FAT = HEALTHY!

FATS are often excluded in a diet!

Let’s be totally honest in modern society we are obsessed by physical appearance. More often than not, we are willing to sacrifice our health to achieve this. We look at our diet and what’s the first thing to get the chop? The answer is quite simply FAT!

It’s true that some fats are bad, but despite our beliefs, some fats are good and removing them totally from your diet can lead to health problems and in the end you’ll gain weight! It sounds all good at the start, cut my fat intake etc and in truth some short term goals will be achieved, mainly due to the fact that your calorie intake has decreased.

It’s all about the types of fat you put into your diet that means selecting the right foods and the right amounts. We can then improve help and ensure our body is less susceptible to disease and infection. Easily said than done right, why does chocolate and crisps have to be bad for us!

Fats can be broken down into two groups, unsaturated and saturated fats. The Saturated fats are the type of fat that you find in foods such as bacon, dairy products and crisps and sorry to say chocolate . These saturated fats are linked to an increase d risk of heart disease and other health effects that we would all like to avoid. However the most effective way to avoid these problems is not to cut fat out of your diet totally, but simply to replace saturated fat with the healthy unsaturated fat.

Getting the facts can ensure a healthy future!

The fats we put into our body are biological tools that perform many functions throughout our bodies. Fat is involved in cell membranes and is the chemical starting point for many compounds, including the hormones estrogen and testosterone, so basically helps in the producing of compounds that our bodies need. . Removing fats from our diets could cause these types of processes to slow and lacking production abilities of important compounds such as hormones. A basic rule and a starting point is to ensure you eat more unsaturated fats than saturated fats.

This Unsaturated fat is often seen, spoke or referred to as the ‘good’ fat and has loads of positive benefits to the body, including reducing inflammation (swelling) and improving cholesterol levels. Its widely known that the effects unsaturated fats have on the body help reduce the risk of cardiovascular deaths in society. However as reported in science daily, when a collection of scientists, doctors and nutritionists came together in 2006, they discussed effects such as improved cognitive functioning, and improvement in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Also suggested was how vital omega 3 fats are in your diet during pregnancy, to make sure of normal growth, development and cognitive functioning of the baby. There are two forms of unsaturated fats and both are required in the diet. Monounsaturated fats can be found in olive oils, as well as foods such as avocados, nuts, and seeds, such as pumpkin seeds, almonds and hazelnuts. Polyunsaturated fats are in other oils, such fish like salmon.

One very good way of incorporating unsaturated fat into your diet is to eat fish at least two times each week and to eat seeds and nuts such as those listed above, both of which are high in these fats. You could sprinkle them on your yoghurt, cereal or even have them in one of those little bags for snacks!

Saturated fats are often promoted as something that should be entirely cut from the diet and that anything containing saturated fats should be avoided whenever humanly possible. However, this is not necessarily true. Saturated fats do play a beneficial role in the body when in small quantities. Saturated fat in the diet reduces the amount of  lipoprotein. This is a compound that’s been associated with heart disease and cannot be lowered by any other known dietary means,

Saturated fat has been reported to increase the strength of bones, which is especially important in older men and women as we age our bone density decreases. Other benefits include increased lung health and for people like me, most important brain health. Accessing saturated fat in the diet isn’t that taxing, as we all like the foods its most frequently found in!

Fat intake like most things in life should be in balance with everything else, not over doing it really. As we have discussed fat is a very important compound we need in our diets. Most diets will have you exclude it totally, but in reality that is the last thing you should do. Basic rules such as not over doing it, more un saturated than saturated. Fats it’s very important for maintaining and improving health of internal organs and functioning, and decreasing the risk of diseases in un saturated cases of cardiovascular disease.

If you want to lose weight or want to tidy up your diet the best thing to do would be to ask an expert. In the short term yes it will come at a small cost, but can give you the tools, knowledge to ensure you have a healthy future.

How do I become a personal trainer?

How to become a personal trainer is a question more commonly asked than you think . There are many personal trainer courses offered on the internet today and this can sometimes confuse the situation and lead to people not taking the plunge. Many personal trainer courses are offered via distance learning and combine study material and online units. So answering the question how to become a personal trainer is a harder one than first thought, as the choice of providers can be a minefield.

To become a personal trainer we here at Body Aid have made it simply and easy to understand. The first thing you need is a fitness instructor qualification. This can either be in gym or exercise to music, but it has to be at level 2. This ensures you have the basic skills and understanding of the human body to begin a personal trainer course. Many companies offer the two combined, so it’s a complete qualification from the beginning to end. This is a very god way to ensure continuity and in most cases save money. As usually both come at a discounted rate when booked as single courses. The level 2qualification also covers many of the safety and professional aspects of instruction so will count towards units of a personal trainer courses you are considering.

Once you have the level 2 fitness instructor qualification behind you, becoming a personal trainer is in sight! The qualification has four major units which are Anatomy and Physiology, Diet and Nutrition, planning personaltraining sessions and programmes and the last thing will be a practical assessment. Within the practical assessment you will be expected to demonstrate how to take physical measurements of clients such as body fat, blood pressure or bmi and administer physical fitness tests such as the abdominal curl test, cooper 3 mile walk test and of course the dreaded bleep test! All of this plus a practical demonstration of instructional skills when putting a client through differing training approaches. The assessment will involve you taking a client through an initial assessment, taking measurements, a physical test and a designed programmed session. Using several different training approaches. You will be assessed on your skills and knowledge when delivering a session from start to finish.

Like in most courses you will develop the basic skills and understandings to pass the qualification. But will that automatically make you a good personal trainer? Like most things in life experience counts for a lot and it’s the same with personal training. Another under rated skill is organistion. If you have structured approaches and structures you can easily adjust and personalise programmes to suit all your individual clients. Being organised gives you a great starting point and head start in client relationships.

http://www.body-aid.co.ukhttp://www.body-aid.co.uk

Snack vs Grazing!

We all know that feeling; it's just too hard to get through the day without nibbling on something, usually something we shouldn't! If  you are simply hungry during the day, snacking can be a second nature and not always a good one!  While snacking generally gets frowned upon, grazing is typically recommended for many healthy diets. But like most things in life the key point is not to over do it.

Check those nutritionl Labels!

Snacking vs grazing are different things. Some of us get into the habit of the afternoon snack like a few biscuits with a tea or late night snack (big bowl of cereal was my Achilles heel) and we are so routine that it doesn't matter how hungry we are or if we are not- we're going to eat that snack no matter what as that's "what i always do".Try looking at low calorie foods, and small amounts. Such as a few Brazil nuts, great source of protein and wont spike your blood sugar. Plan your main meals so you don't over eat, use lean ingredients such as chicken and fish, such as Tuna or cod. Little and often is the key, so your body has time to metabolise that fuel! They say as a general rule you should eat six fist size meals a day. I know that sounded amazing to me too, six meals!
It is best to stick to a very low calories amount so that you don't end up sabotaging your healthy diet. For example, instead of a biscuit, packet of crisps, try low calorie carrot sticks with some cottage cheese. If you make the right choices It will help you lose weight and maintain it, helping the body with the correct food will ensure your body is more functional using your energy sources and stop it being stored!

Plan your days food intake.

Plan- The night before plan those grazing snacks through the day. Cut up those carrot sticks, pack that apple or handful of Brazil nuts. Also use a water bottle and set  the target of drinking it through the day to increase your water intake. We have all done it rushed about in the morning and as a result forgot something. Then during the day resort to vending machines or shop bought food that's pre packed. By planning your diet, you not only save money but ensure a healthy diet. A win, win situation!
Foods you like  - Use foods you like! I am as guilty as anyone, when I first looked to do a healthy diet, I tried to include foods I didn't really like for healthy snacks, so eventually I looked to avoid it and slipped!
Weigh - use those scales to weigh foods in their dry weight. This makes sure you can portion control, especially foods it is easy to over eat, like pasta and rice.


Did you know on average we use 28-30% of our bodies blood sugar just to run, so if you don't eat right then this can effect our mental performance. So we have to keep energy levels up without inputting too much energy, basically not eating too many calories!
http://www.body-aid.co.uk

Sports Massage Course - What a start!

Our new Sports massage course started this weekend, and started off at an extremely high standard. We offer two sports massage courses, one at level 3 and one at level 4. The students began this weekend on their level 3 and showed lots of enthusiasm and drive. We started with the basics, such as postural analysis, Client assessments and consultation's and Rang of movement tests. All of which help to develop you as a therapist and give a complete service. Sports massage is becoming increasingly popular and as a result a you can really add earning potential to your business if you are a successful therapist.

So what is Sports massage?
Sports massage is a deep tissue massage aimed at reducing muscle tension and fatigue, reducing swelling, improving and promoting flexibility, preventing injury and enhancing athletic performance. Within the world of elite performance, Sports massage is rapidly becoming a vital treatment and training aspect for high performing sports men and women.With the stresses put on the body by sport and athletic activities, Sports massage uses specialist techniques that helps treat individuals who are more susceptible to injury.

Who benefits from Sports Massage?

In everyday life we all suffer from muscular aches and pains. The stresses of everyday life, muscular tension and fatigue can affect everyone no matter what level of sport you play or take part in. From busy mums to stressed office workers and executives, gardeners you’ll find massage relaxing and therapeutic. Sports massage uses deep tissue techniques that can be immediately felt after your treatment session and help flush out waste products from the body, giving you a enhanced feeling of well being. Helping you with those everyday aches and strains.

What can you benefit from Sports Massage?
Pre-event massage stimulates circulation, calms nervous tension, and prepares the athlete for optimal performance while minimising the chances of muscular and/or tendon injury. Post-event massage relieves soreness and assists in the removal of waste products such as lactic acid. It improves recovery time periods between training and competitions, reducing the strain and discomfort of chronic muscle strain patterns. Sports massage enables the athlete to recover more rapidly from myofascial injury, lessening the chance of reoccurring chronic problems. Sports massage helps mentally boost an athlete, supporting and improving levels of performance. It enhances a preventive approach to athletic training whereby soft tissues are free of trigger points and adhesions, contributing toward the improvement of peak neuromuscular functioning.

With all this to learn and the students start, we could be looking at some exceptional therapists! http://www.body-aid.co.uk

Diets just dont work!

Diets seldom work, its a fact. You deprive yourself of everything you think is "bad" for you and stave yourself to the point of exhaustion. Then after you have lost a stone or maybe more, you slowly put it back on after your will and initial commitment for the diet fades. What works is something that lasts, something sustainable that you can actually work with during everyday joys and stresses! So here are some helpful hints that can help you on your way!
Plan your diet - If you look ahead and prepare your food, its alot easier to keep to. You wont panic buy that sandwich meal deal. Chop up veg for the next few days and store in the fridge, so you have ready made ingredients for lunch. Its also important to balance your meals. Just carb based lunches such as baked potatoes spike your blood sugar and basically make your body more readily store fat! So add some protein such as a lean meat like chicken. This helps balance blood sugar levels and keeps you fuller for longer!
Time - It sounds silly, but make sure you plan time in your day for eating. If you stave yourself all day and gorge at night, then your body is more likely to store unused energy sources such as that dreaded word FAT! Look to space your meals out during the average day and look at what time of day you are eating certain foods. A basic rule is don't eat most of your carbs late at night, look at protein based foods and veg for later in the day or evening. Take most of your carb intake in the early morning period. Basically because your body has longer to use this energy source.
Size - Try to make your meals the correct size. Try weighing out your ingredients in their dry weight such as brown pasta or rice. Look at the back of packaging, for basic size guides!

Help with exercise ideas?

Personal training - If you struggle get a personal trainer. It might sound drastic but they can help with exercise ideas, short term goals and help improve your motivation. Eventually this will help you be self sustainable in terms of a fitness routine, but a personal trainer can definitely help you on your way.

Personal training success!

Great personal training session today in Peterborough! Made some real progress with clients goals and motivation seems to be on the increase. Just shows the importance of setting small goals to start with really does work!
We started with a warm up then looked to build on the previous sessions time on a treadmill, working within an aerobic zone, we tired to increase time to ten inutes and 30 seconds rather than just a straight ten minutes. With success, both myself and the client were extremely hapy with this achievement and the motivation continued through out the session. Well Done!
Next up we looked at resistance work aimed at muscluar endurance. Looking at problem areas such as the back of the arms and legs. Keeping it light and our form to a high standard, the client felt the benfits straight away and had really motivated her to continue with body weight exercises between sessions! We discussed a body weight circuit that could be completed at home and everthing seems on the up.
This is our third session and the measurements we took at the start of our training already look like a distant memory!
The client has stuck to the little changes we have made to their diet and we discussed future changes such as reducing half a sugar in their tea to none, adding a protein to carb based foods to help reduce blood sugar levels, and increasing their water intake by drinking two extra cups. Making small changes seems to be working, if we made too many drastic changes then the client would find this harder and harder to stick to. Thats why crash diets seldom work, if we are all truthful everyone has tried this type of diet and they are so difficul sticking toot! Eventually you just slip back into old habits, I know in the past I have!
We finsihed with some core work such as plank for sets of 30 seconds and used the fit ball for sit ups and some balancing exercises, even had time for a dead bug! What a session, really pleased with the clients progress and has put a real smile on my face!