Free Healthy Lifestyle Resources

Hi guys,

I am guessing that a few of you will have over indulged during the festive period? In order to help you get back on track I am going to share my top 5 tips for a healthy lifestyle:

1. Get plenty of sleep - regardless of your shift patterns/nights out etc, your body needs 7-8 hours sleep. It not only helps your system become more balanced, but also allows you to recover from your training and see greater gains. There is debate on whether it is 7 or 8 hours that is needed, but you know your own bodies and how you function best. The key is consistency.

2. Get hydrated - you need to be drinking at least 1.5-2 litres of water a day (tea and coffee do not count!), and even more if you are training. If you are one of those people that only goes for a pee once or twice during your working day, you are MASSIVELY dehydrated. This affects your concentration, mood, ability to train and also ability to lose weight (fat) as there just isn't enough fluids to flush out the junk in your system.

3. Eat your 5 a day - According to my European friends the recommendations elsewhere are 8 a day, which I have to agree with. No one got fat from eating too much fruit and veg!

4. Train hard and regularly - Ensure you are getting your 30 minutes of activity a day, train 3-5 times a week, take the stairs instead of lifts (when I was on my crutches last year, I was astounded by the amount of people that use a lift to go one floor! But that's for another blog), get off the bus a stop early and walk, wash your car... it doesn't all have to be fitness based, we're looking for a lifestyle change here folks. Also, ensure you schedule in one or two rest days a week from the phys, you can overtrain as well as undertrain!

5. Cut out the CRAP - Possibly the best way of putting it... Caffeine, Refined sugars, Alcohol and Processed food are all bad for you. I am not going to get on my high horse and tell you I never drink alcohol or coffee, but I do these things in moderation. A friend recently told me about a sign in a supermarket that said 'everyday treats' treats are not an everyday thing!!! Weekly treats, yes, but everyday is a bad habit! Again, one mocha a week probably won't throw you off track, we are here to live our lives and have fun after all - it's all about finding the balance!

Cat

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rehab is going well and I will be back with a vengeance in 2012 :-)

Cat

Hi guys,

My current clients are already aware, but thought I should keep you posted too...

At the beginning of the month I was involved in a car accident (don't worry, no one was seriously hurt - wish the same could be said for the poor fiesta!) anyway, I have sustained a couple of injuries which are likely to take some time to get over. Because of this I won't be training anyone for the foreseeable future, the blog will also go quiet whilst I focus on rehab.

Cat

Well, yesterday was the day, after 14 weeks of training, we finally ran a Half Marathon!

It started off well, although I havent felt that nervous since my last major windsurfing event over 8 years ago! The weather was good, not too hot or cold, no rain, and a cooling breeze. We started near the back for fear of being 'jostled' (apparently that's a technical term!). The first 9 miles were ok pace wise, although it was clear that I wouldn't make my goal of under 2 hours (1:59:59 to be precise!). However, the genes kicked in at about 8.5 miles, and the last 3 miles was the most pain I have ever felt - every time my feet struck the floor I had searing pain through my knees and hips (thank you again Mum & Dad for my inherited dodgy joints!).

From 10 miles in, all time goals went out the window, and the main aim was to keep running and finish the race. I ran past so many people who had clearly gone off too quick and were walking home, and was singing to my self 'just keep running' (like Dori in Nemo, but the wrong activity!). Anyway, I finally finished in 2:19:15, and am now in posssession of the best pirate walk, and biggest blisters in East Devon! Will I do it again? Yesterday, the answer was a barrage of expletives, but today it is 'never say never', however, it is safe to say I will not be running again for at least a fortnight!

I am really looking forward to taking my 5 spin classes this week... NOT!!

Well done to all of you that completed the GWR, I know who you are as you are currently walking in a similar pirate like manner to myself!

Cat

Hope you're all doing well and haven't slipped of the healthy wagon. Just wanted to let you all know that training is going well, although not without hiccups... I seem to have inherited my parents dodgy joints (thanks Mum & Dad!), so once I have been running for 30 mins plus I get very painful knees/hips. Not much fun, but all this means is I do one road run and one treadmill run a week, and then get my CV from cross-training (using a variety of equipment) on either the rower, elliptical trainer or bike.

Running is very high impact, and whilst it is great for weight loss, it is not something that you should be doing if you are carrying excess weight. Bit harsh...? Yes, but true - when you run, the force transmitted through your joints on impact is 4 x your bodyweight!!! Obviously this could exacerbate any niggles you may have, regardless of weight, and the most important thing about all this fitness malarkey(!) is staying injury free!

Anyway, hope you figured out your challenges for the year, and are working hard towards them, as I am. Keep up the good work.

Cat

Hope you all enjoyed the festivities, but didn't eat and drink too much! I have to say that I am now completely fed up with snow after being snowed in with well over half a foot of snow - definitely going to buy a 4x4 if we have another winter like this!

Well, we're now nearly a month into 2011, and as usual, I set my challenges midway through January on my birthday (pointless setting goals at the very beginning of the year, everyone does it and also I like to be different!)

So, what's this year's challenge I hear you ask... well, I have just entered the Great West Run, Exeter's Half Marathon which is taking place on 1 May. Yeah, yeah, big deal, a PT doing a half marathon, piece of cake?! Well let me tell you something, I HATE running! It is just something I am not made to do. I have never ran more than 4 miles in my life, and everytime we do a gym challenge, I keep up (ish) with the lads on the rower or bike, but am a good 5 mins behind them on the run, so I figure this is the ideal challenge for the beginning of the year :-s

So, training starts tomorrow (I have already visited the running shop and had a gait analysis, which by the way, I highly recommend anyone who runs to do, and now have some shiny new Brooks running shoes).

Anyway, the point of this blog is, what are YOU going to do to challenge yourselves this year? Go on, put yourselves outside of your comfort zone, think about how you would feel if you achieved that challenge? 2011 is going to be a good year, I can feel it!

Cat

Well here we are, the festive season is well and truely underway! Some people find it very hard to stay on track at this time of year. All the parties, food, alcohol and social outings can reap havoc with a healthy lifestyle. What usually follows is missed training sessions due to a hangover/oversleeping, and it spirals from here.

If you don't want to get to 2011 2 kilos heavier, I have one simple piece of advice for you: Christmas is only a day, not a week and definitely not a month! It is simple, but it works!

During the festive season I have 2 bad days, Christmas day and New Years! I avoid eating too much at the works do by having a healthy snack before I go out and making sure I only eat 2 thirds of each course (unless it's a salad or soup!). Being based in Devon means I usually end up driving, so avoid the dreaded booze, so that's that problem solved! Then I'm free to do as I like on 25 and 31 Dec providing I train hard for the rest of the month!

Anyway, that's the lecture over. Have a wonderful Christmas, and here's to 2011!

Cat

Hope you all had fun last Friday night, we certainly did, and we seemed to get away without much rain too, which is always a bonus!

This week has been very busy, some extremely windy PT sessions, lots of rain and some forward motion on the house!

On Thursday we had a tree fall down through our fence, which was something I had never experienced before! The tree sat blocking the neighbours' drive, and when I tried to move it, I realised that instead of spending money on dumbbells etc, I should just drive round with a car full of logs! This thing was sooo heavy, I couldn't lift it at all, so I am looking into other trainers that do 'Tree Training' - if no one does, I may have found a gap in the market!!

Anyway, we now have just over 5 and a half weeks til Christmas... You still have time to achieve your goals. Make sure you stay focussed in the run up, watch out for those cakes and mince pies circulating the office, and remember that Christmas is one day, not a whole month!

A top tip for weight loss is to eat soups. A study conducted at Penn State University showed that people who eat a starter of soup before their main course consumed, on average 20% less calories than those who didn't. Obviously there are low calorie broth or vegetable soups (no cream or anything like that!). But now that winter is here, soup is a really nice warming meal - remember home made and fresh veggies are always best!

Subscribe to the newsletter (that email box on the right there) for some awesome soup recipes this month.

Til next time,

Cat

With less than two months left of 2010, October and November are proving to be pretty exciting times for me! I am in the process of buying a house (it is true what they say about it being the most stressful thing you could ever do!), and there is also an interesting potential Personal Training venture around the corner!

As I am based very near to Ottery St Mary, I am looking forward to Tar Barrels this evening - the best night ever to go out in Ottery. If you have never heard of Tar Barrels, it is truly nuts, and something that could only happen in Devon!

Click here to find out more about Tar Barrels

Anyway, the main reason for this post was not for me to ramble on, but to share a news article from the beginning of the week with you:

Exercise 'can beat the common cold'

The article states how regular exercise boosts you immune system, so is the best defence against colds. So, in order to stay healthy this winter, keep active.

Enjoy bonfire night!

Cat

Welcome to the all new blog section of my website, which I am really excited about!

In the near future there will be weekly updates, as well as a training track and location of the month.

Free stuff is available by signing up to the email newsletter, which will be sent out monthly and will cover a wide range of topics.

Check back soon for the first blog...

Cat