Over indulged on your holiday?

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". 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

Who loves a trail adventure?

Are you getting bored of your same old tried and tested running route that involves pounding the pavements near your home?  Yes its convenient and you can get a good fast running time but wouldn’t it be nice to leave that GPS watch at home sometimes and just run for the fun of it on a trail run?

My regular blog readers will know how much I love training in the great outdoors and my clients benefit from this type of training too. I love the variables such as uneven paths, logs to jump over and trees to duck under.

Running off road in varying terrain combined with numerous obstacles will work those little stabilizing muscles such as those in the foot and ankle to get an amazing workout and will help to supercharge your fitness too. You can’t strengthen what you don’t work, and the monotonous, one direction movement of road running can leave those stabilizing muscles and ligaments underworked.

Why not leave your headphones at home and enjoy the peace and quiet out on a trail run. Just being in nature surrounded by trees, birds and the running water of a stream is just a perfect relaxing antidote to todays hectic world.  

Appreciate the break from the stress and commotion of everyday life, and even of the crowds and traffic that can accompany road running.  Leave social media, emails etc behind and just go off-grid for a while!

Trail running is typically harder than road running. Due to the varying terrain, inclines, and curves in the trail, your average pace per mile/km will most likely be slower than your pace on paved road.  Just don’t stress about your pace.  In fact, if you can bear to part with it, leave your GPS watch at home and find your natural running rhythm.

Trails are a constant adventure that can truly awaken your senses. There is most likely a trail run you could do from your front door.  Look out for local bridlepaths/footpaths or why not give the trails below a try or take it a step further and try a trail race (such good fun)  See below for details.

Try the following trails in East/West Sussex:

Southdowns Way (Try accessing from Jack and Jill windmills at Clayton). https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/leisure-recreation-and-community/walking-horse-riding-and-cycling/south-downs-way/#scroll-link

Downslink https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/media/2203/downs_link_6_stage_route_2010.pdf

For great trail races try:

http://www.maverick-race.com