Are you getting the most from your workouts?

At Red Hot Personal Training, we think it really comes down including a balance of high intensity and moderate exercise into your week. 

Incorporating high intensity (HIIT) style training 2-3 times into your weekly activity sessions can produce AMAZING results.  HIIT training incorporates short periods of maximum effort (such as 45 seconds of skipping) followed by short periods of rest (i.e, 30 seconds) and is excellent for fat loss and increasing fitness fast. However, take note that more than 3 sessions could be counter productive, not allowing enough time for your muscles to repair between sessions and even leading to overtraining. 

Incorporating moderate intensity activities such as brisk walking for an hour, a gentle run outside for 30 minutes etc should be encouraged for the days that you don't perform HIIT sessions. The message we really want to share is to keep your body moving, include a variety of physical activities in your week and try to include a few intense sessions to really see results.

Want to try a HIIT session?  Just get in touch with Red Hot Personal Training and book a session, you will love the results. 

Time for Tea!

A perfect little cup of green goodness.  Green Tea has been prized for centuries throughout China and Japan and it is now becoming a popular drink here in the UK too.  So what is all the fuss about?

Certain compounds in the green leaves such as Catechins, EGCG and Thiamine to name a few are known for their wonderful health boosting benefits.  Check out these top reasons below as to why you should include a few cups into your daily fluid consumption.

1. Helps fight Inflammation
2. Boosts fat loss
3. Helps relieve stress and boost immunity
4. Reduces muscle soreness and recovery post exercise
5. Boosts exercise endurance

Feel like giving it a try?  For best results select a good quality Matcha Green Tea (ideally organic) that is made in Japan and not China as some green tea from China contains high amounts of lead. 

Simple at Home Fitness Tests, Part 4

This week lets see how flexible you are?  Use the photos below to help guide you.

How flexible is your upper body?

Stand upright and stretch your right arm above your head towards the ceiling.  Now bend this arm behind your shoulder and down your back.  Now take your left hand and bend it behind your back trying to touch or interlink your hands together.  See how you do below and then swap the hands around to do the other side.

• Level 1 = Your hands do not touch.

• Level 2 = Your fingers are just touching.

• Level 3 = Your fingers are interlinked.

How did you score:

• Level 1 = Weak area
• Level 2 = Average
• Level 3 = Excellent

If you scored level 1, try to incorporate stretching exercises into your fitness routines to help ease any tension at the top of your neck and shoulders.  This is especially important if you sit at a desk for most of your day.  

How flexible is your lower body?

Several postural problems can be caused by extended sitting (as in office work).  Hamstrings often suffer as a consequence and tend to shorten and our pelvis can be tilted forward creating tightness in our lower back muscles.

Lie down on your back with your legs out straight in front of you.  Raise your right leg up towards the ceiling whilst keeping your left leg flat on the ground. Try to keep both legs out straight until you feel a slight stretch in your right leg (take care not to pull too hard!). Check your score below (a mirror may be useful here) and then try the other side. 

• Level 1 = Both legs are half bent.
• Level 2 = Legs are almost straight.
• Level 3 = Legs are straight and flexible enough to be pulled towards the body.

How did you score:

• Level 1 = Weak area
• Level 2 = Average
• Level 3 = Excellent

If you require any help or advice on these tests or exercises that can help with flexibility just get in touch with Red Hot Personal Training!

Lyndsey Slaughter - Red Hot Personal Training

Simple at home Fitness Tests, part 3

Last week we tested you on your Core strength. This week is all about your resistance strength. Press up exercises can help you gauge your ability to perform a body weight resistance exercise.

 Press ups

•  Perform as many press ups as you can in one go.

•   Ensure you go all the way down to the floor. Select the appropriate level of difficulty for you, either on your knees (half press ups) or a full press up on your toes. 

Your results:

• Level 1 = 1-10 half press ups
• Level 2 = 10-25 half press ups
• Level 3 = 1-10 full press ups
• Level 4 = 11 + full press ups

How did you score? 

• Level 1 = Weak area
• Level 2 = Average
• Level 3 = Good
• Level 4 = Excellent!

Next week test your flexibility ………….

Lyndsey Slaughter - Red Hot Personal Training

Simple at home Fitness Tests, part 2

Simple at home Fitness Tests continued……

Last week we tested you on your aerobic strength. This week is all about your core strength. This test involves holding the plank position.

Core fitness – Plank

Hold the position. (Please see photo). Try to imagine a nice straight line parallel with the floor, from your head to your toes. If at any time you feel the exercise in your lower back then stop the test immediately. Please note your posture and / or lower back will go before you physically have to stop the hold. Do not push through this point.

Record the time held in the plank position.

Results from tests:

Time Held

• Level 1 = Less than 30 seconds
• Level 2 = 31 – 60 seconds
• Level 3 = 61 – 120 second
• Level 4 = 120 seconds +

How did you score:

• Level 1 = Weak area
• Level 2 = Average
• Level 3 = Good
• Level 4 = Excellent!

Next week we test your resistance strength ………….

Lyndsey Slaughter - Red Hot Personal Training

Simple at home Fitness Tests, part 1

How are those fitness New Years resolutions going?  Would you like to know how fit you really are? Hot Personal Training is going to set 4 simple fitness tests that cover aerobic, core, resistance and flexibility that you can do yourself at home. Start by taking the challenge below and see how you score.

The four tests come from each of the four areas of exercise, including aerobic, core, resistance and flexibility training.

Test yourself and then gauge your strengths and weaknesses in the main four exercise areas. These mini tests will give you a little insight into your current fitness level.

10 minute Aerobic test

Go and grab those trainers, find a suitable flat path or a treadmill and simply record how much ground you can cover in ten minutes. You can choose to either walk or run the ten minute time period (depending on your fitness) and note how far you have gone in kilometres.

Use the results below to work out which level you have achieved:

• Level 1 = Less than 1 km
• Level 2 = 1 – 1.75 km
• Level 3 = 1.75 - 2.5km
• Level 4 = 2. 5 km +

The table below shows how you score:

• Level 1 = Weak area
• Level 2 = Average
• Level 3 = Good
• Level 4 = Excellent!

In next weeks blog test your core strength………….

Lyndsey Slaughter - Red Hot Personal Training

How to get back on track - Part two

Small changes in habits can lead to a permanent lasting change. Think about how you can incorporate more movement and opportunities to increase/maintain muscle mass into your daily life. We have touched on this subject before but its such an important one. As we age its important to retain as much muscle mass as we can. We lose muscle at a rate of 1% a year after the age of 40!!  Try these two ideas below:

1. Walking the dogs or vacuuming the house today?  Add in some walking lunges when no one is looking! Lunges are a great multiple muscle exercise targeting not only those leg muscles but also stretching your hip flexor muscles, activating your core muscles and improving balance!

2. Why not put some music on and just dance!  Dancing helps improve aerobic fitness, improves muscle tone and strength and also has many mental benefits as well including enhancing mood. Click on the link below.  

DOWNLOAD SONG http://bit.ly/1nbKLB4 Flashdance What a Feeling Irene Cara © 1983 Unidisc Music Group Become a Fan On Facebook CLICK http://bit.ly/aybWug Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/UnidiscMusic Jennifer Beals Irene Cara is best known as a singer of movie themes, though she worked as an actress since childhood.

We love this, its a classic, just turn it up, dance and see how you feel afterwards! 

Please feel free to ‘like’ and or ‘share’ on facebook.

How to get back on track (diet and exercise) after Christmas

Happy New Year.  We aim to bring you many exciting and informative blogs over the coming year and hope you have enjoyed reading all our past blogs. Many thanks to all our subscribers. 

Fallen of the wagon in terms of diet and exercise over Christmas?  We have narrowed down our top 4 ‘back on track’ tips for you to try.  Two tips are detailed below with the next two following on next week.  

1.     Forgive yourself  Overeating and indulging, especially over a few days can leave many of us feeling guilty.  STOP.  Feeling guilty is not going to help at all, in fact it can make things worse.  Guilt triggers increased stress, releasing the hormone cortisiol that has been shown to lead to weight gain (especially around the waist). Just focus on now and how you can start to incorporate healthy, nutritious foods into your daily diet. 

2.     Skip the scales  We just explained that the hormone cortisol can increase weight gain and  stepping on the scales after a period of overindulgence is almost certainly not going to help you stay relaxed and stress free!  Get back on track for a couple of weeks first and then get out a tape measure and make a note of where you are at and where you would like to be. 

Alternatively, do you have a pair of trousers or a skirt that’s too tight?  Try on that item once a week and see how loose it starts to get! Remember, if weight loss is your goal, please focus on fat loss and not just on how much total weight you have lost.  The aim is to loose fat whilst maintaining as much muscle mass as you can and one of the best way of doing this is a combination of healthy eating and resistance exercises.

 Please ‘like’ and or ‘share’ on Facebook if you like what you have read! 

Want a toned back?

Want a nice shapely toned back to show off at a party this Christmas?  Why not give this exercise below a go? As as added bonus all the muscles targeted will help you carry those heavy shopping bags bursting with gifts!  

Heres how to do the 'Plank with a Row'

1.  Assume the plank position but with both arms straight (see photo) holding a 2-5kg free weight in your right hand.

2. Bring your right hand up towards your chest at the right side, pause briefly and then return to the start position.  Repeat on the left side. 

Enjoy, Happy Christmas to you all.

Lyndsey Slaughter - Red Hot Personal training

Red Hot Personal Training's Christmas Gift Ideas

Busy getting ready for the christmas celebrations?  With Christmas just around the corner we thought it would be a good idea to share our favourite ideas for healthy Christmas presents.  

1. You know how we have said how important a good nights sleep is (see blog dated Oct 27) so with that in mind how about a new supportive fluffy pillow that you can just sink into.  To really go all out, why not get a silk pillowcase too.  Silk not only feels luxurious but has wonderful properties that can help keep your hair be shiny and tangle free and your skin smooth, bonus!

2 A wonderful piece of kit to have at home is a foam roller.  Benefits of using it before exercise include increasing blood flow to muscles and range of motion and using it after exercise helps aid recovery and relaxation.

3 Lavender oil is a wonderful gift to give as it enhances blood circulation, helps calm nervous tension and is also anti-inflammatory, so is excellent after a tough workout. Use it in your bath, in an infuser, mixed with a carrier oil and use on your body or just add a few drops onto your pillow for restful sleep. 

4 Have you tried Bamboo workout clothing?  Clothing made from bamboo are wonderful at keeping you dry as bamboo is sweat wicking and comfortable during tough workouts, is a great option for allergy prone skin, is antibacterial and feels so soft against your skin.  Bamboo is also a great choice for the environment too as it is biodegradable and only needs rain water to grow.  We especially love Bamboo trainer socks!

P.S How about a gift of Personal Training vouchers? Red Hot Personal Training has received a great deal of requests for gift vouchers to give as a present this Christmas.  A 'one off session' voucher can be purchased for £45 or a package of 10 sessions for £350 making a saving of £100. Please see the 'Prices' tab of our website for more details.

Lyndsey Slaughter

What can a Personal Trainer do for you?

Lyndsey Slaughter, Red Hot Personal Training

Ladies, how many of us struggle to fit in regular time for personal fitness when we often have many things including family, work and social commitments all competing for our time. Ever driven all the way to a gym and spent an hour wondering around not sure which piece of equipment would be best to use or even how to use them properly.

A Personal Trainer (PT) can be an excellent tool to get you where you want to be, providing that all important encouragement and motivation.  At Red Hot Personal Training we come to your house or even your local park and we bring all the equipment needed for that session. This is all done at a time that suits you, offering you total flexibility and convenience. A PT will develop a programme just for you and your individual needs taking into account your personal fitness and activity levels and your goals. Who has the time to waste on ineffective exercises? A PT will select and teach you how to safely perform specific exercises chosen to maximise effectiveness.  

Red Hot Personal Training does not just strive to improve upon personal fitness, we train the 'whole person' and that includes giving you the tools to improve the 'mind-body' connection as well.

Good Fat

Lyndsey Slaughter, Red Hot Personal Training

If you read last weeks blog on 'Low Fat Foods', you will remember that many processed foods marketed as 'Low Fat' or 'Diet' are usually the worst choice to make in terms of health or fat loss. We explained the importance of 'healthy fats' and that these must be included in the diet for optimum health. (Remember, unhealthy trans fats are to be avoided, such as those in many processed baked goods such as doughnuts). 

So what are Red Hot Personal Trainings TOP 5 healthy fats to include in your shopping list today?

1. Beef or Lamb (ideally organic)

2. Sardines, Mackrel or wild caught salmon (farmed salmon will have little omega 3)

3. Butter (ideally organic)

4. Avocado

5. Walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts

Enjoy! x 

Have we all been fed a 'big fat lie'?

Red Hot Personal Training

Lyndsey Slaughter

Red Hot Personal Training receives many questions regarding diet and weight loss and the confusion over whether foods labelled as 'LOW FAT' are a good choice or not. 

Processed foods and especially those stating 'LOW FAT' on the label or products that are targeted at weight loss MAY DO JUST THE OPPOSITE FOR YOU.

But I thought low fat was good, I hear you say?  A diet high in nasty trans fats (partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) found in many foods such as donuts and biscuits is never a good thing and has been linked to heart disease among others. However, a diet high in healthy natural fats especially those with a high omega-3 content is just what your body is crying out for.  Your brain especially craves fat and is actually made up of around 60 percent fat!

To remove fat from a food usually results in a loss of taste and the manufacturers get round this by adding in loads of sugar, refined salt and additives. Ladies, please ask yourself a question, are these added ingredients actually going to nourish me and help me loose/maintain weight and give me lasting energy?  The answer is NO. They will rob you of energy and encourage fat storage in the long term.

Healthy fats can among many other things help your skin glow, hair shine, and lubricate the joints.

Where can I find these healthy fats? Be sure to read next weeks blog to find out how you can easily add in healthy fats to your daily diet and reap the benefits.   

The type of bacteria that you don't want to kill

Lyndsey Slaughter

Red Hot Personal Training

Say the word 'bacteria' and we most often think of the nasty variety that we use cleaning products or antibiotics to kill.  However, we now know more about the importance of some health-promoting bacteria found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. (500 different strains including the 'good and 'bad' variety). 

The good bacteria can help break down food, aid absorption of nutrients, promote immunity, and even affect our mood and a correct balance of these good and bad bacteria is key. In fact, 80 percent of your immune system is located in your digestive system, so if its full of unhealthy bacteria, there is a good chance your immune system will be suppressed as a result.

Eating a diet rich in sugar and processed fast foods actually nourishes the bad pathogenic bacteria in your gut.See this excellent experiment (www.medicaldaily.com/10-day-mcdonalds-diet-leads-devastation-mans-gut-bacteria-333036)

Sugar cravings, headaches, nausea, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea can all be signs of an overabundance of the bad bacteria variety taking residence inside you. How can you help to change this? The two words to remember are Probiotics and Prebiotics.

So where can I find Probiotics?

1. Foods like un-pasturised yogurt, kefir, miso soup, sauerkraut, raw cacao (you can buy this in powder form and sprinkle on yogurt etc), raw cloudy apple cider vinegar and sourdough bread. 

2. Supplement form such as powders and tablets.

You can help feed the healthy variety of bacteria with foods containing Prebiotics.  Food sources include garlic, onions, cabbage, leeks, and asparagus.

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Is this the missing ingredient to improving your wellbeing?

Research suggests that losing even 30 minutes of sleep per night may promote weight gain, and adversely affect blood sugar levels, creating long-term consequences for your weight metabolism.  

 A better nights sleep will help your body to build up the energy to keep you supercharged the following day with a notable reduction in any anxiety, depression levels and help us feel more alert the next day. Good quality shut-eye also helps with that all important muscle repair too.

Try these top tips below for a better nights sleep tonight (One food may surprise you!!)

1. Avoid these before bed as they contain the stimulating amino acid Tyramine that will keep you awake. Processed/smoked meat, Milk chocolate, and Aged cheeses such as parmesan.

2. Eat/drink these foods before bedtime which contain tryptophan magnesium or serotonin that will relax the body and mind. Turkey, Cherries, Chamomile or Lemon Balm tea, Dark chocolate  (yes, we did say chocolate but it must be the dark variety!) 

3. Avoid blue light from mobile phones, tablets etc too close to bedtime as this stimulates the brain with artificial light and interferes with sleep inducing melatonin.  (Please see blog below dated June 19th for more info on this).

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Don't avoid the heavy weights!

Many ladies believe that if they use weights (especially heavier ones) that they will look like men.  Let us put a stop to that thinking right now.

Ladies hormonal make up will simply not allow them to gain huge amounts of muscle.  Testosterone is the hormone responsible for signalling muscle gain and men have up to eight times more than ladies. 

Weight training can help you achieve greater strength in everyday tasks and remain independent into old age and also help you achieve your aesthetic goals, whether that's looking great on the beach for a summer holiday, or amazing in that evening dress!

You wil also find that when you begin to weight train your posture will improve and you may carry yourself differently. Many of Red Hot Personal Training clients have come to us with concerns about using weights and we have addressed these concerns and seen fantastic results even very early on.

So what are you waiting for go and grab those weights and get lifting ladies!

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A nutritious, body moisturising, face cleansing wonder

Here at RHPT we love coconut oil.  It has an impressive array of nutritious and beauty benefits.

COCONUT OIL IS VERSATILE, HEALTHY AND MAKES FOOD TASTE GOOD

Coconut oil does not produce an insulin spike in your bloodstream after consuming it but does provide you with energy that could help fuel your workouts. It is comprised of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) which are immediately converted by your liver into energy rather than being stored as fat. 

Here's two top ways to use coconut oil:

1. Try eating a small spoonful on its own before a workout or adding it to homemade soups, tea or coffee. We highly recommend using it instead of  vegetable oils for cooking (much healthier alternative as it can withstand higher temperatures without being damaged like other oils). 

2. We also love to use coconut oil as a facial cleanser, pre- shampoo hair conditioner, body moisturiser and a make up remover!  Massage a small amount of coconut oil onto your face and over your eyelids to remove eye make up and simply wipe away using cotton wool pads and there you have it, an inexpensive make up remover, excellent facial cleanser and a moisturiser in one!

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How to Make Exercise Part of your Life......

To truly live a healthy long life, incorporating healthy food and daily exercise into your life is essential.  Try these 3 tips below to help you achieve just that.

1. Focus on how good you will feel after working out both physically and mentally.  View exercise as a positive, restorative activity and your brain will see it as a reward rather than a chore.

2. A workout does not have to be traditional such as an hour at the gym.  Just keep your body moving. A brisk 20 minute run or walk outside, a few fast lengths at the pool, even vigorous gardening all count.  Just do what you enjoy and put some effort into it. Research studies into the Japanese art of Shinrin-yoku, or 'forest bathing' suggest that exercising outdoors in a wood or forest can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 12.4 per cent more than an urban walk . This may be due to the chemicals (phytoncides) released by trees and plants.

3. Need some help and motivation?  Hire a Personal Trainer (PT)!  A good PT will listen to your fitness and nutritional goals and be able to design a unique training programme that will work around your lifestyle and barriers.  If you need motivation, the encouragement of your PT will be invaluable, offering continual support and advice along the way.

could you skip this one?

Do you remember effortlessly skipping as a child? How about giving it a go again? What a great way to raise that heart rate up, help with fat loss and help tone that mid section while you are there! Skipping is great as part of a warm up or used as a whole body workout in itself. An inexpensive tool to purchase that is easily portable too!

Try this quick skipping workout below that you could even squeeze in before breakfast!

1. Keeping your elbows by your sides and using your wrists to propel the rope (try not to use your shoulders) do 20 simple skips with feet together and 2 little jumps in between each swing.

2. Take a 30 second (active) break by gently marching on the spot.

3. Next do as step number 1 but do not include the 2 little jumps in between each swing.  Count 20 skips.

4. Repeat these steps 2 more times and there you have a great mini workout!

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Get to the Bottom of it!

If you read my last blog regarding sitting (if not please scroll down a have a read) many of us are guilty of sitting for too long.  One consequence of this is that our glute muscles (bottom) suffer as a consequence. (Hip flexors tighten up and become overactive, which in turn deactivates the glutes). 

Who doesn't want a strong, toned bottom!  Here at Red Hot Personal Training (RHPT) we thought it would be nice to include an exercise that is a fantastic and an easy way to help all you ladies who want to hone and tone that derierr. Many of you would have come across a 'Glute bridge exercise' before but this little (no equipment required) exercise is a gem and is truly underated.

Heres how to do it: Perform 2 sets of 10 reps with a 30 second rest in between (i.e. two lots of 10)

1. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and heels on the ground.  
2. From this position lift your hips off the ground until a nice straight line is achieved, running from your knees to your chest (or slightly lower if more comfortable).  
3. Once at the top hold the position for a count of five seconds and gently lower to the starting position and then repeat.

Remember its important to squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the ground and not use your heels, these simply act as a support. Why not give it a go right now!

Try this exercise everyday for a week and see if you can notice a difference?  Let us know how you get on.

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