Tying on from the last post,
I have a 217 - 252 calorie (depending on if you use margerine or not) healthy cooked breakfast for anyone thats interested!
Ingredients
1 medium egg
2 x 22g slices Hovis Nimble Wholemeal bread
1/2 tin Chopped tomatoes or whole plum tomatoes in juice (about 200g)
Optional 10g (about a teaspoon) Bertolli light or other low calorie low fat margerine (adds 35calories)
Scramble or poach the egg whilst toasting your bread and microwave or heat your tomatoes.
Serve the tomatoes on one piece of bread and the egg on the other. Use the margarine if you're having it as you please. In the egg or on the bread - or half and half!
Values below are for without margarine first and with margarine second.
Energy: 217 kCal/ 252 kCal
Carbohydrates:22g/ 22g
Fat: 8g/12g
Protein: 15/15g
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Diet shakes - meal replacement shakes
So... here is my perspective on those notorious and what seem to be ever so popular "diet shakes".
The average diet shake contains approximately 215 calories - whereas it contains lots of essential vitamins and minerals, it tends to be also quite high in sugars and not a very satisfying meal. Using these shakes you are meant to replace 2 meals a day (breakfast and lunch normally) with one of these shakes, snack on up to 2 low calorie, low fat snacks (about 100 calories each) and eat one balanced normal meal of around 600calories. Giving you a grand total of 1200 calories a day.
Whereas this may seem easy, the willpower you need to sustain this for a few weeks is immense. A shake can taste pretty manky and fake, is not filling, relies on you using milk (some people are intolerant to dairy and lactose) and they also don't release energy slowly over a long period of time, leaving you feeling hungry. As they are quite sweet, they can encourage your body to prepare for a big physical session as often follows when your sweet tastebuds are activated, if this doesn't happen, then you are likely to start storing fat. This is one of the reasons that using some sweeteners may not help that much with weight loss if not supported by exercise.
Diet shakes can only be used short term and in my opinion, there are plenty of healthy 200 or thereabouts alternatives which will leave you feeling MUCH fuller and slowly realease energy. On top of that, they taste soooo much better.
Here is one of my favourites. It is balanced and provides plenty of protein and low GI carbohydrate to help keep you fuller for longer!
Healthy Lunchtime Tuna Fish Sandwich
Ingredients:
60g Drained Tuna Fish in Brine (sunflower oil will add more fat and calories)
2 x 22g slices of Hovis Nimble Wholemeal Bread
1 teaspoon light mayonnaise
35g sliced tomato (about 1/2 a salad tomato)
15g chopped red onion
I know it's a sandwich but if you make it this way it will hold together better! Spread the mayonnaise on the bread 1/4 teaspoon each side- this will help make it stick together better! Mix the chopped onion and tuna fish together and fill the sandwich with this, place the sliced tomatoes in and Voila! One healthy sandwich.
Energy: 207kCal
Carbohydrates: 19g
Fat: 2 g
Protein: 21g
And how about this for a healthy low fat and low GI breakfast:
Healthy Porridge with Prunes
Ingredients:
40g Scottish Porridge Oats
75ml skimmed milk
175ml water
1 teaspoon clear honey
25g stoned and chopped dried prunes
To make the porridge add the water and milk to the oats in a pan and heat til thickened, or place the water, milk and porridge oats and microwave for about 2 or 3 minutes, check it regularly so it doesn't boil over on the microwave and give a stir to make sure its cooked through properly. Add the teaspoon of honey to sweeten and the prunes, mix and eat! Just make sure its not too hot before you eat it!
Energy: 223kCal
Carbohydrates: 40g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 7g
On top of that, there are a number of ready meals out in the supermarkets that are around the 200 calorie mark which make quick light meals for the day. Tesco do a Light Choices ready meal (find in the chilled ready meals aisle) which is only 200 calories - minced beef and potatoes. It's ideal for lunch or a light dinner. Supplement with lots of fresh steamed or boiled vegetables if having for dinner and you will find it filling and tasty.
My experience with diet shakes was not great, I suffered badly with the large quantities of milk I was consuming a day (about a pint!) and found myself "crashing" after the sugar levels had depleted. They taste pretty synthetic and I ended up gaining weight, probably due to my exercise regime being in the evening and not after the shakes.
However, I found that using protein shakes by companies such as Maximuscle (for men) and Maxitone (for women) I felt less hungry and lost some weight. However these are very expensive and also don't taste that nice. Not synthetic, but just a bit manky! The strawberry and chocolate ones weren't too bad but they are made with water so do taste exactly like the powder in water even with the texture. Benefits are that they often have a few extra metabolism boosters, full of protein - great if you're wanting to achieve toning but not lose weight but if you are trying to lose weight, they provide support for developing lean muscle tissue. In addition, they are very low GI and 30kCal less per serving than your regular diet shake.
Summary:
Diet shakes cannot be used long term
They tend not to be sustainable
They do not leave you feeling satisfied
Being made with milk they can cause you stomach/gut discomfort AND bloating
They taste pretty poor
They can be expensive
There are better actual food meals that could replace these and leave you feeling fuller for longer and provide better nutrients.
If you want more on this topic, let me know and I'll write more!
The average diet shake contains approximately 215 calories - whereas it contains lots of essential vitamins and minerals, it tends to be also quite high in sugars and not a very satisfying meal. Using these shakes you are meant to replace 2 meals a day (breakfast and lunch normally) with one of these shakes, snack on up to 2 low calorie, low fat snacks (about 100 calories each) and eat one balanced normal meal of around 600calories. Giving you a grand total of 1200 calories a day.
Whereas this may seem easy, the willpower you need to sustain this for a few weeks is immense. A shake can taste pretty manky and fake, is not filling, relies on you using milk (some people are intolerant to dairy and lactose) and they also don't release energy slowly over a long period of time, leaving you feeling hungry. As they are quite sweet, they can encourage your body to prepare for a big physical session as often follows when your sweet tastebuds are activated, if this doesn't happen, then you are likely to start storing fat. This is one of the reasons that using some sweeteners may not help that much with weight loss if not supported by exercise.
Diet shakes can only be used short term and in my opinion, there are plenty of healthy 200 or thereabouts alternatives which will leave you feeling MUCH fuller and slowly realease energy. On top of that, they taste soooo much better.
Here is one of my favourites. It is balanced and provides plenty of protein and low GI carbohydrate to help keep you fuller for longer!
Healthy Lunchtime Tuna Fish Sandwich
Ingredients:
60g Drained Tuna Fish in Brine (sunflower oil will add more fat and calories)
2 x 22g slices of Hovis Nimble Wholemeal Bread
1 teaspoon light mayonnaise
35g sliced tomato (about 1/2 a salad tomato)
15g chopped red onion
I know it's a sandwich but if you make it this way it will hold together better! Spread the mayonnaise on the bread 1/4 teaspoon each side- this will help make it stick together better! Mix the chopped onion and tuna fish together and fill the sandwich with this, place the sliced tomatoes in and Voila! One healthy sandwich.
Energy: 207kCal
Carbohydrates: 19g
Fat: 2 g
Protein: 21g
And how about this for a healthy low fat and low GI breakfast:
Healthy Porridge with Prunes
Ingredients:
40g Scottish Porridge Oats
75ml skimmed milk
175ml water
1 teaspoon clear honey
25g stoned and chopped dried prunes
To make the porridge add the water and milk to the oats in a pan and heat til thickened, or place the water, milk and porridge oats and microwave for about 2 or 3 minutes, check it regularly so it doesn't boil over on the microwave and give a stir to make sure its cooked through properly. Add the teaspoon of honey to sweeten and the prunes, mix and eat! Just make sure its not too hot before you eat it!
Energy: 223kCal
Carbohydrates: 40g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 7g
On top of that, there are a number of ready meals out in the supermarkets that are around the 200 calorie mark which make quick light meals for the day. Tesco do a Light Choices ready meal (find in the chilled ready meals aisle) which is only 200 calories - minced beef and potatoes. It's ideal for lunch or a light dinner. Supplement with lots of fresh steamed or boiled vegetables if having for dinner and you will find it filling and tasty.
My experience with diet shakes was not great, I suffered badly with the large quantities of milk I was consuming a day (about a pint!) and found myself "crashing" after the sugar levels had depleted. They taste pretty synthetic and I ended up gaining weight, probably due to my exercise regime being in the evening and not after the shakes.
However, I found that using protein shakes by companies such as Maximuscle (for men) and Maxitone (for women) I felt less hungry and lost some weight. However these are very expensive and also don't taste that nice. Not synthetic, but just a bit manky! The strawberry and chocolate ones weren't too bad but they are made with water so do taste exactly like the powder in water even with the texture. Benefits are that they often have a few extra metabolism boosters, full of protein - great if you're wanting to achieve toning but not lose weight but if you are trying to lose weight, they provide support for developing lean muscle tissue. In addition, they are very low GI and 30kCal less per serving than your regular diet shake.
Summary:
Diet shakes cannot be used long term
They tend not to be sustainable
They do not leave you feeling satisfied
Being made with milk they can cause you stomach/gut discomfort AND bloating
They taste pretty poor
They can be expensive
There are better actual food meals that could replace these and leave you feeling fuller for longer and provide better nutrients.
If you want more on this topic, let me know and I'll write more!
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Burning a few cheeky calories can be fun!
My course recently organised an inter-course sport afternoon as part of a Force Development day! I wasn't knackered but played a few short games over the period of an hour or so... so I burned off a few calories! I wasn't knackered but I did run about a fair bit! I had chance to go to the gym too thereafter! Why not organise an office / work bonding or sports day and get the blood pumping and the fat burning? Charge £5 entry per team and use it towards a prize... perhaps health and fitness related? A heart rate monitor? A spa treatment/sports massage? A running shop voucher? Hope these inspire you! No-one is unhappy! I'll be posting a few more ideas on here about how to get everyone around you to support you in your fitness goals and maybe even get them to join in on the band wagon!
Tasty Spicy Parsnip, Apple and Carrot soup
This meal is super easy to make and super tasty. In addition it is low GI, low in fat, low in calories and a fantastic metabolism booster. The recipe serves 4, but nutritional info is per serving.
SERVES 4
Ingredients:
165g finely chopped onion - white or brown
425g washed, scraped and chopped parsnips
200g washed, scraped and chopped carrots
110g of sweet gala apple, cored and chopped (leave skin on - approx. 1 apple)
100 ml semi-skimmed milk
3/4 teaspoon finely ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of sunflower oil for frying - use less if possible!
1 teaspoon of sunflower oil for frying - use less if possible!
1 teaspoon finely ground coriander
1 teaspoon finely ground cumin
1/4 cup of fresh finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup of fresh finely chopped coriander
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 litre of water
In a stainless steel pan gently fry/soften the chopped onions in the sunflower oil - if you can don't use any or as little as possible. Next add the chopped carrots, parsnips and chopped sweet gala apple. Quickly cook these before adding about 1 litre of water and 100 ml of semi-skimmed milk. Finally add about 3/4 teaspoon of finely ground cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of ground coriander. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Simmer until the vegetables and fruit have softened. Finish off the dish by adding 1/2 a cup of finely chopped fresh parsley and fresh coriander before blending the soup in to a smooth soup. Divide between 4 bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and coriander.
Serve as an starter to help fill you up before a main meal or have as a lunch.
Great accompanied with wholegrain or malted brown bread.
Calories per bowl: 145 kCal
Carbohydrates: 24g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 3g
Cut the calories - a little bit at a time!
Trying to lose weight?
Don't want to give up your favourite foods? Willing to make little changes? Don't want to feel deprived?
There are a number of ways you can cut calories/fat etc from your diet without stopping eating your favourite foods.
Here are some of the small changes I made:
When drinking fruit juice, I have a 200ml serving instead of 250 ml - that spares me an extra 24 kcal each time and to be honest I don't notice.
If you have milk, try downgrading to a different fat level. I went from full fat to semi-skimmed, and then semi-skimmed to skimmed. Sounds horrible, but eventually you can tolerate it and in fact enjoy it. In fact I now go about half and half with water and skimmed milk in most things such as on cereal, in porridge and if I want to make a milky hot chocolate, in that too.
Changing from butter to a margarine may not only reduce your calories, but in addition will lower the bad saturated fats you are ingesting in most cases and raise the good fats like the polys. This eventually can help with your cholesterol. In addition, if you can, avoid having it where possible and reduce the amount you have too. A slightly mounded teaspoon is approximately 10g and this in the lower fat spreads such as Flora Light and Bertolli Light is about 35kcal too. So if you're having a sandwich, try and avoid it, or just butter one piece sparingly if you really can't avoid it.
If you look around the supermarket or your grocery store, you'll often find lower fat versions of the products you're looking for. Whilst you're new to making diet changes, it's worth spending a little extra time looking at the nutritional information on the packs and comparing products. It will help you choose better and decide if you REALLY need that food.
I find that some of the Tesco value products are nutritionally the best and really they just have ugly packaging. They can be much cheaper too saving you money! However be careful that reduced calories doesn't mean increased salt and other bad stuff like fat. In addition, changing everything sometimes doesn't work. For example, I tried to make custard with half skimmed milk, half water and granulated sweetener. Whereas the sweetener wasn't too bad a replacement for the sugar (it was a sucralose derived one) the water and milk was a tad overkill and whereas the consistency was fine, the taste was just a little too watery! Lesson learned-never again!
Other changes to make - if you're having some baked goods, try cutting them in half and breaking the treat up over the day or having half one day and half the next - half the calories - half the fat - same taste!
Try opting for a smaller loaf - I've changed to Hovis - Nimble Wholemeal bread... at 48kcal a slice it's half the calories of a normal slice, and to be honest, once you get used to smaller portions you don't notice the size... In fact, I think that full size loaves look ginormous now!
Other little changes - drinks.
Try switching from regular calorie soda/pop to the diet version or even better water. This will help with your fluid uptake too and metabolism of fat. It should also prevent any bowel or bladder/kidney problems. If you hate the "taste" of water, maybe invest in a water filter to help eliminate any extra metals etc that may be in the water tainting it. Alternatively, add a small amount (not regular amount) of squash to just give it a hint of flavour, or even have a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice in it. Switch from 2 sugars in your tea/coffee to 1 and from 1 to half or even sweetener. If you can avoid the sugar and sweetener all the better. Black tea on it's own can be very good too. Even better, switch black tea for green which has LOADS of health benefits and a brilliant effect of your metabolism. It comes in so many flavours too to take away the "acquired" taste.
However; if you're having any kind of sleep issues I recommend avoiding all caffeinated drinks altogether, or at the very least all after about 1500 (3pm). Remember - chocolate contains caffeine so this would include cocoa/hot chocolate! Other things to note on this matter is having a carbohydrate snack such as Horlicks and a biscuit or something similar about an hour before bed will help release the hormone Melatonin in to your body which helps promote sleep. A hungry animal won't sleep as he will want to hunt for food - a satisfied animal will sleep! The same applies to us humans!
Breaking up healthy snacks throughout the day between meals MAY help control your appetite and help with portion control. Making sure you eat your dinner properly and focus on it as opposed to something like the TV will mean you eat at a pace where your body and head know it is getting full as it can take about half an hour; if you rush you can end up over eating and feeling pretty bloated later. Exercising portion control by measuring out your food is great as you won't over serve and in fact, most of the time is plenty! If you feel peckish- try and exchange sugar rich and fat rich food for something like a crunchy apple or even better, some crunchy carrots. These will satisfy your "need" to eat through the physical chewing and biting yet be low in calories - vegetables are better than fruit generally as they tend to contain less fructose and sugars so will irritate your stomach less and also you will get less calories from them. Root vegetables are fantastic as they are low GI too which means they release energy slowly so you don't hit as great a sugar high and then crash quickly. The same goes for wholemeal over whiteflour products.
REMEMBER, ALL FOODS HAVE A PART TO PLAY IN YOUR DIET SO DON'T TOTALLY BANISH ONE TYPE NECESSARILY!
Even I like to have some white toast with butter when I go home to visit my family.
Anyway - thats just my quick version of some quick calorie savers for you to try!
Don't want to give up your favourite foods? Willing to make little changes? Don't want to feel deprived?
There are a number of ways you can cut calories/fat etc from your diet without stopping eating your favourite foods.
Here are some of the small changes I made:
When drinking fruit juice, I have a 200ml serving instead of 250 ml - that spares me an extra 24 kcal each time and to be honest I don't notice.
If you have milk, try downgrading to a different fat level. I went from full fat to semi-skimmed, and then semi-skimmed to skimmed. Sounds horrible, but eventually you can tolerate it and in fact enjoy it. In fact I now go about half and half with water and skimmed milk in most things such as on cereal, in porridge and if I want to make a milky hot chocolate, in that too.
Changing from butter to a margarine may not only reduce your calories, but in addition will lower the bad saturated fats you are ingesting in most cases and raise the good fats like the polys. This eventually can help with your cholesterol. In addition, if you can, avoid having it where possible and reduce the amount you have too. A slightly mounded teaspoon is approximately 10g and this in the lower fat spreads such as Flora Light and Bertolli Light is about 35kcal too. So if you're having a sandwich, try and avoid it, or just butter one piece sparingly if you really can't avoid it.
If you look around the supermarket or your grocery store, you'll often find lower fat versions of the products you're looking for. Whilst you're new to making diet changes, it's worth spending a little extra time looking at the nutritional information on the packs and comparing products. It will help you choose better and decide if you REALLY need that food.
I find that some of the Tesco value products are nutritionally the best and really they just have ugly packaging. They can be much cheaper too saving you money! However be careful that reduced calories doesn't mean increased salt and other bad stuff like fat. In addition, changing everything sometimes doesn't work. For example, I tried to make custard with half skimmed milk, half water and granulated sweetener. Whereas the sweetener wasn't too bad a replacement for the sugar (it was a sucralose derived one) the water and milk was a tad overkill and whereas the consistency was fine, the taste was just a little too watery! Lesson learned-never again!
Other changes to make - if you're having some baked goods, try cutting them in half and breaking the treat up over the day or having half one day and half the next - half the calories - half the fat - same taste!
Try opting for a smaller loaf - I've changed to Hovis - Nimble Wholemeal bread... at 48kcal a slice it's half the calories of a normal slice, and to be honest, once you get used to smaller portions you don't notice the size... In fact, I think that full size loaves look ginormous now!
Other little changes - drinks.
Try switching from regular calorie soda/pop to the diet version or even better water. This will help with your fluid uptake too and metabolism of fat. It should also prevent any bowel or bladder/kidney problems. If you hate the "taste" of water, maybe invest in a water filter to help eliminate any extra metals etc that may be in the water tainting it. Alternatively, add a small amount (not regular amount) of squash to just give it a hint of flavour, or even have a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice in it. Switch from 2 sugars in your tea/coffee to 1 and from 1 to half or even sweetener. If you can avoid the sugar and sweetener all the better. Black tea on it's own can be very good too. Even better, switch black tea for green which has LOADS of health benefits and a brilliant effect of your metabolism. It comes in so many flavours too to take away the "acquired" taste.
However; if you're having any kind of sleep issues I recommend avoiding all caffeinated drinks altogether, or at the very least all after about 1500 (3pm). Remember - chocolate contains caffeine so this would include cocoa/hot chocolate! Other things to note on this matter is having a carbohydrate snack such as Horlicks and a biscuit or something similar about an hour before bed will help release the hormone Melatonin in to your body which helps promote sleep. A hungry animal won't sleep as he will want to hunt for food - a satisfied animal will sleep! The same applies to us humans!
Breaking up healthy snacks throughout the day between meals MAY help control your appetite and help with portion control. Making sure you eat your dinner properly and focus on it as opposed to something like the TV will mean you eat at a pace where your body and head know it is getting full as it can take about half an hour; if you rush you can end up over eating and feeling pretty bloated later. Exercising portion control by measuring out your food is great as you won't over serve and in fact, most of the time is plenty! If you feel peckish- try and exchange sugar rich and fat rich food for something like a crunchy apple or even better, some crunchy carrots. These will satisfy your "need" to eat through the physical chewing and biting yet be low in calories - vegetables are better than fruit generally as they tend to contain less fructose and sugars so will irritate your stomach less and also you will get less calories from them. Root vegetables are fantastic as they are low GI too which means they release energy slowly so you don't hit as great a sugar high and then crash quickly. The same goes for wholemeal over whiteflour products.
REMEMBER, ALL FOODS HAVE A PART TO PLAY IN YOUR DIET SO DON'T TOTALLY BANISH ONE TYPE NECESSARILY!
Even I like to have some white toast with butter when I go home to visit my family.
Anyway - thats just my quick version of some quick calorie savers for you to try!
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Fitness Tools and Tips - an Introduction
In this post I just want to talk about a few bits and pieces which I consider core to MY personal fitness training.
First my trainers. Personally I have Asics Gel 1150 trainers, I replace them every 6 months. I bought these trainers after having a gait analysis done at "Up & Running". I only did this as I was consistently getting lower limb problems whilst I was in Initial Officer Training. However, since then (and a whole lot of rest!) I've not had any lower limb problems as a result of running. They are extremely comfortable and cushioned! BUT... this doesn't mean that these trainers are for you... my point here is, if you're going to be doing a lot of exercise, invest in a great pair of trainers that are comfortable and provide the correct support and performance for your biomechanics. It costs around £10 to get a gait analysis done, some do it for free; normally if they charge they offset the cost of the analysis against the trainers you buy from them if you do. Trainers should be replaced every 6 months and treated well, leave them to air properly to prevent sweat build up causing you infections on your feet, bacterial or fungal. ALWAYS wear socks, if possible absorbent/padded ones designed for sport. If possible rotate between 2 pairs so that if you exercise every day you can allow the other pair to dry out properly. NEVER wash your trainers. You could damage the structure of them as it tends to damage / degrade the rubber and other materials in the trainer.
Secondly; my Polar Heart Monitor. I use this in the form of a chest strap which then transmits to the cardio equipment in the gym. This helps me know which effort/training band I'm working in and also it allows me to look at my heart rate over a period of weeks for the same exercise. This helps me know if I'm getting fitter and adapt my training, perhaps run at a faster pace or for much longer to avoid not gaining any further benefit.
Thirdly; another key bit of equipment is my iPhone with Nike+ & Nike+GPS on it! Both apps are amazing and really help me train. Especially when out on long runs; Nike+GPS can be a God-send as it provides feedback such as distance covered, average pace, total time and even "Attaboys" and cheers if you link in to Facebook. On top of that you can upload your runs to Nike+ running and track your progress and look at your workouts. With Nike+GPS you can see your run on a map (Google maps) and see your pace at various stages of the route - the faster you were the greener that part, the more red indicates you were at the slower end of your slowest pace. In addition, it will calculate an estimation of calories burned from your biometric data such as height, weight, age and gender. It also helps it calculating your pace due to your height. The other good thing about my iPhone is that I can carry a piece of safety equipment(phone!), a music player and a fitness tracker all in one handy device that fits into an arm sleeve when I run. It's fab!
Finally... when I work out in the gym, my final friend is the water bottle! If interval training on the treadmill, you need to keep well hydrated and after any phys session its important to make sure you hydrate to prevent inefficient post -workout fat and calorie burn, dehydration and some of its more sinister symptoms and side effects, and also to help you cool down. Its also needed by your body to help flush out the toxins, lactic acid and help repair muscle. Remember, weight lost immediately after exercise is purely as a result of water loss and not actual body weight! Don't cheat yourself! Look after your body!
On that note, post workout protein shakes can be effective and really good, but remember, they do count towards your daily calories and can be full of additional rubbish and calories - you should find out what serving size you need for your height, weight, effort and goals. Also, you can add electrolyte powder to your water in order to help balance the salts lost during sweating, careful again, if you're hoping to achieve weight loss, some of these contain a significant amount of calories. Finally, if you're doing a long workout (over an hour) of sustained endurance exercise, for example, a long run, I recommend you have a drink with some energy such as a sports isotonic style drink to add some carbohydrates to your body as your body will only be able to sustain efficient energy burn for a certain amount of time, adding a little boost will help you maintain safe and effective exercise that you will gain benefit from. You can also consume "Go" gels which are a carbohydrate gel, usually fruit flavoured. They are good because they act quickly and effectively, but you must drink water with them which can be a little inconvenient of doing a long run outside.
Thats my tips to fitness and exercise for today! These are just personal choices and experiences, there are a multitude of other ways to help you out, these are a small selection that work for me as an individual!
Now get your bum out and about! :)
First my trainers. Personally I have Asics Gel 1150 trainers, I replace them every 6 months. I bought these trainers after having a gait analysis done at "Up & Running". I only did this as I was consistently getting lower limb problems whilst I was in Initial Officer Training. However, since then (and a whole lot of rest!) I've not had any lower limb problems as a result of running. They are extremely comfortable and cushioned! BUT... this doesn't mean that these trainers are for you... my point here is, if you're going to be doing a lot of exercise, invest in a great pair of trainers that are comfortable and provide the correct support and performance for your biomechanics. It costs around £10 to get a gait analysis done, some do it for free; normally if they charge they offset the cost of the analysis against the trainers you buy from them if you do. Trainers should be replaced every 6 months and treated well, leave them to air properly to prevent sweat build up causing you infections on your feet, bacterial or fungal. ALWAYS wear socks, if possible absorbent/padded ones designed for sport. If possible rotate between 2 pairs so that if you exercise every day you can allow the other pair to dry out properly. NEVER wash your trainers. You could damage the structure of them as it tends to damage / degrade the rubber and other materials in the trainer.
Secondly; my Polar Heart Monitor. I use this in the form of a chest strap which then transmits to the cardio equipment in the gym. This helps me know which effort/training band I'm working in and also it allows me to look at my heart rate over a period of weeks for the same exercise. This helps me know if I'm getting fitter and adapt my training, perhaps run at a faster pace or for much longer to avoid not gaining any further benefit.
Thirdly; another key bit of equipment is my iPhone with Nike+ & Nike+GPS on it! Both apps are amazing and really help me train. Especially when out on long runs; Nike+GPS can be a God-send as it provides feedback such as distance covered, average pace, total time and even "Attaboys" and cheers if you link in to Facebook. On top of that you can upload your runs to Nike+ running and track your progress and look at your workouts. With Nike+GPS you can see your run on a map (Google maps) and see your pace at various stages of the route - the faster you were the greener that part, the more red indicates you were at the slower end of your slowest pace. In addition, it will calculate an estimation of calories burned from your biometric data such as height, weight, age and gender. It also helps it calculating your pace due to your height. The other good thing about my iPhone is that I can carry a piece of safety equipment(phone!), a music player and a fitness tracker all in one handy device that fits into an arm sleeve when I run. It's fab!
Finally... when I work out in the gym, my final friend is the water bottle! If interval training on the treadmill, you need to keep well hydrated and after any phys session its important to make sure you hydrate to prevent inefficient post -workout fat and calorie burn, dehydration and some of its more sinister symptoms and side effects, and also to help you cool down. Its also needed by your body to help flush out the toxins, lactic acid and help repair muscle. Remember, weight lost immediately after exercise is purely as a result of water loss and not actual body weight! Don't cheat yourself! Look after your body!
On that note, post workout protein shakes can be effective and really good, but remember, they do count towards your daily calories and can be full of additional rubbish and calories - you should find out what serving size you need for your height, weight, effort and goals. Also, you can add electrolyte powder to your water in order to help balance the salts lost during sweating, careful again, if you're hoping to achieve weight loss, some of these contain a significant amount of calories. Finally, if you're doing a long workout (over an hour) of sustained endurance exercise, for example, a long run, I recommend you have a drink with some energy such as a sports isotonic style drink to add some carbohydrates to your body as your body will only be able to sustain efficient energy burn for a certain amount of time, adding a little boost will help you maintain safe and effective exercise that you will gain benefit from. You can also consume "Go" gels which are a carbohydrate gel, usually fruit flavoured. They are good because they act quickly and effectively, but you must drink water with them which can be a little inconvenient of doing a long run outside.
Thats my tips to fitness and exercise for today! These are just personal choices and experiences, there are a multitude of other ways to help you out, these are a small selection that work for me as an individual!
Now get your bum out and about! :)
Creating and managing a food diary
In this post I'm going to tell you about food diaries; how and why to keep one.
So, why should you keep a food diary?
There are a number of reasons as to why; firstly it's a great way of planning meals. I always plan what I'm going to eat a few days before hand just so I know what I'm going to buy and how much of it. This helps to stop wastage. It also helps me plan and factor in when I can indulge myself. For example, if I know I'm going out for dinner on a certain day I can make a rough estimation of what sort of meal I'll be having and the calories etc in it. To avoid overeating for the day, I can make sure I eat appropriate amounts of food and of certain nutritional value in the rest of the day and/or week. In addition, I know the days I exercise and can plan meals around that and my lifestyle. For example, I'll probably go for a low calorie/ low fat filling ready meal on a Tuesday night as I finish work with just enough time to get changed and go to my netball training session. By the time I've finished netball training, it's starting to get quite late and I'm usually very hungry. A ready meal takes a short while to cook and if its filling, I'll feel satisfied, meaning I don't snack on quite so much later before bed. Keeping a food diary helps you to analyse your eating habits if you are trying to achieve a certain goal. For example, you could be undereating, overeating, not eating enough of the "right" thing, not drinking enough fluids and eating certain things at certain times of the day or eating particular items due to emotions. It's all very useful though to log all this information. It also is great if you have noticed a change in your digestive system or a suspect allergy/intolerance. If you can link something to certain symptoms, you can take the information to your doctor who will suggest a useful course of action whether it be to discount it, eliminate it from your diet or send you for testing or to a nutrition/dietician. You should NEVER eliminate a food group off your own initiative, such as dairy products, fruit etc unless under strict medical supervision, control and monitoring
So How do I keep a food diary?
Anyone can keep a food diary. My advice is to use one online such as at www.myfitnesspal.com ; it is much easier for you to track your diary here as it provides the nutritional value and physically shows you if you are under eating/ overeating and a breakdown of the components of your diet such as fibre, carbohydrates, protein and minerals. It compares them for you against the recommended allowances and also can produce reports. It also allows you to track your energy expenditure against this.
However, if you go down the hard route, you may decide to keep a paper food diary. Here, you will have to base all your info on your own calculations of the products you are eating. This can be very time consuming and sometimes inaccurate. However, what you could do is write down in a paper diary what you are eating and the quantity and later upload/transfer this information on to an online diary. This is particularly useful if you are without an internet connection for a few days for example.
If you know your Daily Caloric Needs (see previous post) you can also use this to calculate how much exercise you need to do in order to "negate" or cancel your overeat as some days you will.
Other points to note:
It's ideal to track the amount of fluids you are taking on board... cups of tea and coffee etc all add up to sneaky calories when added with milk and sugars (a cup of tea or coffee with milk and 2 sugars is about 28 calories.... have 3 or 4 a day and that's a sneaky 100 ish calories!) It's the same for all those cheeky fizzy drinks and squash. Even keeping an eye on diet drinks is ideal as they can contribute to weight gain, bloating, fatty deposits etc. Not only that, but it may help with your eating habits analysis.
Reemember, it doesn't matter if you go over your daily caloric needs you can always burn off the extra and don't kid yourself by underestimating portion size and also everything you eat.
Hope you found this useful!
So, why should you keep a food diary?
There are a number of reasons as to why; firstly it's a great way of planning meals. I always plan what I'm going to eat a few days before hand just so I know what I'm going to buy and how much of it. This helps to stop wastage. It also helps me plan and factor in when I can indulge myself. For example, if I know I'm going out for dinner on a certain day I can make a rough estimation of what sort of meal I'll be having and the calories etc in it. To avoid overeating for the day, I can make sure I eat appropriate amounts of food and of certain nutritional value in the rest of the day and/or week. In addition, I know the days I exercise and can plan meals around that and my lifestyle. For example, I'll probably go for a low calorie/ low fat filling ready meal on a Tuesday night as I finish work with just enough time to get changed and go to my netball training session. By the time I've finished netball training, it's starting to get quite late and I'm usually very hungry. A ready meal takes a short while to cook and if its filling, I'll feel satisfied, meaning I don't snack on quite so much later before bed. Keeping a food diary helps you to analyse your eating habits if you are trying to achieve a certain goal. For example, you could be undereating, overeating, not eating enough of the "right" thing, not drinking enough fluids and eating certain things at certain times of the day or eating particular items due to emotions. It's all very useful though to log all this information. It also is great if you have noticed a change in your digestive system or a suspect allergy/intolerance. If you can link something to certain symptoms, you can take the information to your doctor who will suggest a useful course of action whether it be to discount it, eliminate it from your diet or send you for testing or to a nutrition/dietician. You should NEVER eliminate a food group off your own initiative, such as dairy products, fruit etc unless under strict medical supervision, control and monitoring
So How do I keep a food diary?
Anyone can keep a food diary. My advice is to use one online such as at www.myfitnesspal.com ; it is much easier for you to track your diary here as it provides the nutritional value and physically shows you if you are under eating/ overeating and a breakdown of the components of your diet such as fibre, carbohydrates, protein and minerals. It compares them for you against the recommended allowances and also can produce reports. It also allows you to track your energy expenditure against this.
However, if you go down the hard route, you may decide to keep a paper food diary. Here, you will have to base all your info on your own calculations of the products you are eating. This can be very time consuming and sometimes inaccurate. However, what you could do is write down in a paper diary what you are eating and the quantity and later upload/transfer this information on to an online diary. This is particularly useful if you are without an internet connection for a few days for example.
If you know your Daily Caloric Needs (see previous post) you can also use this to calculate how much exercise you need to do in order to "negate" or cancel your overeat as some days you will.
Other points to note:
It's ideal to track the amount of fluids you are taking on board... cups of tea and coffee etc all add up to sneaky calories when added with milk and sugars (a cup of tea or coffee with milk and 2 sugars is about 28 calories.... have 3 or 4 a day and that's a sneaky 100 ish calories!) It's the same for all those cheeky fizzy drinks and squash. Even keeping an eye on diet drinks is ideal as they can contribute to weight gain, bloating, fatty deposits etc. Not only that, but it may help with your eating habits analysis.
Reemember, it doesn't matter if you go over your daily caloric needs you can always burn off the extra and don't kid yourself by underestimating portion size and also everything you eat.
Hope you found this useful!
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Basal Metabolic Rate and Calculating Daily Caloric Needs
Basal Metabolic Rate what is it?
All the time we are above we are using energy. Energy to keep or vital organs functioning, energy to keep us warm, energy for digestion, producing enzymes, allowing muscles in our gut to move, our heart to beat. So even when we are at rest or even asleep, you can see we use energy.
The Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of energy required for us to stay alive if totally sedentary, for example- staying in bed all day.
To calculate your BMR use your current weight and height measurements. There are two formulas, one for men and one for women. MAKE SURE YOU USE THE RIGHT ONE!
Imperial BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
Metric BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
Once you have calculated your BMR you can then calculate your Daily Caloric Needs dependent upon your activity levels.
Your Daily Caloric Need number is the amount of energy required for you to sustain your weight at a specified activity level based around your BMR. To calculate it, see the table below:
Harris Benedict Formula
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
The activity level also includes your general daily activity. So for example, If you are sedentary you probably work in an office at a desk in front of a computer with little exercise.
Lightly active would be the above doing exercise too around 3 times a week.
Moderately active would be someone who spends most of their day on their feet such as a nurse and who is doing exercise about 3 days a week.
This information can be used to determine if you are over or under eating for your activity, height and weight which can be useful if you are trying to lose or gain weight.
Next blog - keeping a food diary and then some recipes!!!
All the time we are above we are using energy. Energy to keep or vital organs functioning, energy to keep us warm, energy for digestion, producing enzymes, allowing muscles in our gut to move, our heart to beat. So even when we are at rest or even asleep, you can see we use energy.
The Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of energy required for us to stay alive if totally sedentary, for example- staying in bed all day.
To calculate your BMR use your current weight and height measurements. There are two formulas, one for men and one for women. MAKE SURE YOU USE THE RIGHT ONE!
Imperial BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
Metric BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
Once you have calculated your BMR you can then calculate your Daily Caloric Needs dependent upon your activity levels.
Your Daily Caloric Need number is the amount of energy required for you to sustain your weight at a specified activity level based around your BMR. To calculate it, see the table below:
Harris Benedict Formula
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
The activity level also includes your general daily activity. So for example, If you are sedentary you probably work in an office at a desk in front of a computer with little exercise.
Lightly active would be the above doing exercise too around 3 times a week.
Moderately active would be someone who spends most of their day on their feet such as a nurse and who is doing exercise about 3 days a week.
This information can be used to determine if you are over or under eating for your activity, height and weight which can be useful if you are trying to lose or gain weight.
Next blog - keeping a food diary and then some recipes!!!
Body Mass Index
The body mass index is a ratio figure to indicate your weight compared to your height. It gives a good indication in most people as to their physical body fat to lean tissue composition. It does have its limitations and I am no longer convinced that it is that accurate for myself as I haven't gained any "size" yet my weight has gone up since getting very physically active suggesting I have become much more muscular. I prefer using the body fat percentage method to look at my physical composition as that gives me a figure which I think reflects my physical body better. I'll post that later.
Calculating your BMI is easy - there are a number of online calculators of which I have posted links at the end of this post.
However if you want to do it for yourself then you can use the calculations below.
You will need your bathroom scales, tape measure and a pen and paper to do this plus a calculator if you are mathematically challenged! If possible get someone to assist you as measuring your height if it's unknown can be a bit tricky.
Using the scales, measure your weight in either pounds or kilograms. There are 2.2 lbs approximately to a kilogram and there are 14 lbs to a stone of weight. If you measure your weight in lbs, measure or use your metric height converted to inches. There are 12 inches to a foot and there are 2.54 cm to an inch.
Imperial BMI Formula
BMI = ( Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches x Height in inches ) ) x 703
Metric BMI Formula
BMI = ( Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters x Height in Meters ) )
A BMI of less than 18.5 is considered Underweight. This is unhealthy.
A BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal/healthy.
A BMI of between 25 and 30 is considered overweight which starts to increase your chances of illness and poor cardiovascular and respiratory health.
A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese and this will greatly increase the risk of you developing cardiovascular and other health problems. Risk of heart attacks and strokes and other medical conditions such as sleep apnea are of significant increase.
As a final thought to this remember, if you train lots, especially for hypertrophy (enlarged muscles-bodybuilding) you are likely to have a high BMI. If this sounds like you, I suggest you do a body fat analysis instead to look at your lean to fatty tissue ratio. In older people it can give a false "reading" too as they tend to have a lot of muscle wastage.
Next Blog...calculating BMR and daily caloric needs.
Links to online calculators:
http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx - very good and approved by the British National Health Servicehttp://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Resting Heart Rate
This is just a quick post on Resting Heart Rate The normal range is about 60-90 BPM although this can be extended a little. Very athletic people or people who train a lot will probably be below 60...personally mine is usually around 49-56 BPM. I run a lot and cover long distance when I do.
Heart rate under 60BPM is defined as bradycardia. This can be a problem but usually its a result of hypertrophy of the heart muscle which means it is much more efficent so needs to pump less often. It's in this instance called Athletic heart syndrome/athlete's heart or athletic bradycardia. Generally speaking, this has no negative effects on the body. It typically happens in people who do cardiovascular training for around an hour most days of the week on a long term scale.
If your heart rate is lower than 60 BPM and can't see a reason why it may be worth taking a quick trip to the docs. If your RHR is more than 90 BPM its worth looking at why.
There are reasons its slightly elevated:
You might be anxious at the time of taking the reading - also called white coat syndrome - it often affects blood pressure readings too.
However, if you don't engage in much physical activity you probably will have a higher resting Heart Rate too.
Remember, if you are concerned SEE YOUR DOCTOR - but it's probably nothing, there is natural variation and in my previous post you can see other factors that affect your resting heart rate
Heart Rate
Having taken your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) we can now calculate your Training Heart Rate (THR), Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) using your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) and Resting Heart Rate.
Firstly this is all based on a commonly used model, but it is a model so you may find slight variations. However, I find it to be spot on.
Calculate your MHR.
MHR = 220 - age in years
Calculate your HRR (sometimes also called your Working Heart Rate WHR).
HRR = MHR - RHR
Calculate your THR according to what you want to get out of your workout.
The calculation for this is to take your HRR (or WHR) and multiply it by the percentage of the effort level you want divide by 100
For example for 60% effort
HRR (or WHR) X (60%/100) = THR for 60% effort
It can also be calculated like this
HRR (or WHR) x 0.6 = THR at 60% effort.
Please see below for the bands you require for your goals.
Full example.
I am aged 23.
My Resting Heart Rate - 49 Beats Per Minute (BPM)
Therefore my Max Heart Rate (MHR) is:
220 BPM - 23 years = 197 BPM
My Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) or Working Heart Rate (WHR) is:
MHR - RHR = 197 BPM - 49 BPM = 148 BPM
For a 65% effort workout:
WHR or HRR X 0.65 = 65% effort HR
148 X 0.65 = 145 BPM
or for a 90% effort Heart Rate
WHR or HRR X 0.90 = 90% effort HR
148 X 0.90 = 183 BPM
The Energy Efficient or Recovery Zone - 60% to 70%
Training within this zone develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity. All easy recovery running should be completed at a maximum of 70%. Another advantage to running in this zone is that while you are happily fat burning you may lose weight and you will be allowing your muscles to re-energise with glycogen, which has been expended during those faster paced workouts.
The Aerobic Zone - 70% to 80%
Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular. The body's ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved. As you become fitter and stronger from training in this zone it will be possible to run some of your long weekend runs at up to 75%, so getting the benefits of some fat burning and improved aerobic capacity.
The Anaerobic Zone - 80% to 90%
Training in this zone will develop your lactic acid system. In this zone, your individual anaerobic threshold (AT) is found - sometimes referred to the point of deflection (POD). During these heart rates, the amount of fat being utilised as the main source of energy is greatly reduced and glycogen stored in the muscle is predominantly used. One of the by-products of burning this glycogen is lactic acid. There is a point at which the body can no longer remove the lactic acid from the working muscles quickly enough. This is your anaerobic threshold (AT). Through the correct training, it is possible to delay the AT by being able to increase your ability to deal with the lactic acid for a longer period of time or by pushing the AT higher.
The Red Line Zone 90% to 100%
Training in this zone will only be possible for short periods. It effectively trains your fast twitch muscle fibres and helps to develop speed. This zone is reserved for interval training and only the very fit are able to train effectively within this zone.
Heart rate variations for a given intensity
A reduction in heart rate for a given intensity is usually due to an improvement in fitness but a number of other factors might explain why heart rates can vary for a given intensity:
- Dehydration can increase the heart rate by up to 7.5%
- Heat and humidity can increase the heart rate by 10 beats/minute
- Altitude can increase the heart rate by 10 to 20%, even when acclimatised
- Biological variation can mean the heart rate varies from day to day by 2 to 4 beats/minute
Getting Started
So, you've decided you want to change something about your physical self. Now what?
Follow my step by step guide to goal setting and management.
It doesn't matter what your goal is; whether it be lose, gain or maintain weight, improve a personal best, run for longer, lift more; keeping a diary of the changes in your body is essential for performance analysis. I recommend logging all the food you eat and it's weight/serving size/how much - if you can attach any particular emotions, feelings or cravings at the particular time, log it down. Don't use this at the time to make you change the fact you are about to eat it. It will be more useful for your analysis if you just do what you would and then log it.
Tools required:
A tape measure - soft
A set of decent bathroom scales - I recommend electronic scales which can weigh in metric and imperial.
A diary - electronic, online such as www.myfitnesspal.com or even your own personal hard copy.
Set of decent kitchen scales - I recommend electonic ones - Salter make a decent one for about £10 which measures up to 3Kg - you shouldn't ever need to weigh more than that.
A stopwatch - on your phone, on your watch - any will do.
A calculator - on your phone, a proper one - arithmetic!
Optional tools:
A smartphone - a variety of Apps are available to help you track your progress or assist with training. I use myfitnesspal, Nike+, Nike + GPS amongst others.
A heartrate monitor - personal recommendation is a "Polar" one as they tend to be very accurate as most reduce any intereference signals and they tend to be compatible with most gym equipment.
Now you have all that, it's time to do something with them!
Firstly - your weight. Don't be shy!
Set your bathroom scales up so they are on a flat, hard, even/level surface. Turn on the scales and allow them to "Zero" - step on the scales weight a moment for the digits to settle and then record the weight.
Top tip: Weigh yourself just once a week at the same time - for morale I weigh myself on Friday mornings as I've been committed with my plans from the Sunday morning through to Friday. I allow myself to have any "indulgences" on Friday night/Saturday morning as this is when I'm most likely to socialise and not have much control over what I eat/drink. Weighing yourself too many times and at different times, will give an untrue picture of your real weight as your body naturally fluctuates throughout the day from eating food, drinking, exercising etc.
Next - body measurements.
It's good to do all these measurements once every 2-4 weeks but I would definitely take your waist measurement once a week when you're doing your weight as you may bot lose any physical weight on the scales but you could have lost/gained fat/muscle which will be evident in your measurements. The tape measure should fit snugly but not pinch the skin! If you can, get a friend, partner or family member to help you take the measurements to make sure its done accurately and you don't "cheat". If you don't have any one available at the time, do it in front of a mirror so you can see if you're being accurate.
Starting from the top:
Neck; measure the narrowest part of your neck at the bottom with the tape measure slightly tapering dowwards at the front.
Bicep; Measure your biceps at the widest part.
Forearm; measure the widest part of your arm below to but as close to the elbow joint.
Wrist; measure around your wrist joint.
Waist - women; Ladies, you'll need to take 2 measurements. Firstly take the measurement of the narrowest circumference of your abdomen. Secondly take the measurement of your waist around the navel. DO NOT allow the skin to pinch.
Waist - men; take the measurement around your waist around your navel.
Hips - women ONLY; Ladies take the measurement around your HIPS at the widest point - this should be near the top of your leg just where your torso starts, NOT around your lower abdomen.
You can also take thigh and knee measurements although I believe these to be a bit useless unless you're going for a hypotrophy type programme and want to monitor this. They don't really contribute that much to gaining a body fat percentage analysis.
Finally, we're going to look at our resting heart rate. There are a number of ways to do this. A nice simple one is to count the number of pulses you feel in your wrist for about 15 seconds and multiplying it by 4. Use two fingers at the undeside of your wrist and establish a definite heartbeat before you start counting. However you can use a Heart Rate (HR) monitor too.
To take your RESTING heart rate, make sure you have been inactive for a short period of time (i.e. not straight after exercising/housework etc!) relax yourself and sit calmly reathing deeply.
We'll look at what all this means in another post and talk about Maximum Heart Rate, Heart Rate Reserve and Training Heart Rates. We'll also talk factors that can and will affect your Heart Rate.
Once you have taken all the measurements, make sure you have logged them all and then we can start doing something with all of this!
Happy Starts!
Next blog... calculating RHR, MHR, THR from your age and Resting Heart Rate.
Welcome
Hello!
Firstly, thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Hopefully you will gain some insight from it and inspiration.
My main aims are;
a) to tell you what has worked and what hasn't for me in terms of weight loss and fitness.
b) post you some recipes (with step by step instructions and photos where possible) which I have tried out which are healthy and low fat/low calorie. I'll provide a nutritional breakdown with all of these.
c) Post reviews on equipment, accessories and technology with regards to fitness, and in some cases-cooking.
each blog post, i'll try to focus on one particular topic. A recipe, a gizmo, a training exercise, a side effect, or even a supplemen/.
Just so you all know, I have no formal qualifications with regards to sport/fitness/nutrition - other than an A-level in Physical Education, but I have several years of experience being trained by personal trainers, using online tools, training for sports and Physical instruction in the Royal Air Force. I have tried various programmes/diets properly and so can help you with that too. I also am a regular woman - I'm 5' 9" and have NEVER had a BMI over 25 so it's always been maintained within the normal range.
Everything I post on here information wise is free as it's not official and just from my own experiences-all I ask is that you don't swear on here or to me or be rude or offensive. I respond well to CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.
Just a quick profile breakdown for me:
Aged 23
Female
5' 9" tall - 175cm
Current weight - 11 st 9 lbs - 74Kg
Lowest weight in past year - 10 st 6lbs - 66Kg
Current dress size - 10- 12
Smallest dress size in past year - 10 - 12
Lifestyle - physical training of 45 minutes or more at least 3 times a week. Typically 6 sessions of 45 minutes to 1 hour per week
Work - mosty sedentary - sat in front of computer screen for about 6 hours a day.
Alcohol - generally don't drink but if I do tends to be a Friday night Gin and Slimline tonics session!
Thanks for stopping by and good luck with all your challenges-may you succeed!
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