Demonsing foods…

This morning we were having a conversation about sugar. It seems that in some circles, sugar is still a “bad” food.

I hate this kind of pressure. No food group is bad. We need to eat a balance of all the food groups to stay healthy.

Yes eating too much sugar can be somewhat detrimental but calling it out as bad, or to be avoided at all costs; is quite damaging.

As a lover of sweet things- cake, chocolate, berries, dates, raisins, apples- telling me I shouldn’t eat sugar is not going to work.

But I also know, that if I follow a diet of eating well where I get protein in the form of meat, cheese, whey etc, whole minimally processed carbs such as potato and rice, vegitables and fruit as well as fat sources such as nuts, fish, avocado then I can’t really go wrong.

The other thing to mention is that when you train, you need to fuel your body to be able to recover, to help you get stronger and feel great. Because for me- that’s the most important thing.

I WANT TO FEEL AMAZING every day. And training and eating well does that for me.

I want to be strong, like the people in these pictures- real women who are awesome.

So no telling me, that we cannot eat sugar, or fat, or too much protein (because studies show there is no such thing) because unless you discover a brilliant new science that proves I am wrong about all of this- I will always advocate a bit of what you fancy anytime.

What do you eat?

This weekend we had our Inhouse Strongman competition.

A question I got asked was “I didn’t know what to eat- what should I eat before a comp?”

and to be fair, when you are used to preparing for running races, it could be a little confusing!

I find that I am never hungry during a comp, so I make sure I have a good breakfast that day- similar to what I would usually eat such as  bacon and eggs or oats with protein and berries.

The day before, I will always eat a dinner of protein and carbs such as chicken with potatoes and lots of veg.

During a competition, I usually make sure I have whey protein to help repair my muscles and flapjacks for a quick burst of energy when I need it. And plenty of coffee!!

Because the events are taxing on your body, you need to be ready to move quickly and explosively. So having a full belly might not be wise.

Afterwards- fill your boots! Eat whatever you fancy. We all had cake and went out for steak and chips. An Epsom salt bath might also help with those DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

 

What are you training for?

In my job, I see many people in the gym trying to build muscle. They often don’t know where to start, which exercises to perform to get the best results and following Social media which can be misleading.

So-called “bro-science”- myths populated by people who think they know the truth and spread through social media so that after a while, it is hard to know what to believe.

Have you heard any of the following:

Don’t eat fat post training

You MUST have a protein shake the second you stop training or lose your gains.

Don’t eat carbs in the morning.

Don’t eat carbs after 6pm

You have to eat ‘clean’ to get abs

Eat 6 meals a day or you won’t see results

My advice – don’t always believe what you read! 

Contrary to popular belief, following famous body builders strategies is not the best way to get the body you want. Following a structured training programme tailored to you is.

Many famous body builders have great genetics, time to lift regularly and some even have chemical enhancement to get where they are.

The good news is, that by following a specifically tailored plan can help teach you the best way to get the physique you want, learn how to lift properly without injury and gain strength, muscle and confidence.

Did you know that a beginner to the gym, can build up to 5 kilo of muscle in their first year? However, each year after training, it gets less. So if you have been training for 5 years or more, you can expect to build around 1kg of muscle naturally.

Not that I want to put you off, but muscle is expensive! Not only in terms of cost of gym membership, nutrition and time, but it is a metabolically expensive tissue too, which means you have to work hard to keep it there.

Muscle will need between 50-100 calories per day per pound of muscle. That’s just to maintain it. So to grow, you will need to eat right, exercise and rest.

As humans, we are naturally going for homoeostasis – our natural state. So to build muscle is not considered normal, and we need to work at keeping muscle there through exercise stimulus. The saying if you don’t use it, you lose it, is so true here!

In a completely untrained person, muscle growth is virtually non existent in the initial stages of training and the upper extremities such as shoulders and backs are shown to hypertrophy first before the lower.

I often wonder if this is why many people concentrate on working their guns in the gym? It shows first?

One of my favourite things about my job, is that many women are now enjoying training. There is no longer a stigma that lifting weights will make you bulky  – or at least there isn’t

 at The Strength Studio.

Training is fun, empowering and can leave you feeling completely badass – if that isn’t a good reason to start training; I can show you many more at that!

The Busy Man…

Finding time to eat well and exercise can be nigh on impossible with a busy job.

You run from a Networking breakfast meeting, where you scoffed all the pastries to a long day at the office. A quick stop at the garage to grab a sandwich and crisps… and maybe a muffin because it was by the till, followed by another networking dinner where the canapes aren’t enough to fill you up, but the beer and wine on flow might.

You get home exhausted and fancy another beer to relax you before the next days meetings…

So how do you schedule the time, let alone the energy to get to the gym and eat well?

Making your gym visits an appointment in your diary can help you kick start your day. Not all gyms open early enough, but The Strength Studio has classes from 6am!

Pre-preparing food and snacks can help you avoid having to grab things on the go. I love to buy ready prepapred veg so I don’t have to waste time chopping. Apples, Protein bars and Greek Yoghurt can be brilliant and easy to carry round.

If you find you are constantly stopping at Motorway service stations, heading to Waitrose or M&S over McDonalds is more likely to be kinder to your waistline.

And once you start making time to be a little more active, you are likely to feel a little less exhausted and a lot more energised – meaning your performance at work will improve.

 

 

 

The Quick Fix

It’s January and the time of year most of us are looking to get fit, tone up and lose the excess Christmas bulge.

But how do we do this? Will it take forever, can we do it quickly, can we make it stick this time?

It can be tempting to find the next quick fix – pills, potions, starving yourself or starting a new fitness class. Trust me, I have fallen for that trap too. But it can be a dangerous game.

Take a shake diet for example, surviving on a few hundred calories a day can lead to weight loss for sure. But it can also lead to an unhealthy attitude towards food. I hope no-one ever stands in their kitchen crying and terrified to eat real food in fear of it making them fat. I have done that, and looking back at pictures of me then, I was far from it.

(I have done that, and looking back at pictures of me then, I was far from it… In fact I was so close to having an eating disorder.)

And shake diets only work whilst you are on them. Yes you lose pounds, because you are not eating. But break this, and eat more calories and suddenly you have put most, all or more of the weight back on.

There are so many diets out there, it can be confusing about what will work for you. And the fact is, that we are all unique beings who have differing needs, preferences and willpower.

I for one can not resist cake if offered, but I have a friend who can take it or leave it. Yet they will bite the hand off the person with the crisps. And I’m happy to leave them.

Some people work well on a higher protein diet, some on high carb, some with lots of veggies and more fats. Some people like to plan and track, others eat ad libitum. Some like to eat everything and others find it hard to eat large meals.

So, the best diet for you, is going to be the one you can stick to!

Finding out how best to eat for you can also take time. Call it trial and error.

Not everyone has the patience for this. But its definitely worth working at.

But that’s just my opinion – you might already have found what works for you. And that’s brilliant!

The least stressful way to live is to enjoy your food. Especially if you love food as much as me!