Staying Up To Date With Fitness Research

Every year I attend the 3 day FILEX Convention (Australia’s biggest convention for health and fitness professionals). I guess you could call me a bit of a nerd…I make sure I go to every single lecture/seminar/workshop so I don’t miss a single thing!

It’s not a cheap convention for professionals, but it’s certainly worth the investment. One lesson that I have really learnt from the yearly conventions is how important it is to stay up to date with the latest research.

It wasn’t long ago in the 90’s that it was proclaimed that caffeine inhibited the effects of creatine based on the results of one particular study. This concept was accepted by many professionals until it was disproved by other studies that suggested otherwise. It is now accepted that the original study was poorly constructed. But this happens all the time – things are proved, then disproved and then something new is discovered. The research is often changing and it is imperative, as both a fitness professional and also an avid exerciser, to stay up to date.

There are a couple of problems though. Particularly if you don’t have a background in science, it can be hard to review and fully comprehend the latest research from online resources such as Pubmed and Google Scholar. Furthermore, it cost’s good money to sign up to highly respected scientific publications. So, inspired by Dr Len Kravitz (this year at Filex), I decided to start publishing Fitness and Nutritional Research Reviews on the website in an easy-to-read, “no scientific background needed” format.

Personally, I love these articles because they are so interesting to read! I highly recommend that you stay up to date with this latest research to enhance your results! Visit our Fitness and Nutritional Research Reviews section!

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What Did You Eat Today? – Keeping a Food Diary

It’s a simple question – what did you eat today? Upon first glance, it may seem simple and straight forward…but can you actually remember everything that went into your mouth? Furthermore, exactly what did you consume over the weekend? Now that’s when this exercise becomes a little trickier.

You see, the biggest problem that many of us face when it comes to weight loss is watching what we eat. Just a few minor changes with nutrition can go a long way in terms of losing that unwanted body fat. However, in order to solve the nutritional problem that you may be facing, you first need to know exactly what the problem is. Without knowing exactly what you have consumed and when, it can be difficult to isolate the area’s that require tweaking.

For many of my clients, I have suggested to record a food diary that details the foods that were consumed, in what amount and at what time. It’s quite simple to do and does take a little of your time (say, 5-10 minutes in a day). For such little effort, it can provide a wealth of valuable information! I cannot count the number of clients that, upon reviewing their food diary, have said to me “Wow…I didn’t know I ate that much” or “I couldn’t believe how many sweets I ate this often!”. More often than not, it comes as a bit of a shock.

Ultimately, it’s very easy for us to forget all the details of foods that we consume, particularly when:

1. You are probably really busy with other tasks
2. You would rather forget about eating the junk food!

The other big advantage of a food diary is the accountability of keeping one. You have to be honest with yourself, otherwise this exercise is useless. But by writing down everything that you eat, you know that you have to answer to yourself. Even better, have someone else (a friend, family member or personal trainer) to check it for you to keep you really honest!

Wouldn’t it be better to have your complete food diary written down, objectively, so you can review and analyse what exactly is going wrong? Try giving it a go for a week and see what value it brings to your weight loss efforts.

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Three Nutritional Tips For When You Are Going Out

It’s Friday and I’m just about to leave the office early to head out for a night in the city! So this inspired me to post up a few nutritional tips that I have found to be helpful when I’m out and about.

Going Out Nutritional Tip 1: Take a Protein Bar

If you’re really serious about your goals, whether that be gaining muscle or losing fat, you’ll know that it is important to eat regularly, every 2-3 hours. Personally, I’ve found a protein bar in my pocket is a really convenient source of calories if you’re not at a restaurant (eg. a music concert, club, public event etc.)  You don’t have to go out of your way to find a local food store – just reach into your pocket and enjoy!

If you decide to take me up on this idea, chances are that your friends may laugh at you (I know plenty of mine have). Ultimately though, you need to decide what’s more important to you – your goals and lifestyle, or impressing others.

Going Out Nutritional Tip 2: Eat Sensibly

No matter where you are going, if there is food involved, eat sensibly! I know this is common sense, but this is much easier in theory than it is in practice.

At the restaurant, go through the menu quickly and pick something that you will enjoy yet is also going to be healthy for you. Don’t have dessert (unless you generally eat well and want a treat) – if offered, gracefully decline WITHOUT considering. Try to detach yourself from the emotional pull of sweets and make rational decision based on your goals and your recent history of eating.

Going Out Nutritional Tip 2: Drink Water

Make sure you drink plenty of water. This is not only a general health tip to keep you hydrated, but this it is also important to avoid drinking calorie dense drinks (alcohol, fruit juices, soft drinks) if you are really serious about your goals. Yes, in fact alcohol is extremely dense in calories – pure alcohol contains nearly as many calories as if you were drinking pure fat!! Looking at the calories per gram below, you can see where alcohol lies relative to fat, proteins and carbs:

• Carbs/Protein: 4 cal/g
• Alcohol: 7 cal/g
• Fat: 9 cal/g

So, a shot of vodka contains quite a few calories! Add a soft-drink mixer in a tall glass and you’re practically doubling the calories!!

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Really, you don’t have to make much a sacrifice to be smart when you’re out. You can have a great night out and also work effectively toward your health and fitness goals.

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Stay Away from CARBS!

Have you been fooled into thinking that carbohydrates are “evil”? That you should avoid these nutrients at any expense so you don’t experience unwanted fat gain? Have low-carb diets taken over your life?

Well, think again. Carbohydrates are in fact a nutrient; something that is required for the normal functioning of the human body. By eliminating carbohydrates altogether from your dietary intake, you significantly increase the risks of problems such as:

• Malnourishment
• Initiation of ketosis, a potentially dangerous condition resulting in breakdown of bone, damage to organs, amongst other things
• Lack of energy
• Constipation
• Bad breath
• Loss of concentration
• Kidney stones
• Kidney infections
• Reduced kidney function
• Gout
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Cancer
• Irritable bowel syndrome, severe abdominal pain or cramps
• Vertigo, dizziness or light-headedness
• Nausea
• Severe menstrual problems
• Diarrhoea

I could continue, but I think you get the idea. Carbohydrates are in fact a requirement for a healthy body!

But how did carbs become associated with such a negative stigma of being the nutrient that makes everyone fat?  Here’s an extract from our free weight loss course:

Carbohydrates, commonly referred to as “carbs” have been assigned a very negative connotation over the past couple of decades. One could trace this back to the Atkins Diet which gained significant exposure in the early 1990’s following it’s revitalisation as a result of the Robert Atkins’ (M.D.) best selling book, “Dr. Atkins”. This diet is an extremely low carbohydrate diet. In actual fact, the Atkins Diet was developed in the 1960’s – so it’s nearly 50 years old! (And here I was saying that the food pyramid was outdated!)

Many people have lost a significant amount of weight as a result of a carbohydrate depleted diet. This then paved the way for many new “low-carb” diets and products to be marketed successfully, promising weight loss in a short period of time. But unfortunately the health, wellbeing and long-term sustainability of such low-carb diets are often not contemplated when the words “FAST WEIGHT LOSS” are flashed in front of consumers eyes. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, many low-carb dieters have experienced problems [such as those listed above].

Especially if you want to lose weight, build muscle or improve your fitness in a healthy and sustainable manner, it is imperative to balance your nutrition! I highly recommend that you sign up to our free weight loss course for more information!

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Inspirational Female 12 Week Transformations

I spent a good portion of today publishing a couple of our newest 12 week transformations. These two women are such an inspiration and I feel honoured that they allowed us to publish their highly inspirational transformations.

Yalda’s 12 Week Transformation

Yalda and I began training together earlier this year and she expressed to me that she was not happy with her body-image and self-image. Even though she wasn’t completely out of shape, it did take a big psychological shift for her to overcome the way in which she saw herself. By the end of the 12 week period, I’m so glad that she was so happy with how far she had come, because she really put in the hard yards!

Check out these before and after photos!

Yalda's Initial 12 Week Transformation Photo

Yalda's Final 12 Week Transformation Photo

Read Yalda’s full story here.

Cat’s 12 Week Transformation

I cannot even begin to imagine how many hours in the day Cat didn’t have! At 40 years of age with three children, whilst running a farm and coaching a netball team, somehow, Cat managed to embark upon an amazing journey whereby she lost nearly 10kg of body weight and 13cm around her waist! She did all this while enjoying the occasional wine and chocolate too!

Take a look at these photos:

Cat's Initial 12 Week Transformation Photo

Cat's Final 12 Week Transformation Photo

Read Cat’s full story here.

Both these women have been a real inspiration to me – during our time training together, I have certainly learnt a thing or two from them! Congratulations to you both, Yalda and Cat!

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Fitness & Health Tips in the Office

The vast majority of personal training clients that I train have a sedentary job – stuck in the office in front of a computer from 9-5, Monday to Friday. This makes it really hard to increase your caloric expenditure when you’re on your butt all day long!

So, here is a list of three quick tips that you may be able to implement into your day to improve your health and fitness if you have a desk job!

Office Health & Fitness Tip 1: Have a bottle of water on your desk

One common problem with sitting at a desk all day long is that you forget to drink! Water is essential for the normal functioning of the human body, to excrete toxins and to burn calories! Have a bottle of water on your desk and continually drink it all day long. When it runs out, fill it back up…at least this will get you off your seat for a minute or two (not to mention a few more toilet breaks!)

Office Health & Fitness Tip 2: Use a Fitball/Swiss Ball

If you’re sitting on a normal chair all day long, there is a high likelihood that you will eventually slouch and have poor posture. Also by sitting on a normal chair, your core muscles are switched off because the chair is supporting your back.

By sitting on a fit ball (or a swiss ball), you will be forced to remain upright and keep your core muscles turned on. This will not only burn more calories, but also minimise the risk of injury by having greater control throughout the midsection.

Office Health & Fitness Tip 3:Use the stairs, NOT the lift!

This is common sense. If you’re a few floors up and have the option of the lift of the stairs, why not take the stairs? You’re going to move more, increase your daily caloric expenditure, increase your fitness and feel better about yourself when you get to the top! If you’re really high up, time yourself and aim to set new records for climbing up the stairs.

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Exercising Multiple Times Per Day

It is very easy to over-exercise in the hope of achieving a health and fitness goal. One common mistake is to exercise multiple times per day and thus exercise too often. This can shoot stress hormones through the roof and inhibit your ability to break down fat tissue, build muscle and enhance your fitness.

If your sole goal is to build muscle, then by no means should you exercise twice in the day. Gaining muscle is hard enough without shooting stress hormone levels (ie. cortisol) through the roof, inhibiting protein synthesis! You should aim for a maximum of 1 workout per day and plenty of recovery to stimulate muscle gain!

If your goal is a combination of muscle gain/maintenance and fat loss/maintenance, then you may opt to perform two workouts per day. In this case, one would be weights and the other would be cardio. Ideally, you should avoid two weight training sessions in the single day. You should also avoid performing each workout within 8 hours of each other. Performing the workouts too close to one another will interfere with your recovery.

If your goal is to lose fat tissue exclusively, you may reach a point in your training whereby you opt to exercise twice a day to increase your caloric expenditure. Again, keep to a maximum of 1 weights workout a day. It’s often a good idea to incorporate some lower intensity exercise to avoid doing “too much”, inhibiting recovery and thus “over-training”.

If your goal is to improve your fitness, performing multiple workouts a day may be beneficial, but you do need to ensure that you are obtaining adequate recovery so your body can repair itself. Fitness covers a broad range of definitions, so you should consult your personal trainer for specific advice.

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Three Quick Nutrition Tips

Nutrition is important, no matter what your health and fitness goal. Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain muscle, improve your fitness or enhance your general health and wellbeing, the foods you eat provide the nutrients (or the raw materials) your body requires to instill these changes.

So, here are three important tips that you should consider implementing into your nutritional regime to enhance your results and improve your general health.

Nutrition Tip 1: Eat small, regular meals throughout the day

Your metabolic rate is highly dependent upon how regularly you consume foods. It’s quite simple – if you don’t eat, your metabolism will slow right down. This is a survival mechanism hard-coded into the human genome through many generations of evolution.

A million years ago, we didn’t know when our next meal was going to be. It could be days (or weeks) between meals! So, our bodies adapted. The way that the body compensated for this was to raise or lower the rate at which we expend calories (our metabolism). A couple of hours after your meal, your metabolism will slow down to conserve as much energy as possible. Your body still store fat (our hard-coded energy storage system) and your body will break down muscle (because muscle expends so many calories!). This slowing in metabolism occurs when our blood glucose levels drop, approximately 2-3 hours following a meal.

The answer – eat a small meal every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism elevated and promoting fat break down and muscle gain.

Nutrition Tip 2: Eat Your Vegetables!

Vegetables are a highly dense source of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, or plant nutrients. They contain an array nutrients that cannot be put into a tablet, or sourced from meats, fish, poultry and dairy. These nutrients are essential for the normal functioning of the human body and to promote good health. Generally speaking, the more colourful the vegetable, the denser in nutrients it is.

Vegetables are great to curb hunger cravings and to boost your metabolism. They are so low in calories that you could consume kilograms of veggies and they would have a negligible effect upon your daily caloric intake.
Go for variety in your vegetable intake and ensure to eat plenty of deep green leafy vegetables like broccoli and spinach.

Nutrition Tip 3: Variety!

Variety is the spice of life. No matter what you goal, you must ensure that you consume a well balanced diet.

It is NOT healthy to consume tuna all day long and miss out on other meats. Chances are you could experience an undesirable build-up of mercury, in addition to missing out on vital nutrients such as omega-3, iron and selenium from other meat, poultry and fish sources. It is also important not to confine yourself to a single fruit only. Eat widely to ensure that you obtain sufficient nutrients throughout your day.

A big misconception is that certain natural foods are “better” than others. Have you ever heard a new “superfood” proclaimed on the news? Just because one food has been identified to be good in one respect, does not mean that other foods aren’t going to be beneficial for you! There is no single food that should replace all other foods within that same food group.

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Good nutrition isn’t rocket science. By implementing these three principles, you will be well on your way to better health and achieving your fitness goals!

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Getting Started Exercising NOW!

Have you ever used the term “I’ll start at the gym tomorrow”? What about “Monday will be the start of my new exercise program”? How many times have you said that about a new exercise program? Getting started can be hard, because you’ve actually got to take that first step outside of your comfort zone and pro-active.

The truth of the matter is that this is a common issue with many people seeking to begin a new exercise regime, particularly if they are going at it alone.  Whilst a personal trainer would be able to keep you accountable at get you on track, TODAY, it is all too easy to put off the new regime until some point in the future when you are trying to keep yourself accountable. Chances are that when this day comes, something else will get in the way – it’s a vicious circle.

You have to make a choice to get real and start immediately. If you want results, you need to change your lifestyle now and not in the future. After all, the sooner you make the change, the sooner you will see the desired results!

A good strategy to overcome the art of procrastination is to focus on the future and look back into the present. Today, it’s Thursday. But today you told yourself (for the fourth time) that you would begin next Monday. Think about it this way – if you began today, then by next Monday, you would already have four days of solid exercise under your belt! Chances are you would be at least half a kilogram lighter by the time that you initially set as your start date. Wouldn’t that be motivating to know that you’re already ahead?

Achieving any health and fitness goal is a long-term endeavour. The sooner you get started, the sooner you will get into a routine. The routine is the easy bit because things are just automatic. It’s getting started that is the hard part!

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Assessing Your Exercise Technique

Today I spent nearly five hours recording brand new instructional exercise video’s for our members section.  Boy, was it exhausting!  I lost count of how many exercises we ended up recording…but it was a lot!

One thing that I have learnt as I have trained over the years is that your exercise technique constantly needs to be assessed and fixed up.  It’s very easy to start with text-book form and then each workout, become sloppier and sloppier until you are swinging the weights around like a madman!

I have found that with my training, back exercises are the movements that most often require re-assessing.  Take the lat pulldown for example.  A little back movement is okay (it’s natural), but you don’t want to swing your back too much, otherwise you will take the load off the back muscles.  So, in week 1, I would naturally begin with great technique with minimal back movement.  Week 2 may be similar to week 1.  By then in week 3, as the competitive instinct gets a hold of me, I just want to get that additional rep, or move a little more weight than what I am capable of doing with “great” exercise technique.  So, a little more back-swing may enter the repertoire.  Week 4, I go for a little more on top of that again.

Now, whilst the change in technique from week-to-week may only be subtle, there may be a slightly noticeable change from week 1 to 4.  Over a period of months, the change may be quite dramatic.  So it is important to continually assess your technique and ensure that you are performing the exercise in the most effective manner.  Also, by keeping your technique constant, you are able to compare your strength results more reliably from week to week.

Regularly assessing your exercise technique is vital for maximum effectiveness and safety when training.  It can be discouraging lowering the weight to improve your form, but if you’re after results, then it’s a necessity!

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