Here were Kelly's tips for September 2011:
SWEATING!
Are you FIT if you sweat?? Or does it mean you are unfit if you sweat??
It got me thinking when I was training on Sunday morning. As I walked into the gym,there was a guy doing some speed intervals on the treadmill. He looked quite comfortable, training well and his T shirt was ringing wet.
I heard a lady on the cross trainer say to her friend: "How can he run so fast when he's so unfit? Look at all that sweat!"
Wait till I get going, I thought to myself. Within two minutes, I'll have beads of sweat forming. I love to sweat (only when training of course - not just sat in the cinema or something.That would just be wrong!)
But I guess it's kind of true when you look around at people exercising, the people that seem to be sweating the most are people who are overweight and who you would presume do not have a very high level of fitness. And then there are the super duper fit bods that you know have a high fitness level and they too can be sweating buckets.
So what does it mean???
I also remember I started personal training a lady and she told me until she trained with me she had never sweat before. I also know ladies who train in their make-up and don't like to sweat because of this.
So just to clear it up and encourage all you none 'sweaters' out there - give it a try!
- The body sweats to cool itself down.
- So it shows how efficient your body is at doing this.
- Everybody is different, so as you become hotter, you begin to perspire and sweat droplets begin to form.
- Some people can be super fit and be training hard but not sweat that much
- or like me I can just run for two minutes and it's pouring from my brow.
So don't be afraid to sweat! No one will be thinking you are unfit from now on, they'll know you are just hot :)
Remember, if you do sweat at all, the fluids need replacing so ensure you drink during your training.
Previously, on Kelly's Tips:
Can you touch your toes??
Flexibility is an important part of exercise regime and often gets brushed to the side.
Stretches can be boring but:
- vary them by using the Powerplate.
- if your centres do not have these, then speak to an instructor who can help advance your stretches.
- or if you train with a personal trainer, they can physically assist you with them so you can increase the range of the stretch.
Increasing your flexibility will:
- improve your overall fitness
- you’ll be able to work through a bigger range of movement
- it will help reduce injury
I can guarantee that if you incorporate the Powerplate stretches into your workouts, you’ll be able to touch your toes!
Earlier tips in September:
Hope you all had a good summer and have come back to work energised and full of enthusiasm for keeping fit.
I have decided to bring in guest experts from time to time to give a bit of variety to my tips. Here is an interesting article from one of our personal trainers, Kirt who works at Huddersfield Sports Centre, all about chocolate.
Is it possible? Can you find healthy alternatives to chocolate? Or even better still – can you eat chocolate without turning into a giant heffalump?
Dark Chocolate
Did you know that two to three squares of dark chocolate, with over 70 percent chocolate solids is a healthy treat, containing about 120 to 180 calories and 8 to 13 g of fat.
My problem with this is that there’s no way in hell that I would limit myself to 2-3 squares – that’s a pathetic serving! I’d avoid it completely (it’s a self control issue!). If you have a will of steel and can limit yourself to just 2 or 3 squares then by all means treat yourself. You can control the damage to some extent by having the dark choccy immediately after your workout – you may get a few funny looks in the gym but oh well!
Benefits of dark chocolate -
- antioxidants
- lowers blood pressure
- releases endorphins
- the high magnesium content helps alleviate PMS symptoms
Chocolate Cottage Cheese
I came across a site that actually has a recipe for this but everyone already laughs at me for my ALLEGED addiction to cottage cheese, with comments like:
- “Kirt only eats cottage cheese”
- “Kirt, do you dream about cottage cheese?”
- “As if you’re just eating cottage cheese straight from the tub!” – to be fair I know it is disgusting but I’m very low maintenance!
So yeah, you guys hurt my feelings. Meanieheads.
Chocolate Protein Shake
This is pretty self explanatory. But I’ll elaborate anyway! There are different types of protein shakes, each brand will make themselves sound like they are the best, but to be honest there isn’t a lot of difference between MOST brands. The different types of protein are:
- Whey protein blend
- Whey protein isolate
- Whey protein concentrate
- Casein
- Soy protein
I won’t go into too much detail but for diet purposes a whey protein blend or casien is probably the most beneficial. A whey protein blend consists of proteins that get digested at different rates to give your body a steady stream of protein which can increase your metabolic rate.
Casein gets digested slowly so again this is good for dieters and those that want a positive nitrogen balance. Whey protein isolate is high in protein, quick digesting, low in carbs and fats so it is ideal as a snack or post workout.
Nuts
Nuts are a really good snack – it’s a good source of protein, fibre, and it’s a GREAT source of good quality healthy fats that you need! Benefits of nuts include:
- Lower risk of heart disease
- Antioxidants
- Vitamin E
- Omega 3 fats
- Can lower cholesterol
Cereal Bars
This is a tricky one – a lot of cereal bars have added sugar in them, or fruit sugars. Trying to find a good cereal bar that has low sugar and fat can be hard. Here is a great site that has homemade protein bars, check it out:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/great-recipes.asp?food=homemade+protein+bars
These protein bars are probably the best option for me to ensure I get enough calories and carbs in, everyone leads a busy schedule but it only takes me 1 minute to inhale a protein bar between clients!
That’s it for now, you can have too much of a good thing (like peanut butter)! What snacks do you guys munch on? Drop a comment!
Kelly :)
Email Kelly at: kelly.potts@kirklees.gov.uk
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