Top Tips To Get You Looking and Feeling Great!

Shape

Want to fit into that Christmas party dress you love so much! Here are 5 top tips to help you achieve those body shape goals!

1. Intensity over Duration! Just because you’ve been in the gym for 2 hours doesn’t mean you’ve had a good workout!  Interval training will help burn off those extra calories in a shorter space of time

2. Weight training is the key to improving your shape. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn. Just adapt the reps and rest period to suit your goal!

3. Try and use your body as a whole. Total body weight exercises will help tone up those troublesome areas and really get that heart rate up fast!

4. Incorporating a good stretch program into your workout will ensure a balanced body and will relieve those aches and pains from your high intensity workout

5. Eat to lose weight! Eating little but often will keep that metabolism to a high level. Mix this in with keeping your hydration levels to an optimum and watch those pounds fly off.

2010 New You Achievement Award winner - SHAPE
Nosheen Ahmed

Nosheen has battled through severe obesity, eating disorders, bullying, abuse, chronic depression and illnesses which could have killed her. With the help of Fitness First and a personal trainer, Nosheen has lost an incredible 14 stone in one year, going from 27 stone to 13 stone. Not only has Nosheen changed her life, she now works to help others around the country to achieve their dreams. Nosheen said “I have learnt the hard way that if you put your mind to something, then your body will follow and you can achieve anything!”


Sport

Are you training to get fit for a sport? Maybe you’re working towards a personal challenge, for example, completing a 10k charity run or maybe even a marathon!  Use our top tips to ensure you are on track to succeed.

1. Technique – Concentrate on using the correct technique and form when exercising (ask a member of the fitness team for help!)

2. Aerobic capacity – When training look at the type of aerobic exercise you are doing, is it intensity training or is it steady state cardio.  Is this in line with your goal?

3. Strength endurance – Most sports require the participants to exercise longer than 10 -15 seconds therefore the aerobic systems in the body need to be trained in accordance with this.  Strength endurance will help you be better for longer.

4. Flexibility – This is the main issue overlooked by sports people.  This is huge with regards to injury prevention and will help you perform better and longer.

5. Proper nutrition – Concentrate on eating properly.  Nutrition makes up a third of your success.

2010 New You Achievement Award winner - SPORT
Max Exton

Max, from Godalming, was involved in a horrific motorcycling accident in July 2008 which nearly cost him his life. A scan revealed a bleed deep in his brain, which was inoperable. Max was attached to a life support machine and his family warned to expect the worst. Miraculously Max was breathing for himself within 24 hrs but was paralysed down the right side of his body and Doctors told him he would never walk again. However with intense physiotherapy and sheer determination, Max was walking within one month of the accident.  Max then decided to join Fitness First to aid with his rehabilitation. With Max’s commendable level of commitment to his training, he is close to achieving his goal of getting back on his bike.


Health

1. Drink a lot of water or a sports drink before exercising. Even in the cold, you will still lose water by sweating, so you will need to drink a lot in order to stay hydrated.

2. Push yourself, but know your limits. If you haven't exercised in a while it may feel impossible but keep going; however, don't overdo it.  Be careful about overtraining: it can be more damaging than too little exercise. Pushing your body too hard can cause debilitating muscle damage.

3. Set realistic goals for yourself and don't get discouraged if you feel that you cannot perform as well as you'd like to.  If you are constantly working out, you will gradually see and feel changes over time, but it won't happen overnight.

4. Eat practical portions and make good nutritional choices.  Overeating can work against all that progress you've made!  This doesn't mean starve yourself; it just means take time while eating to let yourself know when you're actually full.

5. Check with your doctor before you start any exercise program. Winter exercise is safe for nearly everyone, but it's always a good idea to make sure you don't have an undiagnosed medical condition or health issue, just to be safe.

2010 New You Achievement Award winner - HEALTH
Andrew Pigott

Andrew, from Sheffield, in the last six years has faced and beaten cancer and has had to manage epilepsy and atrial fibrillation. Then in July 2009 Andrew had a routine operation to repair a prolapsed disk. An MRI scan showed that Andrew had suffered massive damage to the nerves running from the bottom of his spinal chord. This left him paralysed from the waist down and he told the devastating news that he would be wheelchair bound for life. With help from Fitness First and his physiotherapy team, Andrew’s progression has been phenomenal and he has recently entered into the Edinburgh marathon. Andrew had been a keen runner and cyclist before the operation, so this is great news.


Strength

Have you hit a wall in your strength training or maybe you just don’t know where to start.  Here are 5 top tips to help break that wall down!

1. Make a note of your progress so that you know exactly when your weight loss, muscle enhancement or waist size reduction starts to plateau. This is important because unless you note it or chart it, it's easy to imagine things are better or worse than they are.

2. Use a decent set of scales with the ability to measure body fat.  Scales made by Omron and Tanita within the club are good quality and include this function.  Often, your total weight will not change but your muscle will increase and your fat mass will decrease.

3. Load up those muscles. To put on muscle and lose fat you need to overload the muscles sufficiently to promote muscle growth.  This means exercising all muscle groups at least twice each week.  If you require help in creating a routine speak to a Personal Trainer today.

4. If you find yourself at a plateau after several months of a program, try to squeeze in another session if you feel you can take the extra training or adjust the weight load upward to account for strength gains.

5. Rest and recover. Every 4 to 6 weeks take an easy week where you do about half your normal training, or full training at half the intensity. This provides a 'window' in which the body can replenish itself and build even stronger. The principle of weight training and muscle building is progressive overload, muscle damage, repair and new growth. Give this process a chance to occur..

2010 New You Achievement Award winner - STRENGTH
David Downes

David, from Basildon, was heavily overweight at 21 stone, but the loss of his father to diabetes was the wake up call he needed. His goal was to climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro, in order to raise money for Diabetes UK, in memory of his father. With the help of Fitness First and his determination to reach the summit, he lost a total of 8 stone. David quotes “Getting to the summit of Kilimanjaro was the hardest thing I have ever done, it was not only tough but required physical strength as well as a determined mind. The biggest achievement is raising over £9000 for Diabetes UK and increasing the awareness of the disease.

Taken from:
http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk/Succeed-With-Fitness-First-Gym/top-fitness-tips.aspx