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You are an amazing, unique individual who can achieve ANYTHING!
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Love Kim x

What’s the best plan for fat loss?

"Dieting - the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight”

Wow what a question that is! And here’s the thing, now that I’ve got you here, I don’t know the answer.

So that’s it sorry I haven’t a clue………………. ok so maybe I do have inkling. The thing is and the reason that I say I don’t know is that I don’t know you; I haven’t the foggiest idea why you’re overweight, and the answer will be different for each individual, what works for you may not work for me, you may have allergies or intolerances that cause other symptoms to flare up, you may have a thyroid problem that I don’t, or you have very high cortisol levels that will cause you to gain weight if you go for a long run, while I can run and it will fall off due to my high metabolism (which incidentally I don’t have – I am not one of the chosen few who have the gift!)

Over the past few years diets have had a bad press, and with good reason, the main one being that a diet tends to be something you “go on” and therefore something you will come off, and that’s when most people relax.

Having lost the weight they wanted or some of it they return to their normal eating habits only to find themselves back to square one a few weeks or months down the line, so they go on another diet, and so the cycle continues. But this time it is a little harder to lose those few pounds because during this cycle – known as yo yo dieting the body’s metabolism has slowed down in response to the lack of calories and therefore energy coming into the body.

So each time the process is repeated it becomes a little harder to achieve the weight loss desired. The harder it gets the quicker you give up meaning most people end up heavier than they started in the first place – not good!

What makes it harder is that everyday in a thousand different ways we are bombarded with messages from the multi billion pound food & diet industry who tell us that weight loss their way is easy and that they have the secret answer, by following them you to can have the body of your dreams.

A particular pet hate are the companies who provide energy dense bars and shakes to replace meals leaving you too exhausted to exercise and giving you the metabolism of a snail – having lost a lot of weight and feeling great in your new (untoned) body you return to eating food and expect your sluggish metabolism to cope, it doesn’t – I have never meet anyone who has kept their weight off with this type of diet – its insane!

But here is what I do know that successful diets and exercise plans work for the following reasons,

1. they involve a reduction in un nutritious empty calories
2. they are nutritionally dense
3. they use resistance training
4. and effective cardio

Nature has provided for us every nutrient we need to survive in good health. It has convenience foods of its own in the form of fruit and nuts, it provides its own metabolism boosting broccoli, grapefruit, green teas and the weight loss elixir – water! The foods it offers are low calorie and full of nutrients that nourish every cell in the body.

Nature doesn’t process foods, such as grains, stripping them of vital nutrients, it doesn’t add salt to meat and fish so it stores for longer in a tin on the shelf or add 10 teaspoons of sugar (the amount found in a standard can of cola) to water to make it taste better.

It doesn’t use trans fats or additives to prolong its shelf life, or numbers to give foods nicer colourings, or pesticides so fruit looks prettier – I could go on but you get the picture.

We have toyed so much with the foods we eat we no long have a concept of what real.
In my next blog I will tell you my view of the world’s best diet, the nutrition my yummy mummy fit campers, 1 to 1 PT and online clients follow, the same plan that has helped clients to lose 7lbs and 5 ½ inches in their first WEEK, the results they get are amazing – but if you can’t wait for the next blog and want to get a heads up just look around at the foods nature provides!

For more info check out our website at http://www.personaltrainerleatherhead.com/

Are you making any of these common exercise mistakes?

Good clean nutrition is the number 1 key to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle but if you want to see maximum results then you should be exercising at least three times a week and moving at every opportunity. Below I have written about some common mistakes that could hinder your success.

Are you making any of these mistakes?

Doing the same workout for too long

If you want to keep losing weight or getting stronger it is vital that you keep changing your workout routine. 3 sets of 16 reps with 5 kg weights may be ok to when you start out but if you want to see results you need to keep the body guessing and push yourself a little bit harder each time you workout.

Using girlie weights

Woking out with weights that are too light is just a waste of time, once you are confident that you know the move are have good technique then go for the heavy stuff, seriously don’t be afraid of using the big weights, choose something you can do 8-12 reps with. You will be surprise at how heavy you can do.

Working in your fat burning zone

Forget the little charts on the cardio machines in the gym, the belief that working in your fat burning zone which is typically 60-70% of your maximum heart rate will get you burning more fat is wrong. It is true that when working in this zone a higher percentage of the calories burnt come from fat, but in fact you will burn a lot less calories in this zone, making the overall percentage smaller.

The table below is based on 30 mins activity

Activity	Cals Burnt	% of Fat Burnt	Cals used from fat
Rest	100	60%	60
60-70% MHR	300	50%	150
75-85% MHR	450	40%	180

Therefore the harder you work the cals you burn the more results you will see.

Skipping the warm up

No matter how short on time you are preparing the body for exercise is vital. Warming up improves your performance and decreases your chance of injury. Spending 5-10 minutes gently mobilizing the joints and increasing the heart rate will enable you to go for longer and be stronger.

Not stretching

There is currently great debate in the sports and fitness world about the effectiveness of stretching and when to do it, some say not before exercise, others say not immediately after exercise, but no one is saying don’t do it at all. When we exercise we are contracting the muscles causing them to tighten and shorten which if left can then cause postural imbalances in the body as the muscles pull the skeleton out of place.

Stretching allows the muscles to return to their natural length and the joints to be put through its full range of motion, keeping the cartilage nourished and healthy.

You may feel fine now but from the age of about 25 our flexibility begins to decline ( along with everything else!) performing regular stretches will help you keep the flexibility you already have. Stretch at the end of your workout when the body is warm and hold each stretch for 30 seconds.

Over fueling after your workouts

There is no doubt that a good workout will leave your glycogen stores low and in need of a refuel, however, for the majority of us a small snack is enough to keep us going. Energy bars and high calorie sports drinks could end up leaving you consuming more calories that you have burnt off in the workout. A banana, fruit with a few nuts or lean protien snack is an ideal after workout energy booster and will be plenty to keep you going until your next meal, which should be soon after.

Have a plan make sure you have a clear idea of what your plan for each workout is and what your end goal is. Going into the gym, to a fitcamp or for a run with no end goal in mind means you could find yourself wasting time and letting yourself off the hook when the going gets tough.

No pain no gain is not how you should be working out, if you are feeling pain other than DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) then something is wrong. When working out your should feel a tension or "burn" in the target muscle area but the joints should not hurt. Again get a pro to check out your technique, or use a mirror.

If you want something to get you started send me an email at www.personaltrainerleatherhead.com telling me a bit about yourself and I will send you a free gym workout.

Lifestyle Change - the key in the battle of the bulge

Firstly, an apology as technology has turned on me (as usual!) and I am unable to load the video that accompanied this week’s original post - 3 top abdominal exercises – so I will re film it for you to post later.

So instead, I have to let something out because after watching a program on channel 4 last night I was so angry I could not sleep for the ranting in my head!

The program was an experiment that plotted two weight loss experts against each other, one a personal trainer to the stars and the other an alternative hypnotherapist to see who could “help” two ladies each weighing 21 stone lose the most amount of weight in six weeks using either exercise or behavioural change.

Exercise without nutrition....or behaviour change without nutrition will never get results, the best route to weigh loss is a change of lifestyle, incorporating both “experts” methods. When I have a client who is in need of a large weight loss we use all three approaches, and work towards changing their current lifestyle.

Whatever your weight loss goals are, that spare tyre you carry is made up of choices, and it is all about changing those choices to positive instead of negative ones. It was an unhealthy lifestyle that made you over weight in the first place, and that is what needs to change to get you out of it.

You have to be prepared to change, to make different choices, sometimes hard choices, but the more you make the right choices the more they will take over from the bad choices!

It’s about habits, changing the bad habits into good ones, going for a quick workout on the way home from work instead of coming home and switching on the TV or having a few nuts and seeds in your desk draw for snacking instead of chocolate biscuits. It is choosing nutrient packed eggs and spinach for breakfast instead of the sugar laden cereals you start the day with, it’s saving your nightly glass of vino for a treat (and not then demolishing the whole bottle and undoing your weeks good work!)

Weight loss is not complicated, but it can be hard, I’m not going to tell you different, changing the habits of a lifetime are never easy and it is certainly not as simple as just doing a bit more exercise, or cutting out one food group, its about making changes that will benefits you and last forever. Get it right and the rewards are vast, including,

increased energy, decreased waist line, feeling healthy, confident, and ALIVE!!

Changing your habits by exercising on a regular basis, eating clean nutritious food, eliminating processed, sugary junk full of trans fats and additives, and using the power of your mind with some great behavioural techniques will blow your weight loss efforts out of the water.

I was appalled by the complete lack of care the trainer showed and was surprised that someone from our industry would take part in such a ridiculous experiment. The way he spoke to his client was an absolute disgrace and showed a complete lack of understanding for the real issues involved in weight loss.

As he bullied his client to tears after loosing only 6 lbs on her “Hollywood (starvation fat free) diet” at her 2 week weigh in my blood was boiling.

As a fat loss coach I can tell you each journey is different, but one thing remains the same clean nutrition, exercise, education, behaviour change are all part of the process and need to be worked on together. A good personal trainer will understand that and work on a program designed specifically for you that’s fits in with your lifestyle. And if he mentions the Hollywood diet – get the hell out of there!

Lastly for those of you who saw the program please do not think that all personal trainers are like this. We are nice people, people who have really care and who want to empower you to be the person you want to be!

Stop Wishing Start Living

Find more weight loss tips, workouts and info at www.personaltrainerleatherhead.com

Lets get ripped !!!!!

So you want amazing abs and you’re religiously crunching away but seeing little or no results.

I’m often asked why I don’t get clients to perform endless crunches as part of their abs conditioning, and I have several answers.

First and foremost the standard crunch works rectus abdominus, those ab muscles in front and on top of the torso, which although being just one muscle has bands of fascia over it that gives that much sought after six pack, however, in order to reveal that definition the abs need to be free of the layer of fat that so often covers them.

So answer number 1 is that you can crunch away all you like, you already have a six pack its just covered by a layer of fat!

But what about the other core muscles, external & internal oblique’s, transverse abdominals, and muscles in the lumbar and pelvic areas. These are some of the most important muscles in your body; they are constantly working to ensure you have balance and stability. Strength in these muscles is of upper most importance, as it is these that keep you injury free and it is often weakness’s here that cause the backaches so many of my clients complain of when they first come to me.

So reason number 2 is that crunches do NOTHING to help these important muscles and can in fact cause tightness down the front of the trunk exasperating postural problems and backaches.

By training the torso as a whole we can improve posture, and this is where the real magic starts. The TVA (transverse abdomins) is the bodies corset, it goes around the stomach area, primarily to compress your vital organs and stabilize the spine and pelvis. By training this muscle to hold taught it will stop those organs flopping out, avoiding that pot belly women often have.

Answer 3 crunches WILL NOT flatten your stomach (performed incorrectly as I have so often seen they can actually cause you belly to protrude!)

The abdominal muscles need to be trained together, and the real results come from clean nutrition, effective cardio and the right ab exercises. My Yummy Mummy fit campers don’t do any isolated abdominal exercises and they can easily loose up to 3 inches from their waistlines in their first 2 weeks.

So, here are three of my fit camp favs – the essential ab exercises that my Yummy Mummies love - without a crunch in sight!

Firstly with all exercises the shoulders blades (scapula) should be engaged, holding the shoulders back and down – imagine you are trying to hold a £50 note between them. The abdominals should be braced, ie held in, imagine you are doing up a tight pair of jeans and hold the position (don’t forget to continue breathing though!)

The side loaded squat or suitcase squat – I have used a barbell to demonstrate this exercise as trying to hold the bar steady adds extra emphasis, however you can use a kettlebell or dumbbell instead if you are at home. The main thing is keep your spine upright and straight, don’t let the weight pull you over to one side.

The plank – Have your elbow at 90 degrees directly under your shoulders, chin tucked in, abs braced and bum squeezed. You should be straight like a plank! No sagging or elevated hips.

To increase the intensity take your elbows in front now and bring them into the centre so they are closer together.

You can also try this with your arms straight, again to increase the intensity move the hands further in front of the shoulders and closer together –ouch!

Seated Russian Twist – this next move is great for the entire core and by adding some rotation to your workouts we target the obliques also. It can be performed without weight at a beginner’s level and then the difficulty can be increased by using a medicine ball, dumbbell or a kettlebell as I have.

Hold the upper body about 45 degrees from the floor with the knees bent and feet on the floor. With a straight back stay looking forward whilst holding the weight in both hands at arms length, now twist your torso from side to side letting the weight touch the floor but remain looking forwards using your abs to control the momentum of the weight

For more info check out this vid x

http://

Surrey PT Kim Raine reveals her three top exercises to rip those abs! from Kim Raine on Vimeo.

And finally, the best way to a flat stomach? Lose weight! Burn that belly blubber by cleaning up your nutrition, doing effective high intensity fat burning workouts and training regularly.

The absolute key to a thinner you is clean nutrition, for more info about the best fat loss plans around check out my website now for some exciting info

And remember if you want the best body you can possibly have, wishing for it simply isn't enough - you have to take action and massive action will produce massive results

Stop Wishing Start Living

Bye for now

Kim

Early morning PADBox session

Early morning boxing workout with an awesome client - shes bionic!

Starting your exercise program

Starting exercising can be a daunting prospect, with so many options available where is a girl (or guy) to start?

Setting a target plan of 4-6 weeks is a great way to encourage yourself because in this time if you stick with the right plan you will see your arms getting more toned, your booty looking bootiful (see what I did there?) and your strength increasing.

If you really want to see results then aim for 4-6, 30-45 minute workouts a week, if that sounds too much then go for the minimum of three, with two being strength training sessions. Bottom line is if its results you want then the more you move the more toned and trim you’re going to look. But that said if you are totally new to exercise give your body time to recover before the next workout.

In 2-3 of those 45 minutes I want you to use some form of resistance, (a dumbbell, kettlebell or your body weight).

The best way to burn fat is to build muscle, think about increasing your strength; if you train to get strong you will build muscle and start to burn more fat – even when you’re sleeping! Don’t be afraid to go heavy with the weights, even the ladies!

Cardiovascular exercise (the stuff that gets you out of breath) will give you the best results done in short sharp bursts, going to the gym and boring yourself senseless on the treadmill for 45 minutes everyday is not going to give you’re the fast, body transforming results you are looking for and you could die of boredom before you see that fat come off!

Aim for 2-3 cardio sessions a week, these should be interval based workouts, that last no longer than 30 minutes. If you’re new to HIIT (high intensity interval training) then 20 minutes may well be enough in the first few weeks.

A simple beginner’s strength training session would look something like this

A Squats A Press ups

B Deadlifts B Barbell Chest press (or dumbbells)

C Lunges C Bentover rows

Alternating between the two exercises with the same letter, until three sets of each are complete. You should aim to complete between 8-12 reps of each exercise.

Each rep should be preformed at a slow pace in a controlled manner. Ladies use at least 8kgs of weight when doing these moves, Men, use as much as you can without compromising technique.

A beginner’s cardio workout may look something like this

Aim to do 8 sets of 30 seconds hard work & 90 seconds rest; this could involve any of the following

Skipping with an active march for 90 seconds in-between, Step ups on a bench, Running to one side of the park and walking back, Star jumps with marching as recovery Kettlebell swings

Again it all depends on your fitness levels, sprints are great for fat burning, but you need to get your fitness up first.

Remember to do a steady warm up and cool down afterward, and if you are new to exercise or very over weight speak with your doctor first before starting a program like this.

Quality over quantity is the key with any workout program, if you feel tired or are really struggling stop, you don’t want to over do it, however, on the other hand, you should feel that you are pushing yourself with every workout, when doing your 30 second interval you should be working as hard as you can, unable to hold a conversation, but able to speak. The idea is that at the end of the session you are whacked out – your tank is empty and you couldn’t do another interval!

Do cardio sessions on alternate days to your resistance training not the same day so you are ready to maximum effort into each workout.

Ideal workouts, to enhance metabolic conditioning and increase your fat burning potential are kettlebell or boxing classes, these are great ways to keep your workouts from getting stale and ensure you get maximum results. Bootcamps are a great way of doing this as they mix everything up and can give awesome results

If you live in the Leatherhead area and want to enhance your training and results then you may want to think about our Yummy Mummy Bootcamp as a way to burn fat, transform your body and have fun at the same time.

As always let me know how you get on, or mail me any questions

Take care Kim

mail@personaltrainerleatherhead.com

http://www.persoanltrainerleatherhead.com