Maximise your Christmas calories!

In the next couple of weeks there will begin a string of events that none of us will be able to control..... and that will be the onslaught of Christmas celebrations. Lunch engagements, parties, Christmas drinks and family get togethers in abundance!

For some, this can be a scarey time as the inevitability of weight gain seems unavoidable. So we have a couple of choices to make:

1. Stay at home and don't accept a single invitation

or

2. Go out and have a good time, be mindful and use the extra calories to your advantage.

I know which one I will be choosing and of course it has to be number 2.

Those of you who have a few years experience training in a gym are well aware that to build muscle there needs to be a caloric surplus; and this is where it all comes together. (To the beginners out there you can refer to my earlier post on 'Bulking' if you need more information on this subject).

The key things to remember and put into action are:

1. Keep up your training during the festive season and if you are not already in a hypertrophy (muscle building) phase start now.

2. If you know that you are out for a big carb rich meal use this to your advantage by performing your workout beforehand. A good leg workout in the 12-15 rep range would be a great way to use these extra calories to your advantage.

3. Use cardio wisely and limit it slightly; this way when you eventually begin the fat loss phase it can be introduced again to accelerate results and reveal the newly built muscle.

4. Be mindful when you do have a meal out. Drink plenty of water inbetween the alcohol to keep feeling hydrated and to prevent over eating.

5. Don't go to an event feeling overly hungry. Make sure that you have had a snack a couple of hours before so you don't eat too much at the meal.

By following these 5 tips you can relax and enjoy this time of year and even come out the other end with some good results. You can then ensure that it really will be a Happy New Year!

Age Defying Fitness: Be the best version of yourself!

Age Defying Fitness: Be the best version of yourself!: This week I am going to talk about realistic goals. The picture featured in this blog is of a client of mine who I trained for over 2 years....

Be the best version of yourself!

This week I am going to talk about realistic goals. The picture featured in this blog is of a client of mine who I trained for over 2 years. She made incredible progress but it didn't happen overnight - in the picture there is at least 18 months between the first and last images.

First of all Lu lost some weight (pictures 1 and 2) and then we began to build some muscle to make her look toned and tight (picture 3). The change in her physique is phenomenal and she worked extremely hard by training with me and using the macro nutrient breakdown I calculated specifically for her goals. So often we look at images of fitness models on facebook, instagram etc and aspire to become like them. This can only set us up for disappointment, as apart from the genetically gifted being few and far between, the images will invariably be adjusted by filters and other tools that are widely available online.


We are all very different and are all guilty of focusing on our bad bits. However, when we really put our minds to it the results we can achieve are incredible. Be consistent and don't try any quick fixes. Next time you look in the mirror focus on the positives, take pictures at the beginning of your fitness/weight loss journey and document the changes throughout. This is not a temporary change it is a lifestyle to be embraced and enjoyed!

If you are interested in achieving a toned and healthy physique, email me at faieeza_lucas@hotmail.com for more information on online coaching/personal training.

See you soon!

The importance of pushing and pulling...........

Hi readers, today I am going to explain how important it is to know what you are actually doing when you exercise, be it at the gym or at home.

We are all aware that nowadays our posture suffers due to most of us spending a large amount of time in front of a computer or at a desk or similar. To put it as simple as possible, this 'hunched over' position is perpetuating bad muscle alignment and encouraging poor movement patterns. To prevent back pain and other conditions associated with bad posture the best thing to do is to follow an exercise program which will counteract this problem and which brings me back nicely to the title of this post 'the importance of pushing and pulling'!

Pushing

When we push a weight away from us we are working the anterior muscular chain (front). Probably the most well-known movement to describe this is the push-up. In the picture I am performing push-ups using a TRX which introduces instability to the exercise and therefore makes it more challenging. An important aspect to remember is to challenge yourself constantly; if a certain exercise becomes too easy then you need to introduce progression which is why it is a good idea to source your program from a professional.

Pushing a weight above your head, squatting and lunging are in this category and are all functional movements that you probably perform on a daily basis without even realizing it!

Pulling

When we pull a weight towards us we are working the posterior chain or back muscles. In the picture I am performing a single arm row with a dumbell and when I have completed all the reps on one side I will then change hands to make sure all muscles are worked equally.

As common as push ups are to pushing, rowing is the equivalent to pulling. It will be the most common form of posterior chain training that you are familiar with and has been proven to be the most successful when strengthening the back.

Lifting heavy objects, climbing or pulling yourself up onto something are a few of the functional movements associated with pulling.

Conclusion

Having the basic knowledge of movement patterns can only enhance your training. Be conscious of why you are performing certain exercises and become aware of symmetry and how important it is to creating good posture and a functional body.

I hope the above information helps you with your future training and if you have any questions at all don't hesitate to contact me and I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Happy Training!

I don't need my bikini body anymore? ............or do I?

Well everyone, I don't know about you but now it's September I don't need my bikini body anymore, or do I?

The picture below was taken in June this year on my 50th birthday - and yes I am enjoying a rum and diet coke on the beach and basically this is what this post is about.

I think my pet hate in the media and the fitness industry is the misconception that we need to prepare for a particular occasion with a particular 'bodyshape'. At the beginning of the year we need to get ready for summer with our bikini body and get rid of all the pounds we may have gained over Xmas. In Autumn we then knuckle down and work hard at losing the weight we may have gained on our summer holiday; so that when we get to the festive season we have 'room' to be able to put the pounds back on again! This kind of mindset just leads to yo-yo dieting which we all know definitely does not work in the long run. In fact it can actually lead to weight gain when it is repeated year in year out....................

Consistency is the key!

In my experience it is much better to be consistent all the year round. It really is that simple. Calculate your calories and macros (you can see how to do this in my earlier blog posts) and stay within these figures as close as you are able to all the time. If you have a holiday or special occasion be mindful of what you eat e.g. if you go to a restaurant try and avoid creamy dressings and sauces, but if you really want one, don't deprive yourself, just ask to have it on the side which will enable you to be in control of the amount you choose to add. If you want a dessert have one, it really isn't the end of the world. However, if you do go out for a meal or attend a special occasion, make an effort to eat within your numbers the day after. You don't need to keep your food diary in MFP every day. In fact the longer you complete them the more aware you will be of amounts etc. Just enjoy the moment and be aware of the consequences of over-eating. I remember from a long time ago, overeating on Xmas day but not even enjoying it! Picking at sweets etc for most of the day just because they were there................ absolutely ridiculous. Of course there are times of  the year when everyone gains a little weight, but this can be minimised by following these guidelines.

I have definitely reached a time in my life when I am very aware of how much to eat. I love my food and nothing is ever going to stop me having a dessert if I want one. But I also do not pile my plate up with so much food that I can't finish it, eat for the sake of it or think 'oh well I've had two biscuits I just as well eat the whole packet'.

I give you my word that this approach works. My clients and I are living proof that being consistent is the only way to be, so don't forget 'be mindful and consistent' and you are on your way to a much healthier attitude to eating.

Until next time everyone..............................................

Bulking

Bulking or Making Gains

This post is for those of you who have decided that it's time to build some muscle or more commonly known in the fitness world as 'bulking'.

How many calories do I need?

Instead of a calorie deficit you just have to make sure you have a calorie surplus in order to build muscle. Because everyone is so different there isn’t a magic figure I can give you in order to achieve your muscle building goals but there are many calculators online which can give you a suitable starting point. When this has been established, add it to your online food diary app and you are ready to go!

Also be aware that when you are trying to add muscle it is inevitable that there will be small amount of fat gained too. Please don't worry about it as when it is time to lean out, due to different training protocols, this fat will ultimately disappear to reveal the newly built muscle underneath.

Consume enough protein

Your protein intake is very important as it is the ultimate muscle building macro. Ensure you consume 1g protein per lb of bodyweight every day, even the days you don’t train. Your rest days will be the time when your muscles repair and build so your nutrition should be optimal. A good way of making sure you hit your protein levels is to consume a protein source with every meal and always plenty of healthy greens!

I hope this helps those of you who have decided to take the plunge and build some muscle!

See you next week......................

Let's Get Started!

We have now arrived at the moment when we can put all the previous information together and begin calculating our macros to achieve either:

a) fat loss or
b) muscle building

We will start on the ever popular fat loss. FFor most of us this will be our ‘go to’ option. It won’t be about achieving that ‘summer body’ or that ‘bikini body’ – let’s concentrate on a body that suits us for the whole year and can be maintained long term.  Of course we want to feel confident in a bikini but we also want to slip on a pair of skinny jeans in winter and feel comfortable too.

See below:

Determine body weight on scales that you normally use. Even though they may not be very accurate, they will be good enough to determine weight loss or weight gain. We will use a 65kg female for this example.

2   Find a BMR calculator online. I tend to use http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/  I entered 156cm tall, 65kg, 30 years old female (this is just hypothetical, I wish I was 30!) and I got a BMR of 1419 kcals which I rounded down to 1400 kcals. This figure determines a baseline calorie amount that you should not go under.

3   We then need to multiply our weight in lbs by 12 which will give us a calorie total to begin with. So 65kg in lbs is 143lb x 12 = 1716 calories. (This clears the 1400 cals BMR). We now have a baseline of 1716 which we will round down to 1700 calories. Again be aware that the fitness industry has many different equations to make these calculations but I have used the one that I feel has turned out the best for myself and my clients.

     Our 30 year old female now has 1700 calories to begin her fat loss journey with. The next step is working out her macros.

     Protein (1g per lb bw) = 143g (remember protein has 4kcal/g) = 572kcals

This leaves 1,128 kcals to split between carbs and fats, 564 each.

Carbs are 4g per calorie so 564 divided by 4 = 141g

Fats are 9g per calorie so 564 divided by 9 = 62g

6   To conclude:

141g Carbs

143g Protein

62g Fat

All this information now needs to be monitored on a daily basis. I would thoroughly recommend ‘Myfitnesspal'  which can be downloaded onto your smartphone aswell as your ipad and/or desktop. It will be necessary to add your statistics and adjust the goals to match your figures.

There will be a lot of weighing to be done so grab yourself some digital kitchen scales.

Stick with the your initial figures for a few weeks and monitor your weight. If everything is going well and you are steadily losing then keep it up until you reach your goal. Take a ‘before’ and ‘after’ photo and re-take weekly so you can see results!

If you find that nothing is happening and you are maintaining or even gaining, then your figures need to be re-evaluated. If you find you are craving more carbs you can sacrifice some fat for example. The only macro that you should try and stick with is your protein as this is the macro most people tend to neglect.

I think that is plenty of info to be getting on with! As far as muscle building is concerned, well I think I will leave that for the next blog.

I have written a ‘myfitnesspal’ user guide so if anyone wants a copy just message me your email address and I will send one over FOC!

Until next time fat loss bloggers......................

The F Word

In my previous blog posts explaining macros, I forgot a very important part of the equation and that is The F Word or more commonly known as fibre – in my opinion the unsung hero of the nutrition and fitness world. There are two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble and they both have a very important part to play in our health, but in order to keep things simple we are going to concentrate on fibre as a collective. It will always come round to balance so this is what you need to concentrate on.

Again, like everything else there are numerous numbers thrown around with reference to how much fibre we should consume. For a female around 20g – 25g is a good figure to aspire to. This will ensure gut health by assisting with digestion and also reducing the chances of developing many cancers.

I have listed below a few ideas on how to improve your fibre intake:

1. Rather than consuming fruit juice, eat the fruit including the skin as this is where the fibre is.

2. Eat raw vegetables as a snack.

3. When choosing brown bread ensure there is at least 3g of fibre per slice. This information is normally located on the back of the loaf under the nutritional label.

4.  If you fancy a snack, make your own popcorn! Popcorn contains soluble and insoluble fibre but just be careful not to add too many calories for your toppings.

To conclude this post, when it comes to calculating your macros and subsequent calories, don’t worry about the contribution of fibre. The difference it will make is minimal and in the end overcomplicate things. Primarily you should put your effort into your protein, fat and carbs as these are the macros which will have an impact on your overall goals and ultimately your results.

Next time I will conclude the whole macro/calorie question and let you know how you can apply all the information to reaching your fat loss/muscle building goals!

I hope this helps and as always don’t hesitate to message me if you have any questions.

Until next week, stay fit and healthy!

Macros have been covered - find out what's next?

What happens now we are up to date with what macros are and how important it is not only to eat a balanced diet, but to actually know what a balanced diet consists of.

How many calories do I need per day?

Lifting weights burns calories!

This is the all important question everyone talks about with reference to dieting, fat loss, muscle gain etc etc.

Gone are the days of ridiculously low calorie dieting. It has now been proven that restricting calories below a certain limit will hinder weight loss rather than enhance it.

The very first thing that you need to know when determining daily calorie intake is how much your body requires at rest. This refers to when you are asleep and movement is minimal. During this time you will still need calories to keep your body functioning but they will be burnt at a very low rate. This term is called your 'basal metabolic rate' or BMR. There are numerous calculators that are available online, just search for 'bmr calculators' and you will come across many.

When you have this figure you can begin to have an idea on what you as an individual will need in order to reach your fat loss/muscle building goals. Note that I don't mention the word 'weight loss' as in order to have the 'toned' appearance that we all aspire to, it is the fat around the muscle that needs to go to reveal more of the muscle underneath.

In order for us to lose fat we need to be in a caloric deficit and in order to build muscle we need to be in a calorie surplus. I am sure some of you are thinking that do people really want to add weight? But of course we do - not only do we want to lose fat but there will come a time for many of us when we wish to have a strong, defined and toned look!

I hope this gives you food for thought! Looking forward to the next instalment.....

More about macros - the story continues....................

So we all know what a macro is and how many calories they contain - now it's time to go in a little deeper but still in a language that you can all understand. We've established that there are protein, carbs and fats, but how about what they all do and why is it so important to eat a good balance of all three.

Ok here we go with the one that most people are afraid of when they are on a weight loss mission, yes, you've guessed it the dreaded carbohydrate! These are our fuel so to speak and provide us with energy. The majority of us like to eat bread and potatoes etc, but we just need to be mindful of amounts and quality. The good news is, as long as we are aware of how many grams per day we should have there is nothing wrong at all with including them in our diet.

The next one to explain is protein. I have been lead to believe that the man on the street is a little afraid of this macro. But don't be fooled people, it is an essential part of a healthy balanced diet. In order for our bodies to function, repair and build, we need to consume at least 0.8g protein per lb of bodyweight per day. There are other calculations around, but this is a good place to start. Here is food for thought - collagen is a protein found in the human body and it helps make up the ligaments, tendons and bones and also your muscles contain protein which makes them work so well - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

..........and last but not least there is fat. The main thing to remember when considering this macro is eating it won't make you fat! Eating too much food and not moving around enough makes you fat, it is that simple. Fat is commonly known for assisting in moving vitamins A, D, E and K through our bloodstream and absorbing them into our bodies. Fat is also important for brain development amongst many other things.

So you see the secret to being healthy is all about balance. It's when this balance is out of kilter when the trouble starts!!!

Any question please don't hesitate to contact me and I will write again soon!!!!

Age Defying Fitness: And in the beginning there were macros...............

Age Defying Fitness: And in the beginning there were macros...............: So I guess when you are viewing various health and fitness websites, instagram and twitter etc, you will almost always come across the word ...

And in the beginning there were macros......................

So I guess when you are viewing various health and fitness websites, instagram and twitter etc, you will almost always come across the word 'macros'. This is actually short for macronutrient. Most of you probably already know what they are but just in case you don't let me explain.

Well it is pretty easy really, you've all heard of carbohydrates right? Well they are a macro, along with protein and fats. All our food we eat on a daily basis consists of all three. For example, if you had egg on toast this morning you will have had protein in the egg white, fat in the yolk and carbs in the bread. See - it is really pretty straightforward.

The next thing you need to consider are the very important calories. You will be surprised to find that this is pretty simple too. You see it goes like this:

Protein = 4 calories per gram

Carbs = 4 calories per gram

Fats = 9 calories per gram

With the information so far you are well on your way to having the correct tools to count your macros and balance your diet which will assist you in your weight loss or weight gain (building muscle).

Please ask any questions, share, comment and everything else! Look out for the next instalment of 'and in the beginning there were macros..............'

Lift that booty!

Hi all - well I have spent the last couple of hours trying to upload a video to show you all a few exercises to lift your butt! Anyway, it just ain't happening at the moment so you will have to stay tuned until I can get this sorted I guess.

For me, getting older, means keeping that bottom as high and pert as possible! I hope you are all with me on this? As I am travelling around for a while, this becomes more challenging as I have to rely on my personal training experience and knowledge of the glutes and how they work, to keep them firing and working as hard as possible. I will be posting videos and pics and useful info on nutrition and exercises so please keep reading and liking and commenting etc etc etc.

Looking forward to keeping in touch!