Fitness Matrix

You can do this by incorporating another exercise into your training programme.  Adding another aspect to your training, shakes-up your body and forces it to exercise in a different way, which makes your aerobic system and muscles work in a different way.

Spinning classes and Kettlebell training are two excellent ways to do this, as they are non-impact and provide a whole body workout, that puts more demands on your body than other forms of exercise.

Varying your exercise regime will keep you stimulated and interested for your main sport, while enhancing and complimenting it.

Give it a try and see the results for yourself!

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When the body reaches the age of mid-forties, the decline in level of fitness accelerates.  You can slow down this process by staying slim with good nutrition, don’t over-eat, reduce your intake of alcohol, don’t smoke and follow a structured exercise programme designed specifically to suit you.

If you pay attention to these minor areas, it can improve your quality of life and increase your chance of longevity.

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Most people that exercise are doing too much, because they become addicted or maybe they are not seeing any results from their hard work, so they train even more and harder.

Exercising too much has a negative effect on your body, because it takes it out of the ‘growth zone’ and into the ‘over-training zone’.  When you over-train your body you place it in a catabolic state, which means that it is breaking-down rather than building, so the exercise you are doing is making your body weaker.

The way to avoid this happening, is to have a structured training programme that incorporates ‘rest days’, because your body only recovers, repairs and builds, when you are resting.  If you train one day and rest the next, you give your body the chance to repair and build after one session, from which there is little to recover from.  But, if you train all week and only rest at the weekend, your body has to recover, repair and build after a whole week of exercising, which places more demand on your body.

You don’t have to do one day on and one day off, but don’t exercise more than three days consecutively.  You’ll find that you feel stronger and have more energy, which will help you train better and produce positive results.

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Most people fall-short in this area when training themselves, yet it is one of the most, if not the most, important area to focus on.  If your balance is not being challenged, then your training is not being maximised.

The best way to improve your balance and your core strength, which provides your body with strength and stability, is to exercise on unstable surfaces, with equipment such as a Bosu, a stability ball or something as simple as an inflated disc.  These types of equipment are largely neglected and often ignored in gyms, because most people don’t know what to do with them.

Training with equipment that provides an unstable surface, creates the biggest challenge for your body, as it must maintain balance and stability, which forces your core to work harder, thereby giving you inner strength and improving your balance.

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Yes, it can!

If you regularly run on even, unchallenging surfaces, your body is being challenged considerably less, so it can become weaker in areas such as the ankle, knee, hip and lower spine, which will make you susceptible to injury.

The best way to increase your strength, flexibility and to give yourself a more challenging workout, is to run on uneven surfaces such as cross-country, as this forces your body to keep you balanced and makes it work harder to achieve this.

My preference for a more challenging workout, is to run barefoot on the beach.  This is getting back to nature as the feet are not supported by running shoes, so they must support themselves, which increases strength and flexibility.  It also creates less impact on your body, as every step is cushioned by the sand.

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Vary your workouts

If you continually do the same exercises and training programmes, your body moves onto ‘auto-pilot’ and reaches a plateau, where you cease to progress.  By varying the type, duration and intensity of exercise, it will demand more of your body, not allowing it to reach your ‘auto-pilot’ mode and producing better results.

Give yourself time to recover

Your body only repairs and builds, when you rest.  It is vital that you allow your body to recover after exercising, by ensuring that you get a good 8hrs sleep.  By giving yourself time to rest and repair, you will feel stronger, fitter and more motivated for your next training session.

Listen to your body

Your body will tell you if you are over-training.  If you feel irritable, lose your appetite, are not sleeping well or lack energy when you’re training; your body wants a day-off from exercise……so listen to it!  It will thank you for it!

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A workout with a Kettlebell, is one of the best whole body exercises you can give yourself!

It increases your strength, endurance and agility, in addition to improving your proprioception (your body’s innate balance).  While it challenges your muscular and cardiovascular systems with dynamic, compound movements, it mainly targets the posterior chain of your body, particularly the Glute muscles.  The Glutes are the laziest muscles in the body and once they are ‘fired-up’, the mechanics of your body work more efficiently and are more productive.

So, Kettlebell training….reaches the parts, other exercises can’t!

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It takes about 21 days of repetitive behaviour to form a new pattern in your brain and once this has been formed, it becomes an automatic behavioural pattern.  As you adopt and develop new healthy habits, they will slowly replace the old bad habits.  Maintaining these healthy lifelong habits, that have stood the test of time and been practiced by centenarians around the world, will invigorate and rejuvenate you.

Eat five small meals a day

It is much better to have five small meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals.  When you eat smaller portions, you give your body a steady stream of fuel and nutrients, providing it with a drip-feed of energy throughout the whole day.  In addition, eating in this way is less demanding on your digestive system, as you are not overloading your body with more than it needs, which reduces the stress on your heart.

Use the stairs whenever you can

The importance of taking regular exercise and the resulting health benefits, are well documented and cannot be over-emphasised.  Regular exercise can aid physiological well-being, strengthen your immune system, maintain joint flexibility and increase your energy level, which are just a few of the benefits.

During your day, when you can, choose the more physically demanding option.  Try walking or cycling instead of driving or taking the stairs instead of the lift, which will start you on the road to better health and fitness.  The best way to achieve better health and fitness, in a safe and structured way, is with a specifically designed training programme from a Personal Trainer.  Statistically, you have a 95% chance of realising your health and fitness goals, if you have a Personal Trainer.

Laugh all the way

Laughter has been proven to boost your immune system, especially the production of the natural cells that help protect the body from illness and disease.  Laughter also increases the release of endorphins, which are compounds that give a sense of well-being in the brain.  There is no doubt that happy, joyful people live healthier and longer lives.

Drink more water

Water is essential for a healthy, functioning body.  Centenarians around the world cite their native water as the source of their good health and longevity, which scientists endorse.  They all have in common a pure water source, which is located far from any city and free from chemicals and toxins.  Try not to drink water from plastic bottles/containers, as the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can permeate the water and can have a negative effect on your health.  Water from the tap and even from water filters is dead, acidic and is so resisted by the body, that is digests it rather than absorbing it.  The best water to drink is living water, which is alive, alkaline and loved by the body so much, that it is immediately absorbed and the body is quickly hydrated with life.  Wouldn’t you rather drink life than death?

May your life be long, strong, healthy and happy!

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Recently I was told by one of my new clients, that when she cancelled her membership to the gym, she was told that from a total membership of about 5000, only around 1500 members actually use the gym.  So, more than a third of the revenue earned by the gym, is coming from people that don’t even use it!

The cost of gym membership varies, but most range from £30-£50 per month, depending on your chosen package.  If we divide the difference and say on average people are paying £40 per month for their gym membership, that’s £140,000 per month that the gym is taking from people that never use their facillity…..£140,000!! This is obscene!

Do you pay for a gym membership and never go?  Are they taking your money by standing order, so you don’t see how much money you’re throwing away every month?  If so, you are one of the many that are contributing to the £140,000 per month that the gym is making from non-attendees.  You wouldn’t pay for any other service and not use it, would you?

So, if you have no intention of returning to the gym, cancel your membership.

However, if you do want to exercise, have a fitness goal that you want to achieve or want to lose weight, but don’t have the self-discipline and will-power to do it yourself, spend your money wisely on a Personal Trainer.  A Personal Trainer will help you reach your desired goal, by specifically designing a training programme for you, to suit your needs and deliver the results that you want.  Whereas the gym, just wants your money.

You may think that you can’t afford a Personal Trainer, but you can, because if you can afford to give money to the gym every month for nothing, you can afford to pay for a Personal Trainer, who will help you achieve your goal and you’ll spend less money in the long term.  They will keep you motivated and interested with fun and varied exercises, which will maintain your commitment to reach your desired goal.

So, if your thinking  ‘I can’t reach my goal’ or ‘it never works for me’, you can and it will, with a Personal Trainer…..search for one now!

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Myth

If you exercise for longer, you will achieve better results.

Fact

It is not the duration of your workout that determines the results you achieve, it is the intensity.  You will feel and see more improvement in a shorter period, by increasing the intensity level of your workout, rather than extending the length your training session.

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