THE TEF or THERMIC EFFECT OF FOOD MYTHBUSTING
You may have heard about how fasting strips your fat by shocking your body to using fat stores as energy until you eat or <insert another scientifically sounding example here> blah blah blah.
Lets think logically about this - If your digestive system requires energy to complete it's function then by limiting its function surely it would be counter productive RIGHT??
You may have heard about how fasting strips your fat by shocking your body to using fat stores as energy until you eat or <insert another scientifically sounding example here> blah blah blah.
Lets think logically about this - If your digestive system requires energy to complete it's function then by limiting its function surely it would be counter productive RIGHT??
THERE IS NO PERFECT PLAN (TRAINING OR NUTRITION).
EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT.
YOUR JOB IS TO EXPERIMENT AND FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.
IF YOU TRY A CERTAIN WAY AND DON'T SEE THE INTENDED RESULTS, MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND START AGAIN UNTIL YOU START TO SEE THE RESULTS COME TO FRUITION.
BELOW ARE SOME GOOD FUNDAMENTALS TO GET YOU STARTED
EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT.
YOUR JOB IS TO EXPERIMENT AND FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.
IF YOU TRY A CERTAIN WAY AND DON'T SEE THE INTENDED RESULTS, MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND START AGAIN UNTIL YOU START TO SEE THE RESULTS COME TO FRUITION.
BELOW ARE SOME GOOD FUNDAMENTALS TO GET YOU STARTED
DREAM BIG: SET YOUR GOALS
|
SMALL DAILY OR WEEKLY Establishing new intentions and creating better habits May not be directly linked to your big goal but will help lay useful foundations sustain your big goal Examples include: waking 1 hour before leaving the house no social media after 7pm writing down a daily to do list spend 20 minutes outdoors drink 1 glass of water upon waking get your clothes out the night before 
|
BIG MONTHLY OR YEARLY The bigger picture The most important reason that will make the biggest impact to your life, understanding why it's impact will have he biggest impact and what it will look like when you've achieved it and all the milestones on how to do it Examples include: lose 1 stone Squat double my body weight Fit into size 10 dress REMEMBER WHEN SETTING YOUR TARGETS: ANSWER THESE AND WRITE THEM DOWN 1. WHAT YOU WANT 2. WHEN BY? 3. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU? (What will achieving it, give you, you haven't already got?) 4. HOW WILL YOU KNOW YOU'VE ACHIEVED IT? 5. HOW WILL YOU ACHIEVE IT? |
YOUR DAILY FOCUS POINTS: IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
|
1. MOVE - Reduce your time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with movement. Try and achieve in excess of 10,000 steps per day
2. CALORIES - Consume your calorie goal for the day or week. TREAT YOUR CALORIES LIKE A BANK ACCOUNT - Save for the extravagances. If you go into your overdraft (over consume) - move more, exercise more or under consume the next few days allowance to equal out overall. 3. PROTEIN - Consume your protein intake target. If you struggle achieving that number through food, consider supplements (see below to understand what your protein target may be. 4. RESISTANCE TRAINING - Undertake resistance training a minimum of 2 times per week consisting of 2 full body workouts ensuring your work each muscle group twice a week 5. QUALITY SLEEP - Aim for 7-9 hours per night of sleep 6. PLANNED EXERCISE - Perform 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week. |
|
MASTERING YOUR ROUTINE:
1. ROUGH DRAFT PLAN YOUR WEEK - Think time management e.g. Wake up alarm 7am, be at work for 8am etc etc.
- Physically write down your timings using a table split with days of the week and times. When completing it, start with your non negotiable tasks (most important) such as work, school drop off and pick up etc.
- Add other commitments such as hobbies, caring duties etc.
- Assess time remaining and plan your negotiable tasks such as reading etc
P.S Exercise is a NON NEGOTIABLE task
2. APPLY THE PROCESS AND DETAIL - Everyday, review how your day went (productive, non productive etc.) and plan the following day - this is your task list. Physically write down your intentions using some of the examples in the small goal above such as no social media after 7pm.
Easier said than done however........... Now apply the process, how can I stop viewing social media from 7pm onwards? It's the food shop day, what shall I put on my shopping list?
1. ROUGH DRAFT PLAN YOUR WEEK - Think time management e.g. Wake up alarm 7am, be at work for 8am etc etc.
- Physically write down your timings using a table split with days of the week and times. When completing it, start with your non negotiable tasks (most important) such as work, school drop off and pick up etc.
- Add other commitments such as hobbies, caring duties etc.
- Assess time remaining and plan your negotiable tasks such as reading etc
P.S Exercise is a NON NEGOTIABLE task
2. APPLY THE PROCESS AND DETAIL - Everyday, review how your day went (productive, non productive etc.) and plan the following day - this is your task list. Physically write down your intentions using some of the examples in the small goal above such as no social media after 7pm.
Easier said than done however........... Now apply the process, how can I stop viewing social media from 7pm onwards? It's the food shop day, what shall I put on my shopping list?
GETTING THE FOOD RIGHT:
TWO SOLUTION FOCUS:
1. CALORIE COUNTING SYSTEM
2. THE 80/20 METHOD
A FEW TIPS
1. WORK TO WEEKLY TOTALS RATHER THAN DAILY - Working to a weekly targets rather than daily, that way you can be more flexible with any last minute impromptu coffee catch ups etc. 2. PLAN YOUR WEEK AND BANK THEM - Weekends tend to be our downfalls in over indulgence. Plan your social calendar in advance and use the weekdays to bank extra calories. 3. LOGGING IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY - Like everything, if we don't write it down in black and white we estimate, however our estimations can be the difference between making progress and not. We tend to over estimate exercise and under estimate what we have eaten and don't account for things like alcohol, oils and butters, condiments and drinks. USE THE MYFITNESSPAL APP |
CALORIE COUNTING (In my opinion, the most effective tool to aid your goals around weight loss, gain or maintenance)
1. WORK OUT YOUR BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate or in simple terms, the amount of calories your body requires to run all of it's functions before taking into account any movement Men's BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5 Women's BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) - 161 2. WORK OUT YOUR ENERGY EXPENDITURE - The amount of energy your body will burn when undertaking your daily routine and tasks Sedentary or light activity e.g. Office worker getting little or no exercise = BMR x 1.53 Active or moderately active e.g. Construction worker or person running one hour daily = BMR x 1.76 Vigorously active e.g. Agricultural worker (non mechanized) or person swimming two hours daily = BMR x 2.25 3. DECIDE ON YOUR GOAL e.g. LOSE, GAIN OR MAINTAIN - To lose or gain approx 1 pound of fat would equate to burning or consuming 3,500 calories. I would recommend that 1 pound per week is a safe and sustainable starting point, therefore to: Lose weight = deduct 500 calories per day maintain weight = 0 Gain weight = add 500 calories per day 
|
|
BUILD A HEALTHY PLATE:
1. HALF PLATE - Consisting of green vegetables 2. QUARTER PLATE - Consisting of a source of lean protein 3. QUARTER PLATE - Consisting of carbohydrate sources |
TIPS
DON'T SPEND HOURS IN THE GYM.....TRAIN SMART AND EFFECTIVE
Who has time to spend hours on end in the gym? Between 45-60 minutes, you are able to maintain a level of intensity to achieve some results, otherwise you may be privy to over-training, stagnated workouts and even boredom. Don't be one of these machine killjoys who spends too much time sat on it scrolling their phone, flapping their gums to mates and resting more time than you should.
To avoid this and training effectively, incorporate super sets, that way you maintain your intensity and are always working.
TRAINING SESSIONS MUST BE INTENSE AND CONSISTENT
The best way to keep your sessions intense are to rest less, increase reps, sets, weight, time, distance etc.
Progressive Overload = The ability to progress your workouts to improve the area your training. Every session you will be aiming to progress your workout in the following ways:
1. Reduce rest
2. Increase the rep range
3. Increase the set range
4. Increase the weight
5. Increase the duration
6. Increase the level/resistance
CARDIO
Unless your training for a specific endurance style sporting event or goal or you genuinely enjoy spending hours on the treadmill or other cardio equipment then DON'T.
If you want to perform cardio, checkout some of the metabolic conditioning workouts in the members area or keep the intensity high e.g. High Intensity Interval Training - 75-85% max effort for short bursts of 30-60 seconds.
GOOD PAIN/BAD PAIN
- Mild discomfort is part and parcel of the exercise process
- A burning sensation during repetitions is good and should be short lived
- Soreness is common and can occur immediately after performing an exercise/session or several days later.
- Excruciating pain, swelling or any unnatural feelings in joints or ligaments is not normal and you should stop immediately to eliminate further damage. Discuss with your trainer or seek a medical professional.
I recommend performing exercises with NO WEIGHT if you are unfamiliar with and building up to weight, set by set. It is vital to familiarise yourself with the bio-mechanical movement pattern of the exercise. Any injury incurred during exercise may be due to the improper execution or poor technique of the exercise
DON'T SPEND HOURS IN THE GYM.....TRAIN SMART AND EFFECTIVE
Who has time to spend hours on end in the gym? Between 45-60 minutes, you are able to maintain a level of intensity to achieve some results, otherwise you may be privy to over-training, stagnated workouts and even boredom. Don't be one of these machine killjoys who spends too much time sat on it scrolling their phone, flapping their gums to mates and resting more time than you should.
To avoid this and training effectively, incorporate super sets, that way you maintain your intensity and are always working.
TRAINING SESSIONS MUST BE INTENSE AND CONSISTENT
The best way to keep your sessions intense are to rest less, increase reps, sets, weight, time, distance etc.
Progressive Overload = The ability to progress your workouts to improve the area your training. Every session you will be aiming to progress your workout in the following ways:
1. Reduce rest
2. Increase the rep range
3. Increase the set range
4. Increase the weight
5. Increase the duration
6. Increase the level/resistance
CARDIO
Unless your training for a specific endurance style sporting event or goal or you genuinely enjoy spending hours on the treadmill or other cardio equipment then DON'T.
If you want to perform cardio, checkout some of the metabolic conditioning workouts in the members area or keep the intensity high e.g. High Intensity Interval Training - 75-85% max effort for short bursts of 30-60 seconds.
GOOD PAIN/BAD PAIN
- Mild discomfort is part and parcel of the exercise process
- A burning sensation during repetitions is good and should be short lived
- Soreness is common and can occur immediately after performing an exercise/session or several days later.
- Excruciating pain, swelling or any unnatural feelings in joints or ligaments is not normal and you should stop immediately to eliminate further damage. Discuss with your trainer or seek a medical professional.
I recommend performing exercises with NO WEIGHT if you are unfamiliar with and building up to weight, set by set. It is vital to familiarise yourself with the bio-mechanical movement pattern of the exercise. Any injury incurred during exercise may be due to the improper execution or poor technique of the exercise