving them ago and if you have see if you have improved.

2) 10 Minute High Intensity (HIIT) workout Video

This video showed you how to have quick but highly effective workout in just 10 minutes. We promise that we will be doing more videos in the second half of 2016.

3) Forget crunches for a flat stomach and try these for fab abs

I raised the point in this blog that endless crunches will most probably not give you a flat stomach!

This blog gave you an example of the importance of rotational exercises that focus on the deep core muscles (namely the Transverse Abdominus and the Obliques) are the secret here ladies.

If you missed this blog first time around I would recommend giving it a try.

If you need any advice on technique or which weights you should be using let us know and we can help you. 

4) Eat the rainbow!

This blog discussed the importance of eating foods which are a 'rainbow of colours' every day. 

Research shows that the vast array of healthy phytochemicals found in fruit and vegetables of various colours offer many astounding health benefits.

A 'rainbow of colours' is trying to pick at least one daily serving of fruit and vegetables from each of the four colour groups – red, orange/ yellow, green, and purple/blue.

Thank you for the feedback on the photo, certainly one of my better ones!

5) Take it outside

This blog written in April talked about my experiences of running Red Hot Personal Training and finding the time to work out myself. 

Based on the comments I received back many of you were inspired by this and headed out to your local park to stretch those legs and some of you also tried out the exercises which was great news. 

Sculpt those Abs with this swiss ball exercise

Wow, you will really feel this move working your abs.  Its a tricky move so take it slowly.

1. Start with the swiss ball in front of you.  Place your mid-section on the ball and roll forwards until your hands reach the floor. Walk out with your hands until the ball is underneath your ankles.  Your hands should be just wider than shoulder width. (Keeping the spine in a nice neutral position throughout the move).

2. Hold this push-up position and keep your core mid section) nice and tight. Bend at the knees and pull the ball up towards your arms bringing your knees towards your chest. Keep the move nice and smooth and don't be tempted to drop your hips.

3. Extend your legs carefully back to the start position. Try doing two sets of 10 repetitions (2 x 10) with a small break in between.

Feel those abs working! 

If you would like to benefit from 1-2-1 Personal Training with Red Hot Personal Training with personalised training and nutrition, please get in touch. x

Eat the rainbow!

What colour is your food?  Does the food on your plate always range from beige to just bland in colour? 

Research shows that the vast array of healthy phytochemicals found in fruit and vegetables of various colours offer many astounding health benefits.

If you aim to eat a 'rainbow of colour' of fruit and vegetables a day you will naturally increase your daily consumption of these wonderful nutrients and hopefully even surpass the recommended 'five' servings of fruit and vegetables a day. (Ideally aim for at least nine or ten a day for good health).

So how do you achieve a 'rainbow of colours' a day? Is it that hard to do? Well all this means is picking at least one daily serving of fruit and vegetables from each of the four colour groups – red, orange/ yellow, green, and purple/blue.

Each coloured fruit or veg contains slightly different nutrients each with amazing health benefits. For example, Blueberries contain Anthocyanins (these help protect against cell damage) and carrots contain beta-carotene (great for eye health). Yes they really will help you see in the dark!!

For example a typical day could look like:

Breakfast: Include Raspberries and Blueberries and an apple.

Lunch: Include Rocket, sugar-snap peas, yellow pepper.

Dinner: Include butternut squash, spring greens and red cabbage.

Give it a try:) x