Ok this is a really important point that I’m going to talk about today and it’s VITAL that you understand what I’m talking about.

Not All Salads Are Equal.

If you prepare a salad yourself and it contains a wide variety of fresh salad ingredients, including fruits and vegetables and serve it without a calorie laden dressing, loads of oil or mayonnaise then yes that is most definitely a healthy salad.

However this article is not about the few people who eat their salads this way. No, I’m talking about the people who just automatically reach for a boxed salad at the supermarket or garage or choose the salad at their favourite fast food restaurant because they think it’s the best option.

You see the problem is this. Food retailers want to sell their products to as many people as possible. They’ll use every technique in the book to trick and mislead people in to buying their product. (Obviously within the dubious guidelines of the law)

Now selling a salad and marketing it as a healthy option isn’t a difficult thing to do, because that’s what we all automatically think about salads… ‘It’s the healthy option, right!’

So what’s the problem with salads?

It’s the stuff that’s added to the salad that makes them unhealthy. The dressings, oils, fats, chemical preservatives and flavour enhancers are what make the salads that most people choose a really bad option.

It never ceases to amaze me that when someone is obviously trying to lose weight they choose a salad, but it’s been drenched in dressing, mayonnaise and oils. Remember the makers of these diets want to make them tasty, so people come back and buy more… their priority is with improving taste NOT with helping you to lose weight.

Remember this fact – a tablespoon of mayonnaise could contain over 100kcals. Most boxed salads contain far more than 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise not to mention the lashings of oil in the pasta, rice or couscous they add.

A salad can be a very healthy and extremely tasty alternative and could help you to lose weight, but you’ve got to choose wisely. I would say 9 times out of 10 the salads you can buy pre-boxed aren’t as good as you think.

If you’d like a selection of healthy, tasty salads and some great low fat dressings then send me an email, you can find our email address at the bottom of this page in the ‘conatct us’ section. I’ll email you over a copy straight away for free.

Exercise is beneficial to us all at all stages in our lives there’s no doubt about that. It is even more important to establish an exercise routine at the time of the menopause if you’re not already doing so.

As well as helping improving energy levels, it may also help overcome symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia along side increasing confidence and self esteem.

Due to the withdrawal of the hormone Oestrogen at the time of menopause this increases the rate of bone loss leading to increase risk of osteoporosis. This makes it extremely important to be following and exercise regime.

You may be wondering why?

Well, weight bearing exercise – anything that involves putting weight through your bones, helps to simulate the regeneration of bone tissue (the pull of the muscles on the bone), reduces calcium loss which therefore helps to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis.

Weight bearing exercises include, jogging, brisk walking, weight lifting, skipping, aerobics, tennis etc. As apposed to non weight bearing exercise – swimming.

Strengthening exercises places a greater load on the bones targeting areas such as the upper spine, wrists, hip and ankles which are vulnerable to fractures.

A combination of strength and aerobic training should be included in an exercise programme along with good nutrition.

Even if you are a beginner or a non exerciser it’s never too late to start. Building up the time and intensity gradually and choosing a place convenient for you…the great outdoors… a gym …or even your own home for home-based exercises.

Be positive, make time for exercise and you will reap the benefits for a long time to come no matter what age you start. If you need a little help then contact New Image Personal Training in Halifax.

Core stability provides central body control. “It is the ability of your trunk to support the effort and forces from your arms and legs, so that muscles and joints can perform in their safest, strongest and most effective positions.”

Your core includes your abdominals, back, pelvic and shoulder girdles. These are responsible for transferring the forces of your arms and legs to your spine.

If the wrong muscles are activated or the muscles being worked are relatively weak your body will try and compensate by adjusting itself into positions not ideal for the movement in hand. This can then make you vulnerable to injuries.

There are many benefits to have good core stability some of which include:

•    Increased ability to change direction as body momentum is controlled.
•    Improved Posture.
•    Improved balance and muscular coordination.
•    Decreased risk of injury

The Muscles of the Core
   
Abdominals

Many people would assume the abdominals are one muscle but in fact are made up of the rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques and the transversus abdominus muscle. Each of these muscles have different actions and should be worked on equally. Are you working all of these areas?

Gluteals

These are the muscles around your hip and your bottom and play a key roll in lifting, speed and balance. If these muscles are weak it can possibly lead to back, knee and groin injuries due to lack of control in these areas.

The Upper Body

As the above help control the lower limbs and back movements. There are other muscles which provide the same role for the upper body using the shoulder blades as there base. The Trapezius and serratus anterior are responsible for the control of the shoulder blades.

By having a strong core your body can function more efficiently with less risk. Training core stability develops the foundation for effective movements from the muscle groups in the arms and legs.

A few questions to ask yourself:
Do you have a strong core?
Are you working the correct muscles?
Do you have any re occurring injuries?
Are you carrying out the correct training programme?

If your not sure then why not ask a professional in their field…personal trainer..physiotherapist…

1. Give yourself a positive and confident start to the day by mentally reviewing your day ahead upon waking. If you have any challenges to accomplish your goal, mentally visualise yourself working through these successfully.
2. At the end of the day write in a note book the one thing that happened best to you that day. This will help reinforce and focus on the positive things instead of the negative things.
3. Keep a record of your fitness goal/s. Use charts, lists, comparison charts or something else visual to see your progress as this helps keep you motivated.
4. Develop, create and note positive affirmations about yourself and your goals. This will help you throw out any negative self talk and lead you onto the path of success.
5. Now you need to trick your subconscious by visualising your success and mentally practice seeing yourself achieving your goal. You will then be thinking you’re already successful which will enable you to act successfully.
6. Make a list of the reasons why you want to achieve your goal/s. This will keep your focus and motivation to carry on through the tough times, remind your self of these on a regular basis.
7. Surround yourself with positive and like minded people who have fitness goals too. You can then become a support for each other. Eliminate negative people from your life as they can influence you with there negative talk which could cause you to doubt yourself and your goal. You don’t want people around who are going to hinder your efforts.
8. Finally, have a deadline for your goal/s that other people know about as this will help hold you accountable.

Remember if you’re looking for a personal trainer in Halifax, we’re here to help. So give us a call on 01422 836157 or send a quick email to jago@anewimage.co.uk

Is it genetics, is it luck or are there other reasons why some people seem to look great all the time while others seem to have to fight a never ending battle against the bulge?

Well in truth there are a few reasons why some find it easier than others to stay trim and only one of them is a genetic reason. Here are the most common reasons why…

#1 Some people are born with less fat cells on their body this is true, there is nothing you can do about this apart from make sure that the fat cells you do have aren’t full to the brim, so you need to eat less and exercise more.

#2 Adopt new habits. The permanently slim are very rarely found lounging around, these people are more than happy to be active whenever they can be, the first to offer to go out to get the lunch order at work, the first to take on new tasks or activities. To them being active isn’t a challenge, it’s just something that they do.

#3 Set yourself targets. The people you know that are in good shape, will usually be aiming to achieve something, they’ll either be working towards accomplishing a sporting challenge, getting in shape for a big event or simply constantly monitoring the way their body looks and feels. You have to be aware of the way your body looks… and be honest about it. I’ve seen many clients who’ve ignored the problem for years only to realise when it’s a very big problem that they need to lose weight.

#4 Eat with your head, not your heart. Most of us should know what foods are going to do us good and those which can potentially be harmful to us. The slim people of this world are constantly analyzing the foods they eat to get the right balance between energy in and energy out. They don’t seek comfort, reward, happiness or misery in eating certain types of foods. They have a balanced and sensible approach to eating – everything in moderation. They enjoy occasional treats, but most of the time they eat well.

#5 React sooner rather than later. A small problem is far easier to fix than a bigger one. It takes less time, less sacrifices and is just much easier to do.

Remember if you want to get the same results as someone who has what you want then the easiest way is to copy them. The secret is to model yourself on someone who does it well. So if you want to be in good shape and live a life feeling good about yourself, then copy someone who already does this.

This is a very difficult to question to answer exactly as everyone is different. Larger people will need more food than thinner people.

But basically you can do one of two things…

#1  Use the size of 2 cupped hands to approximate the amount of food you should eat at any mealtime or…

#2  Secondly eat the amount you need to feel full, not stuffed, just comfortably satisfied.

It helps to put less on your plate and then add more after you’ve finished that serving.

Try to get out of the habit of always clearing your plate, in fact for a while practice leaving a little something at each meal, if you’re used to clearing your plate it’s a lot harder than you think!

To find out more about a healthy and sustainable way of eating to lose weight not just now but well in to the future, take a quick look here – www.4weekdiet.com

No matter where you look, we’re constantly being bombarded by pictures of waif like women and toned, bronzed male hunks. We’re being conditioned by the media to look this way or more importantly to strive to look this way. You see where there’s pain – there’s money.

If a company is promoting an aftershave and they use a lean, muscular man, then the subtle message is – ‘you’ll never look like this, but you can smell like this if you buy this aftershave.’

It’s like this with women too. If a gorgeous model is being used to promote a hair colouring product for example, the makers of the product know that, again the only thing you can aspire to is having the same coloured hair as this beautiful model.

Now the problem with this approach is that it drives us all subconsciously to aspire to looking like these role models we’re being shown. Unfortunately the tools aren’t around to help the majority of people achieve these goals. On the one hand we’re being shown a tight fitting pair of jeans hanging off a beautiful body and on the other hand we’re being told to go to our nearest junk food pedalling fast food drive through or take away to stuff our faces… we can’t win.

The information we’re being fed in order to get these kinds of fabulous bodies is also seriously flawed. Tell me honestly now, have you EVER done a few 5 minute a day ‘miracle’ exercises and got a six pack, or worn a vibrating belt and found your washboard stomach, or done a hundred sit ups every evening to uncover the honed, toned abs you know you’ve got under there somewhere…

I’m going to be presumptuous and say ‘NO’ for you here… they just don’t work, it’s as simple as that.

Let me give you 3 basic principles to get you on the right track and believe me I know what I’m talking about, I’ve been consistently getting great results with my personal training clients in Halifax for the last 10 years and I’ve seen it all and I know the true path to achieve this goal.

1. You can’t spot reduce, don’t do hundreds of sit ups every night thinking it will burn away the fat from around your stomach, you can’t metabolise fat like this.

2. Vibrating belts, machines, rollers etc DO NOT WORK, I don’t blame you for thinking otherwise, even some poorly educated local personal trainers claim they do.

3. To get anywhere near seeing your stomach muscles or just flattening your tummy, you MUST change the way you eat, PERIOD. You can do whatever exercise you can think of, but if you don’t improve the quality of the foods you eat, you’ll just be wasting your time.

It is possible to see six pack abs or have a toned, flat mid section, but it isn’t by following the latest off the wall craze or continuing to eat the types of foods you’ve always eaten.

Please add your comments about this article below by clicking over the blue Comments: text below…

Have you ever heard an older person say or maybe it’s something you say yourself….”I’m too old for that”. The fact remains age is just a number and it’s never too late to start an exercise programme or become more active.

Here at New Image Personal Training in Halifax we have many older and very inspirational clients.

What will you get out of it… increase your chances of living longer by decreasing your risk of illness and also increase the quality of your life.

As people age they see a decline in fitness levels, strength, flexibility and bone density many believing it’s the aging process and it’s what should happen but have you ever heard of the term “if you don’t use it you lose it”. This is reason many are lacking in the physical department because they are not as active as they were before. Some have trouble unscrewing food jars, others climbing stairs and lifting shopping. These things can be improved and overcome by increase in exercise levels.

These are some of the benefits for the older person:

• Improved condition of the heart and lungs
• Improved self care abilities: climbing stairs, standing up from chairs without help, preventing falls etc
• Increased bone strength
• Promote Relaxation
• Relieve anxiety, insomnia, and mild depression
• Maintain or improve flexibility, coordination and balance.
• Improve the function of the joints.

Any new regime started by anyone not only the older adult should be started off gradually and built up from there. If any medical issues present it’s a good idea to consult with your doctor first to receive clearance as to your suitability for exercise. This shouldn’t be thought of as a deterrent as there’s usually always something you can do!

Is this you?

• The older person – Do you have relatives, neighbours who are “helping” you with the odd job around the house, garden. Do you feel you can do some or most of it yourself? So why not try and do that little bit extra, you may surprise yourself as to what you can manage. Obviously it great to have people around you that care to want to help you but making sure you still have the control as to what you can do yourself. The more inactive you become the less you want to do or think you can do.
• The Relative or the Neighbour – Are you helping out someone at the moment with things they could possible do themselves? If there is a slight chance they could take over anything you are doing for them giving them the chance to become more active. Ask yourself this question……Did they ask for my help or did I start doing more assuming they couldn’t manage; as they are getting older after all?

Even the smallest change can make a big difference, make that change today, no matter what age you are give us a call to make an appointment. You’ll find that we’re some of the friendliest and most helpful personal trainers in Halifax!

We are heading through tough economic times at the moment and it seems that almost everything is being impacted in some way because of lower wages, no work, higher bills or the worry and stress of lack of job security etc.

It’s at times like these when basic survival becomes the main concern, not how good we look or how healthy we are.

Can we afford to pay bills, for food, for gym memberships or spending time on ourselves?

Now more than ever it has become much more of a challenge to stay fit and healthy. That’s not say that you can’t do it, it’s just that most people won’t because this can be used as a perfect excuse.

But not everybody will be affected in the same way by the credit crunch. The very rich will still be able to carry on life as normal, they’ll still have the choice as to whether being fit and healthy is important enough for them to spend their time and money doing it or whether they’d prefer to just live life to the max, dining out as often as possible and drinking to relax in the evenings.

The key difference here is CHOICE, they have ability to choose whether to be fat or thin and the little bit missing from the equation is the effort needed to do it.

Now in reality it’s more a case that these tough times could be good for everybody. If we look at sensible ways to save money like walking where ever possible and buying fresh foods to make up meals from scratch then it is very realistic that anyone can get in good shape no matter what their current financial situation is.

So if you’re looking for ways to save money, it might be a good idea to cancel your gym membership if you only go sporadically and instead get yourself booked in to some pay as you go fitness classes, so you’re not wasting your money or why not start walking whenever you can. You’ll burn off calories, get fitter and save money.

Try and buy foods that need preparing instead of junk filled ready meals, look around to find special offers on fresh fruits and vegetables or buy frozen instead.

Being healthy or losing weight doesn’t depend on having the money to do it, you just need a little spare time and the drive and determination to make it happen.

You can add your comments about this article down below, let me know what you think about it…

What is Salt?

In this case a white granular substance, also referred to as sodium chloride and used by many to season food. There are many uses for salt ranging from table salt to road grit salt, in this article I will be referring to table salt. How many people do you know that sprinkle on the salt before even tasting their food? Covering all the other flavours that are present. Maybe a habit developed from childhood watching parents?

It goes without saying that every living creature needs the sodium in salt but as time has evolved over the years we now take in more than is needed which can cause as much or more harm than taking on too little. Have a think about it; you don’t hear of many people suffering from salt deficiency, whereas you may know a few more with high blood pressure in which there is a link but not the only cause.

The recommended maximum amount for an adult is 6grams of salt a day which is equivalent to taking 2.5grams of sodium a day you will notice these two readings most of the time food labels or you can now follow the newer traffic light system on labels which shows red for high, amber for medium and green for low. Children need less than this. Salt is also used as a flavour enhancer and preservative in processed food, the following processed foods all contain plenty of salt:

· Biscuits

· Bread

· Butter and Spreads

· Canned and Packet of soups

· Cheese

· Crisps, salted nuts and snack foods

· Ready meals

· Pastries

· Some breakfast cereals

·

Plus many more.

A few ways of how to avoid hidden salts:

• Look for low salt or reduced salt alternatives
• Use herbs, garlic, spices, wine or lemon juice to add flavour
• Choose reduced salt breakfast cereals
• Eat bacon and sausages less frequently
• Make your own soup
• Cut down on take aways and ready meals

Other uses of salt for health can include salt baths, salt gargles for a sore throat and for mouth ulcers.