FOR a lot of new mums, getting back into training after having a baby can be a daunting task, especially if you took a hiatus from training for quite a lot of the pregnancy. Exercise, however, can be very therapeutic at a hectic time in your life.
CRAZY as it is to even think about in September, a certain number of large chain shops have already started putting out items for sale for Christmas. Now, I'm going to be a bit bah humbug here and say that for me, thinking about Christmas usually happens about a couple of days before with some panic buying.
A GYM can be a scary place, especially if you are new or returning to it after a while. The rise of the chain gym means more and more people have access to fitness facilities all over the country. However with more people training in gyms, these can still be scary and lonely places. Rows of treadmills and exercisers with headphones in their ears and "don’t talk to me" facial expressions, can be detrimental for your own motivation.
FOR the majority of people at the moment, training to look good is one of the key reasons to go to the gym. In fact, as I write this the sun is shining on an unusually warm and sunny day in Glasgow, meaning everyone is bringing out their summer clothes. You only need to turn on your TV and you are bombarded with the tight, toned bodies in shows like Love Island. So, you muster the courage and go to the gym. On one side is a sea of cardio machines, treadmills, bikes, rowers etc – on the other a whole host of weight machines. Here's the question: what do you choose for the best results?
WE live in a hectic world, with more and more work and family pressure all fighting for our attention. So with so little time to spend on ourselves, training and going to the gym can seem like a daunting task. With so many workouts out there to choose from, it can also be difficult to know what to do and even harder to fit a lot of them into your schedule; which is were training smarter comes in to your advantage.
THE sun has been out this week so you will no doubt have seen a few examples of that most quintessentially Scottish tradition – Taps Aff. And it is inevitable that with this surge of good weather many people are concerned with fitting into their summer clothes. As we have said before, there are no miracle quick fixes and I don't endorse crazy diets or cleanses as they will often result in you regaining or even adding weight in the long term. However if you train efficiently and incorporate a clean-eating program you can burn some last-minute body fat and boost your metabolism in a relatively short period of time.
YOU may have noticed that the morning’s getting a bit lighter and hints of spring are in the air. For a lot of people, now is the time to book the summer holiday. You have been back at work for over two months since the new year and you need something to take your mind off the drudgery, so you spend your break times looking up holiday sites.
Today sees us well over half way into February and all thoughts of the New Year are well and truly eradicated. Your mind might be drifting towards slightly warmer weather and the potential of some summer sun.
JANUARY is always filled with good intentions. 'This year I am going to lose weight and get fit' is the usual refrain.
AS we enter the festive period we know there are going to be lots of parties, social events and situations where food and drink choices will play havoc with our waistlines. Then in a few days time, many will make the New Year resolution to get fitter, healthier and to try and make up for the over-indulgence of the previous weeks. My question is: why wait? Having had over eight years of experience in the health and fitness industry and working in numerous facilities, I know that those who start their fitness regimes before January are more likely to stick to their new lifestyle because they aren’t putting anything off. They are also able to get in some much-needed damage control over the festive period by burning calories prior to consuming more. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for turning over a new leaf in January and always encourage those seeking to make a healthy lifestyle change. However I’m of the school of thought that says why put off till tomorrow what you can achieve today. Don’t forget that during the festive period lots of people have holidays and time off, whereas in January they will be back at work. During that time off it makes perfect sense to start your new fitness regime as you are more likely to have the opportunity to complete a workout without the stresses of work getting in the way. Remember also that most gyms will be open over the Christmas period, perhaps only shutting for one or two days. That means there will be plenty of opportunity to start and once you get the ball rolling it will be easier to maintain, especially if you plan around any potential issues that can get in the way. The right resolution for you Now I want you to get a notepad and pen and jot down some things. First off I’d like you to write down what you want to achieve by exercising. The majority of people might be tempted to write “lose weight” and this is a good place to start, but I want you to delve deeper. Whatever your goal you have set, write down – on the next line – why you want to achieve this goal. Taking the losing weight example, this could be because of a family event or holiday coming up next year, for instance. Also have a think about the reasons that you feel you need to lose weight – such as long periods of sedentary activity, not eating as healthily as you could, lack of training etc. Once you have that down, have a think about all the factors that could get in the way of you exercising or eating healthier, now or in the New Year, to reach your goals. Perhaps family or work commitments might get in the way. Then try to come up with two or three solutions to each one, for example if you want to train after work but have to pick up the children from school or nursery, you could get up 30 minutes earlier to get your workout in at a local gym or even do a home workout before the children are out of bed. Now, if eating healthy is a problem for you as you’re always in a rush and usually grab your food on the go, then your contingencies could be batch-preparing food, perhaps on a Sunday evening. For instance if you were oven-cooking two chicken breasts for you and your partner’s evening meal, why not cook four to six, and place in a food container with a few vegetables for some quick, healthy lunches over the next few days. The more reasons you can come up with that might inhibit you from sticking to your resolutions, the more you can create solutions and plan around them so they don’t get in the way. The main thing is that you take into account the issues that may cause you to not exercise or stick to eating healthily and plan contingencies. If you have thought about these prior to making that resolution then you are guaranteed for success. Here, I have put together a great home workout that you can do over the festive period to start your resolutions off the way you mean to go on.
