A few things I have learned after 4 years of competing and nearly 12 years as a trainer –
1. You cannot out train a bad diet.
2. You need to track your food to some level to see what works and doesn’t work for you.
3. You must be patient for results and consistent in training and nutrition – always!!!
4. You have to work your butt off – not just in training but being diligent to prep your meals and change your lifestyle to ensure your choices and effort match the results you want to see.
5. One bad day doesn’t ruin days or weeks of good eating and training.
6. Nothing worth achieving is ever easy.
7. Set daily, weekly and monthly goals to keep you on track. Know where you are heading before you start. Stay positive and enjoy the journey.
8. It’s a marathon not a sprint. So often we want quick results from very little effort, we forget the long term goal which is to lose the fat and maintain it. There are no short cuts.
9. Eat for health and wellbeing not strictly to lose weight fast. Be balanced. in your nutrition and training. Have a social life and enjoy your life.
10. No complaining, No moaning – just get on with it, get it done and don’t compromise on what you need to do to get the results you want.
At Fitness Hub 21 we understand how it feels to want results fast and to feel like your failing but you just have to keep going regardless of how you feel.
Do your best every day, eat well every day, train hard, recover well and love and enjoy life.
Every week there is a new wonder diet that claims to make weight loss easy and faster. There is so much information out there it can become confusing whom to believe.
An article that compared popular diet programs in overweight and obese individuals found that people lost weight following both low carb and low fat diets as well those on zone diet. They concluded that the best diet is the one that you can stick to for the longest.
The ideal diet is one that is best adhered to by you, so that you can stay on the diet as long as possible to get the best results
Because low carb worked for your friend doesn’t mean it’s the diet for you.
Its not the low carb that makes you lose weight – it’s the fact that you are eating less than what you burn, therefore you lose weight. The same rule applies for low fat, intermittent fasting etc
Having competed in physique comps for 5 years I have been on my fair share of diets. I have achieved my results eating low carb, high carb, medium carb, low fat, higher fat etc.
The one thing that remained constant throughout was calorie deficit and hitting my protein goal each day as well as training 3-4 x a week consistently – week in, week out, month in, month out, one day at a time. I had to find a way of eating that suited my lifestyle, working hours and food preferences in order that I may stick to it long enough to see it work.
There are no wonder diets; you cannot replace hard work, consistency and time when it comes to achieving your goal. The bigger the goal the greater the effort required to achieve it and the bigger the sacrifice.
Comparison of weight loss among named diet programs in overweight and obese adults – a meta analysis. Johnston et al 2014
Starting out with a desire to get fitter and stronger can be daunting at any age, but even more so as you age. There is a need for all women to take up strength training; especially for women over 50. The health benefits are massive – increased bone strength to prevent osteoporosis, increased strength to preserve muscle mass, blood sugar regulation and increased energy expenditure
But where do you start? There are many obstacles standing in your way especially if you haven’t spent the past 10-20 years in the gym or with a personal trainer.
Feeling out of place and self conscious
Problem – Most gyms are very intimidating to say the least and when you are over 50 it may seem like a strange place. The weights area is bombarded with men and on top of that you don’t know where to start.
Solution – Find a place where you feel comfortable, private personal training gyms may work best as there are less members and all sessions are with a coach.
You need to feel welcomed and at home, and also given the right training to suit your needs. Look for a gym where the culture and environment suit you.
I don’t want to get hurt
Problem – this is a legitimate concern for anyone starting out. Your risk of injury will increase when you don’t know what your doing.
Solution – If you have health conditions speak to your doctor first to see if you are ready to start training. Sign up for some session with a personal trainer who can teach you how to move, how to train and how to get moving better. Technique is king when it comes to building strength, followed by consistency and progressing the program when you need to.
Having trouble finding time
Problem – The kids may have grown and maybe you thought that once you get to 50 you would have more time but that hasn’t seemed to be the case. Years of inactivity or not having time to yourself is a very real problem and the years have taken their toll on your health. There is never a perfect time to start working on you and finding time can be hard, but not impossible.
Solution – Find a place to train that has a flexible schedule, start every week by putting in time to train in your diary. Schedule it like you would a dentist appointment and stay accountable to that commitment. Remember you will benefit from your training and you are only letting yourself down when you fail to start. Exercise makes you feel better about yourself, it will boost your energy and time invested in your health will only benefit you and make more enjoyable.
Believing that all you need is cardio training
Problem – We have been led to believe that older people need more cardio and less strength training. As more research is done it is becoming clear that women over 50 need more weight training than cardio. While sitting on a bike for 40 minutes will help you get fitter; strength training will help improve all over well-being and set you up to be stronger, fitter and mentally sharper as you age.
Solution – Find a place that specialises in personal training or a coach at a gym that understands what you need. They should be able to lead and guide you in the right direction and set you up for great results that will help you get what you need from training.
Whatever the obstacle to training the pros far outweigh the cons especially when it comes to your health. You can’t ignore the fact that regular training will lead to greater health and over all wellbeing.
So get moving, see what is available to you locally and get started.
Know your goal – but more importantly have a plan.
Take Action toward your goal – plan your meals, prep them, get moving and talk less about what you will do.
Be consistent – be persistent every day.
Change your focus – there is more to training than just how many calories you burn. Train for fun, for strength, greater mobility, better mental and physical health; find joy in the journey.
Train for the long term goal – Doing the basics right and consistently will see you not only reach your goal but be able to maintain what you achieve. There will be times you can’t train and life just gets in the way but developing healthy habits now will mean greater success in the future.
BREAKING THE MOULD – REAL WOMEN, REAL TRAINING, REAL RESULTS
All our members regardless of age train with weights, many of them are female as you can see and many of them are over 55.
It may come as a shock that Carol who is 60 can do assisted chin ups or Mylene who is a little younger is mastering push ups and ring rows.
These ladies prove every day that age is only a number and they work hard at getting stronger as they understand why it’s so important to be strong as you age.
I am so proud of the effort and energy they bring to every session, their positive attitude and who they are inspire all my clients that they can do more if they work hard
REAL WOMEN, REAL TRAINING, REAL RESULTS
A get asked a lot about how many meals a day are needed to lose weight. My reply is simple, as long as your following a calorie restricted diet; whether you eat 3 meals or 6 you will still lose weight. This allows my clients to be free to choose how they eat during the day as long as they stick to the calories i have prescribed for them.
Stick to the basics, do them well and you can’t go wrong
Doing the basics right will lead to better long term fat loss results and make the journey much easier
We tend to overcomplicate what we need to do to lose weight
We feel the need to have to suffer to get the results we want
We try to change everything by going on a restrictive diet, training 6 x a week and still juggle our day to day lives
Ultimately it all fails and you fall back into old habits and are left to think maybe i am not meant to lose weight as its so hard
Let me tell you that you can lose weight and achieve what you want – you just need to keep it simple and create new healthy habits
Great results = consistency/time
1. Train 3-4 x a week – consistency is key
2. Eat less than you burn in the form of more protein, vegetables and healthy fats – 80/20 rule applies
3. Walk 10000 steps a day
4. Drink more water 2-3 litres
5. Take it one day at a time – enjoy it and don’t stress
6. Find a place to train where you feel you belong and are surrounded by people to share the journey with
A really simple and healthy way to feed the family.
I used a split pea pasta which I like but you can use normal pasta as well if you prefer
Ingredients
2 x courgette
2 x peppers
250g mushrooms
1/4 celeriac
3 cloves garlic
1kg beef mince
2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
Salt and pepper for the mince
1 jar roasted red peppers (370g drained)
300g green pea fusilli uncooked measure
200g cheddar cheese grated
Method
Chop the veg to your liking
Cook the mushrooms and onion first, then add the peppers after 5 mins, then add broccoli and courgettes
Put it in a bowl once cooked
Brown off the beef mince add salt and pepper to taste as well as smoked paprika
Cook the pasta most of the way. Drain it and wash it off
Add the ingredients together in a large bowl
Drain and blitz up the red peppers to make a sauce. Add water and replace the lid, shake it and add to the mix
Mix it all together
Put it in a very large tray
Add cheese to your liking
Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 mins
You can use whatever vegetables you like. If you have fussy kids blitz the vegetables up and add it to the sauce
This serves 8-10 portions. Depends how hungry you are
Divided by 9 meals
per portion equals Calories 460 Carbs 36.5g Protein 35.5g Fat 17g
You can substitute with chicken mince which would bring calories down around 410-460 per meal
If you don’t eat meat. Add more vegetables
