Fitness Blog by Zumba coach, Lola Adeoye
New Year …New You …New Resolution!
“January is finally behind us…The time of the year when we make Resolutions…to give up smoking, lose weight, and get fit for the summer. If you are one of those who decided to take up a healthy lifestyle and you were in the Action stage
It is FEBRUARY …Where are we at? Are well on track? Have we relapsed into the old ways?
Here are a few tips on how to get back on track
Set Realistic goals and reward yourself at every stage passed
Our goals need to be achievable. Setting unrealistic goals sets us up for failure. Set goals and reward yourself at every stage. It could be as little as a slice of your favourite cake (mine is a Carrot Cake) on achieving that goal
Goals can be short term (6 weeks) or Long Term (12 weeks)
And create a diary or a blog detailing your journey along with a photo diary
Have a Mission Statement
A sample Mission Statement would be:
“I, Jane Smith aim to attend 2 and outdoor sessions a week. I want to improve my fitness level and be a perfect example to my daughter”
Place the statement on your Fridge door alongside your photo.
Invest in a mini Home Gym.
All you need is a pair of dumb bells (Two different sizes), Stability or Swiss Ball and an exercise mat which you can pick up at the local sports shop.
Charity begins at home; try at home first and move on to a gym if you need more.
Fitness Buddy
Embarking on a Fitness lifestyle is made easier when you have someone walking alongside you. Find a Fitness Buddy with the same goal, push, work together and encourage each other.
Eat regularly
Eat 5 – 6 small meals a day Ensure they are broken down into
50 – 60% Carbohydrate of which 40% must be what is termed complex carbohydrates (wholegrain seeds, Potatoes, Pasta, Dried Peas and Pulse),
25 – 30% Fat – Olive Oil, Almond Oil, Avocado, and Seeds,
15 – 20 % Protein – Lean Meat and Poultry, Fish, Eggs and Legumes
Fibre – recommended intake should be about 30g per day and examples include Oats, Kidney Beans, Sweet corn, Cereal
Water drink approximately 2 – 2.5 litres of water daily and fluid intake should be continuous and throughout the day
(See our Sample Meal Plan below)
Work out your Daily Energy Requirement.
This is the amount of energy required to maintain your body at rest.
It is assumed that 1kg of body weight requires 25kcal of energy per day known as the Resting Metabolic Rate.
Add
20% for a sedentary individual with no exercise
50% for a moderately Active Individual (3 days exercise)
100% for a very Active Individual
So if you are 60kg and your RMR will be 1500 (25kcal multiply by 60kg)
Add
Sedentary -1800 kcal per day (1500 + 20%)
Moderately Active -2250kcal per day (1500 + 50%)
Very Active 3000kcal per day (1500 + 100%)
This is the amount of Calorie intake per day for a 60kg Individual based on their level of activity. To lose weight, the amount of calorie intake needs to be less than amount of energy burned which is why an active lifestyle is recommended.
Watch out for the Empty Calories
These are foods that don’t help in muscle building, recovery, immune system or wound healing. Avoid crisps, sweets, biscuits, sugary cereals
Alcohol
Cut down the amount of alcohol or reduce the amount o to safer level lf your aim is to lose fat.
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and amount 100 calories per unit. Stick to the recommend max levels of 21 units per week for men and 14 units per week for women.
Keep a Training Log
A training log shows what works and does not work for you, it lists your goals, increase your motivation, keeps you accountable. Writing down what you do, how it felt, goals achieved, it builds up your confidence.
Diet
Avoid diets a large percentage of diets are based on calorie restriction, expensive, Cutting a macro nutrient i.e. Carbohydrates from your meal would initially result in weight loss but not sustainable over a long period
Eating Out
It is important to enjoy and having a meal out now and then. If you can avoid food with cheese and cheese sauce as they tend to be high in fat, share a starter, trim off visible fat and skin from meat and poultry
Need help and fitness ideas? Drop us an email on
- templelola@btinternet.com
- myfitnessbuddy@googlemail.com
