Check regularly for eating & exercise updates.....
Feel free to email David with any health, fitness, training or nutrition questions you may have.......send queries to your.fit@hotmail.com. David will respond as quickly as possible.
2nd September 2010
Alcohol is not all bad!....Apple cider is packed with antioxidants that promote artery health and fight bad cholesterol, according to researchers at the University of Glasgow.
26th August 2010
Did You Know?.... Alcohol impairs muscle-building enzymes. So for maximum exercise gains, don't go big at the bar......
23rd August 2010
Today's nutritional tip.....Eat eggs for breakfast. People who do consume 250 fewer calories throughout the day, say researchers at Louisiana State University.
12th August 2010
Physical activity when young increases bone density and size and potentially stave off osteoporosis, according to a new thesis.
The thesis, written at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, was based on a study of 3,200 men. The men had their bones and exercise habits examined and, of these, 2,300 18-year-olds were selected at random to have their heel bone examined too as it is directly impacted by exercise.
"In this group, we found that those who actively did sports, and also those who used to do sports, had greater bone density than those who had never done sports," said Martin Nilsson, physiotherapist and doctoral student at the Institute of Medicine
5th August 2010
Fat is not all bad!! It is an essential nutrient forming a major structural component of all cells in our bodies as well as many hormones. It is only when we eat too much or too little that we develop bad health. Commonly we eat too much fat in our daily diet and this is associated with many chronic diseases including coronary heart disease and cancer.
29th July 2010
Exercise can delay or even prevent dementia......Women who are physically active have a lower risk of cognitive impairment in late-life, compared to those who are inactive.
A study of more than 9,000 women, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, also found that teenage physical activity appears to be most important to avoid dementia and more minor forms of cognitive impairment in old age.
19th July 2010
The Barbell Row.....Build and develop the muscles of the upper back and arms, (Rhomboids, trapezius, biceps brachii).
Teaching points....
-Position yourself with a wide stance, knees bent and hips flexed forwards.
-Hold barbell with straight arms, at about knee level with hands just wider than knees on the bar and pronated (palms facing down)
-Keep back still as you pull bar in towards stomach
-Return bar to start position, maintaining control througout.
13th July 2010
"Those who do not find time to exercise, sooner or later will have to find time for illness"
- Earl of Derby
7th July 2010
Chew your food......Eating slowly signals your brain to let your body know you are full. If you scoff your food quickly, the brain does not have time to recieve and process this message. Therefore, it keeps telling you that you are hungry....and you keep eating...even though you don't need to.
30th June 2010
Nutrition Myths......Cheat Days....
Straying from a strict nutrition programme can have it's benefits. Your body will adapt to the food you eat very quickly. If you eat a clean, low fat or reduced calorie diet your body will lower it's metabolism in an attempt to preserve calories and conserve energy. Eating a meal high in calories, fats or carbs every 7 days will trick your body into thinking that there is no calorie shortage and therefore raise your metabolism.
16th June 2010
Health news update....Smoking ban a contributing factor in drop in Heart Attacks
The number of emergency hospital admissions for heart attacks has fallen 2.4 per cent since the introduction of the smokefree legislation in England, according to a new report.
The study, compiled by the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG), was published in the British Medical Journal earlier this month and was funded by the Department of Health.
In the year following the implementation of smokefree legislation on 1 July 2007, the report found there was a fall of 1,200 emergency admissions for heart attacks across England.
The decrease in heart attack admissions has been attributed to measures such as the ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants, which have reduced exposure to second-hand smoke.
12th June 2010
Todays training...
With England playing tonight I wanted today's training to be quick....so I used interval training as follows:
I began on the cross trainer (elliptical) and after a 5 min steady state warm up I completed 8 sets of 30 secs high intensity sprints with 60 secs of low intensity active recovery in between. This was a total of 12 mins of work which was followed by a3 min cool down for a total
of 20 mins. High intensity, calorie burning training in 20 mins. It's all you need.
I followed this with some light core work as follows:(all exercises 12-15 reps, performed
back to back to back as a tri-set, no rest between exercises)
Standing Cable Crunch
Swiss Ball Lateral Crunch (12-15 each side)
Hanging medicine ball knee raise
Repeat this sequence twice and finished with
Swiss ball skydiver (balance face down on swiss ball to engage lower back)
10th June 2010
5 Easy Ways To Burn Calories....
1) Drink Coffee - Studies have found that caffeine increases the rate at which you burn calories, according to Susan B. Roberts, author of "The 'I' Diet" (Workman) and a professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts University in Boston.
2) Wear a Pedometer - Every week, aim to take a few more steps than you did the last week.
3) Chew Gum - It burns calories and keeps you from grazing on sugary snacks....especially when preparing a meal.
4) Move every hour - When sitting at your desk, set aside the final five minutes of every hour to get up and move around.
5) Eat Fibre - Fill up on low carb, high fibre foods like broccoli, spnach and cauliflower to make you feel full for longer.
2nd June 2010
Healthy and convenient quick snack......Fat free Greek youghurt with a handful of rasins and almonds added. It is high in protein (from the almonds and youghurt), low in sugary carbs (unlike other low fat fruit yoghurts) and is a great source of healthy fats and fibre (almonds). Great energy boost or post workout snack.
25th May 2010
What is....VO2 Max.....?..
VO2 Max refers to the maximum capacity of your body to take in, distribute and use oxygen. When you work aerobically (with oxygen) your muscles demand increased oxygen to supply the demand the work (or exercise) is creating. A higher VO2 max will ensure that this work or exercise can be sustained for a longer period.
Regular training at or just below an individuals VO2 max will push that level up creating a more oxygen efficient athlete.
21st May 2010
Today's Training.....This morning I was a little tired after going down to North Devon for a surf last night after work. The way you lie on the board when paddling ensures the lower back, shoulders and neck are always sore after being in the water. With that in mind my workout today looked like this......
Quick warm up and dynamic stretch and then:
5 sets of 8 reps: Incline Barbell Press
superset with
wide grip chin ups
4 sets of 8 reps: Decline Dumbell Press
superset with
Bent over Dumbell Rows
3 sets of 8 reps: Plyometric Clap Press Ups
superset with
T Bar Rows
2 sets of 8 reps: Machine Chest Press
superset with
Cable Pulldowns
1 Drop set of 30 reps: Lat Pulldown
1 Drop set of 30 reps: Cable Chest Flyes
This chest/back workout is a great fat burner because of the back to back nature of the supersets. By working muscles in agonistic and antagonistic pairs you sustain an elevated heart rate for fantastic muscular and aerobic conditioning as the heart is constantly pumping blood back and forth between the chest and back. This type of training also ensures muscular balance as the same weight is used for each exercise.
16th May 2010
Focus on.........Kettlebells: A kettlebell is a traditional Russian cast iron weight that
looks like a cannon ball with a handle...
It is essentially a Russian dumbell used to train in strength, power, muscular endurance, hypertrophy and agility......"Through history, it (kettlebell) became synonomous with strength, so much so that the Russian term for strongman is Girevik or 'kettlebell lifter'(Jones, 2005). It's unique shape ensures it is more adaptable than a regular gym dumbell and enahances grip strength, posterior kinetic chain development and flexibility.
14th May 2010
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Know your food groups and portion sizes:
Bread, Cereal & Pasta - They provide complex carbs, B vitamins, protein and fibre. 1 serving
is equal to 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of rice or 1 small roll. Always aim for wholegrain & wholewheat alternatives.
Vegetables - Provide vitamins A, C, beta-carotene, water & fibre. Veg is also extremely low in fat and light on calories. 1 serving is equal to 1/2 a cup. Try to consume as much raw veg as possible and wide variety of colours.
Fruits - Provide vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, potassium and fibre. Low in fat but high in simple sugars, grat for energy boost and quick satisfaction of hunger. 1 serving equals 3/4 glass fruit juice, 1 med fruit (apple, orange, banana etc). Avoid excessive fruit consumption especially shop bought juice and smoothies due to the very high sugar content.
Meat, Poultry, Fish - Provide B vitamins & minerals such as iron and zinc. 1 serving equals 2-3oz (55-85g) lean, cooked meat or fish. Aim to eat red meat no more than 1-2 times per week, include oily fish (mackerel/sardines) twice a week and add non meat protein (nuts, legumes, low fat cheese) to your diet.
Dairy Group - Provides you with calcium, protein and B vitamins. 1 serving is equal to 1 cup of milk, 1 1/2oz (42g) cheese or 1 egg. Always select low fat milk, youghurt and cheese options.
And the rest...... - Foods including soft drinks, cakes, biscuits, margarine, butter and wine/beer/spirits. These foods are noted for their contribution of sugar, salt, fat and alcohol and therefore have little or no nutritional value. Try and enjoy them in a controlled fashion.
11th March 2010
MAKE THE FOLLOWING DIETARY SIMPLE CHANGES:
1. Swap semi-skimmed for skimmed milk
2. Try and eliminate butter/margarine. You don’t need it!
3. Reduce the amount of cheese you eat.
4. Cut visible fat off meat.
5. Avoid mayo, white & creamy sauces.
6. Reduce the amount of oil you cook with.
7. Increase oily fish in diet (2-3times per week)
8. Always include veg with a meal
9. Eat high fibre cereal twice a week.
10. Swap everything white for everything brown (bread, pasta, rice)
11. Separate egg whites from yolks.
12. Cut the amount you drink: treat alcohol & fizzy drinks/caffeine as food to reduce
13. Drink more Water.
yourfit offers dietary analysis and support in making the nutritional changes required in conjunction with your training programme. Stand alone dietary analysis and diet plans are available without a training programme. Please see the 'our services' section of the site for a price breakdown.
22nd February 2010
COMMON NUTRITION ISSUES - GETTING THE FACTS RIGHT!
LIQUID DIETS:
Liquid diets are generally based on severe calorie restriction which is more often than not, unsustainable for any lengthy period of time. This lack of consistency ensures a liquid diet does not encourage a lifestyle change. You cannot stay on a liquid diet for long. It does not encourage healthy eating, it restricts social eating and a liquid diet becomes very boring, very quickly.
EATING FAT WILL MAKE YOU FAT:
It is the overall composition of your diet that determines how efficiently the body converts and stores calories as fat. By eating more carbohydrates you will burn more calories in the fat conversion process and therefore store less fat overall. 1g of carbs contains 4 kcals compared to 9kcals in fat, so do not avoid carbs and keep fat low.
EATING AT NIGHT:
It is a myth that calories ingested at night are more likely to be laid down as fat. Generally, food eaten at night has a higher calorie and fat content and portion sizes are larger. This is because individuals have not eaten enough during the day. If night is the only time you can eat your body will utilise the calories in the same way as if you ate in the day.
8th January 2010
COMPONENTS OF A BALANCED DIET:
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are required by the body because they are the nutrient which can be most efficiently broken down. It is the body's preferred energy source. Carbohydrates have an important role in providing energy for the central nervous system, and is the energy source used to provide the muscles with the energy to work at high intensities without oxygen. If you train regularly a diet that cuts carbohydrates is not a good idea.
Proteins
Protein is the building block for our body's tissues. It does not just have a structual role it also has a functional role and can act as a fuel source for the body. Protein is more versatile than carbohydrates and fats. Protein is essential for many processes in the body including hormonal,hair, skin and nail structure, blood plasma and cellular synthesis. An exercise regime that includes regular resistance training will benefit from increased protein in the diet to aid muscle repair and resynthesis.
Fats
People are often suprised to learn of the benefits of fats in the diet. As always, it is only when too much fat is consumed that it becomes the enemy. Fats are an essential nutrient and perform a number of vital functions in the body. It is the largest store of energy in the body, it cushions and protects the vital organs and fat provides us with essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins. A diet low in saturated fat is highly recommended,whereas a diet that eliminates fat is not.