PAY IT FORWARD

When I look back on my own health and fitness journey, there has always been a mentor, someone who has been willing to give of their time and knowledge to help me on my journey, and this has been such an important factor in my own success.

The first gym I joined was a hardcore little hot box in Yeoville Johannesburg, with nothing but free weights, giant men with tattoos and the smell of sweat. I was a skinny teenager who lacked self-confidence. A few of the more experienced weight lifters and body builders there - the kind of guys you didn’t want to make eye contact with for fear of having the crap knocked out of you, took me under their wing, showed me the ropes, encouraged me and built my confidence. It was as if they believed in me, for some unknown reason, when I didn’t even believe in myself!

At different points in my journey, I have always encountered these sometimes unlikely heroes, and I owe them a huge debt of gratitude, because without them, I don’t think I would have followed the immensely rewarding path that I am on today. Why would you give of your time and energy to mentor someone? The only reason I can think of is that at some point in every one of my mentors' lives, they were the skinny kid, or overweight kid, or kid who was going through a tough time, somebody helped them, and they wanted to pay it forward, as I do now.

The moral of the story? I think there are a few lessons to be learnt:-

1. The fitness industry is full of angels that come in different shapes and sizes willing to help others for no reward other than to pay it forward - to see you succeed as a fellow member of a larger fitness family. Don’t judge people or stereotype them as “dumb jocks”, “all brawn and no brain,” “arrogant posers “and the like. Everyone has their own story to tell, and more often than not you will find those stereotypes are very wrong!

2. Pay it forward! If somebody has helped you, help someone else, not for any reward or even a thank you, but for the joy of seeing somebody who may have been in the same boat as you, turn their life around.

3. If you want help, ask for it, and then keep showing up! If you stop asking, and you stop showing up, it is assumed you don’t want or need help and people will stop helping. Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn brings out the best in people.

GFIT offers mentorship to all our clients - either onsite, one on one, or via Skype, if you are not able to come to our Norwood gym. No one who trains with us is alone on their journey, whether online or onsite, we're always there for you!

(Ashley Galliard November 2015)

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

What motivates you to keep exercising and stay on track with your healthy lifestyle?

Studies on exercise show that those that stick to an exercise routine are motivated intrinsically.   That is, they find exercise  rewarding in itself, as opposed to being driven by the desire for an external reward (extrinsic motivation). Don’t get me wrong, working hard in a challenge to win a prize or the recognition of your peers is a great incentive and has been shown to be the catalyst of amazing transformations. When the competition is over however, what will drive you to carry on is intrinsic motivation.

How do you develop intrinsic motivation?

•            Do something you enjoy.

Research shows that people are far more likely to adhere to exercise if there is an expectation of enjoyment. Furthermore, if people think they will be successful at exercise they are more to adhere to a routine. (Huberty et al 2008). There will be tough days, there will be exercises and routines that you won’t always enjoy, but that may be necessary to take you to your goals. Sometimes you will need to just dig deep to get through it, that’s life. For the most part however, you need to derive enjoyment,  and a sense of confidence in your ability to succeed at your chosen exercise modality.

•         Prioritise performance over aesthetics (looking good).

We all want the perfect beach body, right? Sometimes you can become so focused on the aesthetics-the ‘reward’, that you forget about the process. You are willing to do anything, sacrifice anything (including your health and your sanity), and take short cuts to achieve that perfect body. You put yourself through hell in pursuit of an often unrealistic goal; you  come up short, feeling burnt out, injured and demoralized.  Pursuing ‘the look’ alone can be unhealthy, superficial and unsustainable.

When you focus on performance, you focus on the process. Performance goals could include anything from improving your strength, increasing your speed and endurance to performing everyday tasks efficiently and pain free. In order to achieve your goals, you may need to improve on various components of fitness eg core stability, address muscle imbalances, improve mobility, improve your nutrition,  and the like. Your training becomes a planned, balanced and purposeful process.

 As you improve, you consistently set new performance goals to challenge yourself. You develop intrinsic motivation -

a love for the exercise and lifestyle and the way it improves your performance and confidence. Since developing a great body is dependent entirely on adhering to a process, achieving your aesthetic goals becomes an inevitable consequence of pursuing performance goals, but not your only priority. You end up achieving your aesthetic goals in a healthy way and a way that is sustainable:- you don’t just look strong, you become strong mentally and physically.

Ashley Galliard October 2015

STAY POSITIVE!

CELEBRATE THE SMALL VICTORIES!

Hey Everyone. Progress is a series of small victories and milestones built on top of one another. I'm struck by how often we tend to dismiss these small victories and focus on the negatives-what we still don't like about ourselves. We really can be our own worst enemies and harshest critics! I'm not sure why this is; perhaps it's a fear of success and how that may change us that is too uncomfortable-it's easier to think of ourselves as incapable and some how not good enough, and therefore not have the burden of high expectations. Or is it that we're afraid of a cynical world that will put us in our place if we dare show any enthusiasm for our own progress-rather, let's put ourselves down before anyone else does, it's less painful?

I had a great session with a client the other day, she was focused and committed and achieved personal bests in the weights she lifted on at least two exercises. At the end of the session, I complimented her and congratulated her on a job well done and for making good progress. Her respnse was, .."Yes, but I'm not happy with the way my arms look." That is a little bit like being in the middle of your first marathon, and your coach, running with you, saying, well done, you've come a long way, keep going, to which you respond 'yes, but I'm not very happy with my flabby stomach!' The fact is, to finish that marathon when every muscle aches, and all instincts tell you to stop, you need to draw on every ounce of positive energy you can muster! You need to believe in the impossible, and celebrate every step that brings you closer to your goal-embrace the process and the moment. Any negative self criticism will lead to failure! Well guess what, your transformation journey is no different.

Your wellness journey is a growth process built on a series of small victories and milestones. It's good to drive yourself and acknowledge that you have further to go, but unless you celebrate the victories at the same time, you're not really embracing the process, you're not building on your successes, or opening up any doors for future growth. You're cerrtainly not going to enjoy the journey very much and the sad reality is, with constant self criticism you will probably sooner or later fail. 

So forget about what the world may or may not think of your achievements, be mindful of your own critical attitude towards yourself, practice giving yourself a pat on the back as you celebrate your victories, and remember to have fun! 

(Ashley Galliard, October 2015)

STRESSES OF THE ENDURANCE ATHLETE

Dr Ian Craig

The training stresses on the endurance athlete are considerable. Ian Craig explores the functional consequences of heavy training and what to do about them.

 “Not one part of our body will be untouched by the stress of training, to the extent that it probably won’t be a coincidence if you’re a bit depressed or anxious after hitting your highest mileage one particular week”

·         Endurance training demands large quantities of energy;

·         It is catabolic in nature; it releases stress hormones;

·         It can deplete the immune system; it may cause leaky gut syndrome;

·         It increases the likelihood of an over-use injury;

·         It pressurises nutrient reserves in the body;

·         And endurance exercise can potentially even age you quicker.

In a nutshell, endurance training is very hard on our bodies – I’m not talking about heading out for a family bike ride on a Saturday plus gyming with mates during the week. I’m talking about ‘real’ athletes who push their bodies to the max several times per week with the goal of shaving a ½ second off their best time or finishing ahead of somebody who pipped them at the post last time.

Exercise physiologists understand this whole-body stress that athletes place themselves under, but mostly people unfortunately do not and actually still think that ‘more is better’. And this includes the athletes and coaches themselves – I see a lot of top amateur cyclists in Cape Town, who are on the roads for hours every day and whose bodies are simply cooked with the effects of overtraining. It might just be one final race that tips their body into a state of non-recovery in the guise of a chronic virus like Epstein Barr (Glandular Fever) or an injury that refuses to heal. Many athletes have a vague idea of this thing called ‘overtraining’, but often don’t really embrace it until they have no choice like poor Andrew Steele in Adam’s Carey’s article. Prior to something as serious as Glandular Fever and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, there have been many months (and possibly years) of subtle overtraining. It’s like the male executive who drops dead of a heart attack at age 50 – according to medical records, he was previously ‘healthy’. Medically, he was ‘sub-clinically’ (not picked up by medical exams) sick for many years because it generally takes 20+ years to build up to a heart attack. Endurance athletes are no different, and yes, there are cases of heart attacks in so-called healthy runners, cyclists and Cross Country Skiers. We can gradually be digging a health hole for ourselves over a long period of time by unwittingly embracing the daily grind of training.

So, that’s the bad news guys. Before giving you the good news though, I want to remind you of the whole-body stress that athletes are under and try to join some of the dots from previous articles in FSN.

The Functional Model

Displayed below is ‘The Web’ of health interactions, as represented by the Institute for Functional Medicine in the States. In a simple way, the web signifies how several systems in our body interact and influence each other. Like a spider’s web, if one corner is damaged (ie. one of the systems is out of balance), the rest of the web can actually collapse. Here lies the meaning of ‘Functional’ in Functional Sports Nutrition – biochemically, neurologically, hormonally, structurally and immunologically, every part of our body is connected in some way. To fully understand our health, we need to consider these large body systems in an integrated (or functional) way.

The physical stresses of training, as noted by Dr Moir, are translated into the biochemical stresses of inflammation and oxidative stress, which are systemic phenomenon. That is, not one part of our body will be untouched by the stress of training, to the extent that it probably won’t be a coincidence if you’re a bit depressed or anxious or ‘not quite yourself’ after hitting your highest mileage one particular week.

The Good News!

After all that bad news, what could ever be good about endurance training? Well, ever since the Jim Fixx marathon movement of the late ‘70’s, aerobic conditioning has had a myriad of research supporting its benefits. Benefits are whole-body and too countless to name here, but include:

·         cardiovascular health & fitness;

·         musculoskeletal function;

·         energy;

·         metabolic support;

·         gastrointestinal health;

·         bone mineralisation;

·         and promotion of mental health, such as strongly countering depression and anxiety.

Jim Fixx incidentally died of a heart attack at age 52 whilst out running, but it was revealed that he had a strong hereditary risk of heart disease plus his diet wasn’t discussed!

All these benefits of exercise can also be diminished in function if you push your body too hard. So, like almost everything in life, it’s all a matter of BALANCE. The harder you train, the harder you must recover. According to many learned coaches, there is only one thing that’s more important to an athlete than training and that is recovery. The job of training is to break-down the structural apparatus of your muscles and pressurise all of the physiological systems involved in the endurance activity. The job of recovery is to allow time for these systems to be reinforced to a stronger level than before. So, the clever athlete can have his or her cake and eat it, whereas the over-motivated or obsessed, but not necessarily un-intelligent, athlete may simply run their body into the ground.

Chinese medicine uses the words ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ to indicate opposites. This could be hot and cold; expansive and contracting; dry and wet; hard and soft, thick and thin, dark and light etc. Yin and yang are complementary opposites that interact within a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, because for example, light can’t exist without darkness and vice versa, but either aspects can ebb and flow in intensity over time.

Within the context of this article that has considered the integrative nature of the human body, yin and yang provide us with a lovely analogy for obtaining the balance between work and rest. Yang is characterised as fast, hard, solid, focussed, hot, dry and aggressive, whereas yin is characterised as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet and passive. We can therefore label training as yang and recovery as yin. As long as the two aspects are in reasonable balance most of the time, we can retain our healthy and vibrant status as an athlete, but as soon as yang becomes dominant for a prolonged period of time, we are diminishing our yin (or recovery) opportunities. Of course, we don’t want yin to become dominant either because then we might be deemed a lazy athlete! 

Adding the Yin to the Yang of Endurance Training

·      BALANCE IS KING

·      Watch for the signs of overtraining: irritability, lethargy, depression, sleep disruption, menstrual irregularities,
       hypoglycaemia, diminishing performance despite trying harder

·      Check your morning heart rate, which shouldn’t be rising more than 5 bpm above normal

·      Consider a heart rate variability device which can tell you if your nervous system is in resting mode or stress
       mode (9)

·     Use Active Recuperation methods rather than simply resting. These include: a regular massage; having
       body work like  osteopathy or cranial-sacral therapy; laughing and having fun; surround yourself by nature
       and animals; spend time with friends and family who feed your energy

·     Consider all the other stresses in your life – your training does not sit on an island, un-influenced by your
      job, your family,

       your finances. Every commitment in your life can be translated into your body as a biochemical stress.

·     Eat like a king: have a diet that suits your genetic type, avoid potential food sensitivities, stay fresh and
      local*, balance your blood sugar levels.

·     Take supplements that are going to support your individual requirements

*Much of our supermarket food has travelled considerable air miles and a lot of time elapsed since it was picked. Instead, try local farmers markets and one of the numerous UK box schemes.

About Dr Ian Craig: 

Ian Craig, MSc, CSCS, INLPTA is an exercise physiologist, nutritional therapist, NLP practitioner and an endurance coach.

He was a competitive middle-distance runner for 20 years and is now a more leisurely cyclist and triathlete.

Ian specialises in sport from an integrative health perspective and in his Johannesburg and UK clinics, integrates the fields of sports nutrition and nutritional therapy in an applied way so that both health and performance are considered

WRITE YOUR OWN SUCCESS STORY

A client was telling me the other day about how she has been struggling to get her eating on track. I asked her, “If you were me, what advice would you give yourself?” I asked her this partly out of curiosity, and partly because it was the end of a long day, my brain was a bit fried; and I had nothing intelligent to add to the conversation.

What she came up with sounded like a great plan. It included adjustments to her eating and exercise habits, (when she wasn’t training with me), and daily activities (outside of formal exercise). – I asked her to write it down, so we could work through it in more detail when I was to see her again the following day.

We worked through the plan, made one or two minor tweaks and established some parameters and behaviour changes that she felt highly confident she would be able to implement. In my experience, every successful health and fitness journey starts with YOUR action plan, (not your coach’s or anyone else’s ideal). For this reason, I have no doubt my client will be successful.

The moral of the story?

• No one knows you better than you. Your coach/trainer can put together the most calculated, scientifically advanced programme known to man, and define every step you need to take, if it is not something that includes your input, something that YOU can comply with, it’s worth nothing. In this industry, it is so easy to be swept up into rigid, dogmatic approaches towards health and fitness “If you don’t do x type of exercise, six days a week you’re wasting your time…” or …”…you should never do that…” or…”you’re not allowed to eat x y and z…” These rigid generic approaches are intimidating and most of the time too overwhelming for people starting out on their journey, to comply with. When you can’t meet the unrealistic demands, you stop believing in yourself, you feel like a failure and lose confidence in your abilities:- “I’m just not cut out for this” you say. Sound familiar?

•  There are an infinite number of possibilities, baby steps and paths to take on your journey to health and fitness - no two success stories are the same. One key ingredient however in every successful transformation, is BELIEF. You start believing when you start achieving, and the more you start to achieve the more your confidence and belief grows. Start by celebrating the small daily victories and watch your belief grow!

• So, you need a plan that is your own. One that takes into account your personality, your preferences, your history, level, life pressures, sustainability etc. Most importantly, you need to be able to look at your plan and feel absolutely confident that I CAN DO THIS! It needs to grow your BELIEF in yourself, not overwhelm or intimidate you. When you play an active role in creating your own plan, you take ownership of your journey and become accountable for your own success. You help to establish the parameters, goals and rate of progression. You choose activities that you know you can stick to, build on and enjoy. You make food choices that allow you a level of enjoyment whilst improving your health. Your health and fitness is no longer someone else’s ideal, magic formula, priority or responsibility, it’s your own.

What if my own plan is wrong?

Let’s face it, when it comes to health and fitness, there are certain principles that apply that you can’t ignore. If for example your plan includes binge eating on weekends followed by a starvation diet and military style exercise during the week in a misguided attempt to repair the damage, it is a flawed plan that won’t work. You have to accept that you need to make healthy choices, even if you start with baby steps, a progressive change is part of the deal.

Your plan should ALWAYS promote optimal health and performance in everyday life. It should include daily practice of small habits whilst working towards realistic goals. If you are unsure of what is healthy and what isn’t, speak to a coach or a friend whose knowledge and support you can rely on. A good coach/ trainer will help you fine tune your plan, give it wings. They may suggest options you may not have considered, establish the correct rate of progression, whilst all the time ensuring that it is set at a level at which you feel in control but adequately challenged and confident in your ability to achieve. If your coach or trainer is too rigid or dogmatic in his/her approach, move on. 

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a client grow from strength to strength. Some achieve incredible physical feats - doing things I could only dream of. When you look back at the humble beginnings on which their fitness journey was built - the first walk around the block, the excitement over pushing out their first push up, or their first dance class, when people start believing, it's pure magic!. Remember, this is your journey, learn from the knowledge and experience of others, but don’t let others define the path you choose or the do’s and don’ts. Take the time to plan your own transformation, ask for help if you need it, that's what we're here for, and write it down-document everything, your challenges, your progress your vision of the future you. Your success story is unique and is just about to be written!

(Ashley Galliard  October 2015)

HOW TO KEEP MAKING PROGRESS IN THE GYM

Some people have a routine that they’ve been able to maintain for years, that keeps them healthy and fit, and are not necessarily looking for more. There is nothing wrong with that, and I commend you.  If however you have  bigger weight loss or performance goals, this post is for you.

Avoid Maintenance Mode

When you come off an intense couple of months of training, the tendency is to want to go into maintenance mode.  The mindset is something like this:  “I’ve worked my butt off six days per week for the past 8 weeks, if I drop my exercise to 3 days per week for the next few months I should be able to maintain.”  That’s a bit like a business owner working around the clock to grow his/her business, then after a few months deciding to work half day – the business won’t last long.

The reality is that when you work hard in the gym for an extended period of time you raise the bar.  You adapt to a higher level and your body requires a progressive overload – a steady effort to keep raising the bar in order to keep growing and moving forward.  If you work below the level required for change, you’re not going to maintain, you’re going to go backwards:- Over time, you will lose strength and fitness, you’re likely to lose focus, your discipline towards eating and training will probably slip, you become despondent and fall back into old habits. At best, you will yoyo between period of intense exercise and nothing at all, worst case scenario, you will drop out of exercise altogether. If you’re not striving to move forwards, you’re at risk of going backwards!

My suggestion: Instead of adopting a maintenance mindset, plan your training in cycles with short and medium term goals in mind.  You can break your training down into weekly cycles, monthly cycles, quarterly cycles and annual cycles.  The purpose of training in cycles is to vary your intensity and volume, to steadily apply an overload and progress optimally towards your goals without injury or burnout.  For example, you may want to add a tapering week every 3 to 4 weeks, in which you lower your intensity and/or volume of training for a week to adequately recover for the next month’s cycle of higher intensity training.  At the end of a quarterly cycle, you may plan a few days of full rest and recovery before starting again, stronger and more motivated than before.

Life happens, we all know and experience the difficulties of work, relationships, raising families, etc, and there will be times when your best laid plans will go out the window.  If you are in a maintenance mindset, chances are, when times are tough, your health and fitness will be put on hold.  If you break your training up into cycles, with a clear plan and goals, life may at times take your plans along an unexpected path, to which you will have to adapt and compromise, but you will maintain forward momentum and continue to progress. If you need any help with your planning, feel free to get in touch with me.

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD LIFT WEIGHTS

Some time ago I posted about 10 important factors to consider in exercise and said I would elaborate on each point. So, starting with my first point on why you should lift weights, here are 10 good reasons, and there are many more, so please feel free to add to the list. Note, when I refer to weight training, I use the term broadly to include body weight and other forms of resistance training as well as weight training. Also, always consult with you physician before embarking on an exercise program.

1. Burn more calories every day

Anyone wanting to lose or manage their weight needs to lift weights. Lifting weights, and progressively applying an overload, will increase your fat free mass (primarily muscle), when combined with a healthy eating plan. Increasing your muscle mass speeds up your resting metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories at rest and during everyday activity. The more calories you burn at rest, the more effective you become at managing your weight.


2. Improve your coordination and movement pattern

Weight training improves the efficiency with which the nervous system works to bring about movement. Weight training develops your entire nervous system, from the motor cortex (movement centre of the brain) to the spinal cord, to motor units (where nerves attach to muscle fibers to bring about movement). The result is greater force production and greater body control. Many of the strength gains experienced during the first few months of weight training are primarily as a result of improvements in the neuromuscular system resulting in a greater ability to activate muscle fibers and control movement.

3. Build strong bones
Through mechanical loading of the bones - lifting weights, the bones are stimulated to produce protein – primarily collagen, to increase in strength and density. By progressively increasing the loads you lift, over time, you will progressively increase bone density. Structural exercises like squats and lunges in which you load the spine in a vertical plane, are particularly effective. An increase in bone density and strength is great news for everyone, and particularly those at risk for stress fractures, osteoporosis, osteopenia and other bone diseases. Studies on the elderly have shown an ability to maintain or even increase bone mineral density with weight training! Note that if you do suffer from any of the above, you need a very specific intervention, so speak to a specialist.

4. Stronger joints
Strength training builds stronger tendons, ligaments and fascia, and ensures proper nutrient supply to cartilage for good joint health and repair from everyday wear and tear. In addition, the right programme and good exercise form will improve the range of movement around joints, address muscle imbalances and improve posture. All these benefits are vitally important for efficient, pain free movement, and essential for anyone engaging in sport, be it endurance , or strength and power related.

5. Hormone regulation
Anabolic hormones eg testosterone, growth hormone, IGF, play a vital role in building and repairing your body, and keeping the body functioning optimally. With strength training, over time your body becomes more efficient at the production and uptake of anabolic hormones during and after exercise bouts, helping you to function and perform optimally.

6. Power production
Strength is a critical component of power. Any sport or activity that requires rapid acceleration , for example, sprinting on the track or on the bike, or power sports like rugby and tennis, all require optimal force production. The stronger the muscles, the more force they produce, the more they can be trained for power, speed and acceleration. It’s not only for strength and power athletes, many endurance athletes are also incorporating strength and power training into their routines to optimize their economy of movement, and for that last kick at the end of a race.

7. Aerobic Capacity
High volume strength training with minimal rest periods has been shown to improve VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake) which is important for all the endurance athletes out there, along with the other benefits already mentioned.

8. The more you can lift, the greater your output , the better the results.
It’s simple, the heavier you can lift in any given rep range, the harder you can work, and the better your body will respond to exercise. So many people do themselves a disservice by not improving their strength. Think of it like this: If you’re only capable of lifting pink dumbbells, no matter how hard you try to work, you won’t get through as much work as someone doing the same routine lifting heavier weights, and your body won’t respond as quickly. Devote time to improving your strength gains.

9. Everyday functionality
Everyday life requires you to lift objects, bend, squat, lunge, twist, push, pull. The stronger you are, the better you move and the more self-sufficient and capable you will be throughout your life.

10. Self confidence
Ask anyone who lifts weights, they will tell you that developing physical strength takes mental preparation, an emotional investment and a great deal of sweat. It is a process you work through that reveals an inner strength you never knew you had. It grows your self-confidence and belief that reflects in every aspect of your life.

Wherever you are in your health and fitness journey, make a start with resistance training that is appropriate to your level and specific needs. We look forward to showing you how in the weeks to come.

Ashley Galliard September 2015

TEN RULES FOR HEALTHY EATING

I have had some requests to offer my opinion on diet. It is always a controversial topic and a subject about which one could write volumes. Here are 10 points, in no particular order and by no means fully comprehensive that I believe are important to good health. Feel free to comment or add to my list.

1.    There is no evil macro nutrient.
Quality Carbohydrates, fats and protein are all essential and should be eaten in quantities that match your energy requirements and according to what works for your metabolism. There is no one size fits all!

2.    Do carbs make you fat?
No, refined sugars and processed rubbish makes you fat! Being overweight or obese through years of eating pies, chips, white bread, pizza, cake, pastries, sweets, beer etc as a part of a staple diet, leads many people to falsely conclude that carbohydrates are the enemy. Don’t get me wrong, most people would do well to reduce their carbohydrate intake particularly when weight loss is the goal, but be careful not to base your decision to cut out all carbohydrates on your past experience of over indulging on primarily low grade processed carbohydrate rich foods. See 1 above.

3.    Eat fruit, it’s good for you
I recommend two to three servings per day.

4.    Eat more vegetables, you probably don’t eat enough.
Five or more servings per day, and choose from a variety of colours.

5.    Eat more protein, you probably don’t eat enough.
I recommend a minimum of 1g per kg body mass, and 1.5 to 2g per kg body mass for active people. (More is required if your protein is coming primarily from vegetables).

6.    If you eat enough protein, you probably eat enough fat.
If you are getting enough protein from a variety of sources, eg meat, fish, chicken, eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetables, you’re likely getting enough fat in your diet.

7.    Calorie counting is not an exact science, don’t obsess about it.
Chances are, with discrepancies in food databases, labeling and quantities, there is a discrepancy between the number of calories you count and what you’re actually consuming. ( by some estimations, you could be up to about 20% out). So don’t obsess too much over calorie counting unless you’re a body builder or fitness athlete. It is however a good idea to go through the exercise of tracking your food, and counting your calories over a period of time in order to develop an understanding of the calorie content of food, and an intuition for how much you should be eating. Calorie counting is something you can return to from time to time, to see that you’re staying on track, but once you have developed that intuition, and settled into a routine, don’t obsess about it.

8.    Eat Regularly
Purely anecdotal, but the people I see with the best physiques have regular eating times. Whether you choose to eat three or six meals per day, I believe establishing a routine will benefit you.

9.    Take care of your gut
If your gut isn’t working and you’re not effectively absorbing nutrients and regulating toxins, your fitness goals, immune function and overall health will suffer. Kefir is evidently a very good probiotic, and rich in vitamins, minerals and anti-inflammatory properties, so is a good option for many to help restore your gut health.

10.  Your diet is not a religion.(unless you choose to eat in a certain way for religious or ethical reasons)

You will not be angering the diet gods if you deviate from a prescribed way of eating. Paleo, Banting, Atkins, Weight Watchers, all have merit, but there may be aspects of a diet or eating philosophy that don’t agree with your system. There is no reason why you cannot combine the good elements from various diets to find what works for you. If you find yourself asking ..’am I allowed this or am I allowed that…’ too often, the diet is probably too restrictive for you to sustain in the long term.

 Ashley Galliard August 2015

TOP TEN EXERCISE TIPS

I thought I would put together a list of things to be aware of whilst on your exercise journey, however far along you may be. It is not in any particular order, and is by no means all you need to consider, so feel free to add to it. I haven’t really elaborated on any point as I intend to address each point in more detail during the next few weeks. Note, the advice given assumes that you are fit and healthy to perform a normal routine of exercise. If you have any injury, medical condition, or the like, always consult a specialist before embarking on an exercise routine.

1. Lift Weights

Whatever your goal, the appropriate type, intensity and volume of resistance training will help you achieve it.

2. Build your routine around free weights

Exercise machines definitely have their place, but free weights, ie barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls etc will develop a stronger, more balanced and functional physique. Do both, but build your routine around free weights.

3. Perfect your form

Good exercise form is the key to good results and training longevity. If you can’t lift a light weight with good form, you’re not ready to go heavy.

4. Pay more attention to ecentric muscle contraction.

Ecentric muscle contraction is when a muscle contracts under load whilst lengthening as opposed to concentric contraction, when the muscle contracts whilst shortening. Developing control during the eccentric phase of an exercise promotes greater strength and muscle growth; it puts your body in the right possition for the concentric phase, it promotes body control and improves explosive power. So, don't just drop a weight after lifting or pushing or pulling, practice control.

5. Fix your movement pattern

Muscle imbalances, asymmetry and inflexibility around joints are the major causes of injury. Include corrective exercises specific to your needs, into your daily routine. It is always a good idea to speak to an exercise specialist to help identify problems with your movement and advise on corrective action.

6. Work your hamstrings

Chances are, your quadriceps are disproportionately too strong for your hamstrings, resulting in performance deficits and making the knee joint vulnerable to injury. Include more hamstring work into your exercise routine eg leg curls, dead lifts, RDL, squat and lunge variations etc.

7. Work your glutes (the unsung heroes)

They’re probably too weak. Strong glutes help stabilize the pelvis, help prevent lower back pain and injury, are important for good posture, and are essential for strength, power and performance. Do more squats and lunge variations, abduction (side leg lifts) and hip extension work.

8. Stretch your hip flexors

They’re probably too tight. Tight hip flexors cause postural problems, lower back pain, pelvic instability and hinder the activation of glutes.

9. Develop the core vertically

Most targeted core exercises are done in the horizontal plane (either on your back or stomach). Many of these exercises are very beneficial, but most of life and performance happens in the vertical plane. We don’t spend enough time developing the stability and strength of the core in an upright position. Add some rotational movements and stability work while standing.

10. Rest and Recover
Rest and recovery is an essential component in achieving results. It is during rest that we repair and grow stronger and more resilient. Plan your rest and recovery as meticulously as you plan your exercise schedule – it is a vital, yet largely overlooked part of your overall programme.

(Ashley Galliard August 2015)

REACH YOUR WEIGHT GOALS BY FOCUSSING ON PERFORMANCE

One can become so obsessed with losing weight, that logic and tried and tested principles give way to quick fixes and extreme measures. In desperation we resort to starving ourselves and simultaneously increasing our exercise in pursuit of shedding those unwanted kilo’s. This often only results in muscle breakdown, the slowing of your metabolism, possible fat gain, exhaustion, illness and frustration.

If this is you, it’s time to throw away the scale, and change your focus from weight loss, to PERFORMANCE.

Every health and fitness goal has a performance component (the means by which to achieve your goals), and there is a strong correlation between the way our bodies perform and the changes we can expect to see. Our bodies adapt according to the performance demands placed on them. For example: If I want to lose fat weight, in a way that is healthy and sustainable, I need to exercise for an optimal duration and intensity, and I need to progressively increase my duration and or intensity over time at an optimal rate to continue to see results. If I am unable to do this, through for example inadequate nutrition, it stands to reason that I won’t achieve the desired goals.

When you focus on performance there is a shift in mindset. Rather than focusing on doing whatever it takes to lose weight, no matter how illogical or unhealthy, your focus shifts to what you need to do to perform optimally and meet the progressive demands placed on your body over time. Consistently applying an over load, and consistently performing optimally will inevitably produce results.

So, instead of starving yourself and over exercising, when your focus is on performance, you approach your training and lifestyle with the following logic:-

• If I under-eat, I will lack energy, feel anxious, sore and generally ill. I will not be able to recover or perform optimally, and won’t therefore achieve my goals.
• If I skip my scheduled exercise sessions, I will not be able to apply a progressive overload, to achieve my goals.
• If I progress too quickly and do substantially more during my workouts than I am conditioned for, my performance will decline over time and I run the risk of injury, illness and burnout, affecting my performance and therefore my goals.
• If I don’t get enough rest, I won’t recover adequately, I will be too tired to perform and I will create a hormonal environment in my body that will hinder my performance and I therefore won’t achieve my goals.

So rather than focusing on weight loss, and placing unreasonable expectations on your body, driving yourself mad in the process, focus on performance and given time, your body will deliver!

Ashley Galliard August 2015

NUTRIENT TIMING

Hey Sleeks, my message for the day is about nutrrent timing.

The great majority of us simply looking to stay fit and healthy should not over complicate things and worry too much about what to eat when, and how much. By focussing on the right balance of macronutients,getting plenty of whole foods, fruit and vegetables and water, and cutting out processed foods and sugar as much as possible, we will achieve our goals and more. For people looking to optimise performance for sport or maximise muscle gains, this is for you.

Eating the correct type of protein and carbohydrates before, during and after training is important for the following reasons:-To ensure the fast replenishment of glycogen after an intense workout; to create an anabolic hormonal environment within your body and to promote protein synthesis. In short, with the right training stimulus, meal timing is a key factor in muscle gains.

Remember that looking after your muscles is important for performance, health and fat loss. A solid nutrition plan built around quality macronutrients (proteins fats and carbs), in the right ratio for you, along with plenty of veg, fruit and water, will build a strong and healthy body.  There are however also times when ‘low grade’ nutrients-the dreaded simple sugars can work in your favour to maximise muscle gains. (if you have a sugar addiction, use your discretion and perhaps compromise on potential benefits rather than useing sugar that may trigger any kind of relapse). Whatever your approach, here are my ten tips, based on science, and my own experience to help you with your nutrition strategy around exercise 

1.       Your pre workout meal should consist of quality carbohydrates eg  from vegetables, sweet potato and whole grains as well as a good protein source eg chicken , turkey, eggs and lean beef. Whey protein is also a great pre workout protein source. Keep the meal relatively light and eat about an hour to two hours before your workout depending on the individual..

2.       Eat simple, high GI carbohydrates during and after intense exercise (this is the only time you will ever hear me say its okay to eat sugar!) During exercise, liquid carbohydrate may play a role in creating a hormonal balance in favour of anabolism (growth), over catabolism (breakdown). (Bird, Stephen PhD, CSCS. Strength and conditioning journal). In addition, Glycogen replenishment as soon as possible after exercise is important to prevent muscle breakdown and help the body stay in an anabolic state.  The most effective way of doing this is by drinking a 6-8% solution of a simple sugar eg dextrose ( found in sports drinks and post workout supplements), during and after exercise. Liquid carbohydrates are more efficiently absorbed when compared with whole foods.

3.       By ingesting BCAA’s(branch chain amino acids, found in many supplements), before, during and or after training, you promote muscle protein synthesis and inhibit muscle breakdown. Approximately 6g is all you need.

4.       In his review of the research, Stephen Bird PHD recommends a whole food post workout meal comprising 0.5g of protein per kg and 1g of carbohydrate per kg, 30 minutes after exercise, and a high carbohydrate meal 2 hours after exercise(for strength and maximum muscle gains). If your intensity and volume of exercise is not high, these quantities may be too high, so adjust  nutrient intake accordingly.

5.       If you don’t want to be taking in any sugars, there is a patented carbohydrate derived from barley starch called Vitargo, which is fast absorbing, is not a sugar, and evidently a very effective post exercise carbohydrate.  Available through some supplement suppliers.

6.       If you prefer to stick to foods (as opposed to liquid supplements) ensure that the post workout carbohydrate is high GI, as fast absorption is a priority.  Some good examples include:  white rice, mashed potato, rice cakes, dried fruit, bread, bananas, chocolate milk. Note that most fruits would not be considered a good option during, or post workout, as they have a relatively slow absorption rate. In addition, fruit and fruit juice, when taken during exercise may cause abdominal cramps in some people. (This again varies from person to person.)

7.       Whey protein is considered by many to be the best post exercise source of protein, as it is of a high quality and has a high absorption rate. Some evidence however suggests that if protein absorption is too fast post exercise, it is not necessarily conducive to optimal gains. I suspect more research is needed in this area. Other good sources of post workout protein include chicken, tuna, fish, turkey, lean beef and egg whites.

8.       Limit fat intake immediately post exercise as fat slows down the absorption rate of protein and carbohydrate, thereby slowing post exercise glycogen re synthesis and protein synthesis.

9.       If you’re on Paleo, or  a similar lifestyle, many of the high GI options listed, eg sugar, grains etc are not an option.  The paleo philosophy centres around keeping it real, and there are enough amazing examples out there to prove it works for many people.  In my opinion, the best way to maximize muscle gains on a paleo diet is to eat a balanced meal before and after training, comprising primarily good carbs from veg, butternut and sweet potato as well as lean protein.  Reduce fat intake in your post workout meal in favour of protein and carbohydrate (eat your fats throughout the day in other meals), and aim to eat as soon as possible after your workout.  I personally wouldn’t recommend training in a fasted state unless you can rapidly replenish glycogen post workout (the options available on paleo make this more difficult, suggesting that training fasted on a paleo diet may not be the best strategy if muscle gains are a priority.)

10.   Train hard. If you’re not training at a high intensity and with sufficient volume, you’re not going to deplete glycogen that significantly, and the excess sugars and high GI carbs may be stored as fat. Whilst the principles still apply the training stimulus is vital to the results you can expect to see. 

         Ashley Galliard July 2015