Tag: getactive

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Just a drink….

Dr Nancy P

Just a drink…. 🍷🍫

I think it’s fairly safe to say that for many people during lockdown consumption of alcohol and chocolate (and other snacks etc) has increased. Perhaps in the case of alcohol without even really realising it – certainly that’s what many of my clients have been telling me.

You might easily get through a bottle of white wine during an evening – a glass when you finish work, a glass while you’re preparing dinner, and then a couple during… and before you know it that’s a whole bottle gone. But it’s just a little drink… right?

In contrast if you sat down and ate 4 chocolate bars whilst preparing and eating your dinner you’d probably consider it to be a “bad” thing, and you may even refer to it as a “binge”. You’d almost certainly consider your “diet ruined” if you were trying to watch the calories, but you may not view the wine in the same way,

Liquid calories are much easier to consume, and when they become habitual – like a glass of wine with dinner, it’s even easier to consume them without really registering them. Everyone has their vices and those things they view as “treats” – it may be booze, it may be chocolate or ice cream or crisps etc, but if you are drinking more than you were before lockdown and you are trying to maintain or lose bodyfat then you may just want to think about factoring those booze cals into your daily amount, rather than viewing them as “just a little drink:”

🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Just a walk…

Dr Nancy P

Just a walk… 🚶🏼‍♀️

As lockdown progresses I’ve noticed a lot of my clients are beating themselves up over not doing “enough exercise”. In many cases they’ve been trying to work from home, home school the children, and run the household etc. Some days they’re managing to fit in a workout, others they’re not and they’re feeling guilty about it, and worrying about the loss of those activity calories they “should” be burning.

During this time most people are managing to walk more, making the most of their allowed outdoor exercise time. This is often not viewed as something which contributes to those activity calories, but it’s actually doing more good.

It’s natural to associate cardio workouts with burning loads of calories; you feel sweaty and breathless so you feel like you’re working hard. A 45 min HIIT or that sort of workout is very tough and regardless how hard you’re working you’re going to be feeling it. However, it may be hard to motivate yourself to commit to a 45 min session at home when there are so many other things shouting for your attention (children (literally!), work, house chores etc). In contrast an hour’s walk doesn’t feel particularly strenuous, it may be something you do anyway to walk the dog, get the shopping or get the kids out the house for bit, and it in fact burns more calories than the workouts.

I did this experiment on myself so the numbers will vary according to your age, height, weight and fitness levels but the principal is the same (and has been shown in independent studies too). A one hour walk a day will burn significantly more calories than a 45 min HIIT workout a day. So if you’re not managing a workout every day – don’t stress, especially if you’re managing to go for a walk. In addition 7 days of HIIT workouts is actually NOT a good idea – studies have shown these workouts impact negatively on sleep if you’re doing too many a week. Obviously there are cardiovascular and health benefits to the HIIT workouts which are equally as important as calories burnt so don’t ditch them completely – but my point is that you shouldn’t feel guilty or like you’re not burning anything if all you manage is a walk on some days.

🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday tip: Skipping to Fitness

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday tip: Skipping to Fitness 🏃🏼‍♀️

With gyms closed we’re all having to workout at home (or outside) but as the weeks go on motivation can wane. Having just had Easter too you may, like me, be feeling like you need to do some exercise. If you can’t face long home workouts or don’t have time with home schooling/ work etc then I have the perfect solution!

This is one of my favourite cardio exercises (as many of my PT clients will already know!) – skipping! It’s cheap, easy to do and can be done almost anywhere – and it’s really effective too! As well as being great for improving cardiovascular fitness, it is also great for helping to recruit and increase fast twitch muscle fibres to keep you agile, and improves balance and coordination . Studies have shown it is as effective as a 45 minute run in improving fitness and fat burning. And contrary to what you might think If done properly, skipping is lower impact on the joints than jogging or running. However, it does require the correct technique – light 2 footed jumps on the balls of your feet, only a couple of cms off the floor. This amount of impact is enough to support healthy bone density and prevent osteoporosis but not enough to stress the knees, ankles and hips too much.

And even better, a recent study by the Waseda University in Japan discovered that participants who took part in ten mins of skipping a day experienced a drop in appetite (compared to those who did nothing or did other cardio exercises such as cycling and running). It turns out that the up and down movements from skipping actually cause less ghrelin (the hunger stimulating hormone) to be produced by the gut. So you end up feeling less hungry – which means you will tend to eat less! Ideal for lockdown eh?

Try 2 min blasts now and then through your day.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Losing fitness in lockdown?

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Losing fitness in lockdown? 🏃🏼‍♀️

I know a worry for many of you (me included) is losing your fitness during lockdown. Suddenly you’re not walking to the office/school run, you’re not able to get to the gym or classes etc. Well don’t panic – it’s not as bad as you may expect.

Studies show that muscle loss doesn’t occur until about 4 weeks BUT that’s only if you stop training completely! And even then it’s minor and happens in tiny increments each week. If you continue to workout even just with bodyweight workouts then you’ll preserve muscle mass, and post lock-down you’ll be back to normal within a few weeks. If you have no equipment then focus on full body circuits, increase intensity by adjusting the tempo, and increase the volume (number of reps) e.g. a 10 bodyweight move circuit repeated 5 times etc a few times a week.

Studies show that over 12 weeks there’s only a 16% reduction in aerobic fitness overall. If you can run or cycle then this will help, but even long fast paced walks will help. If you’re into cardio classes then you’re sorted as HIIT workouts lend themselves to small spaces. You can do your own little HIIT workout, but if you struggle to motivate yourself to work hard then there’s loads of free workouts online now – see my previous posts or ask me for links). Another fab way to replicate cardio workouts is with skipping – 2 mins a few times a day as a cardio blast!

Specific fitness losses will to a degree relate to your own training/exercise history, types of exercise you do (fitness is maintained for longer if you did a variety of types of exercise e.g. not just running, and genetic and lifestyle factors. However, if you’re a regular exerciser it will take longer to lose fitness as things like increased capillary density take much longer to disappear.

So basically – don’t fret! You’re going to be fine! I hope these tips help. If you want any specific advice then please ask, anytime.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Fitness and Exercise

A Quick Bodyweight Home Workout – Ten mins, Ten Exercises

Dr Nancy P

I know, like me, many of you are missing your classes and workouts.

I just thought I’d do another quick, equipment-free workout for you guys to try. Remember it doesn’t need to be a 45 min session – any exercise is good! This little circuit takes only ten mins – if you have more time then you can always do it twice or three times, but if you don’t then just do it once! Get the family involved too 🙂

If you want to do it “with me” then there’s a video below.

Or you can use the pics below or download a pdf of the workout here: Bodyweight Circuit 2

Have fun! 🙂

xx