TEN TOP FAT LOSS ERRORS

1. You focus too much on exercise and forget nutrition. The workout is not nearly as important as proper nutrition.

 

2. You don't eat enough.

3. You think you can outtrain a bad diet.

4. You think that the more you exercise, the better.

5. You actually believe you can lose 14 kg in 4 weeks

6. You believe fat converts into muscle, and you fail to plan to build muscle.

 

7. You spend hours on the cardio machine.

8. You forget that fitness is more than losing fat.

9. You fail to congratulate yourself for the small successes

10. You don't read LegallyMuscled

CAN TOO MUCH CARDIO MAKE YOU FAT?

Culled from fitness bloggers

 

So, everyone who reads my blog knows that I love to exercise. I suppose you could say I am a little addicted. I can’t live without it. But that isn’t such a bad thing right? What’s wrong with keeping yourself active and healthy? However, I was surprised to find that too much exercise can actually be a bad thing for those of us who exercise for weight loss. That’s because too much exercise can actually cause our bodies to store fat rather than burn it.

 

 

A recent study showed that too much cardiovascular exercise at too high an intensity can cause the body to become depleted and worn down and this can actually slow the body’s metabolism as we go into survival mode. This means that our bodies will try to hold on to our fat stores rather than burn them. In such situations its not uncommon to actually lose muscle and preserve fat. Not what we want!

 

So how can we ensure that we are exercsiing in a way that will ensure we burn fat not muscle?

 

1. Firstlly make sure that you enjoy exercise. Keep the workouts at a level that ensures you still enjoy what you’re doing. If you work so hard that you begin to totally dread every new workout and feel drained, chances are you are doing too much. It doesn’t have to be pure agony for you to derive benefit.

 

2. Make sure that you add resistance training to your workout regime at least twice a week. Too much cardio and not enough resistance can cause your body to stop burning fat effectively. This can be in the form or weights or just by using body weight exercises. Using our muscles and building them ensures that we don’t lose muscle.

 

3. Try to reduce cardio if you are pushing yourself too much. 2-3 cardio workouts a week of 30-45 minutes at moderate to high intensity is sufficient for most people.

 

4. Try using intervals as a way of breaking up your workouts. You can speed up your metabolism and burn fat whilst spending less time exercising. Replace long runs on the treadmill with short 15 minute interval circuits to help boost your metabolism.

 

5. Ensure that you get plenty of sleep. This helps your body to repair and recover from the day’s stresses and strains. Look at ways to reduce your stress if you have trouble sleeping.

 

6. Eat a healthy balanced diet and don’t cut out food groups or starve yourself. Sensible eating and portion control ensure that you eat a balanced diet that will give you all the energy your body needs.

HOW TO EAT FOR MAXIMUM GROWTH

You need to eat to grow, bla bla bla ....yeah we all know that!!!

The problem is, how do I fit 5-6 meals a day into my busy schedule. Add to this the difficulty in finding healthy food around my office and the cost of eating that many meals per day  and you will get a picture of how hard it is to eat enough to maintain my body weight, talk less increase mass.

Having suffered through this conundrum for the past few months, I experimented with different food sources to determine which foods would help me generate the greatest amount of mass in the quickest time.

 

This post is the outcome of my experiments; please feel free to try this at home :).

 

Morning: I mixed up a muscle shake made up on 2 cups of raw oatmeal, 20cl of milk, 1 banana, 1 avocado, 4 egg whites, 3 tbsp Peanut butter and 3 teaspoons of honey for taste. Blend these ingredients together and drink it up at once. without pausing for breath. This shake represents a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils, fibre and water and it should keep hunger at bay for the next few hours at least.

Breakfast: This needs to be quick because you'll be rushing out the door as you chomp. I rustled up a  sandwich from wheat bread, lots of peanut butter and boiled eggs. I wash this down with a mug of  chocolate, and I'm good to start the day.

Lunch: I'm normally at the office at this time, so I quickly order a plate of white/jollof/fried rice with beef/chicken and plantains. I usually eat whilst working, so I avoid any foods that are liable to stain.

Pre-Workout: I usually get back from work by about 7pm and immediately get ready to hit the gym. I usually would grab anything I found in the fridge e.g a banana, apple, biscuit.  However, I recently discovered a phenomenal pre workout meal in 'gari' (coarse ground cassava flour), soaked in water, generously sprinkled with peanuts. I also add milk to increase the protein content. The high carbohydrate content gives me that 'kick' needed to move my weight lifting to the next level.

Dinner: This is usually eba/pounded yam with any soup available at the time. The meat contained in the soup/stew (however you all it) provides protein, whilst the eba is pure carbs. On a workout day however, I usually dine on a plate of beans. This source of pure protein helps rebuild the muscles destroyed during the course of training, helping me develop maximum muscle in minimum time.

 

 

 

 

STAYING RIPPED AT THE OFFICE

From Flab ...to Fab

Getting ripped for the working person is hard, period. It's doubly difficult for a person who has little control over their diet, schedule or equipment. 

 

So, how do you maintain that ripped body you've worked so hard to develop if you are stressed, chained to your desk, and can only access junk snacks? I chewed this question over, and I gathered some tips for keeping those muscles hard and ripped whilst giving your best at work.

 

• Get yourself a mini-fridge or cooler where you can stock healthy food and drinks.

• Eat a hearty breakfast, and Prepare yourself a healthy snack and lunch which you will take to the office. Alternatively, seek out a service which can supply healthy meals to your office.
 
• Whenever you go to the bathroom, try to crank out as many jumping jacks or squats as you can reasonably perform without sweating too much. In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease and weight gain, these exercises will improve blood circulation and lower body strength.
 
• Long term sitting is energy draining!! So, take a 10 to 15 minute power walk around your office if possible. You could use the opportunity to get to chat with your fellow employees, thereby providing you with the added benefit of being sociable.

SEXY MAMA Pt 1: KEEPING FIT DURING PREGNANCY

 

If you’re concerned about the best way to keep your body and baby healthy during pregnancy—or how you’ll ever lose the excess weight afterward—you’re not alone.

Many women dread pregnancy; it is a well known fact that most women feel uncomfortable, bloated, emotional during pregnancy. Unfortunately, not many trainers know how to work with mums-to-be, thereby worsening an already difficult situation. 

I embarked upon research on how pregnant women can keep themselves fit, healthy and happy throughout the pregnancy and I realised that pregnancy need not be a miserable period, it is a beautiful time in the life of a woman. Being a mum does not mean you have to be uncomfortable in your own skin; you need to create a plan for yourself which will fit into your often unpredictable life and the life of your baby.

I looked through the internet and I found this really nice Baby Bump Fitness system, which is an exercise and fitness programme designed for the pregnant woman. click ----->>>Here<<<------

to find out more about this programme.

Here are some tips I found in my research.

• The extra 300 calories a day you are supposed to eat during pregnancy for the development of your baby should not consist of nutritionally empty and unhealthy foods.

• It is important to keep your body fit and strong during pregnancy by exercising through each trimester; however you must ensure that your training program is tailored to your trimester.

• The extra weight you will gain during pregnancy will not just slip off after the baby is born, you have to go the extra mile to make it go away.

• To lose weight effectively, your workout should be broken into short, manageable chunks of exercise which will recruit as many muscles as possible at once. This of course means you have to think outside the box.

•  Your cravings will not go away, you need to find a nutrition plan, foods and recipes which will satisfy all your cravings in a healthy way while allowing you get back into your favourite jeans after pregnancy. 

•  Being proactive is the best way to get back in control of your body.

I truly believe all women should be fit, strong,healthy and confident during their pregnancy. Exercising and eating right during pregnancy is much more than getting you into your slim jeans, its about keeping you and your baby healthy during the process.

Be Proactive- fight the bulge!!!

15 minutes to a stronger, leaner YOU!!!!

Let's face it, we all love shortcuts. If there’s a way to accomplish a job quicker and more efficiently, we’re all for it. That goes for work and working out. 

Now, new research shows that as little as 15 minutes of resistance training is just as effective in spiking a person's metabolism—our fat-burning furnace—as a workout lasting more than twice as long. All it takes is 15 minutes to achieve lifelong results—and we are more likely to stick to an exercise plan if it’s chopped down to those 15 minutes.

The basic idea is to work fairly fast, intensely, and efficiently on a few exercises and not waste too much time resting, all in about 15 minutes. By building muscle and strong bones, you burn more fat. These workouts will help you get a lean strong body as opposed to bulking up. Great for the busy, who do not have time to spare, but want to take a few minutes to take care of themselves.

Here is a 15 minute workout to blast your triceps and build a rock hard stomach within 2 weeks of dedicated work.

Handstand pushup: This is basically an pushup done from the handstand position. You can lean against a wall, door, or any other solid object if you find it difficult to balance on your own. 

Squats: Go for 100 repetitions

Mountain climber pushups: In this kind of pushup, each time you lower your body, you raise your knees to your elbow. Alternate knees with each repetition. Do as many as you can in one minute
 

Crunches: Go for as many reps as you can execute with good form in one minute.

Wide-grip pushup: Spread your arms as wide as they can go when executing the pushups. 

Train without clothes if it makes you comfortable

If you want a custom designed workout programme suited to your particular situation and needs, contact me on +2348036258312 or chimezie86@gmail.com.