9 March 2016

Tips for getting ahead

Kirstin Ahmed
Exercise routine
coconut oil, drink water, fitness tips, post workout fuel, pre-race day
0

tips for getting ahead

 

Everyone wants a shortcut, but more often than not the only way is the long way. Luckily for you you have a shortcut.

Okay I’ll level with you, this does take work on your half; In fact the same amount of work you’re always giving and I’m always seeing from all my clients.

The shortcut lies in making the most of what’s on offer to you. Think of it like this; you’ve got the baseline of fitness and the decent food plan you stick to…what’s left? The extras that’s what’s left; the almost minor points which 9/10 get ignored.

Let me give you some examples:

  1. Using coconut oil for cooking, not olive oil
  2. 3L Water p/day
  3. Rotating types of protein
  4. Having a protein shake post workout with protein and carbohydrate
  5. Within 90mins post-workout having a protein/carbohydrate/fat meal
  6. If eating fruit post-workout, then eating within 60mins

If you’re seeing this as a long route to healthier living, then you’re thinking about it the wrong way.

You’re here *gestures hand at chest height* and if you implement some comparatively small changes then you’ll be here *dramatically gestures hand over all heads*

Let’s look at some more prosaic examples; when was the last time you went to bed early, not because you were tired but in readiness for you next session?

Treat everyday like pre-race day (minus the carb loading…) knowledge is power and we at Brightonfit are here to give you just that.

25 February 2016

Keep on rolling

Kirstin Ahmed
Personal training
fitness injuries, foam roller, how to avoid getting injured, injured athlete, massage muscle groups, muscle fascia, muscle rolling, myofascial release, physiotherapy, preventing injury
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Foam roller

Photo Note: I make no apologies for the carpet, some patterns are timeless… Many fads come and go; I wouldn’t blame you if you have found a way to switch off to them…but not all fads were created equal.

Today I’m here to talk to you about the ‘foam roller’. A cylindrical object, which one lies on and rolls on, to massage the muscle group in question.

Some may see it as a convenient way to ‘faff’ (my name for procrastinating) before warming up in a session, however the more utilitarian amongst you will know that when used properly, it’s true purpose is to make you more supple and a bit richer…. That right, I did said richer.

Richer than having to pay a Physio’s hourly rate when injuries occur, which they will, if you do not pay attention to maintaining your body. Think of if like time spent preventing injury, or perhaps prehab, to avoid the potential rehab; and any injured athlete could tell you that’s time well spent.

How does it work a hear you think; well it’s effectiveness goes some way towards partially doing what a physio tries to do – (To many caveats? Well, I did say this is the cheap way!) – Self-myofascial release/self-massage, aids recovery through mobilising restricted fascia (the soft tissue portion of the connective tissue in the muscle that provides support and protection) back to normal after overuse or inactivity and which can also help improve range of motion.

So let’s get down to the crux of the matter.

Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Pick a muscle group: e.g. Glutes
  2. Spend 2 minutes on left side of that area, then another 2 minutes on the other.
  3. Alternate between; applying a wave of pressure across the area – hunt out the tight areas i.e. Painful spots, and; applying direct pressure to those tender areas to work deeper into the muscle tissue.
  4. Move on to target another muscle group.

I know this sounds like a lot of time spent on ‘rolling around on the floor’ (potentially in agony for those less supple creatures) all in the name of prehab, but we all strive for prevention, right?

29 January 2016

Working 9 to 5

Kirstin Ahmed
Exercise routine
desk work, flexibility, mobility, muscle stretches, office exercises, rounded shoulders, sitting down at work, tight hip flexors, weak core
0


I’ve been there, when you’re not stressing about the work and deadlines, you might get a moment to hate the damage sitting down for hours does to your body.

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to choose a job which doesn’t require sitting for many hours during the day, but what you can choose is what you do with the other parts of your day to offset that potential damage.

At Brightonfit we harp on about ‘mobility’ and ‘flexibility’ quite a lot, but with good reason. The more time you spend sat down the more time you must make to stretch. We always carve out time in a session to focus of flexibility, but it needs homework too.

Here’s an idea which might work for some of you. Stretching at your desk might incur the occasional ‘funny look’ but I promise you, say it’s helping your back pain and no boss will want to stop you from preventing a sick day through your own diligence.

A few ideas then:
•       Glute crossover – cross your legs but hug your knee to chest with a twist towards the knee.
•       Hamstring reach – use anything under the desk to prop your straight leg on and reach forward – with your back straight – to use your keyboard
•       Hip flexor sitting – similar to the glute stretch, with heel on knee but push the knee downwards to bring the leg parallel to the floor.

However, within reason this can all be done without drawing too much attention to yourself. First thing is, as I say to all my clients, find out what works for you: what I mean here is there are tons of stretches and variations of stretches out there, best bet is to choose 3 or 4 which work (I.e. hurt like hell) and stick to them – be consistent…once a day is better than 1 solid hour a week when/if you remember to.

If Yoga and Pilates aren’t your cup of tea, that’s fine, forget thoughts of spiritual connections here and remember the reasons for bothering to do this: to become a more supple, stronger and (most importantly) less injury prone human being.

 

28 January 2016

Getting the best results

Kirstin Ahmed
Exercise routine
food habits, food preparation, healthy eating, healthy heating, sweet potato, weight loss food
0

jamie food blog

Most of us know we should eat more healthily and we are big advocates of healthy eating, however we also know the pain it can be to keep on the straight and narrow when it comes to diet.

The best advice I can give anyone is – Preparation. Sometimes easier said than done, but with repetition comes good habits. To help get you started I’ve made this (very familiar to many) recipe of Sweet Potato Cottage Pie.  

The idea is simple but there are some changes to be aware of so you can replicate the principles in other meals. The most important ingredient in this recipe is Sweet Potato; a sweet potato is important because it has a lower GI (Glycemic Index) meaning is a less ‘starchy’ carbohydrate, and therefore your body will be able to digest it more rapidly – which all leads to a better digestive system, and more widely, a healthier body.

Learn to replace the more carb dense potato, pasta and even bread with sweet potato, and you’ll be onto a winner. So onto the cooking: This is all about preparation, so it’s essential to make enough meals to be useful.

Ingredients:

  • Onion x2
  • Garlic X1 head
  • Carrots x250g
  • Mushrooms x250g
  • Beef mince x1kg
  • Sweet potato x 2

Method:

  1. Cut up onion
  2. Crush up garlic
  3. Put in mince meat
  4.  Add chopped up carrots
  5.  Add chopped up mushrooms
  6.  Add tomato (sieved/sliced/chopped)
  7.  Stir on low heat and allow to simmer (longer the better)
  8.  Microwave 2 or 3 sweet potatoes for 10minutes
  9.  Cut open and scoop out

Final product:

Very simple yet 100% healthy. You’ve put so much effort into finding time to train and working hard during your sessions, this is an idea to make sure you get the best results from your hard work.

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