5 strategies to break through a training plateau

It happens to all of us despite our goals – whether they are performance orientated, aesthetics or just pure weight-loss, eventually we will reach a point where our progress just seems to stop. Yes, the dreaded ‘training plateau’.  It’s at this point many people turn their back on their exercise regime, revert back into old bad habits of eating the wrong foods or simply are just happy plodding along knowing that doing something is better than doing nothing, but are ultimately frustrated that their efforts are not being rewarded.

As a fitness professional it is one of my jobs to help clients manage this process and give constructive advice, increase motivation to achieve and make sure the training sessions are appropriate to my clients goals – although more importantly it’s the clients responsibility to do their part and put all the necessary changes into their life outside of the 2-3 hours contact they may have with me weekly.

I know not everyone has the luxury of being able to employ a trainer or coach to give them advice, so here are my top 5 strategies to break through a training plateau.

1  Get a training partner who has the same goals as you

This one sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised at the amount of people I see training together who have completely different training goals or are on different stratospheres in their ability. If your goal is to improve your 10km run time and your mate’s goal is to improve his 1 rep max bench press, then why are you both compromising on what you want to achieve and attending a body pump class? This is of course a far-fetched example, but the point is you will get more success of teaming up with someone who is at least looking for similar training outcomes to you.

So if you have reached a point in your training where your progress has halted, look at your friendship group and think about who has similar goals to you and has a similar schedule to you and team up with them. The elements of support, a bit of friendly competition and the fact you will have two lots of energy being injected into the sessions will help push through those barriers.

2  Mix up the exercises you are doing

I know this almost sounds like a slight contradiction to the last point I made, but let me give you a common scenario;

Take someone who has been going running 2-3 times per week for many years and for a long time it seemed to work, they kept their weight down and felt like they were keeping fit. Recently the weight has started to creep back on and they have noticed that they can’t run any faster without hurting themselves.

I would advise this person to add in some interval or high intensity cardio training (doesn’t have to be running), to get them out of their comfort zone and push the heart and lungs to new limits as well as adding in strength training exercises so that the muscles can work harder and take the pressure off the joints (note: there are potentially many more things you could advise too, these are two examples).

You see, the human body is an amazing biological work of genius. It has evolved over millions of years to adapt to our environment very quickly to ensure we are able to survive. So when we constantly do the same exercises in the same order at the same tempo the body will get used to it and save energy. It therefore stops being a workout and becomes just part of our routine.

Changing things around not only gives the body a proverbial kick up the backside, but starts waking up a load of new muscle fibres that may have been unused for a while and have gotten lazy.

This is not just relevant to the running example I used earlier. Kettlebell guru Pavel Tzatzouline, highlights in his book, “The Russian Kettlebell Challenge”, that using kettlebell workouts has shown improvements in pull-ups, bench press, deadlifting, back squats and overall endurance. These are very common areas that I know lots of people wish to make improvements in. So, start mixing it up for a while and you will see the improvements in performance.

3  Work on transition exercises

Those who know me or follow my Facebook page will know that I have got quite into Olympic lifting over the last couple of years. I’m not doing too badly, but have a long way to go before I consider myself good at the sport – but none the less it takes up a lot of my training time. I made the common mistake this year and attempted to improve my lifts by just working on the exact lifts (these are the Clean & Jerk and the Snatch). This ultimately meant that my sessions were not particularly effective and I was stuck around the same weights.

So, I got out my coaching manual, thought about what my coach Giles Greenwood would say to me and started to focus on the transition and complementary exercises again. So, rather than just getting a bar, loading it up and doing an hour of clean and jerks or snatches, I have been choosing specific exercises I know will improve each phase of the lift and every now and then will throw in a session of full lifts. The result has been my lifts are improving once again.

I know this is a specific example, but the method can be transferred into many performance orientated goals and help break that plateau.

4  Think like an athlete

I know that most of the people reading this will not be athletes, so what do I mean by this? I am talking about the way athletes use a method called periodisation in their training plans. This means their coach will look at what the performance outcome of the training programme is, then map out specific steps to achieve this.

For example, the coach will need to establish how long the training cycle is, what areas of fitness need to be worked on (strength, endurance, conditioning, co-ordination, balance, speed, explosive power etc.), what rest periods need to be factored in and how progress will be measured along the way.

Now, I’m not expecting you to suddenly be fully competent in the finer details of strength and conditioning, but again the template is a good one to implement in your own programmes. A start would to be take a look at the goal setting pyramid I posted a few months back. This will provide a simple structure to establish SMART goals (specific, measurable, action orientated, realistic, time based) and give steps along the way to put them into action.

If you want to perform like an athlete, then start thinking like one!

5  Look a bit deeper

Ok, you’ve got a new highly motivated training partner, you’ve added in new exercises to shake up your routine, you’ve analysed your performance and found appropriate transition exercises and have set up a full training cycle, but are still struggling. No it’s not time to give up and take up drinking instead! It’s time to look a bit deeper.

A colleague of mine Tony Wilson, is currently trying to hit some new personal best lifts in his squat and deadlift. To look at him it’s hard to spot where things could be improved. He eats perfectly, he sleeps enough, he trains hard and regularly, he gets regular sports massage etc. But he has not been hitting the numbers he wanted on these particular lifts.

So, he had a full biomechanics assessment and has been given a list of very intricate muscle imbalances that he needs to improve that will help him break through the barriers.

Again, this specific example isn’t relevant to everyone. To be honest, most people just need to significantly improve the basics before they have to worry about a full biomechanics assessment, but areas that are often overlooked when it comes to performance goals are;

• Mobility
•  Flexibility
• Stress management 
• Sleep
• Nutrition
•  Posture
• Core strength

All of these factors will affect your overall performance in the gym, out on the track or sports field and I guarantee if you fine tune any of them or all of them you will see improvements.

If you’re unable to seek professional advice from a Personal Trainer, Fitness Coach, Lifestyle Practitioner or Nutritionist on these matters, then good resources of information are available in many good books. For example; Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett, for mobility, posture and flexibility or Eat, Move and be Healthy, by Paul Chek for a fantastic introduction to improve your lifestyle. I know both these books have changed the way I approach my fitness and my life in general.

Good luck busting those training plateaus…

Stay healthy!!

Finding motivation to train: My top tips to beat the post-holiday blues

In true British style, the summer has come and gone in a blink of an eye. To be fair, we have had some fantastic sunny weather and I’ve enjoyed some long hazy days, some alfresco dining courtesy of my new barrel barbeque and have even taken up running again as it was too nice to be stuck inside the gym all the time. However, as I write this I’m looking out through the window as the rain pours down and gives me a big reminder that autumn is well and truly on the horizon.

As a veteran trainer of many years I always witness a trend in September; that it takes a while for people to return to the gym after the summer holiday season and relocate the motivation to push on with their training. Why does this happen? My theory is that the majority of training leading up to summer – pretty much from January onwards – is geared towards aesthetics, so as soon as the fear of wearing clothes that reveal lots of flesh has dispersed, then so does the motivation to exercise frequently.

The problem with this is that it is very short term and just creates a cycle of repeated behaviour every year:

So here are my top tips to break this cycle, get back in the gym and start taking a more strategic approach to your health and fitness all year round.

1. Improve your foundations to keep injury free

One of the issues you have to contend with when going through a negative training cycle is that injuries will be common, as you are over-training in short bursts to make up for months of inactivity.

My advice is to approach this autumn as if you are starting from scratch and work harder at building the foundations. By this I mean look at your posture, your mobility, muscle imbalances (speak to your trainer about how to assess this) and take time to improve your technique of all the foundation movements – squats, deadlift, lunge, push, pull and twist. Not only will you see a ramp up of improvement in your performance, but the common aches and pains you suffer with every spring and summer will miraculously disappear.

2. Reset your nutrition and learn how food can make you feel better

Transforming the way you eat doesn’t have to be geared towards losing weight. The excesses of the summer holidays – too much alcohol, too many desserts, too many meals out… well, just generally TOO MUCH of everything – can leave you feeling bloated, lethargic and unmotivated, so physically you may not be performing at 100%.

Cleaning up your diet through my favourite reset method – elimination – can help you learn about how your body reacts to certain foods and forces you to plan meals, cook with wholesome ingredients, find the most nutrient dense foods and remove all those very addictive junk foods that are just not great for your long term health.

3. Set yourself some performance goals not aesthetic ones

Take a break from trying to lose weight, reducing your body-fat or increasing how big your muscles are so you look good in your swimwear and think about setting yourself some performance goals in the gym.

It doesn’t matter what level of fitness you are, you can always hit a new personal best. For some it may be being able to run 1 mile non-stop; for others it might be to squat their bodyweight or do unassisted pull-ups. Whatever your performance goal, I can tell you that if you set out a strategic plan to achieve your goal then you will get some aesthetic benefits at the same time and without the stress of focusing on them every day. The buzz you get from hitting your targets and seeing your fitness improve month to month will keep you motivated all year round.

4. Try creating some new healthy habits

Using this period of non-aesthetic focus on your health and fitness is the perfect time to start looking at other ways to improve your total wellbeing by creating some new and healthy habits.

I have written before about how it’s actually easier and more beneficial for your health to create new habits than it is to break old habits, so I was pleased to read an article by James Clear – an entrepreneur who uses an understanding of behavioural science to succeed in life and business – agreeing with that principle, but also giving some fantastic practical tips to put it into action.

He states that you should look at the 3 Rs of behavioural change when trying to install a new habit:

Reminder – the trigger that initiates behaviour

Routine – the behaviour itself

Reward – the benefit you get from the behaviour

How does that work in the real world?

Well first of all, it’s important not to try anything too radical; just small tweaks in your habits and behaviour will give you a greater chance of success. So, if your new behaviour is to drink herbal tea every morning, then look to tie that into an existing habit.

For example: if every morning you go into Costa Coffee (other coffee shop brands are available!) to get a cup of hot sugary milk with extra syrup then your ‘REMINDER’ is going into Costa Coffee, your ‘ROUTINE’ is now ordering a herbal tea instead, and your ‘REWARD’ is whatever you want it to be. I think a non-food reward works best, maybe putting the money you saved from buying a tea (even if it’s only £1 every time) into a pot that can build up over the next few months to then buy yourself something.

Healthy habits to try could be:

• Stop eating bread
• Flossing daily
• Drink herbal tea everyday
• Watch less TV
• Cut down your use of social media
• Call your friends and family more often
• Take a daily walk

5. Book yourself into an event for charity

If none of these suggestions takes your fancy, then put those narcissistic tendencies about how you look to one side, and do something for charity.

There are countless physical challenges that are available for people to sign up to in the name of charity; running a 5km park run, wading through muddy obstacle course races, climbing the peaks of our national parks or even attempting an amateur triathlon. All of them will require months of dedication to training and an improvement in your physical fitness and nutrition before you could complete them, so can help towards setting some long term targets to keep you motivated through the autumn and winter months.

Stay healthy!

Top tips for damage limitation on your summer holidays

For many people their summer holiday is a huge motivator to get in the gym and work on their beach body (note, I said for many, not all, so please not another social media hate campaign against the fitness industry). They’ll have spent many months partaking in gut busting routines to shape their legs, firm their bottoms and pump up their pecs. 

They would’ve counted carbs, sunk alkalising green juices that look and smell like pond water and deprived themselves of so many treats they would make a nineteenth century puritan look like a party animal, all so they can put on that designer bikini or pair of funky board shorts and feel a sense of achievement and pride (and lap up the compliments) that they are in the best shape of their life.

So there is absolutely no point going through all this pain to ruin it all within 48 hours of hard drinking and filling up on junk food to end up a bloated mess. Here are my top tips for damage limitation whilst on holiday.

Beware the all-inclusive buffet

It may offer fantastic value but there is no need to try every single dish on offer every night. The sheer amount of food that is piled onto plates in the all-inclusive buffet is staggering and the bizarre combinations are slightly stomach turning. I would estimate (purely based on observation) that the average person eats 2-3 times more food every day than they would normally consume if they go all-inclusive, guaranteeing they will be going home with some unwanted poundage. My advice if you are going to an all-inclusive resort is just to pace yourself and have a good look round the options before you choose your meals, that way you won’t get food envy and want to try everything and anything. 

Explore by foot and potter about

One of my favourite things about being on holiday is not needing a car. I really enjoy exploring the area by foot and depending on where you are this may include; coastal walks, exploring capital cities, long walks along the beach or just getting from your resort to the local town and back. It may not be a huge calorie burner, but cutting back on taxi’s or ditching the hire car will allow you to stretch the legs out, bask in the sunshine (soaking up that vitamin D), take in the local scenery and atmosphere and I always find that a good walk helps get rid of aches and pains by forcing you to be in a natural upright position – which is vital as far too much time is spent sitting these days.

Look out for the omelette station at breakfast

The breakfast buffet is probably the best thing about hotel food. There is always loads of pancakes, waffles, bread rolls, bacon, cured meats and much more on offer and it’s as tempting as the evening buffet to go overboard. I have found the best way to approach a hotel breakfast is to go for eggs. There is always an omelette station and they are always freshly made and have a good selection of fillings available – this breakfast is full of protein and good healthy fats, satisfies your appetite and gives a feeling of self-righteousness that can be rewarded with an ice cream later in the day ;-)

Give the water sports a try

If like me you are from the UK it’s not often you get to go in open water without needing a wetsuit or emergency treatment for hypothermia, so it seems a shame to not fully take advantage of the aqua based activities available at most summer holiday destinations. Whether its sea kayaking, water skiing, swimming, surfing, coasteering or climbing back on the banana boat after being thrown into the drink for the umpteenth time, you will be using elements of fitness such as strength, balance and co-ordination. So ditch the hotel gym for your holiday workout and head down to the beach to try out some of the awesome and fun sports on offer and turn your holiday into an active adventure.

Look out for local patrons

Unfortunately the view of many resorts is that Brits like to eat burgers, chips and beans and have very unsophisticated palates, so the quality of food available in the more touristy zones is ropey at best. So I have found the best way to get decent food that the locals would eat is to ask, erm the locals. Take some time to get some inside knowledge about the best restaurants that are not in the tourist areas and you will most likely get better quality, better value and food that doesn’t destroy your gut leaving you bloated and smelling of fried food.

Coconut water is a perfect hangover cure

After a night dancing away until the early hours and sinking a few too many sangrias there is no better hangover cure than a cold coconut water. It’s full of electrolytes which is great for hydration and packed full of nutrients such as potassium and magnesium which can help reduce the inflammation in the body. If you’re lucky enough to be staying on an island paradise then a fresh coconut is perfect, but if that isn’t available then a carton full of non-concentrate coconut water will more than do the job leaving you refreshed and ready to face another day.

All of these tips recognise the need to enjoy yourself whilst on your holiday; the key is not to deprive yourself but to have these tricks up your sleeve so that you can get the best of both worlds. You avoid ruining all of your pre-holiday hard work and won’t face a huge repair job once you get home.

Enjoy your holiday and stay healthy!

5 things people who are getting results at the gym are doing that you need to do.

1   Taking goal setting seriously

I don’t mean turning up every day at the gym and deciding that you need to work your arms because they look flabby, or do thousands of crunches because your tummy is bloated.

No, real goal setting takes thought, process and execution. I recently listened to a motivational speech by gold medallist sprinter and ex-professional athlete Derek Redmond, he gave an insight into how he set goals for winning medals.

He used a 100 day goal setting pyramid to set overall goal, performance goals and process goals using the SMART system – each goal should be;

                     Specific – Measurable – Action based – Realistic – Time based

Going through this process allows you to sit down and really think about what you really want to get from your training, what you can actually commit to and keeps the targets short enough that you don’t get bored and lose motivation.

For an example of how the goal setting pyramid looks, check out my blog or email james@hutchisonpt.co.uk and I’ll send you the document to use.

2   Seeking expert advice

This doesn’t only mean booking in sessions with a Fitness Professional (although it’s a good option), it can mean talking to people who have achieved what you want to, booking in on fitness seminars, reading blogs from industry experts or watching fitness & nutrition webinars.

Whatever the source of expertise you seek out, it will always help you reach your goals and break those training and motivation plateaus. Remember, it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help and I can tell you that even after 15 years in the business I am still learning every day.

3   Taking their nutrition seriously

It’s an old cliché that you can’t out train a bad diet, but I’m afraid it’s totally true – especially the older you get. Whether your goals are weight-loss, fat loss, muscle gain, performance or general health you need to have more than a basic understanding of nutrition and I don’t mean calories in vs calories out.

Do you know how much protein you need? Do you know how much carbohydrate you need for your goals? What about why fat is essential in your diet, the best sources of nutrient rich foods or how to eat pre & post workout?

Taking the time to seek out the information will empower you with the tools to fine tune your diet in a scientific way and reap the rewards in the gym as your energy levels sore, your recovery time improves and your body functions in an efficient way.

4   Training at the correct intensity

Now it’s very tempting for me to ask the question, “Are you working hard enough?” In many cases this is definitely an issue. I see loads of people in the gym getting sweatier walking up the stairs to the gym floor than they do during their workout. How do they expect to change their physiques when they refuse to get out of their comfort zone?

However, the correct intensity is dependent on your goals. For example, if your goals are to increase your muscle size and strength then going to a body pump class and doing high rep –low weight exercises isn’t going to be effective regardless whether you feel “worked out” after an hour.

Referring back to our earlier goal setting post, be specific with your goals and then you can be specific with your training and implement the appropriate intensity.

5   Having rest days

I can’t emphasise how important this is, quite simply your body needs recovery to change. Now, I’m not going to fall into the trap of claiming everyone is overtraining, as even those of us who train regularly are not anywhere near the levels of professional athletes who are pushing their bodies to the limit day in day out.

However, if you are training hard and not seeing results, then look at your rest and recovery procedure. Are you taking complete days away from the gym? Are you getting regular massage? Are you learning how to use a foam roller to break down muscle tissue? Look at your sleep patterns or even how you are eating and drinking on non-training days.

If you are looking for real results then these factors can be the difference between success and failure and let’s face it, what’s the point of breaking a sweat and feeling pain in the gym if nothing is changing?

Stay healthy!!

How a fitness enthusiast does Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching this weekend and couples are frantically booking up romantic meals for two at restaurants full of over-priced food and hitting the high street for novelty gifts and second rate boxes of chocolate. As a fitness, nutrition and lifestyle enthusiast (maybe even stretch to labelling myself as an aficionado),  I’ve always had a slightly different approach to preparing for the sexiest day of the year. So I thought I’d share my tips on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day without compromising your healthy lifestyle.

Pre-date workout

You can’t go on your date without having a workout first. It de-stresses you, clears your mind, it gets you in the zone and more than anything it makes you feel confident before putting on your evenings outfit – and we all know that CONFIDENCE = SEXINESS.

Guys, I like to call this workout “the party pump”. It’s the only time I ever purely focus on aesthetics when I’m working out, but if I don’t feel like my t-shirt has been sprayed on after this upper body blast then I haven’t worked out hard enough. Here we go:

Push-Ups X 10 – Pull-Ups X 10 – Incline Push-Ups X 10 – Parallel Bar Dips X 10

Repeat: 10 rounds followed by 100 bicep curls with a light barbell!

Ladies, I haven’t forgotten you. Getting your booty firmed up and ready to look drop dead gorgeous in a pair of slim fit jeans is a must before your date turns up. So follow this classic legs and bum blaster:

Dumbbell Lunges X 10 – Bar Squats X 10 – Hip Raises X 10 – Dumbbell Bench Step-Ups X 10

Repeat: 8 – 10 rounds followed by 100 front kicks (50 each leg) on the heavy bag.

The main meal

Let’s state this loud and clear; EATING HEALTHILY DOESN’T MEAN EATING BORING! In my opinion there is nothing more perfect for a Valentine’s meal than a good slab of grass fed protein packed beef steak (I prefer rib eye) – I mean who doesn’t find the marbling of a prime cut of steak sexy? I like my steak medium rare, seasoned with salt & pepper and accompanied by the well-known aphrodisiac and antioxidant-rich super-food asparagus (pan fried in coconut oil), and a glass of Sardinian Red wine, which is famed for its life-preserving and anti-ageing qualities.

The indulgent dessert

I mentioned earlier that there are many second rate boxes of chocolate out there, but if you or your partner are health, fitness and nutrition enthusiasts then you haven’t lived until you’ve treated yourself to some Booja Booja chocolate truffles; they are organic as well as gluten, dairy and soy free and are absolutely delicious! If the steak and asparagus hasn’t hit the spot, then these indulgent delicacies will seal the deal for you.

Post-meal mood setting

You’ve eaten some good food, you’ve drunk some good wine, maybe even sipped a few glasses of champagne and most likely sat through a light hearted Hollywood chick flick, so now it’s time to set the mood for love. So is there a better way than treating your other half to a hot detox bath?

Here’s my fool proof bath recipe that will cleanse their skin, relax their muscles and with the right essential oils, ramp up their hormone levels a notch!

Fill your bath tub with hot water adding 1 kg of magnesium rich Epsom bath salts, a small handful of bicarbonate of soda and a generous drizzle of Lady Sclareol oil (a mix of ylang ylang, geranium, rosewood, jasmine, clary, sage and sandalwood oils) which is the perfect sensual oil.

Soak in this for 20 minutes to really let the oils and salts absorb into the system and take effect. If you’re feeling particularly sensual after this bath then maybe use the oil to treat your partner to a back, neck and shoulder massage in the bedroom – careful not to use too much oil or you’ll soon be slipping off the bed.

Evening cardio

Now this is the part of the evening we’ve been working up to. You look good, you’ve shown off your culinary skills and are feeling great after a hot detox bath, now’s time to show off your skills in the bedroom as well as proving that the gym has been good for something, by opting for a more adventurous and physically demanding position from the Karma Sutra.

Here’s one for the guys to make use of that upper body party pump; Stand and deliver!

Ladies, you’ve worked on those pins and booty for hours in the gym, now it’s time to show off those strong legs with the erotic accordion.

So, to all you lovers out there, have fun and…

… Stay healthy!

10 character traits of healthy people

1. They sleep enough. 

Did you know that sleeping less than 7 hours per night makes it 3 times more likely that you’ll catch a cold? Not only that, people who don’t get enough sleep are likely to eat more due to the fact their leptin (an appetite hormone) levels fall, promoting an appetite increase. So, forget watching that late movie, get an early night and start reaping the rewards of a full night’s sleep.

2. They plan their meals.

Have you ever made the mistake of food shopping when you are hungry? That’s right; you end up with a basket full of high sugar or convenience foods that do nothing for your waistline. For some people planning meals sounds boring and time consuming, but it actually helps you make healthier choices, regulates your portion size and is great for long term health.

3.  They exercise without being told by their trainer.

Scheduling in regular sessions with a PT is the best way to make sure you have an effective exercise programme. However, the healthiest people and those who achieve the most results don’t just rely on 1 or 2 hours per week of exercise; they find time for extra gym sessions, yoga classes or go that extra mile to be as active as they can every day.

4.  They set themselves exercise goals.

For some exercise is a chore and for some exercise is something that just needs to be ticked off in the diary, but for the healthiest people there needs to be a goal. Not because they want to continuously break records, but because they understand that it makes it more exciting and gives the sessions structure and purpose, which stops them giving up.

5. They always ask questions.

Why is it that many people stop asking ‘why?’ after they leave school? If we just accept things as fact without finding out why or how, then you never really learn for yourself. Healthy people want to understand how to improve their health. They read books and newspaper articles, they ask health professionals for advice and are willing to research the latest facts on health and wellbeing.

6.  They eat fatty foods.

Fat, particularly saturated fat, has been demonised for decades as the cause of cardiovascular disease and obesity. Finally, the mainstream media are beginning to spread the word that fatty foods, such as oily fish, avocados, nuts, seeds and coconut oil, are full of the essential nutrient required for energy, regulation of hormones, and absorption of minerals and protection of the immune system. Healthy people have known this all along and live by the mantra, “fit people eat fat”.

7. They’re always trying new things.

Humans are habitual by nature; it’s an evolutionary mechanism that has helped us survive by staying safe and conserving energy. But we live in a very different environment these days and it’s much safer to break out of your comfort zone and reap the healthy rewards. Healthy people eat a variety of food; they try new activities and are always looking to seek ways of stimulating their mind to look after their mental and emotional health.

8. They drink alcohol in moderation.

There have been some studies out recently that have shown that drinking alcohol in moderation can help reduce the risk of heart attack, particularly with certain red wines (Sardinian and Sicilian), even compared against those who don’t drink. The key word though is moderation. There won’t be many reading this who don’t get drunk sometimes and that’s fine. It just has to be sometimes, not all the time, not even every week. Healthy people know how to let their hair down too; it’s just not the only way they unwind.

9. They laugh often.

According to Dr Michael Miller, a cardiologist from Maryland, laughing for 15 minutes per day has the same positive effect on blood flow and dilation of the arteries as 30 minutes of exercise – that’s not even mentioning the positive effect it has on your mood and mental health. So, if you want to keep your health on track then make sure you get your daily dose of comedy!

10.  They manage stress well.

Healthy people don’t bottle up their emotions; they seek out people to talk to or find a healthy way to channel the tension. They don’t run themselves into the ground physically; they receive regular massage, osteopathy or whatever drug-free method is needed to make sure they’re pain-free. Healthy people are aware of how environmental pollutants can adversely affect health, so eat clean food and use paraben-free beauty products. So whether your stress is emotional, physical or environmental, for a healthier life it’s important you recognise it and learn how to deal with it.

Stay healthy!!

How much carbohydrate should I be eating?

Thanks to over 30 years of institutionally bad advice on the recommended amounts of carbohydrate (CHO), the western world is currently suffering from an epidemic of obesity and related metabolic disease, such as Type 2 diabetes.  For example, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “healthy” food pyramid recommends up to 65% of your diet to be made up of CHO foods including vegetables, fruits, grains, cereal, rice, pasta etc. 

This advice is obviously flawed as there are currently 154.7 million overweight or obese adults in the United States, equating to approximately 35% of the population, this has risen from 13.2% of the population in 1962. The UK isn’t any different, NHS statistics from 2011 show 25% of adults are obese and only 37% have a healthy BMI (height:weight calculation).

What is the link between CHO advice and obesity?  This is a question that many will ask as factors such as change in working culture (less manual labour) and technology have rapidly decreased the activity levels of the nation.  Not forgetting that food technology and media advertising have increased the amount of processed foods consumed.  But they cannot take all of the blame, especially as so many people are “dieting” and going to the gym to increase their activity levels and still struggling to maintain a healthy weight.  

Believe me when I say;

CHO = sugar. 

Excess sugar = stored fat. 

Excess stored fat = weight problems!

So, how much should I be consuming? 

Well, according to Mark Sisson, author of Primal Blueprint, it depends on what you are trying to achieve.

0-50g per day = Ketosis and accelerated fat burning.

Acceptable for occasional one to two day intermittent fasting efforts towards aggressive weight loss, provided adequate protein, fat and supplements are consumed.  Not recommended as long term strategy as it depletes the body of essential nutrient high fruits and vegetables.

50-100g per day = sweet spot for effortless weight loss

Minimises insulin production and accelerates fat metabolism.  Alongside meeting average daily protein requirements (meat, fish, poultry), eating nutritious vegetables, (some) fruits, nuts, seeds and eggs, you can lose 1-2 lbs of body fat per week.

100-150g per day = maintenance range

Allows for genetically optimal fat burning, muscle development and effortless weight maintenance. Dietary emphasis is on vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and animal foods, with grains and processed sugars eliminated.

150-300g per day = Steady, insidious weight gain

This level of CHO is the level that many institutionally funded bodies (USDA, NHS etc) and many commercial “diet” companies recommend.  This continuous insulin stimulating pattern of eating provides perfect conditions for weight gain and the associated health conditions.  Chronic exercise and crash dieting may keep weight down for a period of time, but inevitably metabolic syndrome (inability to control blood sugar levels) will develop and fat levels will rise.  This even happens to seemingly cautious eaters, but a few lbs will be gained every year leading to long term problems.

300g or more = DANGER ZONE

Sweet foods such as confectionary, pastries, sugary hot drinks, fizzy drinks, cakes, excess alcohol etc, which are consumed frequently by many mean that this level is easily exceeded without even feeling full.  It will lead to metabolic syndrome, certain weight gain and a shortened life span.

Common CHO foods and their approximate values;

70g cooked pasta = 51g CHO

1 large baked potato = 50g CHO

1 large baked sweet potato = 35.4g CHO

50 g raw porridge oats = 31g CHO

2 slices of wholemeal bread = 30g CHO

1 small banana = 23g CHO

1 medium apple = 23g CHO

70g cooked quinoa = 15g CHO

70g Cooked brown rice = 15g CHO

100g blueberries = 6.9g CHO

100 g bag of mixed green leaf salad = 2.5g

Sweet treats:     1 blueberry muffin = 46.7g, 1 Mars bar = 40g CHO, 42g Granola Bar = 29g CHO

As you can see by this chart, it doesn’t really take much to end up eating excess CHO in your diet.  So it is vital that you monitor what foods you are consuming, weigh your CHO foods before cooking them and make sure you are eating the optimal amount for your circumstances.

Stay healthy!!

For more information about how to plan a healthy diet or exercise plan, contact me on james@hutchisonpt.co.uk, or find me and my colleagues at All About You Fitness Studio's in Highgate Village, London.