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Posts Tagged ‘fitness dorset’

Eat your immune system to optimum health . . .

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Autumn is on it’s way out, and Winter is on it’s way in. As I sit here writing this post, it’s hammering it down with rain outside, and howling a gale at the same time. From a training perspective, I’m just happy to own a turbo!


Anyway, I’m not here to rant about the rain, whinge about the wind, or feebly try to alliterate any more words.

Triathletes and long distance runners are a strange breed. We often look so fit on the outside, train like champions and have a strictly ‘can do’ mindset. But on the other hand, we often have weakened immune systems, causing us to need to take time off training every month when we get a cold or just don’t feel right. Maybe you’ll take off up to 3-5 days per month due to this, which results in a loss of up to 60 days (around 2 months!) per year or quality training, all because your immune system isn’t as strong as it ought to be. In the Triathletes Training Bible, Joe Friel makes reference to a study of runners in the LA Marathon that found that runners training for more than 60 miles per week were twice as susceptible to respiratory illness as those who ran for just 20 miles per week (another tick for reduced volume training!). The runners who completed the marathon, were then 6 times more likely to be ill in the week following the race as those who had done the training, but didn’t race. As well as all this, internally, our bodies are often inflamed from the volume of training we do, coupled with the high consumption of inflammatory foods, many of which cause a hyperglycaemic (fast blood sugar release) response, such as breads, pastas, cakes, muffins, pastries, energy gels, bars and drinks and whatever else we eat ‘because we need to’.

When in training, a triathlete/runner will burn around an extra 600-1600 calories per day, depending on training volume and intensity. This obviously puts a big demand on the athlete to consume enough food to maintain and develop themselves physically, so most athletes will turn to the high glycaemic index, sugary foods such as those outlined above in order to bridge the gap. BUT, but eating these foods, you cause this inflammatory response within your body, which often leads to unstable appetite, frequent illness, increased body fat and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Not what you want. Chronic inflammation is closely linked with, and can lead to, a whole world of different problems such as irritable bowel disease, Parkinsons disease, various cancers, psoriasis, atherosclerosis, chronic dystrophy and type 2 diabetes to name a few. So definitely not good.

So enough of the depressing stuff, and onto what can help you.

In order to ensure that your immune system remains in tact, and your internal environment is not inflamed, there are a number of things you can do. The good thing, is that everything I’m about to lay out for you is dead simple. Before we kick off, here’s a list of some of the top culprits for causing inflammation within our bodies:

  • Sugars
  • Polyunsaturated vegetable oils such as sunflower, canola, safflower,
  • Trans fats such as those found in fast food, processed foods, cakes, pastries
  • Dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurt
  • Processed ‘meat’ (if you can call it that!)
  • Refined carbohydrates such as breads, bagels, muffins, tortilla, pitta, pasta (brown included)
  • Alcohol
  • Artificial food additives such as those found in just about any food which comes with a label
.
Now, just as foods can cause an inflammatory response, they can also cause an anti-inflammatory one too. So there are foods out there that’ll reduce the inflammation within your body and bring you back to full, optimum health once more. Some of the best include:

  • Papaya
  • Blueberries
  • Broccoli
  • Sweet potato/yam
  • Cinnamon
  • Turmeric
  • Parsley
  • Cabbage
  • Bell peppers
  • Avocado
  • Fresh salmon
  • Almonds
  • Flaxseeds
  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • Kiwi
.
You get the idea. FRESH FOODS! There’s a tonne more foods that’ll fight inflammation within your body, and also give you the vitamins and nutrients you need to ensure your immune system gets back to greatness, and if you follow the (very basic yet very effective) guidelines I’m going to lay out for you for your off-season training, you’ll be well on your way to optimum health, recovery and performance. So here goes . . .

For ultimate results you’ll . . . . . .
.
  1. Remove all dairy from your diet
  2. Remove all wheat and gluten from your diet
  3. Remove caffeine from your diet
  4. Remove artificial sweeteners and packaged foods from your diet
  5. Remove alcohol from your diet
.
You’ll fuel yourself on fresh, wholesome foods alone, such as plenty of fish, meat, vegetables, legumes, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds, and all that other good stuff. You’ll also drink plenty of water, around 1 litre per 50lbs of bodyweight per day.

If you can’t remove EVERYTHING outlined above, then simply make a conscious effort to greatly reduce your consumption of those foods, and ensure that you are eating fresh fruit and veg with every meal, and drinking plenty of water.

If you use energy drinks, bars and gels, or high sugar content foods for training, limit these to either 5-10 minutes before training, during the workout, or within 20 minutes post workout as these times are when the body is more likely to use these sugars as a primary fuel.

Ideally, you’ll also ‘front load’ your carbohydrate intake. By this I mean that you’ll eat the majority of your carbs earlier in the day, and then gradually reduce carb intake as the day progresses. This will mean that you’re more likely to use the food as fuel in the day, as opposed to going to bed with high insulin levels. Think of your carb intake as a pyramid, so plenty for breakfast, slightly less at lunch, then minimal at dinner (also include healthy snacks in between meals if hungry).

With vegetables, the brighter the better. Try to include a variety of colours within your diet, as this will provide a massive range of phytonutrients that’ll help boost your immune system and vitality. When snacking on fruit, make sure you eat some form of protein and fat with it, as this will slow down the rate of sugar release into the bloodstream, release hormones such as leptin to signal fullness, and also helps ensure a steady release of energy so no ’spiking’.

If you employ the strategy I have outlined above, you will quickly find that you will improve your health, vitality and general feeling of well being within a very short space of time, as well as drop a few pounds along the way. I should also warn you though, that by removing the inflammatory foods, your body will thank you initially with headaches, fatigue and maybe some mood swings for 1-4 days. After that time however, you’ll feel like you’re living in a totally new body, and will quickly find that the common colds and illnesses you suffer with frequently, will disappear.

Enjoy ;-)

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Meeting the Queen . . . .

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

On June 11th, Procision Fitness provided fun based fitness and exercise sessions for 180 childreen aged 5-11 on Weymouth beach to help showcase the town ahead of 2012.

 

I was fortunate enough to be presented to, and speak with both the Queen, and Prince Phillip. Check out the photos below!

 

Speaking with the Queen

Speaking with the Queen

The Queen asked about Procision Fitness, and the services we provide, and was especially pleased to see so many children enjoying fun based exercise in the sun.

Meeting Prince Phillip

Meeting Prince Phillip

Continuing the walk along the beach

Continuing the walk along the beach

As you can see, there was a pretty large crowd gathered for the visit!
Until next time,
Andy ;-)

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Need to shape up for sun, sea, sand and skimpy summerwear?!

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Lose 10-20lbs weight in just 4 weeks!

 

We have now passed midway point in June. The sun has been on and off for a while now, but when it’s been on, its been ON! If you’re like lot’s of people I’ve been chatting to, you have already been digging out your bikinis, swim shorts and skin bearing summer clothing, and asking yourself how on earth you are going to get back into them after staying in Christmas mode for the first half of 2009. Maybe you’ve been out shopping for summer clothing and it’s now hit home that there’s not long until the holidays, and with that, bearing lots of skin while sunbathing, and that you don’t have much time to get into shape.

 

Well it’s true, there’s not loads of time until the official summer, but luckily there IS TIME, so long as you know how to utilise it, and really go for it with 100% effort in terms of eating right and training right. Now I’m not talking about hours on a cross trainer, or loads of weights in the gym, combined with ’starving yourself thin’ or any radical diets you may have treid previously. What I am talking about is efficient training to get your body fit for flaunting. Training and eating well enough to get rid of the ‘does this make me look fat’ fear that so many people are plagued with at this time of year, and finally give you a body that functions well, looks fit, and is healthy, in addition to boosting your energy levels so you can really make the most of the summertime. Because after all, you want to ENJOY the holidays, rather than sepnd them worrying about how you look.

 

So here’s what I’m going to do for you. I’m going to give you some simple, easy to follow advice on improving your diet (simple advice that has helped my personal clients lose on average between 10-20lbs in 4 weeks). I’m also going to give you some workouts to do for 4 weeks, which require minimal equipment, and can be compelted in as little as 20 minutes a day, that will strip fat faster more efficiently than anything else you have tried. The best thing, you’re going to get it all for free, right now!

 

The Program

 

This program requires total commitment, which, if you are truly serious about getting your body ready for summer, should not be a problem. All you have to do is commit to following ALL the nutritional guidelines I give you, and perform one workout per day (these are detailed below) at least 5 days per week for 4 weeks. Can you do that? If the answer is ‘I don’t think I have time’….Rubbish. If you can’t find/make 20 minutes of spare time in a day then there really is no hope for you! Sorry, but that’s the truth. If you are commited to achieving the body you want ready for summer, you will find time. Best thing I can suggest, is schedule each 20 minute session into your diary on a weekly/monthly basis and stick to it, just as you would any other appointment!

 

Nutrition

 

To achieve the 10-20lbs weight loss within the 4 week period, you need to stick to these guidelines 100%, no excuses. Here they are:

 

  1. Go to your cupboards and get rid of all packaged/processed foods (if you don’t want to waste them, at least get them out of the hosue, so give them to a family member/friend to look after!). Why? Because additives/preservatives put into food are un-necessary in your diet, and as well as being linked to many illnesses, lead to increased fat storage and a reduction in the efficiency of your bodys internal systems.
  2. Cut ALL of the following from your diet, 100% - wheat, gluten and grains (e.g pasta, rice, flour), dairy, sugar, artificial sweeteners/packaged/processed foods, alcohol, caffeine.
  3. Eat only fresh, whole foods (preferably organic for best results), including beef, lamb, chicken, pheasant, beef, turkey, fish, eggs, all fruit and vegetables (as much as you like), all herbs and spices
  4. Eat smaller, balanced (meals containing proteins, carbs and fats) meals every 2-4 hours up to 6 meals per day.
  5. Drink plenty of water (filtered preferably). Depending on body size, anything between 2-4 litres per day should do the trick.

 

The Workouts

 

Perform 3 x resistance per week, and 2-3 x cardio per week, for 20 minutes per day minimum (for best results, perform workouts twice per day, either back to back, or one early and one later on). remain active on rest days by going walking/swimming, cycling etc. Alternate training each day, e.g. Monday resistance, tues cardio, weds resistance etc.

 

Resistance

 

Perform the following in a circuit, working for 40 seconds on each exercise, then resting for 20 seconds in between exercises (if this is too hard, do 30:30), working as hard as you can while maintaining perfect form. Once you have completed all exercises (6 minutes), rest for 1 minute and repeat 3-6 times. Perfom 3-5 minutes walking/cycling/jogging to warm up before circuit, then some stretching for each major muscle group worked at the end of the session, holding for 20-30s each.

 

  1. Bodyweight squat
  2. Push ups (kneeling if necessary)
  3. Bodyweight lunge
  4. Single leg anterior reach (stand on 1 leg, with tall posture, with one arm out in front. Slowly reach forwards, bending at hips and knees and touch an object approx 12-16 inches from the florr, then return to start)
  5. Dumbbell bent over rows (if no dumbbells, use household objects such as heavy bottles)
  6. Squat thrusts/single leg squat thrusts

 

Cardio

 

Choose 1-3 of the following activities each session: fast walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, skipping, cross training, stepping.

 

Perform 2-3 minutes hard effort on one activity, then rest for 30s-2 minutes, before repeating for the next activity (if only one appeals to you, perform all intervals using the one method). Continue this for 20-30 minutes, then follow with stretches for all major musles worked, holding each for 20-30s).

 

Ready to commit?

 

So that’s it. Sounds simple huh? That’s because it IS! Simple, yet highly effective and time efficient, and I’ve used similar (and in fact these particular wokouts) to great effect with many clients, achieving on average 10-20lbs weight loss within 4 weeks!

 

You have absolutely nothing to lose, so go for it, and I guarantee you will feel and look a whole lot better for it!

 

Note - if you have any medical problems that may be effected by exercise, make sure you consult your GP before undertaking nay exercise plan.

 

Feel free to email with any questions info@procisionfitness.com

 

To your success

 

Andy ;-)

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GROUP FITNESS DORSET: HARDCORE & OUTDOORS WORKOUT 2

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

SESSION NO. 2 - 24/02/09

Another great session at Overcombe Beach today. Decided to give the guys a bit of something different tonight, so brought down a load of tyres, a killer workout and a bright yellow jacket!

I had a bit of a hamstring niggle, so was gutted I couldn’t train. However, the others certainly trained! Check out the session, again working in pairs:

Circuit 1

Partner A: Tyre deadlift to throw, for 25 metres, Partner B: 20m sprint up, jog back (swap when 1 lap of tyre throws completed)

Circuit 2

Partner A: 20m sprint up, jog back, Partner B: Push ups on tyre, squats, tyre squat to press, tyre press up to deadlift to curl to press. Did this for 2 sets of 5 mins continuous. Great burn!

Superset 1

Partner A: Tyre side hops, Partner B: Squats

Superset 2:

Partner A: Tyre push up, to deadlift, to curl, to press, Partner B: 5 x 10m stone sprints (up a 60 degree incline!)

Superset 3:

Partner A: Tyre push up to tyre squat, Partner B: 20m sprint up and back

Followed by a cool down and some stretching.

A LOT of quality work out in in just 60 minutes, including warm up and cool down.

 Next week will be at a different location, with even more immense exercises and a great burn!

See you there!

Andy ;-)

 

 

 

andy@procisionfitness.com

07843 438173

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Circuit Training Starting at Redlands, Weymouth (Dorset)

Monday, February 16th, 2009

Due to popular demand, Procision Fitness will now be providing circuit training on Thursday evenings, 6.30pm at Redlands Community Sports Hub in Weymouth, Dorset. The sessions are starting on Thursday March 5th at 6.30pm.

 

All ages (16+) and abilities welcome. The sessions are desgined to boost your metabolism and fat burning ability through functional exercises utilising both resistance and cardiovascular exercises.

 

Sessions cost £3.50, payable to the sports centre.

 

I look forward to seeing you all there!

 

Andy ;-)

andy@procisionfitness.com

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