Sweet or savoury, have a look at the below and see if anything works for you!

COCOA-NUT DATE BALLS

Measurements are really to taste, but roughly chop 1kg dates (you can buy some ready chopped). If they are dry, add a little water to the mix to make them sticky. This gets messy!

Add a good few spoonfuls of desiccated coconut (or any chopped nuts you like, almonds are also good)

Add a couple of tablespoons of raw cacao powder. This tastes quite bitter on its own, but added to dates really brings out the choccy-sweetness.

GET YOUR HANDS IN THERE and roll into balls.If the mix is too dry or too wet it won’t stick together so add water sparingly.

The balls should be about golf-ball sized, pop onto a baking sheet and stick in the freezer and get out whenever you fancy a sweet treat! Dates are quite high in natural sugars so, despite these being a good, natural alternative to chocolate or sweets, try to limit intake to only a couple a day!

NB: Add protein powder if you want a yummy high-protein snack. Bear in mind this will dry the mix out a little. 

FRUIT SALAD SHOT

It’s pretty simple – get a load of fruit you like – vary the colours. Good ones for lower-fruit sugars are Guava (with only 5 grams of sugar in one piece of fruit), Papaya, Kiwi, Blueberries, Grapefruit and Pineapple, Cranberries, Raspberries and Strawberries. Get a big, air tight container and chop them all up and pop in. Kept in the fridge, this should last 3-4 days. Measure out a fist-sized amount for a mid morning or afternoon snack. Add some no-added-sugar greek yoghurt (or, my personal favourite, Quark) if you want something a little more filling. This can also be taken to work as a packed-snack, just make sure your pot is sealed tight…don’t want sticky purple juice all over your handbag…

VEG STICKS

Yes, not very fun on their own, but what you dunk them in can be!

Salsa – 4-5 peeled, chopped and de-seeded tomatoes, 1/2 a medium red onion, small garlic clove, squeeze of lime, a bunch of fresh coriander (chopped well) and salt and pepper to taste. Low fat, low sugar, full of flavour!

Houmous/ Hummus (I never know the correct spelling!) -Chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini and water blended to a creamy texture. A flavourful alternative to shop-bought and all natural!

Tzaziki – greek yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, dried mint and salt and pepper to taste! Simple, fresh, and very tasty.

NB: Make sure you portion out the dips you have, take to work, on the go, great for a yummy alternative snack when those processed nibbles are winking at you!

With so much health and fitness advice out there, and a zillion different goals – tone, build, burn fat, sculpt the bottom- to a new exerciser, it can be a confusing minefield and knowing where to start is difficult. And when things are difficult, we put them off….

Sound Familiar?

Here’s 5 things you can do NOW which will kick start you on the right path to improving your health and fitness.

Ditch the sugary treats

Yes, sadly, you can’t out-run a bad diet. Often, it’s not taking on an exercise programme that people find the toughest – it’s getting rid of those comfort foods, the snacks, the mid-afternoon pick-me-ups. This doesn’t have to be an all-out sugar cull. However, if you recognise that everyday at 10 am and 4pm you find you’re salivating over the biscuit tin, or standing by the cupboard spooning a choccy-nut spread out straight from the jar (yes, guiltyyyyy)…cut it out! Substitute for a large glass of water, a piece of fruit, handful of nuts. It’s important to recognise those habits and break them. Fill that void with a healthy activity or alternative. If, like me, you just know if it’s in the house, you will eat it, then REMOVE THE TEMPTATIONS. See ‘Guilty-not-guilty snacks’ blog for some yum alternative ideas.

Move more

Again, it’s not rocket science, but all too often we don’t value ourselves enough to give us the time to get exercise. Give yourself this ‘me time’ at least 30 mins a day where you are getting your heart rate elevated, getting a little breathless, and getting your step count up. This can be a brisk lunchtime walk, or walking to or from the bus. Where safe, stick on some music and do some step aerobics on a low step on your home (no-one’s watching, channel your inner-Jane Fonda). There’s no end to the 30-min workout videos on the internet which you can follow. You will never have to do the same one twice! Adding this time into your day can happen NOW (go on, get off the computer!)

Keep a food and exercise diary

Once you have nailed the two above points, keep a track of it! To help us stay on track, we need to be accountable and responsible for our progress. A great way to manage this is through a food and exercise diary. There are several apps out there you can use, or just good old notebook is enough. Be HONEST with yourself – don’t miss out that biscuit or spoon of jam – it’s not a punishment, but a record to help you identify your habits, and change them for the better. A good idea is to keep a track of your mood also – did you eat more or less when tired or stressed?

Make a short term goal

No, this doesn’t have to be weight related! Yes, the end goal may be ‘fit into my size 10 jeans’ or ‘weigh X lbs less’ but the shorter term goals are easier to keep on track. Such as, 30 mins exercise 5x per week at least. Another might be ‘change my 11am chocolate fix to an 11am banana’. How about ‘10,000 steps every day’? Or ‘Walk to the shops every time I go for the next month’. Goals will be different for everyone, and you will know what will be an achievement for you. Don’t take it upon yourself to make massive changes in one go as you may find it hard to keep these going and this can affect your motivation. When you achieve your goal, add one more!

Share with your friends or family

As stated above, accountability and responsibility is important to sustain changes successfully. When you decided to make a change, however big or small, tell a mate or a family member. When you start to lose motivation, if you’re anything like me, you will start to think ‘I want to show them I can do it’ and their knowledge of your efforts may well cheer you along (silently or otherwise). Even better, a friend may want to join in with you – it’s not a competition, as everyone is different and this MUST be remembered. However, if you know a little competition gets you going, then you can both encourage each other to keep focused and moving forward.

It all about making changes which work for YOU. Don’t be hard on yourself when you have an ‘off day’, just get right back on it tomorrow. Keep on going 😉

For more specific training and to learn fun and interesting new ways to exercise and improve health and fitness with the support of a professional, get in touch via the contact page to see how I can help you reach your goals. 

B x

There is a ‘middle age health crisis’ warns BBC

“Desk jobs, fast food and the daily grind are taking their toll, says Public Health England.

Eight in every 10 people aged 40 to 60 in England are overweight, drink too much or get too little exercise, the government body warns.

PHE wants people to turn over a new leaf in 2017 and make a pledge to get fit.” – source http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38402655

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!

The more time that goes by where we are inactive, undoubtedly the scarier the prospect of exercise can be. But, it really is never too late to make improvements and get back on the right track with your health and well-being.

Too many of us make a range of excuses – not enough time, not enough energy, too overweight, painful joints….any of these sound like you or someone you know? Yes, life is very demanding, and often taking on a Health And Fitness programme can seem luxurious and indulgent – like going to a spa or watching your favourite box set.

HEALTH AND FITNESS IS NOT A LUXURY, ITS A NECESSITY

On a plane, the safety drill instructs you to put on your oxygen mask before you help others with theirs. Just like your health and fitness – you are no good to others if you are not looking after yourself first.

How often do you find you are lacking energy when your kids, or friends want to do something? How often do you find you are not getting enough sleep, or have trouble performing daily activities?

Keeping good Cardiovascular fitness, functional flexibility and strength and having a healthy metabolism and diet will boost your energy levels, enable you to be able to enjoy daily activities and more, help with consuming the right nutrients and give better, more restorative sleep.

SIMPLY PUT – YOU HAVE TO PRIORITISE ‘YOU’

Signing up for a Personal Training programme with B.E.Fitness and PT will kick-start your health and fitness journey. You will become educated about your body and how to get the most out of your exercise programme. You will receive dietary advice, homework, personalised sessions at home, outdoors or at the gym, telephone and email support, monthly measurements and form sustainable, healthy habits.

Don’t undervalue yourself. You owe it to YOU to be fit and healthy and live life to the full.

You don’t need to leave home to get these high-intensity workouts done!

Pick any 5 exercises (hard ones) and complete for 1 rep, then 2, then 3…all the way to 10! (Takes approx 15 mins)

For example:

• Burpees
• Press ups
• Squat Jump
• Lunge Jump
• Crunch

OR

Set a timer to go off every minute, for 20 minutes. Pick 10 exercises and between 20-30 reps of each to complete each exercise BEFORE that minute runs out. Eg:

• 30 press ups
• 25 squat jumps
• 30 jumping lunges
• 60 high-knees
• 80 mountain climbers
• 20 squat thrusts
• 20 burpees
• 30 plank jacks
• 20 power lunges (Left leg)
• 20 Power lunges (R leg)

Then, repeat all again one more time!

The idea is to go as hard and fast as you can, to get the number of reps completed in as few seconds as possible, to give you a rest before that 1 minute bleeper goes off and you have to move on the next exercise!

Alternatively….

Abs Circuit

10 reps of each exercise , repeat to have done 3x in total:

• Regular crunches
• Leg raises
• Scissor kicks
• Bicycle crunches
• Side planks with hip raises

The important thing is to remember it doesn’t have to take long, and you don’t have to use any equipment to get a good workout which raises your body temperature and pulse rate, burns fat and can give you a little boost of energy over these darker months.

Enjoy! B x

Yes its that time of year again – where food and drink is all so gosh-darn delicious and staying wrapped up on the sofa is a lot more attractive than getting up and getting moving.

THE TEMPTATIONS

The duvet becomes your best friend, and don’t forget those comfy elasticated-waistband joggers, and sugar and refined carbohydrates: cakes, biscuits, those chocolates at the office, cheesy toasties and hot chocolate…

It’s also a lot more tempting, now it’s dark when you get up and dark when you come home from work, to stay indoors and not make that extra effort that you might have done in the summer to go out for a jog or a walk or to head down to the gym.

HOW TO BEAT THEM

Of course – life is joyless without some treats and ‘naughties’ when it comes to food and drink, and if you have lots of social engagements coming up, holding back is going to be tough. However, try some of the tips below – to still have fun but not wake up the next day with a big pile of regret staring at you!

•  Be the designated driver – keeps you off the booze, which in turn means you’re less likely to eat those nibbles.
• Eat before you go – unless you are going to a sit down dinner, if you know you are going to be faced with canapes galore, have a light meal before you go and then you won’t be ravenous when those mini quiches get poked at you.
• If you can’t NOT have a drink, alternate with water. (It really does work, so many of us hoof down the wine because we are dehydrated, which in turn leads to more dehydration…you get the picture)
• Leave your drink down on the table next to you – of course, sometimes it isn’t safe to do so and you should always keep an eye on your drink, but if it is in your hand, you are more likely to be constantly sipping and before you know it, your glass is being refilled and 1 drink turns into 5!
• Keep those biccies and chocs as far away as possible – at the office, enough chocolates get provided to feed a small country. Try to keep them at the opposite end of the room/desk so if you want one, you have to physically get up to go get one and not just lean across.
• Ration yourself the ‘treats’ -whether it be drink or food, have a rule for yourself which isn’t too unrealistic (like “no chocolate EVER AGAIN”..yeah, that works…). Perhaps, allow yourself 5 drinks or 5 biscuits a week. This can be spread across the week, or over one weekend. The point being, YOU decided when you have your allotted amount and that’s your lot.

NOW- GET MOVING

It may not be safe to go out in the dark for a walk or a run anymore, that’s OK. If you can walk at lunchtime, clear your head and feel refreshed, that’s an extra few steps you are getting in each day, not to mention sunlight and fresh air.

An indoor workout at home, can use very little space and be just as effective. Try 15 or 20 mins High Intensity Blast 4-6x per week. See next blog “Winter Warmers”

There’s a myriad of tips and hints which are offered for you to keep fit and well over winter. Some will appeal more to you than others. The most important thing is to find something which is sustainable, realistic and safe. 

With every client and class, before and after a session, I will ensure there is a thorough stretching routine. So often, stretching gets forgotten. I am guilty of, in the past, forgoing a warm up stretch or a cool down stretch in favour of getting out of the gym, or having a sit down and not moving for the next hour…

That extra 5 minutes BEFOREhand can make all the difference:

I am sure we all have heard the analogy of a piece of elastic or adhesive putty – the warmer it is, the more gently it is stretched out,  increased gradually over time, the further it will be able to go without snapping. When muscles are cold, and if we go to run, lift weights, squat, the range of motion is inhibited, we can find our technique is compromised due to tightness in key muscles, and ultimately we do not get the most effective – or safe – workout we could get.  Stretching helps reduce injury and, therefore,  reduce set backs in your training regime,

And AFTER, don’t just sit back down on the sofa:

Once muscles have been used, they need to relax. Dynamic stretching (stretching whilst moving, not standing still) followed by static stretching will ensure the blood flow and transportation of nutrients to the muscles,  there is no sudden ‘shock’ stop to the activity, and your heart rate and body temperature are both given time to reduce and return to a close-to pre-exercise state. This will help that pesky DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) be a little less uncomfortable over the next couple of days, and help with your recovery in general.

Flexibility and daily benefit:

How often have you gone to put on your shoes and found you can get down to reach them? Do your find you have rounded shoulders? Or have you found your legs are agony after walking or a long day in heels? A regular programme of flexibility will help loosen up those tight muscles, and improve your range of motion to enable you to perform your daily activities more efficiently and with much less discomfort!

Stretching also helps correct posture; working on the musculature of the neck, back, chest and abdominals can bring the spine in to better alignment. Furthermore, stretching relieves muscle fatigue and increases blood flow – a few good stretches halfway through your day can help wake you up!!

So – what can you do?

You can stretch standing up or sitting on a chair if you find standing for a long time difficult, some find using a towel or a flexibility band helpful for those big reaches:

Work upper body to lower body, really concentrating on achieving optimal range of motion (we are not looking for contortionist-level flexibility here!). For example – to be able to reach overhead comfortably, touch your toes, reduce any tightness in the upper back or in the calves (especially if you walk a lot in high heels!), hip flexor and piriformis movement (in the buttocks and front of thigh)…and more.

To find out more and learn how to achieve optimal flexibility and functional fitness, get in touch and consider Personal Training to feel the best version of you!

In all my workouts -with classes, individual clients, or for myself – I include strength training. This doesn’t have to be Olympic bar chest presses, or squats to press with 99 decibel grunting…’Strength Training’ can include body weight squats, dumbbell curls, tricep dips, press ups..anything where you are working against resistance.

Here’s a few reasons why I love strength training, and why you should too:

1. Continuous calorie burn 

   Whereas you may default to an hour long session of cardio, sweating it out on the treadmill or elliptical, and this may burn upwards of 500kcal per hour, you post-workout calorie burn will be minimal. Strength training, however, continues to burn calories post workout long after your breathing and heart rate have returned to normal. The body uses more energy to maintain muscle than burn fat, and working those muscles can help boost your metabolism. Good news!

2. Repair and Maintenance of bone and muscle tissues 

   Your bone and muscle strength deteriorates over time, from approximately mid-twenties onwards. This can explain why we feel weaker and more tired as we age. Muscular Strength and Endurance training can help prevent bone density and muscle mass loss. Hand-in-hand with this comes improved balance and strength of connective tissues. This is turn can help prevent falls, fractures and ultimately help maintain independence and mobility.

3. It makes you stronger 

   As the name suggests, Strength Training makes you stronger. Whether you are Isometrically Contracting the muscle  – against an unmoving object such as a bodyweight-squat – or Isotonically contracting – through a range of motion such as a bicep curl – you are working against a resisting force in a controlled manner, challenging the muscles beyond what you might encounter with every day movements. Which leads me nicely on to…

4. It improves your functional fitness 

   ‘functional fitness’ refers to the fitness levels required to carry out every day tasks. Lifting children, pushing the lawnmower, even turning your head around to reverse the car…all require maintenance of strong healthy bones and muscles. Strength training improves and maintains muscle tone and the firing of the neurons to activate that muscle. We all want to be able to continue to do the things we enjoy, and those things which are necessary. Shoulder presses and core-strengthening can help with overhead actions such as placing things in high cupboards, squats and back strengthening can help with bending to pick things up, pushing heavy loads, walking up the stairs.

5. It makes you feel GOOD

   strength training releases endorphins, the ‘feel good’ hormones. You feel exhilarated – seeing the results of your getting stronger, improving definition and muscle function. I love strength training as it means I am more able to do things – carry more shopping on my own, move furniture when we recently re-decorated and, yes – even open a difficult jar of jam. I also love seeing the aesthetic results. Cardio is no doubt good for the heart, and aerobic exercise good for the lungs, but team that with strength training and you have a winning combination for fat loss, strength gains and overall fitness and health.

Listen up!

If you have never strength-trained before, or are looking to increase your strength training repertoire, it is highly recommended that you do so under supervision. Working with weights or body weight requires correct technique to prevent injury and to get the maximum benefit. If you would like to see what YOU could gain from Strength Training, please contact me today and arrange your free Personal Training consultation.

Happy August all!

Having read an article last month entitled “Personal trainers blamed for joint injuries” -Daily Telegraph, Saturday 16th July, I felt it important to explain a little about how I plan my sessions – both 1:1 and groups.

Killer workouts:

High Intensity Interval Training has many benefits – boosting the heart rate from low-intensity fat-burning ‘active recovery’ to close-to-maximum Heart Rate intervals, challenging the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, all within a much shorter space than your usual cardio class or long distance run (15-20 min is the commonly used period of time for HIIT workouts). The calories continue burning AFTER the workout also, due to the plyometric and calisthenic exercises used and the way the muscles are forced to work in an explosive manner.

So, as you can imagine, HIIT workouts are great for those who have time-restrictions and who enjoy a good old fashioned sweat-till-you-drop fest. However, the jumping movements commonly used in such sessions are not suitable for all clients.

Potential Injury:

Good old burpees, squat jumps, jumping lunges, tuck jumps and many more, all involve  high-impact on the knees, ankles, hips and shoulders (in the case of burpees, mountain climbers). Whilst these movements are fantastic (as explained above) for some, for those who have reduced joint mobility, painful knees, hip or shoulder replacements, or indeed weak musculature in the wrists or ankles, these exercises are difficult or painful.

How I Shape Your Workout to Suit YOU:

In my classes and my 1:1 sessions, I plan with alternatives. In a class scenario, there will naturally be a mix of abilities, and it is important to not have one half of the class feel they will never be able to complete any set exercises, whilst also keeping the other half feeling they have had a good workout and not finding it ‘too easy’.

I appreciate adding a bench for burpees (to reduce the pressure on the shoulders), or giving the option to ‘walk out’ the mountain climbers instead of the jogging motion can make the client feel they are still achieving a great workout, but with reduced discomfort and chance of injury. Other examples are holding a weight whilst squatting instead of squat-jumps, alternating lunges instead or jumping…. it’s all very simple.

Whilst simple, showing these alternatives are available can make the difference to clients of all ages and abilities. It can give them confidence to partake in a class or in 1:1 training, and reduce some of the fear surrounding entering an exercise programme that ‘I’ll never be able to do anything’.

Remember:

It is important to bear in mind – some classes are difficult to adapt and trainers have limits as to how they can accommodate a wide range of clients. Therefore it is important, in a class setting, to know your comfort-limits and perhaps start in a ‘beginners’ class before progressing to intermediate and advanced.

So, whether you you are a HIIT addict, or prefer to ‘feel the burn’ through slow, controlled movements and progress gradually, there is a workout out there for you, where your joint health will not be compromised and you will still reap the benefits!

Enjoy the bank hol weekend!

B x

On Sunday 17th July, I joined my Ridgeway Nordic Walking group to tackle the second half of the 100km Ultra Walk/ Run called Race to the Stones.

My comrades had completed the first 50km the day before, and i joined them on the Saturday night to welcome them to the half-way basecamp, share a drink and hear the stories of how the past 10 or so hours had gone!

The atmosphere at basecamp was very much like a relaxed festival. There were student physios offering massages for the weary, a ‘chill out’ tent with bean bags and foam rollers, a great big marquee with delicious food and drink for all participants (the curry smelled particularly lovely, and I couldn’t resist a brick-sized piece of cake).  The event was extremely well organised – tent allocation went smoothly and the hot showers were not to be missed.

Sitting with my Ridgeway Nordic Walking bunch, the main tales were stories of the heat, the hills, barely-attached toenails (the blight of any  distance walker or runner) and blisters. But aside from the aches and pains and fatigue and the looming inevitability of doing it all again the next day, all felt extremely proud and a great sense of achievement at what they had just conquered. I was looking to the next morning, with a little trepidation.

After a moderately comfortable night’s sleep on a bumpy hillside, the campers started to stir about 0430. The sun was already rising and the temperature was pleasant. We all shovelled down the cooked breakfast on offer, along with a seconds of porridge (got to make the most of it, eh?). I started off just after 6am and I was looking forward to the day ahead.

There was no sense of competition with fellow walkers or runners, everyone was there with a real sense of team spirit for all of us embarking on the same challenge. There was a sense of unspoken, mutual understanding for the personal challenge. The number of people I spoke to were  so friendly, everyone saying ‘well done’ and giving words of encouragement to one another, asking how eachother was doing and where eachother was from.

The heat really picked up around later morning, and i was over half way in. I had set myself the challenge of sticking the the same pace throughout, and I measured my walk in stages ‘if I can get to the next check point in X time, then I am on track’. this broke down the walk for me in to more manageable chunks, and gave me something to focus on other than the lack of breeze or my wish for a cold paddling-pool!

I would say the last 15km (approx 2.5 hrs) were the most challening for me. I was very hot, and whilst I wasn’t in any pain, bits and bobs started to ache a little, not used to walking at such a pace for such a distance! I was eager to finish, but at the same time, enjoying being part of something with almost 2000 other people and not wanting the feeling to end.

The title ‘Race to the Stones’ was as such because the walk led us along the UKs oldest path, to the great stones at Avebury, Wilts. The stones are a neolithic monument and a World Heritage Site. Not only was it pretty cool to see them, this feeling was coupled with knowing there was only 2km to the finish at that point. So, a quick photo, then pick up the pace to the finish!

Welcomed at the finish with a medal and round of applause from complete strangers, it was an oddly moving moment. Whilst my Nordic Walking buddies had walked double the distance and their achievement was undoubtedly greater, I knew this was a great personal feat, and I felt a real sense of pride and success at having completed the walk. (My time was 8hrs 45 mins, pace of 6kph)

Cue plenty of water and food, stretches and foam rolling and shade. I was very aware that I wanted to bring my body temperature down, cool off my skin, replenish lost fluids (check out my blog on best drinks for this), and give my hard-worked muscles a bit of love. Undoubtedly, in the few days since, I have woken up  a little stiff and sore, but I have taken it easy on my body – no strenuous lower-body activity, keeping out of the sun where possible, and keeping well hydrated,

I don’t know what my fellow walkers would say, but I would honestly do it all again! It was a great event to be part of with some fab people.

B x

ps: Check out Ridgeway Nordic Walking to see what other stuff we do (not all 50km walks, promise!)