What do THEY need a Personal Trainer for?

Quick background story for this one...

Last week as I was packing my equipment away a random lady came up to me and asked in reference to my client whom I had just been training "What do THEY need a Personal Trainer for?" It seemed an odd question to me at first because in my mind there are tonnes of obvious reasons why somebody would benefit from having a PT - yes of course I would say that but even so... The lady obviously recognized my confusion as she qualified her question by stating how my client was already in great shape and hardly needed my help - because clearly unless you are 4 stone overweight you don't need to exercise...

Now this person is by no means alone in her way of thinking - but why? In my mind it's due to our fixation with body weight and being fat and in all fairness that's for a good reason. Research published by the NHS in 2017 indicated that most adults in the UK (64%) are overweight or obese, with the number who are obese rising by 29% in recent years. At the end of the day we have a public health crisis on our hands when it comes to how fat we are as a society and that obviously needs to be addressed. However, I think that at times this can mean that we overlook all of the other health related benefits of doing regular exercise - here are just a few of the main ones:

1. Mental health
Many people would argue that the other health crisis we currently face is related to our mental well being. Exercise has been shown to be equally as effective at treating depression as prescription drugs and does not come with any of the same side effects. It high time we started focusing on exercise a necessary component of good mental health.

2. Energy levels
One of the immediate benefits that my clients describe when they first start training with me is an increase in energy levels and a feeling of being reinvigorated after a number of years of feeling drained. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the more exercise you do the less tired you feel.

3. Fitness
Even if you aren't over weight if you get out of breath doing day to day activities such as climbing multiple flights of stairs it may be time to think about exercising more. In my opinion it's far better to be a little bit on the chubby side but have a good level of cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength. This is something that no amount of dieting will help you with and can only be achieved through an exercise regimen.

4. Enjoyment
Exercise doesn't have to be boring and unpleasant. Yes you are supposed to sweat a bit and it's key to remember that you are doing it for a particular outcome and not necessarily to have the time of your life - but my clients tell me all the time that they are surprised at how much they enjoy training with me.

Aside from failing to acknowledge all of the benefits of exercise, the other problem is that training and exercise is viewed by most as a punishment for poor lifestyle choices and something you only do when you need to lose weight. The issue with this is you end up in the constant cycle of getting fat so you start to exercise and as a result lose weight, only to put it back on again because you didn't think that you needed to exercise anymore. Trust me I've seen it time and time again until you are able to change your mindset and start thinking of exercise as part of your normal weekly routine you will NEVER be able to keep weight off in the long term.

So if you are interested in changing the way you look and feel FOR GOOD - get in touch anytime here

Top 6 Benefits of Training with a Partner

When it comes to training on your own or with a partner everyone has there preference, personally I enjoy the variety of both. When I'm doing a session by myself it's an opportunity to test my mental resolve, with no one else to make me push myself to the limit it's all down to my own self-discipline. This is really important because you never want to be totally reliant on anyone else to achieve your goals. However I do also enjoy training with someone else as well and this comes with it's own list of benefits - Here are my top 6:

1. You Hold Each Other Accountable
Its so easy to talk yourself out of doing a workout - you're too tired, you had a bad day at work, there's laundry to do at home. We've all used excuses like this to justify missing a training session, but if it's not only yourself that you are letting down by skipping a workout it's more likely you will stick to your exercise regimen.

2. It's More Enjoyable
It doesn't all have to be ALL hard work and NO fun and there's no doubt that training with someone you get on with makes the time you spend sweating go a lot faster. This means that you are less likely to make an excuse not to train and spend longer in the gym or wherever you like to workout.

3. You Push Each Other
Some healthy competition goes a long way towards making you work harder. It's best if your training partner is of a similar ability to you as this means you both have to push yourselves to stay with the other. If one of you is a lot stronger/fitter if can make whoever is less able feel inadequate, or worse make them push themselves to do something which is too difficult - So choose your partner carefully.

4. You can Coach Each Other
Even though most gyms nowadays are full of mirrors so you can monitor your form, there's nothing like having someone else there to ensure your technique is on point. In addition when it comes to strength training, in my view to get the best results you HAVE to push your muscles to the point of failure. For many lifts such as the bench press you need a partner to do this safely.

5. Support Each Other in Achieving your Mutual Goals
Having someone there to encourage you when you are struggling and be happy for you when you succeed is invaluable. Getting in shape should always be about your own personal aspirations, but sharing your achievements with somebody else has a massive impact on your self-esteem. Never underestimate the power of someone telling you how much you have improved.

6. You can Save Money When you Train with me
I don't charge anymore for training two people at the same time, so you can buddy up with someone else and share the cost of a training session.

You can find more information about my Personal Training service here

Need to mooove a few pounds before summer? Drinking more milk could help you do this...

I'll just start this off by making the point that if your goal is to tone up a bit before this summer - first of all you should have started in January (that's a topic for another day) and secondly you are going to need a tailored exercise and nutrition plan. Luckily this is something I can provide for you - click here for more information. Now once you've got the foundation then we can start talking about the nitty gritty...

When it comes to getting in shape there are a number of things available to help you get the best possible results from your diet and your training. For years people have been using supplements like creatine to give them an edge in the weight room, but when it comes to fat loss research has shown that drinking low-fat cows milk in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet can result in greater reductions in body fat (Faghih et al., 2009).

This is thought to be in part due to the large amount of calcium contained in milk. However, taking a calcium supplement alone doesn't have the same effect and it is believed that cows milk also contains other bioactive substances that regulate the accumulation of fat tissue - sorry vegans... That being said it's critical to remember that the added fat burning effect of drinking milk was found to enhance the results of a calorie restricted diet. Which brings me back to my first point that if your goal is to get leaner then first and foremost you must follow a nutrition and exercise plan that works for you.

A tailored approach to getting in shape is always the best option because every individual will face different challenges to succeed. But ultimately it comes down to the same thing - a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, lean protein sources and a small amount of carbs; combined with a mixture of strength training and short intense cardiovascular workouts. This is a proven formula and has never failed for me as a trainer -You can read over 50 of my clients' testimonials here. So if you need help shedding some excess fat this summer, contact me here I look forward to helping you achieve your goals!

The C Word...

Nope not that one...

Consistency - this is without a shadow of a doubt the single difference maker when it comes to getting the result that you want or not. Because the inconvenient truth it that losing weight and getting in shape while not always easy, is actually very simple - All you need to do is stick to something. Think about it, how many overweight people do you know that exercise at least once a week - EVERY week? I would wager that number is pretty low, if any at all. It doesn't even really matter what exercise you do and you don't have to overhaul absolutely everything at once. When people look at amazing body transformations, they focus solely on the end product and fail to recognize that it all started by making small positive changes, week in and week out and STICKING TO THEM.

Now we've already established that getting in shape is a straight forward process, but one that can ultimately be very challenging - If you've tried to lose weight in the past you will know this to be true. The reason so many people struggle is because sticking to things for a long time is tough, especially when you are relying on will power alone to get you through. The problem with this approach is that your own self-motivation will inevitably waver from time to time and this is when slip ups happen.

The answer? Ensure that you have a system in place that holds you accountable and gives you the support you need to stay on course, ensuring that you have the one thing you need to achieve your goals - consistency. This is where working with a one-to-one Personal Trainer REALLY helps - there is no way to replicate the consistency of somebody showing up at the same time each week to make sure you hit your weekly exercise target. Sometimes it just takes someone with the right knowledge and experience to set you off in the right direction and from there the sky is the limit! Plus the good news is that the longer you commit yourself to changing your lifestyle the easier it gets. Over the weeks and months your new eating and exercise routine will become habits that you can stick to for the rest of your life. One of my clients was telling me just last week that now it's not a struggle anymore to make the right choices - even in challenging situations such as eating out.

So ask yourself - what's your strategy to stay consistent in your pursuit of your health and fitness goal this year? If you've got one then I wish you the best of luck, but if you haven't then feel free to get in touch anytime and I would be happy to have a chat with you about how I might be able to help - You can contact me here anytime

Need to lose belly fat? Research shows that HIIT may be the way to go

The beer belly, the spare tire, the love handles, whatever you want to call it it's at the centre of your body and it's often the first place people notice getting larger when they put on weight. This is even more true for men who genetically carry more fat around their abdomen, whereas women typically store most of their body fat on their hips and thighs. Never the less regardless of gender if there's one area that people want to work on 9/10 its their stomach.

As part of my bespoke Personal Training service I tailor my programming to every individual client that I work with. It's vitally important to recognise that no one is the same and different people respond to differing training and dietary techniques. That being said according to research from the University of New South Wales in Australia, if your goal is to reduce the amount of subcutaneous fat (fat stored under your skin) on your stomach, then the best form of training is probably High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT.

For those that haven't heard of it before HIIT involves short bursts of very intense exercise interspersed with periods of recovery and can involve almost any form of exercise from sprinting to weight lifting - as long as it is done at, or close to maximum effort. From personal experience I can vouch for the effectiveness of HIIT and I use it on a regularly basis with many of my clients.

Moreover, the pros of HIIT extend beyond the fact that it may help you burn more stomach fat. The other primary advantage is that it doesn't take long to complete a HIIT session because you can only work at the required intensity for around half an hour or so. Given that one of the main reasons that people give for not exercising regularly is that they don't have the time - this is very handy.

The mechanisms behind HIIT training's effectiveness at reducing abdominal fat aren't clear. But experts do know that HIIT is great for developing both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, plus it also increases your insulin sensitivity. This is really important for regulating your blood sugar levels thereby reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. With the UK facing a looming public health crisis due to rising obesity levels and the prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, prevention is a far more effective solution than treatment of these conditions.

However, despite it's advantages HIIT is not going to be right for everyone - for example if you haven't done much exercise in the last year or so, then you probably want to start off with something a little easier to begin with, or you're going to risk overdoing it. Trust me despite what some other trainers might say, working yourself to the point of vomiting is NOT the way forward. Always remember that CONSISTENCY TRUMPS INTENSITY every time and at the end of the day finding a training regimen that you can stick to should be your number one priority regardless of your goals.

The Fat Person on the Inside

When it comes to losing weight and getting in shape people can often get bogged down with diet and training programs and completely bypass the most important part of the process... changing the fat person on the inside - and I'm not getting all sciencey and talking about internal fat mass. I'm talking about how you see yourself as an individual - Allow me to explain...

Consider this for a minute - When was the last time you did something without conscious thought and were surprised at your actions? The chances are that you can't even remember an example. This is because our actions nearly always match up with the perception we have of ourselves. After all there's no one with more experience of being inside your own head.

Consequently if you want to change your behaviour, then first and foremost you must challenge the current beliefs you have about who you are. So if your perception is that you are an unhealthy, unfit and out of shape person, then you will do as an unhealthy, unfit and out of shape person does. You will eat and drink too much, your cupboards will be full of junk food and you won't prioritize being physically active - because that's what is normal for you. Conversely a healthy and fit person will do the opposite; not because they are on a diet, but because that's how a healthy and fit person behaves - See the difference?

Make no mistake about it changing the beliefs you hold about yourself is not an overnight process, not least because other people have a significant impact on your own self-image. For example if people constantly tell you how funny you are, then you're probably going to think that you're a funny person? The problem is that often times people struggle with the idea that other people change and react negatively when they notice it happening - especially if it makes them feel worse about themselves. So if you are planning on making some positive changes to your habits such as bringing in salads for lunch at work or going for a walk on your break, just be prepared for some potential criticism - you can check out one of my other blogs I wrote on this topic here

Ultimately achieving your health and fitness goals isn't about keto-dieting and training 7 days a week - it's about making better decisions each day. I've seen countless men and women make the mistake even after losing weight of still viewing themselves as a "fat person" in disguise. As such they perceive their healthy choices as abnormal and thus only a temporary phase, as apposed to a permanent change in lifestyle. So before you consider the latest trend in nutrition and training, take at look in the mirror and have a think about who you are right now vs who you want to be - because as the saying goes what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.

Teacher's pet...

If you're thinking about losing weight and getting fit

And you've got good people around you

Then the majority of the time you will receive words of encouragement

However you also need to be prepared to be faced with some negativity about your lifestyle changes

Because unfortunately not everybody cares as much as you do

Well actually they do

They just don't want to admit it

And to make themselves feel better about being overweight, they bash your efforts to get healthier

It's a bit like when you were at school and someone answers a question correctly or scores well in an exam

Then gets ridiculed by those that aren't as smart for being a "teacher's pet"

The truth is that these people are jealous that you have the will to change

And most of all they are insecure about trying and subsequently failing at it themselves

So they don't try at all

And anyone that does is "boring"

But I tell you what is more boring

Not having the confidence to wear certain outfits, or being unable to run around with your children

So the next time a co-worker gets onto you about your refusing a piece of cake

Just be mindful of where this attitude is coming from

If you need a hand getting started then get in touch  here

Until next time, have a great week

Arland

Thinking about having a sober October?

Going dry for January has been fairly commonplace for a while now

But in recent years we've had sober October as well

One of the biggest hurdles people have to overcome when trying to lose weight is alcohol

The empty calories often go unaccounted for when tracking daily stats and getting rid of them alone will go a long way to shifting a few pounds each week

The problem with booze is it's so deeply embedded in our culture that is difficult to avoid

Unless you are giving it up for a month

So in some ways have a sober month is a great thing if you are unhappy with your weight

However, it does reflect a common problem with peoples' attitudes...

If you are reading this and you are overweight, being good for a month is not the answer

It's the typical 'diet' mentality that sabotages nearly everyone's health and fitness regimes

Trying to be perfect is just not going to happen - start with just trying to be a bit better

Restricting yourself to drinking just once a week for the whole year is far better than abstaining for a month and then boozing 5 nights out of 7 the rest of the time

So if you are thinking about going sober for October

Good for you, but don't think that it means you can have earned 11 months of overconsumption

It's all about moderation if you want a lasting result

The accountability of having a one to one Personal Trainer is great way of staying on track of what you are eating and drinking

So if you know that you aren't disciplined enough to do it on your own - I am here to help 

Just give me a shout here

Until next time, have a great week

Arland

Being flexible is important - but not in the way you might think...

Being flexible is crucial when it comes to getting in shape

But not in the way that you might think...

I'm not talking about the importance of being able to touch your toes

But rather the importance of being able to adapt the process of losing weight and getting fit

Because at the end of the day we all live busy and complicated lives

So allowing some wiggle room is essential

Anything that is too restrictive is going to be impossible to stick to 

And sticking to things is what it's all about

That's why exclusion diets aren't something I advocate

Because no-one is going to keep them up in the long run

On the flip side planning is also key

So knowing what you are going to do in each workout is important too

But being able to adapt it

Now that's what takes you from being on a diet to living a healthy life

If you're looking for a more flexible approach to your training then take a look at the Online Personal Training section of my website here

Online Training offers you the ability to pick and choose where and when you want to do your workouts, while still following a program that is tailored to you

If you have any questions just give me a shout anytime

Until next time, have a great week

Arland

Summer is over 😭

With September now upon us and summer in the rear view mirror

A lot of people will now have given up on their health and fitness regimen

The reason...

Because what's the point in your body looking good when you're covered up in your winter clothes?

This does have some merit I have to admit

However

The constant battle of trying to get in shape for the summer plagues a lot of people

Because getting in shape is tough

There's no doubt about that

But staying in shape

That's a lot easier

Plus being two stone overweight isn't healthy

Irrespective of what season it is

So stop letting the calendar dictate when you look and feel great

It's about time you took charge

If you need any help or assistance then please don't hesitate to get in touch here

Until next time, have a great week

Arland