Sad facts regarding nutritional content of our foods and why we use supplements.

Years ago food was generally harvested and eaten within a short time period or it would perish.
These were the days when you would shop at several different places ie the local butcher, baker, greengrocer etc and communities were more close knit and accountable to each other. Times have changed so much and now with our busy lives we opt to shop at large Supermarket chains, where it has been so much more convenient to buy all of our produce under one roof.  Unfortunately this has driven many independent food traders out of business as they are just unable to compete with the likes of Sainsbury, Tesco and Asda.
We hear all sorts of horror stories and have been exposed to tv documentary's about animals being injected with growth hormones and chickens kept in cramped conditions and fed to twice the size before being slaughtered to end up on our dining room table. 
There are now more synthetic foods available than fresh food, as food may start out as fresh only to become tainted with preservatives, sweeteners and additives. It has been a bit of a catch 22 situation as manufacturers have adapted to the supply and demand of the over grown population. We have demands for pre-packed food and food with a longer shelf life.
Okay here comes the Profit of Doom here, you know that pre-packed sandwich you pick up at lunchtime, it has a sell by date on it of course so you wouldn't question the fact that it is fresh.  It will probably contain a high quantity of salt, and almost definitely some form of sugars or sweeteners to enhance the flavour of its ingredients. Then of course you will crave more of it.
You would be wiser to go to a Deli and buy a freshly made sandwich.  Here you can watch it being made and you can choose the ingredients from the counter.

Vegetables

Did you know that up to 45% of the most imporant nutrients are gone from fresh vegetables by the time they are consumed? Quite often it has taken anything from 2 weeks for the produce to reach your table, meanwhile we think we are purchasing "fresh vegetables. In most cases you may be better off to buy frozen vegetables which are stored almost immediately after harvesting thus retaining the majority of their nutritional value. On the plus side frozen vegetables are cheaper and can be stored for longer periods.

Herbalife Supplements

So when people say to me, "I eat well therefore I do not need to take a vitamin supplement" or "I won't try Herbalife Soya Protein Shakes because they are not real food!" I ask them if they eat bread and I ask them how they think bread is made. Our supplement is made from ground down soya and it is as natural and more healthy to use than most of the packaged foods that are currently filling the supermarket shelves. A great example is a typical commercial breakfast cereal. Stripped almost entirely of its natural fibre, has lost most of the vitamin and mineral content before it is processed into a crispy flake, then given some additive nutrients to justify the manufacturers claims of it being a "healthy breakfast".

I've used health supplements for years.  I eat very well or as well as I can taking into account the information I have given to you above, it is I agree a bit of a minefield. I use the Herbalife products as part of my diet and have a F1 shake every morning without fail. I take a multi-vitamin and a fish oil capsule every day and I ensure that I have a well balanced evening meal 99% of the time. I'm only human and if  I enjoy the odd Chinese takeaway or Dominos pizza at the weekend I still have the comfort of knowing I have had the majority of my vitamin intake from my breakfast shake and my supplements.

For further information on the Health and Wellbeing Supplements that I subscribe to, go to
http://www.fithealthyhappy.biz

 Best regards
Sherry Chandler

Personal Trainer Brighton and Hove Website

What about healthy weight gain? (Part 2 Training For Size)

So by now you should have organised your nutritional plan and have worked out how many extra calories you are going to need each day in order to gain some weight.
Now we need to make sure that extra weight is to be converted straight to solid muscle mass.
If you are a beginner to resistance training or have done no structured exercise for more than 3 months, you need to start with a basic building phase.


With the following plan you will build a good strong base, try to think of it in the same way as building a house, you need a good solid foundation on which to form a solid perfect asymetrical structure, this is what you are now putting in place. This will prepare your body for the next phase of building.

Endurance Training  (Follow for 12 Wks) 

• 12-15 repetitions

• 3 sets per exercise

• Rest between sets = 60 secs 

• train 3 x times per week         

• Train whole body

Now you are ready for some serious bodybuilding

Hypertrophy Training  (Follow for 12 Wks)

• 6-12 repetitions

• 4-6 sets per exercise

• rest between sets = 1-2mins

• train 2-3 x times per week      

• Split routine  chest/back   shoulders/bi's/tri's   quads/hams/calves

The next phase is strength training but if you are happy with the results of your Hypertrophy Phase you can always follow this programme for longer if you wish, just remember that it is good to confuse your muscles by changing your programme after a period of time to avoid what is known as a plateau. You may see your gains start to slow down in which case the strength training phase will kick start your body to cope with more stress.

Strength Training (Follow for 12 Wks)

• 1-5 repetitions

• 2-6 sets per exercise

• rest between sets = 3-5 mins

• train 2 x times per week

• All over circuit

Good Luck

Personal Trainer Brighton and Hove Website

What about healthy weight gain? (Part 1 Nutrition)

There are two ways of gaining weight, either increase your fat weight, or increase your muscle weight.  You should be opting to go for increasing muscle weight and you can only do this by combining an effective resistance training programme (which I will discuss further in Part 2) with a well balance diet. The exercise programme is obviously going to stimulate muscle growth but more importantly your food intake is going to provide you with the correct nutrition to enable you to grow.
Remember you can't force a square peg into a round hole here, your genetics make up 75% of you so if you are an ectomorph (long limbs, narrow shoulders and hips) you are going to have to work very hard to build up some muscle and change your shape. Having said that on the plus side, did you know that Brad Pitt is infact a famous ectomorph? and look how he transformed himself for the film that really skyrocketed him to fame FightClub.

Nutrition Counts!
In order to gain weight you are going to have to take in more calories than your body uses on a daily basis. Otherwise you are just going to burn off any of the muscle that you are trying to build. The downside to this is that you are going to have to eat more than your body is comfortable with initially. Don't worry this will change over time and your body will start to adapt and absorb the extra food.

Calculate Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
This is important as you need to find out how many calories (energy) you are using up on a daily basis and you need to ensure you are eating more than you are using. You will need your height in cms, your current body weight measurement paper and pen and a calculator to do this.

 Men:   BMR = 66+ (13.7 x Weight in Kgs) + (5 x height in cms) - (6.8 x Age)
 Women:  BMR =655+ (9.6 x Weight in Kgs) + 1.8 x height in cms) - (4.7 x age)
Example:  Male, Age 30 Height 6ft 4ins (193cms) Weight 9st11lbs (68kgs)
BMR = 66 + 932 + 965 - 204 = 1759 calories per day.

This is the energy used before any activity this is merely to keep you alive at this weight.
Remember if you have a physically demanding job or are also exercising 3-5 days per week you need to multiply 1759 x1.55 = 2726cals per day.

Mind bogling Isn't it? fortunately when I assess my new clients, I have a scale that calculates this for me.

To gain 1lb of muscle you need to take in an extra 2,500 cals per week or say an extra 400 cals per day. This also depends on individual metabolism so you may require more or less you would need to monitor this and also make sure you are gaining muscle and not fat.
I would recomend that you fill out a nutritional diary and log everything you eat you would be amazed how this helps when you are focusing on both weight loss and weight gain.

Best Foods For Muscle Gain
Wholegrain Rice
Wholegrain Pasta
Quinoa
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Wholemeal Bread

Chicken
Turkey
Fish - Tuna, salmon, mackerel, cod, shellfish 
Eggs
Nuts
Lean Red Meat
Dairy Products, skimmed milk, yoghurt, cottage cheese,
Protein Shakes (worth their weight in gold)
Protein Bars  (ditto)

NB:  Don't forget your fruit and veggies, they are packed with essential nutrients that are vital to help your body repair and grow.
You need to aim for 6 meals per day, remember 3 of these will be in snack form for example protein shake, bar or similar. If you are unfamiliar with or unsure about protein supplements, they are ideal to use to supplement your weight gain diet, we use Herbalife Nutritional Products ourselves and they are fantastic, you can view these on our site http://fithealthyhappy.biz View the section on Weight Gain.

NB:  Do not leave more than 3 hrs between meals this is crucial, you need to keep your body fuelled.

Good Luck

If you need professional 1-1 advice and a monitored training plan you would benefit from coming to see us check out our website at  Personal Trainer Brighton and Hove Website

Are you running the Brighton Marathon 2011?

 I ran the first Brighton Marathon in April 2010, and I wanted to share some of my experiences with you. It is full of all the crazy little things that go through your head as you embark on 12 mile and 20 mile runs in training.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/blogs/blogs/brighton_marathon/profile/36020/

If you are tempted to run a Marathon or have signed up and been accepted but are unsure about training progress or overcoming injuries, check out our Website, we offer a fitness training service for aspiring runners.

Check out my  Personal Trainer Brighton and Hove Website

So carry on eating crap and we will sell you a 5p statin to help fix the damage!

 Have a read of this article won't you guys and girls, because if nothing else it will give you a right laugh.
 I particularly liked the bit that says: when people engage in risky behaviours like (driving), they take measures to minimise their risk, such as wearing a seat belt!! how on earth can they compare that, to dishing out pills for five pence a pop at every fast food checkout till?
I also have a niggling feeling that someone that chooses to dine at a McDonalds several times a week would not have the slightest interest in taking a cholesterol lowering pill  not alone paying for it, as they appear to not be getting the point in the first place.
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1302544/Would-like-statins-Fast-food-outlets-hand-cholesterol-lowering-drugs.html
Statins  what are they? I had never heard of them until I read this article, so now I can share what I know with you, they are drugs used to lower cholesterol.

Cholesterol 

• It is a chemical compound produced by the body, it is a combined steroid and lipid fat, and is a building block for cell membranes and hormones such as Oestrogen and testosterone. 
• The liver produces around 80% our cholesterol and the rest comes from our diet.
• Cholesterol is present in most meat fish and dairy produce, it is not present in any plant based foods.
• Cholesterol from food is absorbed into the intestine and the stored in the liver. 
• The livers job amongst many is to to store and regulate cholesterol levels in the blood and secrete it as needed. 
• Total cholesterol in the body consists of a combination of LDL (low density lipoproteins) and  HDL High density lipoproteins. LDL are bad news and HDL good news. 
• High levels of LDL are associated with heart disease as LDL deposits hard plaque on the artery walls which over time forces the artery walls to narrow and thicken causing conditions such as high blood pressure, angina, heart attacks and strokes. 
• HDL on the other hand has particles that prevent LDL deposits from sticking to the artery walls and dispose of it through the liver.
• In certain individuals heredity will  can dictate HDL cholesterol levels
• Diets high in saturated fat will raise LDL levels.
• To lower LDL you need to consider losing any excess weight, exercising regularly and watching your diet.

So there you have it, its a little bit of a mind field I know but aside from the cholesterol speel, can you now also see how important it is to take care of your liver? the body is an amazing piece of human machinery, but like anything else worth preserving it needs taking care of.

My Personal Training Website Personal Trainer Brighton and Hove Website

Guys & Girls, for fat loss, don't fully rely on your scale, take measurements

When I see  my clients for their first Personal Training Assessment, I do a full health check including blood pressure, lung function and heart rate recovery.  The scale I use is incredibly resourceful as it is set up to calculate from their individual stats such as gender, height and age. I get accurate reads which I use to record clients on going progress, these include overall weight, body fat percentage, visceral fat (around heart & organs) basal metabolic rate, and body mass index.

I also do measurements which are extremely important, I do biceps, thighs, waist, (chest, mainly for the guys) and (hips, mainly for the ladies).

I have found from experience that as my clients get fitter and gain more lean muscle they can
sometimes get dis-heartened when they do their weekly weighs ins and are not seeing the scale drop as quickly as they feel it should.

They say they feel slimmer, their clothes are looser and we are both agreed that they have been putting in all of the effort required with their workouts and diet as they have their Nutri-Diaries checked by myself each week. So why has the scale barely budged,  you will find that body composition is actually changing and you can feel the difference, you feel slimmer more toned and leaner.  However It sometimes takes a tape measure to prove that you aren't going insane and that all of the effort is paying off.

Remember you cannot spot reduce with weight-loss, from my experience you usually notice that the face slims down first and gradually works down the body.  Men tend to store most of their fat around the chest and abdomen whereas women tend to store around the hips and thighs. Unfortunately these areas love to cling on to whatever they can so depending on the client, I end up tailoring programmes where extra effort and exercise is focused on there stubborn areas. 
If you are trying to lose weight get yourself a tape measure and get a partner or friend to help you measure accurately. Keep a note of the measurements and whether they are done in cms or inches and re-do them in a month's time. If you are putting in the work and eating sensibly you should see some pretty motivational results.

You can find further information on my website Personal Trainer Brighton and Hove Website

Oh No! We have an Office Feeder (actually more of a gym feeder)

Now Here's An interesting article:
Dailymail article - Beware the office feeder
 An important thing that I make my clients aware of when they come to me for weight-loss support

• Friends, Family and Colleagues from work, will often try to sabotage you. 

Quite often I feel that it is linked to other peoples insecurities about your new goals and successful determination towards a healthier slimmer more confident you.  It takes a great deal of discipline to change your habits and attitude towards your health.  The fact that they do not seem to want you to have this is not in all cases deliberate, but if you for example have a partner or husband who wants to carry on eating junk food, drinking excess alcohol and living the life of a couch potato, they aren't going to be too happy when you are no longer joining them in their activities.  You will be buying different groceries and eating more nutritious meals. You may start spending a few hours a week out jogging or down at the local gym enjoying the new levels of energy and new body you are sculpting. You may start to get MORE ATTENTION!  Ah this is a biggie and I know because I've seen it happen.

Work colleagues again, I imagine you have a pretty mixed bag of personalities and motivations there, but let me be a right cow and assume that they are often in denial about their own issues so they are hardly wanting to see you swanning around looking gorgeous and being annoyingly vibrant and healthy now are they? 

You may be accused of being boring, hopefully you have a personality like mine whereas you may use a few choice words to the offenders and look at them that in one of those unique condescending pitying kind of ways. At this stage you have your routine set up, you enjoy your weekends and have a little of what you fancy without the guilt because you have worked all week for it. You can enjoy a cheat day and get right back on track on Monday morning.

We have a Feeder down at our PTS Studio, they will remain anonymous as I'm not intending to hurt feelings or be sued for that matter. Also I'm pretty sure that they aren't aware of it.  The most amusing thing is that the feeder is a client of a trainer and over the past couple of months I have seen this client shrink and become thinner and thinner whilst practically every week day without fail, bringing a bacon sandwhich and either 2 muffins or cupcakes for her trainer after her session.  The Personal Trainer accepts the food but I'm not quite sure where the food goes as they are about a size 6 and should by now be the size of a small house!

I have mentioned my concerns on more than one occasion to the Trainer but this routine carries on
I must admit it does fascinate me a little.

My Website - Personal Trainer Brighton and Hove Website