Aches and pains?...

After a major training session yesterday I am sore all over!

Are you feeling the effects of exercise too? If so, then try out arnica gel. It provides relief for general aches, and soothing relief for muscle tension and strain.

Check out

sbc-gels.co.uk

for more information or to make a purchase. There are great deals on this website,

1000ml is £32.99, RRP £53.99.

1575ml tube £6.99, RRP £13.99 and a

250ml bottle is £10.99 RRP £18.99. The smaller sizes are perfect to put in your gym bag. Arnica also comes in a bath soak for a soothing relaxing bath.

SBC do a great range of products which I swear by such as their Vitamin E gel, Collagen gel, and their Soothing gel

Don't run out of energy

Its coming to that time of the year where you've been working extremely hard on your New Years fitness resolutions, and are probably beginning to get tired and loose motivation.

Don't.

You can get past this point. Introduce some energy supplements into your regime.Lucozadeshop.com is currently offering 50% off with your first order untill 31/01/10

The website states that 'For nearly 20 years we’ve been developing leading safe sports nutrition products for athletes, clubs & sporting bodies. We offer safe research-proven products that produce results'

They do a range of fuel products to give you the 'oomf' of energy you need.

My favourite is the Body Fuel Energy Bar in orange flavourThey contain carbs, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to help you meet your daily nutrient requirements. They are great to take before, during and after exercise, and in my hectic exercise schedule as an aerobics instructor, they have never let me down. They taste great and settle my sweet tooth. You can get a case of 24 for £20.95 per bar working out at £0.87p per bar!! You can't get cheaper than that.

Ask Sophie...

Lyndsey

Q: I do around an hour of cardio at the gym four days a week but I don't seem to be loosing any weight, I am now a size 14 and want to be a size 10-12. Do you have any tips to help me loose weight?

Sophie

A. Lyndsey, think about your goal. It isn't specific. Do you want to loose weight, if so how much, or do you want to drop one or two dress sizes? Refer to previous post on goal setting.

Also you may not be working at an adequate intensity, as you haven't stated your age refer to the table on the lifefitness treadmills to find the heart rate you should be working at. If you do not have one of these tables available to you, ask one of the Gym Instructors for the guidelines.

Try introducing some resistance training into your gym programme. Try out 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions for each exercise. Start with one exercise per muscle group. For example:

Chest press

Bicep curl

Tricep dip

Lat pull down

Squat

Leg extension

Leg Curl

Calf raise

Integrating resistance training into your programme will increase your metabolism, improve bone density and if performed correctly will improve posture.

After your 5-10 minute warm up move onto core training, to switch on your core enabling you to perform all other exercises more effectivly. Try out

Ab crunches

Cobras

and Glute bridges to strengthen you core.

Then move onto 20-30 mins of cardio work, then to your resistance training, finishing with at 5 minute cardio cool-down to prevent dizzyness, followed by a stretch. This programme should take you just over an hour.

If you have any questions you would like answered in regards to health and fitness, email me at barrettsfitness@googlemail.com

TIPS

When dieting/ eating healthily, don't be afraid to give yourself a break!

Watch what you eating 80% of the time, and let yourself have a treat and relax 20% of the time.

Try healthy Monday to Friday then let your hair down at the weekend. This does not, however, mean that you should pig out at the weekend, it just means to give yourself a treat, a reward for doing so well in the week.

NEVER deprive yourself, if want something, have it, just a little bit of it.

If you find yourself having cravings often try drinking a glass of water in one go, this usually helps unless you genuinely are hungry. This is also a good tip if you are giving up smoking and are still craving cigarettes, just drink a pint of water. Not only does this kill your cravings but it is great for your skin and keeps you hydrated.

Supplements

Have you tried using supplements to help you loose weight?

Along with a calorie controlled diet and regular exercise supplements can work wonders.

Calorie controlled. Sounds bad, but it isn't, all you need to be doing is burning off more calories in a day than your consuming.

The Supplement I currently use is Maximuscle Promax Diet. You can take it to replace a meal, but I take it after a workout. It comes in three flavours; Chocolate, Strawberry and banana. A 1.2kg tum of Promax diet is £43.99 on maximuscle.com.

Alternatively you could take Thermobol tablets, also from maximuscle. £35.99 for a tub of 90 capsules (3 caps a day) from the Maximuscle website.

I personally wouldn't take capsule due to personal opinion, but many people have had success with them.

Maximuscle often do offers such as buy 3 get 1 free, with free delivery and a free maximuscle shaker for the shakes. Normally £4.99

For a cheaper option maximuscle products are also available from www.bargain-supplements.co.uk.

The plate that can help you loose weight...

The diet plate is all about portion control.

It is split into sections for different types of food, providing you with a balanced diet.

It also prevents you from overindulging on one particular food group.

There are different types available for you to use

-Female Plate

-Male Plate

-Childrens Plate

-Breakfast Plate

You can purchase an eat well plate on

www.dietandfitnessresources.co.uk

For a cheaper option simply...use a smaller plate to prevent overfilling your plate. If after your first serving you think you are still hungry, wait for ten minutes...are you?