I feel the time is right to concentrate on just one blog and keep the content rich and informative.
Updating six blogs regularly is too time consuming. It makes sense to just have one main blog. The address for this is http://www.barnsleypersonaltrainer.com
I update my blog every other day and there you will find the three main categories I write about which is Exercise, Nutrition & Motivation.
Thanks for your continued support and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Best regards
Anthony
26th March 2011
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
How To Organise Your Kitchen For Diet Success
Make sure you have all the useful appliances in your kitchen to help you with food preparation. Keep work surfaces and cupboards tidy so you can move around quickly without any hassle. Above all stick with basic food prep methods so you don’t feel like a slave to healthy eating.
Store food in glass or ceramic containers, toxins can leach into the food when using plastic or cans.
You may decide to freeze leftovers to be used for a weeknight after work. To make life easier don’t forget to label meals that you do freeze.
Hanging a shopping list on your kitchen wall can be useful and save you money. Fill it in as you use up your supplies. Going shopping with a list will focus your attention on the items on the list and help to prevent compulsive buying.
Memo notes on the freezer door will also prove to be handy when you need to rely on leftovers for dinner.
Finally get into the habit of choosing shopping days so you can keep stocked up with fresh foods.
Store food in glass or ceramic containers, toxins can leach into the food when using plastic or cans.
You may decide to freeze leftovers to be used for a weeknight after work. To make life easier don’t forget to label meals that you do freeze.
Hanging a shopping list on your kitchen wall can be useful and save you money. Fill it in as you use up your supplies. Going shopping with a list will focus your attention on the items on the list and help to prevent compulsive buying.
Memo notes on the freezer door will also prove to be handy when you need to rely on leftovers for dinner.
Finally get into the habit of choosing shopping days so you can keep stocked up with fresh foods.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
The Carbohydrates To Keep Off Your Shopping List If You Want Six Pack Abs
Believe it or not, the body has no physiological need for a carbohydrate unlike it has for protein and fat. Despite this fact most of the population overeats these types of calories everyday because they are easily available and more convenient than some healthy alternatives. This daily habit contributes to an increased waistline and poor health. The drawback to the convenience food culture is the likelihood that the calories will be highly processed. Processed foods usually contain bad fats and artificial ingredients with loads of sugar.
There are two main problems concerning carbohydrates. The first problem is that most peoples total daily calorie intake comes from eating carbohydrates with hardly any protein and good fats in the diet. The second concern is that the bulk of these commonly consumed carbohydrates will almost be guaranteed to be processed and full of artificial sweeteners instead of natural carbohydrates found in vegetables and fruit.
Common foods that contain carbohydrates:
Breakfast cereals
Bread
Biscuits
Noodles
Pasta
Spaghetti
Jellies & jams
Ice cream
Cakes
Pies
Confectionary
Gravies & sauces
Beer
Wines
Fizzy drinks
Sugar
The quicker you learn which foods are carbohydrates and understand the impact they can have on insulin the quicker you will achieve fat loss with six pack abs and better health. If high levels of insulin are raised frequently and for long enough it contributes to diabetes, heart disease and aging.
The reasons why carbohydrates can be bad for fat loss
When we consume food & drink our blood sugar rises and insulin is released to bring it back down to a normal range. This is done by pumping the sugar out of the blood and into the cells to be used for energy or stored for later. Fat has no impact on insulin and protein very little; carbohydrates have the greatest reaction on insulin release. When we eat any kind of carbohydrates they are converted into sugar in the body, the more carbohydrates eaten equals more blood sugar, which in turn means more insulin needed to pump the sugar out of the blood and into the cells.
Insulin is a storage hormone and if you don’t eat the right balance of foods at each meal you get a repetitive cycle of insulin release and fat storage. Eating carbohydrates by themselves will make the fat storing sequence worse. With this going on every mealtime other hormones (fat burning hormones) are inhibited and prevent you from losing fat and weight.
It doesn’t stop there; excess carbohydrates are not only bad for your waistline but bad for your health too. The more insulin released more bad cholesterol is produced. Insulin is the only hormone you can control and this is done with good eating habits.
Excessive insulin has got extensive research linking it to numerous diseases. Choose your carbohydrates wisely in future and always eat good quality protein and good fats with your meals. You will see fat melt from your abdominal area in no time.
There are two main problems concerning carbohydrates. The first problem is that most peoples total daily calorie intake comes from eating carbohydrates with hardly any protein and good fats in the diet. The second concern is that the bulk of these commonly consumed carbohydrates will almost be guaranteed to be processed and full of artificial sweeteners instead of natural carbohydrates found in vegetables and fruit.
Common foods that contain carbohydrates:
Breakfast cereals
Bread
Biscuits
Noodles
Pasta
Spaghetti
Jellies & jams
Ice cream
Cakes
Pies
Confectionary
Gravies & sauces
Beer
Wines
Fizzy drinks
Sugar
The quicker you learn which foods are carbohydrates and understand the impact they can have on insulin the quicker you will achieve fat loss with six pack abs and better health. If high levels of insulin are raised frequently and for long enough it contributes to diabetes, heart disease and aging.
The reasons why carbohydrates can be bad for fat loss
When we consume food & drink our blood sugar rises and insulin is released to bring it back down to a normal range. This is done by pumping the sugar out of the blood and into the cells to be used for energy or stored for later. Fat has no impact on insulin and protein very little; carbohydrates have the greatest reaction on insulin release. When we eat any kind of carbohydrates they are converted into sugar in the body, the more carbohydrates eaten equals more blood sugar, which in turn means more insulin needed to pump the sugar out of the blood and into the cells.
Insulin is a storage hormone and if you don’t eat the right balance of foods at each meal you get a repetitive cycle of insulin release and fat storage. Eating carbohydrates by themselves will make the fat storing sequence worse. With this going on every mealtime other hormones (fat burning hormones) are inhibited and prevent you from losing fat and weight.
It doesn’t stop there; excess carbohydrates are not only bad for your waistline but bad for your health too. The more insulin released more bad cholesterol is produced. Insulin is the only hormone you can control and this is done with good eating habits.
Excessive insulin has got extensive research linking it to numerous diseases. Choose your carbohydrates wisely in future and always eat good quality protein and good fats with your meals. You will see fat melt from your abdominal area in no time.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Achieving Fat Loss
People often get confused about what results really are. I remind people all the time about how far they have come and how much they have achieved in terms of turning their life around for the better. There’s more to achieving results than just associating success with a number on the scales and how many calories you eat or how much distance you cover each week.
I meet scores of people that have lost a lot of weight but still have a long way to go to be healthy and achieve the look they want because all they have been doing is chasing a number at a cost to their health. Most of the population that want to get fitter or change their appearance prepares the mind to limitations or unachievable lifestyles that eventually leads in failure and disappointment. Believing in excess amounts of exercise and low calorie diets is the right way forward is a misconception and works against the body’s physiology. Also limiting your progress by following the wrong type of plan for your body and your goals is a road to nowhere.
Bypassing the basics in nutrition and lifestyle and rushing straight into an unorganised training schedule is fruitless and has little value to achieving the desired goal. You can’t out train a bad diet. You will be lucky to get the slightest improvements exercising on a whim. Supplementing it with poor nutritional habits will only keep you where you already are.
Results are about making the right food choices and eating a good quality version of that food. It is important to get a wide range of variety in your diet one that’s full of different vegetables, fruits, meats, fish and a little bit of dairy. Cutting out all processed foods and sticking to foods in their natural state in the food group ratio that works with your body will help keep blood sugar levels even and will result in successful weight management and recurring fat loss.
Exercise selection needs to be relevant to your goals and care needs to be taken not to exceed your physical load. If you do too much exercise your body won’t be able to recover properly and it will be permanently in a stressed fight or flight state. This will lead to you having a high percentage of fat storing stress hormones present in the blood.
Look how far you have come and ask yourself if you have achieved real results. Real results are all about eating a clean balanced diet and having a balanced exercise programme that doesn’t drain all your energy. Take a look at yourself and see if you need to go back to go forwards. Making the right steps with your diet will see your results skyrocket to new levels in a fraction of the time it is currently taking you. Use the 80/20 principles to make things bearable especially if you struggle with diet changes. If you are confused about exercise selection enlist the help of a professional who can assess your needs.
I meet scores of people that have lost a lot of weight but still have a long way to go to be healthy and achieve the look they want because all they have been doing is chasing a number at a cost to their health. Most of the population that want to get fitter or change their appearance prepares the mind to limitations or unachievable lifestyles that eventually leads in failure and disappointment. Believing in excess amounts of exercise and low calorie diets is the right way forward is a misconception and works against the body’s physiology. Also limiting your progress by following the wrong type of plan for your body and your goals is a road to nowhere.
Bypassing the basics in nutrition and lifestyle and rushing straight into an unorganised training schedule is fruitless and has little value to achieving the desired goal. You can’t out train a bad diet. You will be lucky to get the slightest improvements exercising on a whim. Supplementing it with poor nutritional habits will only keep you where you already are.
Results are about making the right food choices and eating a good quality version of that food. It is important to get a wide range of variety in your diet one that’s full of different vegetables, fruits, meats, fish and a little bit of dairy. Cutting out all processed foods and sticking to foods in their natural state in the food group ratio that works with your body will help keep blood sugar levels even and will result in successful weight management and recurring fat loss.
Exercise selection needs to be relevant to your goals and care needs to be taken not to exceed your physical load. If you do too much exercise your body won’t be able to recover properly and it will be permanently in a stressed fight or flight state. This will lead to you having a high percentage of fat storing stress hormones present in the blood.
Look how far you have come and ask yourself if you have achieved real results. Real results are all about eating a clean balanced diet and having a balanced exercise programme that doesn’t drain all your energy. Take a look at yourself and see if you need to go back to go forwards. Making the right steps with your diet will see your results skyrocket to new levels in a fraction of the time it is currently taking you. Use the 80/20 principles to make things bearable especially if you struggle with diet changes. If you are confused about exercise selection enlist the help of a professional who can assess your needs.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Do You Want To See Your Abs? How to Work Out How Much Weight to Lose
Are you confused about what approach to take?
Beginners and in particularly men who take up training with weights normally need to gain weight and bulk up. Once this has been achieved the individual can end up being well over 30 pounds heavier from when they first began training. When the time comes to be leaner and more defined with a six-pack the individual can be confused about what approach to take.
This is when some people look towards fancy training principles for the answer. Many think they will be able to achieve a well-defined and lean physique and stay the same body weight without losing overall size and shape. It is almost as if they have a fear of losing weight in case they return to their former body image previous to training with weights.
Let me explain why it is necessary to lose weight if you want a six-pack that looks great from all angles. Hypothetically speaking lets say you are a 200-pound male and want six-pack abs. You have no idea what your body fat percentage is but you carry some fat around your waist hence the lack of a six-pack showing. If you pinch the fat around your waist with your thumb and index finger you will either be able to grab a thin layer of fat between your fingers or a thick layer resembling the spare tyre look.
Hypothetically speaking one more time lets say you know your body fat percentage and have a reading of 20 percent. That will work out you having 40 pounds of body fat on your body. That means you have a lean body mass weight of 160 pounds. To be able to see your six-pack you will need to get your body fat percentage in to the single figure territory. So in this case that would mean a drop of 22 pounds of body weight. That would take you to a new body weight of 178 pounds with a lean waist and an awesome six-pack.
A lot of men can’t get their heads around this because they are scared of losing muscle size and strength. Once you are lean and look more defined your muscles will look a lot bigger than they were with more body fat surrounding them. Also if you eat a proper balanced diet with plenty of good fats your strength shouldn’t decrease either.
In summary getting lean to show off your six-pack without losing weight is impossible unless you have the gift of gaining muscle at the same time. In the example above our friend would have to lose 22 pounds of fat and gain 22 pounds of muscle at the same time in order to remain the same body weight and achieve six-pack abs.
Are you confused about what approach to take?
Beginners and in particularly men who take up training with weights normally need to gain weight and bulk up. Once this has been achieved the individual can end up being well over 30 pounds heavier from when they first began training. When the time comes to be leaner and more defined with a six-pack the individual can be confused about what approach to take.
This is when some people look towards fancy training principles for the answer. Many think they will be able to achieve a well-defined and lean physique and stay the same body weight without losing overall size and shape. It is almost as if they have a fear of losing weight in case they return to their former body image previous to training with weights.
Let me explain why it is necessary to lose weight if you want a six-pack that looks great from all angles. Hypothetically speaking lets say you are a 200-pound male and want six-pack abs. You have no idea what your body fat percentage is but you carry some fat around your waist hence the lack of a six-pack showing. If you pinch the fat around your waist with your thumb and index finger you will either be able to grab a thin layer of fat between your fingers or a thick layer resembling the spare tyre look.
Hypothetically speaking one more time lets say you know your body fat percentage and have a reading of 20 percent. That will work out you having 40 pounds of body fat on your body. That means you have a lean body mass weight of 160 pounds. To be able to see your six-pack you will need to get your body fat percentage in to the single figure territory. So in this case that would mean a drop of 22 pounds of body weight. That would take you to a new body weight of 178 pounds with a lean waist and an awesome six-pack.
A lot of men can’t get their heads around this because they are scared of losing muscle size and strength. Once you are lean and look more defined your muscles will look a lot bigger than they were with more body fat surrounding them. Also if you eat a proper balanced diet with plenty of good fats your strength shouldn’t decrease either.
In summary getting lean to show off your six-pack without losing weight is impossible unless you have the gift of gaining muscle at the same time. In the example above our friend would have to lose 22 pounds of fat and gain 22 pounds of muscle at the same time in order to remain the same body weight and achieve six-pack abs.
Are you confused about what approach to take?
Monday, 14 March 2011
Big Fat Loss Mistakes
Just spent a week reading about the latest diet crazes where they all recommend cutting calories or fasting. So I decided to join a slimming club where I saw different people that seemed to be wasting their time and effort. They were allowed to continue to eat certain junk food. This sounded appealing at first but the members of the slimming club didn’t look the way I aspired to look like so I was left confused and worried.
And that's really sad. After all, almost everyone goes on a diet to get a flat stomach, but almost everyone never achieves his or her goals!
In fact, most people make the same common mistakes.
Mistake #1 - Routinely getting weighed.
The biggest mistakes a dieter can make is setting their minds to reaching a number on the weighing scales every week or in some crazy cases every day! This repetitive behaviour is heavy on the mind making the participant feel incarcerated. It’s common for them to just focus on numbers without considering health & fitness or the quality of the food they are eating. This behaviour leads to frustration and unnecessary pressure.
Tip: The above system is nothing more than a marketing tool to help sell a diet; it has no benefit whatsoever. Getting weighed regularly doesn’t tell you if you are losing fat or which area of the body is changing shape. The best way to measure progress is using the mirror and/or to take tape measurements around the bum, hips, thigh, waist, chest and arms.
Mistake #2 - Counting calories
Ha! I wish it were as easy as just that. Eating X amount of calories will make you look like so and so. If this was true how come over 90% of dieters never achieve permanent results on calorie controlled diets? I will tell you why, it is because the quality of calories and which food groups these calories come from are missing from the picture. The most valuable piece of information a dieter needs always seems to be conveniently missing so not to upset the recurring revenue stream.
TIP: A basic understanding of food groups needs to be learned for best results, don’t worry because it is simple and quick to learn. There are 3 main food groups, Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat. Once you learn which type of foods comes from each food group it is easy to lose weight and fat. This is because you can begin to use ratios for your meals. The benefits of ratios are to monitor the amounts of carbohydrates you need versus protein to lose weight and fat. Calorie controlled diets fail to recognise this important step, that is why you see overweight people unable to lose weight and fat on low calorie diets.
And that's really sad. After all, almost everyone goes on a diet to get a flat stomach, but almost everyone never achieves his or her goals!
In fact, most people make the same common mistakes.
Mistake #1 - Routinely getting weighed.
The biggest mistakes a dieter can make is setting their minds to reaching a number on the weighing scales every week or in some crazy cases every day! This repetitive behaviour is heavy on the mind making the participant feel incarcerated. It’s common for them to just focus on numbers without considering health & fitness or the quality of the food they are eating. This behaviour leads to frustration and unnecessary pressure.
Tip: The above system is nothing more than a marketing tool to help sell a diet; it has no benefit whatsoever. Getting weighed regularly doesn’t tell you if you are losing fat or which area of the body is changing shape. The best way to measure progress is using the mirror and/or to take tape measurements around the bum, hips, thigh, waist, chest and arms.
Mistake #2 - Counting calories
Ha! I wish it were as easy as just that. Eating X amount of calories will make you look like so and so. If this was true how come over 90% of dieters never achieve permanent results on calorie controlled diets? I will tell you why, it is because the quality of calories and which food groups these calories come from are missing from the picture. The most valuable piece of information a dieter needs always seems to be conveniently missing so not to upset the recurring revenue stream.
TIP: A basic understanding of food groups needs to be learned for best results, don’t worry because it is simple and quick to learn. There are 3 main food groups, Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat. Once you learn which type of foods comes from each food group it is easy to lose weight and fat. This is because you can begin to use ratios for your meals. The benefits of ratios are to monitor the amounts of carbohydrates you need versus protein to lose weight and fat. Calorie controlled diets fail to recognise this important step, that is why you see overweight people unable to lose weight and fat on low calorie diets.
Friday, 11 March 2011
Foods To Avoid If You Want A Six Pack
Anything containing sugar needs to be avoided, it is highly addictive and highly detrimental to health and fat loss goals. It is important to teach yourself to become a sugar detective by knowing how to read food labels.
Some foods will have half a dozen different types of sugar in the ingredients to help disguise the content; look out for words listed on the label ending in “ose” this means it is sugar, examples are sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, glucose and so on.
Beware of so-called healthy drinks that are hyped up to make them look natural and good for you; they are still sugar, natural sugar on a label means it is still sugar and doesn’t make it any better.
People typically start their day with store bought fruit juices that are high in sugar, they have very little health benefits linked to them because they have been pasteurised. Even if you drink freshly squeezed fruit it is still a high sugar drink, if you want to lose weight you could be making it very difficult for yourself because of the blood sugar response and the release of fat storing hormones associated with consuming sugar. All types of carbohydrate foods once eaten are sugar in the body. Carbohydrate rich foods are mainly non-animal foods.
Excess sugar consumption will eventually affect every organ in the body; it creates an acidic environment within the body and minerals from teeth and bones are used to rectify the imbalance. Long-term abuse leads to decay and weakening of teeth and bones because of all the calcium being taken out of them to protect the blood from the acid state.
If you want a six-pack and reduce fat avoid sugar especially artificial sweeteners found in processed foods and drinks. Always check the labels. Eating sugar creates a never-ending roller coaster ride for hormones such as insulin and cortisol, both fat storing hormones.
Some foods will have half a dozen different types of sugar in the ingredients to help disguise the content; look out for words listed on the label ending in “ose” this means it is sugar, examples are sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, glucose and so on.
Beware of so-called healthy drinks that are hyped up to make them look natural and good for you; they are still sugar, natural sugar on a label means it is still sugar and doesn’t make it any better.
People typically start their day with store bought fruit juices that are high in sugar, they have very little health benefits linked to them because they have been pasteurised. Even if you drink freshly squeezed fruit it is still a high sugar drink, if you want to lose weight you could be making it very difficult for yourself because of the blood sugar response and the release of fat storing hormones associated with consuming sugar. All types of carbohydrate foods once eaten are sugar in the body. Carbohydrate rich foods are mainly non-animal foods.
Excess sugar consumption will eventually affect every organ in the body; it creates an acidic environment within the body and minerals from teeth and bones are used to rectify the imbalance. Long-term abuse leads to decay and weakening of teeth and bones because of all the calcium being taken out of them to protect the blood from the acid state.
If you want a six-pack and reduce fat avoid sugar especially artificial sweeteners found in processed foods and drinks. Always check the labels. Eating sugar creates a never-ending roller coaster ride for hormones such as insulin and cortisol, both fat storing hormones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
