Why Athletes Need Pilates Mat Training

Why Athletes Need Pilates Mat Training
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One of our favorite fitness experts is Sean Vigue (remember the awesome workouts he’s done for us?). And, guess what?! He has a new book out! Pilates for Athletes helps everyday people (no matter their sport or activity they love to do) reach their highest physical and mental levels and improve their conditioning, control, endurance, and more — all through Pilates. Sean Vigue has taught thousands of classes around the world and has appeared in more than 2,000 health and fitness videos. He’s positive, he knows his stuff, and his workouts are FUN. Basically, he’s the best! And, we’re super…

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5K Running Tips: 4 Essential Tips to Finish Strong and Have Fun

5K Running Tips: 4 Essential Tips to Finish Strong and Have Fun
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Follow these 4 essential 5K running tips (+1 bonus tip) to have your best and most fun race experience ever!

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Diet and Weight Loss Program Part 3

  

After Part 1 and  Part 2 this is the part 2 of our Diet and Weight Loss Program.

In the first two parts of this series, I discussed the importance of avoiding fad diets, starvation diets and gimmicks when trying to lose weight. In the last of this three part series, I will discuss the importance of moderate exercise in helping you not only achieve your weight loss goals but maintaining them for the rest of your life!

Crucial to raising your metabolic rate and therefore losing weight, is a moderate exercise program. You do not need to run or kill yourself with endless cardio exercises, exhausting, "boot camp" style fitness regimens or aerobic classes that leave you drained.

Depending on your level of fitness and how far over your target weight you are will determine the level of exercise.

There is one thing to remember when exercising to burn fat: You need to do some type of activity that will raise your heart rate to what is known as your "target zone". This is the number of beats per minute you want your pulse at for a continuous session of 30 minutes.

How Do I Figure My Target Zone?

Here is how to know what your target zone is:
Subtract your age from 220
Take 70% - 80% of that number
This figure is your target rate, the number of beats you want your pulse to be at for 30 minutes.

For example, if you are 40 years old, you would subtract 40 from 220. This gives you 180 which is your theoretical max heart rate. 70-80% of 180 would be 126-144 beats per minute. You want to have your heart rate within this "target zone" to achieve maximum results.

But I'm So Out Of Shape I Get In My Zone Just Walking Slowly!

Don't worry! If all you can do is walk at a snails pace to get to your target zone, just do it! Trust me, in a short amount of time you will be walking faster to get to that target zone. It's not about huffing and puffing and sweating to where you are soaked. It is about putting your body in an aerobic state. You should be breathing moderately heavy but comfortably and sweating lightly.

The easiest way to start a cardio/aerobic program is by simply walking! No equipment is needed other than a comfortable pair of shoes. Try to commit just 30 minutes, 5 days a week. If you're fortunate enough to own a pool, you might want to incorporate that into your exercise program as well. Keep in mind however that swimming is very strenuous and unless you are already in good shape, it is hard to swim for 30 minutes.

Another key to fitness, long term benefits and to further raise your BMR is weight training. The benefits of training with weights has been proven. Now I know many of you, especially women, have concerns, fears and questions about weight training. Women especially have always said to me, "I don't want to get big and muscular". My answer is very simple: You Won't!

The problem with the images that we all see of bodybuilders is that the novice person thinks that if they lift weights they will look freakish like this. The reality is that the professional bodybuilders you see on tv and in the movies are all, to a man (and woman), living a lifestyle of exercise, nutrition and most importantly, steroids, that none of us would adhere to. Even if we desired it!

Training with weights will help build lean tissue (muscle). This in turn will help you burn more calories 24 hours a day! For women, it will help tone your legs, arms and butt. Clothes will fit better and you will feel better. For men, it is easier to build a little muscle due to their testosterone and this can result in a nice V-shaped torso and overall appearance boost.

If you have access to a gym, see if you can talk to a trainer and get some advice on the types of weight lifting you need to help you burn more fat.

I hope this three part series has helped dispel some myths about weight loss, dieting and nutrition. We all want quick results when it comes to fitness but the reality is that you must stick to this as a lifestyle. You didn't get out of shape overnight, it took years. The good news though is that it will be quicker to get back in shape!

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Diet and Weight Loss Program Part 2

 After Part 1, this the part 2 of our Diet and Weight Loss Program.

In Part 1 of this series, I explained how the only way to permanently lose weight is to change your lifestyle. "Dieting" will almost always result in an initial loss of weight (both fat and lean muscle) however, once you go off your diet you will rapidly gain back the weight you lost. In addition, since your body is designed to protect itself from a lack of calories, it will also put on additional stores of body fat. The old adage "one step forward, two steps back" applies to this type of "yo-yo" dieting.

I also discussed your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR) and how that plays into your weight loss plan. If you go on any type of extreme diet, your body will simply lower its BMR even further in order to survive. The goal is to increase your BMR not decrease it.

So, you're probably asking, "How can I possibly eat 5-6 meals a day and still lose weight?" By eating more frequent, yet smaller meals, you are allowing your body to maintain if not increase its BMR. Also, you will avoid insulin spikes that happen when you eat only once or twice a day.

Below is a sample diet for one day. You can alter this, play around with it but with a little planning, you can stick to this while you aim for your desired weight:

Sample Diet For One Day
Assuming a weight of 220lb

Breakfast:

4 eggs scrambled (Only use 1 yolk) using non stick spray- 145 Calories
1 piece of whole grain toast with butter substitute-Approx 100 calories
8 oz NON fat milk-90 calories
1 piece of fruit: (Banana-Approx 110 calories)
(Apple-Approx 80 calories)
Total calories: Approximately 300-400

Mid Morning Snack

Nutrition bar (Balance bar-Approx 200 calories)

Lunch:

Chicken breast, no skin, baked or broiled.
Salad (lettuce, cucumber, any salad type veggie..NO cheese)
with olive oil and vinegar or NONFAT dressing: About 150-200 calories
Total calories: 350-400 calories

Mid Afternoon Snack

Balance bar or
1-2 oz of lightly salted cashews-Approx 250-300 calories or
One serving of low carb protein drink

Dinner:

4-8 oz Ground turkey (lean) burgers, no cheese-Approx 160-320 calories
Salad as per lunch-150-200 calories
Serving of veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli, grean beans etc-50 calories
Approx 350-550 calories

Snack before bed:

Jello
Diet Popsicles

No carbs 2-3 hours before bed other than veggies with dinner!!!

With a little imagination you will find that you'll quickly come up with other items that you can add to this diet and make it your own.

Read Part 3 of this series, where I will discuss the importance of exercise. Not only for your weight loss program but as part of your lifestyle

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Diet and Weight Loss Program Part 1

To lose weight sensibly, you must first have an understanding of your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR). To figure your BMR, take your weight and divide by 2.2. This will give you your weight in kilograms. Take this figure and multiply it by .9 (1.0 for men). Then, take this figure and multiply it by 24. This would be your BMR. So, if your weight is 200lb, divided by 2.2 your weight in kg is 90.91. Multiplied by .9 is 81.82. Multiplied by 24 is 1963.68. This figure (1963.68) would be the calories you would burn if you did nothing but lay in bed all day. Obviously you do more than that. A person who is moderately sedentary (at a desk all day with little or no exercise) can assume they’ll burn another 500 calories or so. Therefore, you would need to consume about 2463.68 calories per day just to maintain your weight.

Most people assume that to lose weight they need to go on a “starvation” diet. Nothing could be further from the truth and is the worst thing you could do. By “starving” yourself you always force your body to slow it’s metabolism down further. You know you are dieting but your body thinks it is being starved and will do whatever is needed to survive and what it needs to survive is to slow down the metabolism to conserve fat! You will lose weight but as soon as you start eating normally (and you eventually will) your body says, “OH! Now I’m getting more calories! I better store them as fat in case I get starved again!” At this point, your body will regain the weight that was lost and then add even more weight to protect itself from any future reduction in calories.

This is physiological fact. People do not want to believe this but it is a basic tenet of nutrition. Ask yourself this question: “Why am I still trying to lose weight over and over?”

The solution is not dieting. The solution is a lifestyle change. You must accept the fact that starvation diets are not a long term solution. Instead, simply deduct 500 calories from your maintenance intake. Try to stick to this program and make it a way of life rather than a quick fix. If you were the 200lb example as stated above, you need to eat approximately 1900 calories/day to lose weight sensibly.

Remember though that everyone is different and this figure is not etched in stone. You might find that you need to cut a bit more or less. It is something that needs to be adjusted to your body. The only “for sure” is that if you go on a starvation diet (1000-1500 calories/day) you will only set yourself up to fail in the long term.

Foods you must avoid while getting to your desired weight

1. All dairy except nonfat milk
2. All pork
3. All beef
4. All fast food, no exceptions
5. All alcoholic drinks especially beer
6. All candy especially chocolate
7. All processed, bleached carbohydrates-White bread, white rice, cereals, etc

Foods you can eat while getting to your desired weight

1. Chicken-Breast only, no skin
2. All fish
3. Lean, ground turkey
4. Pasta with small amounts of olive oil or sauce. No cheese or meat
5. Potatoes and Yams-Baked only with non-fat butter substitute or non-fat sour cream
6. Whole grain brown rice-Limited servings
7. Nuts, raisins-Moderately
8. Olive oil, canola oil, most vegetable oils-Moderately

Sparingly, you can eat whole grain breads, oatmeal, yams, white potatoes, eggs. Use small servings for rice, etc (could fit in your hand).

No carbs 2-3 hours before bed. Eat veggies all you want. Fruit okay but not late in evening and only 2-3 pieces per day.

Meals should consist of primarily protein with a very small portion of complex carbs (brown rice, small serving of potatoes etc). Try to divide your total calories needed per day into 5-6 small meals rather than 3 large ones.

Eating smaller meals every 2-3 hours keeps you from stuffing yourself, keeps your insulin response low and helps increase your metabolism. Remember: A “meal” can consist of anything from a chicken breast with veggies to a nutrition bar and glass of nonfat milk. Each “meal” should be 1/5 to 1/6 of your total caloric intake for the day.

Read Part 2 of this series, where I'll give you precise information on a sample diet for one day

GO FOR IT!!! STICK TO THIS AND MAKE IT A LIFESTYLE!!!

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Adele Weight Loss Secret

"Thank you for the birthday love. I hope you're all staying safe and sane during this crazy time," she wrote in the caption. "I’d like to thank all of our first responders and essential workers who are keeping us safe while risking their lives! You are truly our angels ♥️2020 okay bye thanks x."

No one knows why this is, as Adele hasn’t commented on her weight publicly (and rightly so!). So we’ll say right here and now that we hope Adele is healthy and working with professionals to achieve a diet and fitness routine that makes her feel her best.

Adele Weight Loss Big Secret

Adele exercises around three times a week, according to a source who spoke to Us Weekly in July 2019. "Adele never cared about or liked working out," the source said. But it has become a part of her normal routine, and she's been alternating between cross-training and Pilates. "She does 60-minute sessions that include cardio, circuit training, and Pilates ... She's found a routine that's working for her and is enjoying it more."

Regular working out and exercising

An effective weight loss always involves a good diet and workout regime.

Adele's trainer worked with her and trained her 2-3 times a week where she spent time doing free and varied exercise to keep it fun, ranging from bodyweight and resistance band work to weight training and boxing. She also tried her hand at resistance training exercises and some cardio to target all areas. The singer also picked up Pilates last year, which helped her get into the shape she wanted to.

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Can eating more chilli help with weight loss?

‘CHILLI HELPS ME BURN FAT’

Can adding pepper sauce to your meals really help you lose weight?

Do ‘good fats’ help your body burn more fat? There are many claims that certain foods such as chilli, green tea and coconut oil can aid weight loss by boosting metabolism or suppressing appetite. But  does the research stack up?

Dr Schenker says: Chilli Burning Fat

‘There have been some interesting studies on the potential of chillies to aid weight loss. Experiments in animals and humans show that eating a meal containing chilli increases energy expenditure and fat oxidation compared to the same meal without chilli. One recent study from Oxford Brookes University looked at the thermic effects of chilli and coconut oil (which contains a type of fat called medium-chain triglycerides, MCT). The researchers concluded that adding chilli and MCT to meals increases the thermic effect of food (the energy burnt when you digest food) by more than 50 per cent, which may, over time, help induce weight loss. This has led to suggestions that regular chilli consumption could help reduce obesity.

However, there are drawbacks: not everyone relishes the thought of a spicy breakfast and, for some, spicy food can cause unpleasant side-effects. The amount of chilli needed to have an effect is high– some studies used 30g per day.

Furthermore, the effect could be lost over time as the body adapts.

‘While there’s some scientific research looking at whether green-tea extracts can influence fat mass and weight loss, at present, there’s no solid proof consumption of green-tea extracts will improve weight loss to any meaningful degree.’

‘THE AMOUNT OF CHILLI REQUIRED TO HAVE AN EFFECT APPEARS TO BE HIGH’

‘Nice as it sounds, there’s no solid evidence that food or drinks are “fat burning” or “burn more calories”. Most “fat-burning” foods are not calorie-laden but don’t burn more calories per se. If you like chilli, there’s no harm in consuming a little more, but don’t expect miraculous results and don’t use it as an excuse to eat unhealthy food. In other words, a hotter curry does not mean a cake later!’

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Detox Juice Recipes for Weight Loss

‘JUICING HELPS ME DETOX’

There’s nothing like a glass of juice to pep you up. It also counts as one of your Five-A-day. But can taking it further and following a juice fast help your body detox? The theory is that juicing offers an easily digestible injection of vitamins and minerals to nourish your body while giving it a break from the demands of digestion and aiding the elimination of toxins.

But while packed with vitamins, juice is also loaded with sugar and bad for your teeth. So is more always better?

Dr Schenker says: Detox Juice Recipes improve Weight Loss

‘Juice is usually packed with vitamins and minerals but the lack of protein, fat, fibre and complex carbohydrate is detrimental to the normal functioning of the body.

This can leave you feeling tired, dizzy and nauseous. These symptoms are not a result of toxin expulsion, as is commonly reported. Some essential nutrients require help from other nutrients to be fully beneficial; for example, vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins and, without fat, their absorption will be limited.

Sugar in liquid form, when not attached to fibre such as fruit skin, is absorbed readily by the body, causing a blood-sugar spike which can leave you moody and hungry. A few days’ juice diet will give rapid weight loss due to low calorie intake. But much of the initial weight loss is water weight. When no fuel from food is available, your body turns to muscle glycogen and, as levels deplete, the water

in which it’s stored is lost. There is also a reduction in muscle mass.

‘Arguably, one benefit to a short-term juice detox is that it can help people break a cycle of unhealthy eating. There’s evidence that when returning to a normal calorie intake, you may be more mindful about food choices and feel fuller with less food.’

A SHORT JUICE DETOX MAY HELP YOU BREAK A CYCLE OF UNHEALTHY EATING.

‘The liver and kidneys are the body’s organs responsible for excreting toxins. As long as they stay healthy, they’ll work normally every day without the need for “detox” juice. The lack of nutritional balance is one of the main reasons a juice fast is not considered a healthy choice – and the longer the juice fast, the worse the situation becomes. While there is no real harm in having a couple of juice days as a kickstart for a new period of healthy eating, be aware that you might not feel great, so pick a quiet weekend on which to do it!’

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CROSSFIT AT HOME

Ready for yourWOD(workout of the day)? This CrossFit-inspired
workout will raise your pulse and get those muscles burning!

BURPEES

Reps: 10

Works: Quads, glutes, abs, shoulders and upper back

• Start with both feet on the floor, shoulderwidth apart (A).
• Bend your hips and knees, and place your hands either side of your feet (B).
• Jump both of your feet backwards so your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels (C).
• Jump both feet between your hands, and then jump into the air, arms overhead (D).
• Land in the starting position, ensuring that you maintain soft knees to prevent injury.

AIR SQUATS

Reps: 10

Works: Quads, glutes, calves,hamstrings, shoulders and core

• Begin in a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly out (A).
• Keeping your weight on your heels, bend your knees and lower your bottom down and back, as if you’re sitting back on a chair.
• Reach upward and bring your arms to chest height, using your arms as a counterbalance (B). Push through your heels to come back up to standing.

    

JUMPING LUNGES

Reps: 10

Works: Hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, calves and core

• Stand with your feet together, elbows bent at right angles.
• Lunge forward with your right foot (A), and then jump straight-up, switching your legs in midair, like scissors (B).
• Land back in a lunge position with your left leg forward (C) and repeat, switching legs again. To prevent injury, try to land as softly as possible.

DIAMOND SIT-UPS

Reps: 10

Works: Core muscles 

• Lie on your back and place your fingertips by your ears. Open your legs into a diamond shape (aka butterfly legs), so the soles of your feet are pressed together and your knees are out wide (A).
• Inhale to curl your torso up to sitting (B), then reach forward and tap the floor in front of your feet.
• Slowly lower back to the starting position.

KEEP THE INTENSITY HIGH AND REST PERIODS LOW TO REACH YOUR POTENTIAL.

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