Fat Loss tips for busy women

I don't have time to exercise!

I run a business, where am I going to find the time to keep fit?

By the time I've got through the day and got the kids to bed I'm too exhausted to exercise!

I don't have time to cook a healthy meal, this food is convenient.

Do any of these phrases mean anything to you?

These phrases are very common so I'm guessing you won't be the only one who answered yes, due to our busy lifestyles we are finding it much harder to spend time looking after our health and stay in shape and with the current recession time is becoming even more precious.

Being a business woman and a mother of a two year old girl I too know just how hard it is to find time to work out. Some people think that they need to spend hours in the gym on the cardio machines, but that is not the case. Whilst studies show that long cardiovascular exercise might be best for fat burning it's not necessarily the most effective for fat loss. To achieve great fat loss results you should be exercising at a high intensity, you'll be amazed at the results you can get in a spare 15 minutes of you day!

To lose body fat and reveal great muscle tone the smartest way to go about achieving the best results is to do resistance based exercise along with high intensity interval training. This type of training increases your resting metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories at rest, even when you're sleeping you'll be burning more calories and best yet you don't need to spend hours in the gym.

So what is resistance based exercise and interval training?

Resistance based training is where we perform exercises that use the whole of the body, to make the fat burning more effective we perform this resistance training in short bursts.

Interval training is where we train at a high intensity for a period of time followed by an active rest period, this process is repeated for a number of repetitions and these types of sessions will usually last no more than 15-20 minutes in total.

Diet swaps.

By making just a few small changes to your diet you can achieve great fat loss results. Examples can include replacing tea and coffee with green and peppermint tea, replacing processed foods with wholesome natural foods, swap biscuits to fruit berries are a great example, ditch the crisps and enjoy vegetable crudités. Swap fried/battered foods for grilled/steamed.

Example of a fast fat loss workout

Work through the following as fast as you can:
20 Jump squats
20 Press Ups
20 Burpees
20 Jumping Jacks
20 Mountain Climbers
Rest 1-2 minutes (repeat 3-5 times!!)

CLICK HERE for a 4 week rapid results fitness for busy women programme, there are workouts for beginners and intermediates to exercise.

Just How Committed are you?

Having just finished this morning’s boot camp where it was wet, cold and windy I sat down to my morning porridge with blueberries and seeds, my cup of green tea in hand I started to think, why is it that these people get up, whatever the weather to come along to boot camp?

At this time of year, with Christmas and new year just around the corner where many would just stay in bed with the mindset of ‘I’ll wait until the new year, doesn’t everyone put on weight over Christmas?’ and give up being kind to their bodies! My campers are getting up to come and push their bodies to the max, not only the boot campers but my Personal Training clients are also continuing with the programmes I have set for them and getting great results.

Why is this? What is it that makes these people stick to a healthy diet and push themselves through their training sessions? COMMITTMENT that’s what, these people have an end goal in site and they are working hard to get there, they’d rather feel fantastic this Christmas and New Year having worked their A**es off to get there. I guarantee they have their friends, family or co-workers asking why the hell they are doing it, trying to tempt them to have ‘just one chocolate, one won’t hurt, its Christmas!’ (of course this kind of thing happens all year round for some of them!). By breaking away from the norm of what is ‘shut down’ until the New Year these guys are seeing consistent results with their fitness and while others are gaining these people are dropping pounds and inches.

Ask yourself, are you one of the groups of people who give up healthy eating and exercise at Christmas all to start again in the New Year? Or are you one of the few people that are dedicated to their health and well being, instead of feeling low and lacking in energy over these cold winter months you’re beaming with energy, feeling fantastic and seeing great changes to your body as a result of your hard work? My boot campers and PT clients are!

Why put off until the New Year what you can do now? When you put things off you set yourself up for disappointment, you start in January with a well meaning ‘I’m gonna do this’ come the end of January most of you have given up because you’re not seeing fantastic results. Don’t waste your money on Gym memberships that can’t guarantee results, get a training partner or a Personal Trainer that your accountable to, set yourself goals and work hard to achieve them goals or why not join a group fitness programme that can guarantee you fat loss results, whatever it is, do it NOW!

As Thomas Jefferson says “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”

Wishing you a very happy Christmas and New year, stay fit and healthy!

The benefits of doing fitness outdoors

The benefits of doing fitness outdoors

Your exercise time each day might be an ideal time for you to get out in the sunshine, get some vitamin D and reconnect with the natural world. Here are five reasons to make you think about taking your exercise outdoors.

Fresh air is extremely invigorating. Nowadays, most of us get to choose to stay inside. We don't have to work in the hot sun or walk through snowy, windy storms to get to town. And that means we can go an awfully long time without ever going outdoors. While it's always the same temperature in the gym, there's just something about breathing in deep breaths of fresh air that invigorates the mind, body and soul.

Stay connected with nature. So many of us are in contact with concrete and other unnatural surfaces all day long. Use your daily workout time as a great excuse to venture out onto a dirt trail, road or path. You never know what you're going to discover in the natural world.


It's good for you. Outdoor time has been linked to a wide variety of health benefits. Studies suggest that it increases your energy levels and helps you to stay more alert. We are learning more and more about the importance of a daily bit of natural sunlight, too, which can help fight depression. Vitamin D, which is created naturally when sunlight acts on the skin, is important for a whole host of bodily functions. It helps to regulate calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood and is vital to the immune system.

Outdoor workouts might help you stick with it. Exercise outdoors tends to be more exciting and adventurous than the treadmill, so these kinds of workouts may help you stay engaged in your exercise routine. If your daily exercise time is also your time to escape the four walls of your home or office, for example, you might be more likely to see it as a treat that you give yourself. And when you can see your daily exercise in such a positive way, you'll be far more likely to make sure you do your workout each day.

And that's one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Exercise itself helps increase mental focus, tones muscles, helps improve your metabolism, and helps increase your lung capacity, and no doubt your lifespan.

Exercising outside gives your body fresh new challenges. When you exercise outside, you will be asking your body and your brain to complete more complex motions than those that are performed on exercise equipment. You are also dealing with various terrain surfaces, which can provide a further mental and physical challenge and help to improve your reflexes. The most important thing is that you truly love the exercise you choose so that you will stick with it. Always pace yourself, it won't take long before you'll be feeling the all of the mental and physical benefits.

Theres five great reasons to exercise outside, now add the benefit of group exercise to that with a qualified personal trainer who guarantees results to the equation and you’ve got a winning formula!

Spicy Thai Soup

Ok so I love cooking, mine tends to be more of a throw everything in and hope for the best style of cooking! Recently though one of my Boot Camp members passed me this recipe and I gave it a go, its (as the boot camper put if) blinking gorgeous!!

Why not give it a try and let me know what you think! Guaranteed to warm youup on these chilly winter days - especially if you have a cold!

In a saucepan, put raw thinly sliced chicken, about 4 coriander stalks, 3 thick slices of ginger, 1 squashed green chilli, 1/2 chopped red chilli (without seeds if you don't like it too hot) and 2 stalks of squashed lemongrass.

Cover with cold chicken stock or water and boil until the chicken is cooked.

Take off the heat and add 3 tbsp fish sauce, juice of 1 lime and some chopped coriander and basil leaves.

Thats it, simple but easy to make.

Do you hate your big thighs?

Do you hate your big thighs?


I have a lot of people ask me how to lose the weight around their thighs and bum, most of the time these people are advised by the ‘fitness know it all’ to do lots of walking/slow jogging as its the best for fat burning.

Whilst studies do show that long cardio sessions are the best for fat burning its not necessarily the best for fat loss.

Carrying weight around the hips is over production of Estrogen, if you suffer from this then you want to avoid long cardio sessions, these will also increase your Cortisol levels making you put weight on around your belly too. Instead you must to be doing vigorous exercise (sprints) and weight training (resistance).

Choose organic produce where you can and be sure to wash all fruit and vegetables to stop any pesticide/toxin intake. Decrease alcohol, yes this is a must – everyone who is trying to lose weight wants to be cutting the alcohol out! For occasions red wine may be drunk but no more than two units per day.

Increase intake of cruciferous vegetables such as watercress, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kale – if digested properly they will help rectify the imbalance, plus the fibre, vitamins and minerals are great for your overall health and well being.

There are supplements that may also help – remember supplements should only be used to supplement what is already a good diet, these include:

A good quality fish oil – these have a multitude of benefits and should be included in everyone’s diet
A good quality multivitamin – everyone should be taking a good multivitamin
A diindolylmethane (DIM) supplement may be beneficial
Organic flax seed hulls may also help

An example of a daily diet for people with excess estrogen may include:


Breakfast: omelette made with spinach and mushrooms (garlic Snack: ½ an avocado with a handful of nuts
Lunch:chicken salad made with a chicken breast, watercress, cherry tomatoes, spinach leaves, radishes and flax seed hulls sprinkled over.
Snack: ½ an avocado with a handful of nuts
Dinner: roast turkey with sprouts, broccoli, parsnips, carrots

Its best to steam vegetables and be sure to chew your food thoroughly.
Switch over to green tea and water

If your reading this and you know a man that suffers from moobs (man boobs) then the info contained here may also be of benefit to them!

Remember, If you do suffer from big thighs, do yourself a favour and ditch the cross trainers and long slow jogs!

Tips To Stay In Shape for the Party Season!

We all know the party season is coming up and we all want to look and feel great don't we.... here's a few tips to help you keep in shape

* When you have a party to go to make sure that you eat a good healthy meal beforehand – that way you’ll be less tempted to eat the fattening party foods.

* If you’ve Christmas meals to go to, drink a pint of water half an hour before your meal to fill you up a bit, then eat a little of everything on your plate so that you don’t feel like your depriving yourself of the foods you love, take time over your meal (it takes 20 minutes for our brain to register when we’re full), enjoy every mouth full then when you are satisfied stop eating, don’t eat it all ‘because its too good to leave’ you’ll only kick yourself when your having to work twice as hard to work it off.

* Eat, drink and be merry can sometimes be taken too literally! If you are going to drink do it in moderation, you can still have fun without getting so drunk you can’t remember anything! Remember alcohol is a toxin and should be avoided by people who are trying to lose weight, especially around your stomach, how many teenage girls do we see now with the overhang? Oh and for the gents – be careful alcohol messes with your hormones and can give you man boobs (moobs!), why not give up alcohol for a few weeks, after all the party season is coming up - its not here yet!

* Enjoy the wonderful crisp winter weather and get out walking, go holly picking in the fields, walking the dogs, whatever it is get out and keep active, getting some sunlight everyday can improve our mood and overall well being.

* Don't try and start a new diet during the holidays: That just screams binge! You will only be setting yourself up for disappointment, resentment, and depression, stay healthy, but don't be too restrictive, if you live by the 80/20 rule then you can’t go wrong, 80% of your week if you eat clean healthy nutritious foods you can allow for 20% of the time a ‘treat’ (clean foods mean its preferably not packaged, its organic, fresh and has no more than 8 ingredients – green leafy vegetables, lean organic animal protein and fruits that are dark in colour such as berries)

* If you go shopping, leave a good distance from the shops and walk home with the bags, this is great for improving your core muscles, though be careful not to have your bags too heavy, balance them out and look after your posture.

* Why not set a goal to reach for Christmas, whether its to drop a dress size for the 24th December or fit into that special outfit, set it, write it down and work hard to achieve that goal.

* Don’t get caught up with the majority of people who ‘wait until the new year’ to start an exercise routine (who usually drop off by the middle of January!!), start now, get some support – join a fitness group, get a training partner, personal trainer or join a boot camp.

which one would you rather be -
the one in the baggy clothes bitching about the 'skinny cow' looking fantastic in their outfit
or
the woman/man everyones jealous of because you've worked hard to get into shape and look great for the parties???

hhmmmmm I know which one I'd rather be!!

If you have some tips for staying in shape for the party season please add them below (healthy tips only please!!!)

want to lose your belly?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the saying “how can I lose my belly?” “what exercises are the best to help me lose my belly?” “can you give us more stomach work?”

If your goal is to lose weight from around your stomach, your not going to do it with lots of stomach crunches! Carrying weight around the abdomen area is linked to nutrition and hormones, namely your carbohydrate intake and your cortisol levels (fat production around the stomach is a sign of over production of cortisol), the stress hormone. Stress levels need to remain as low as possible, depending on what type of stress you may have.

The best way to combat this is to reduce your carbohydrate intake, follow a good diet high in lean protein, green leafy vegetables and dark fruits (berries for example) - best time to eat your fruit is during the 2 hours post training.

Have a good wind down procedure before going to sleep, lower the lights, read, stop watching TV, if you have any electrical items plugged in where you sleep remove them - this will make a difference to your sleep and weight loss believe it or not! Leave the mobile phone out of the room where possible - don't sleep with it at the bed side as the electro magnetic forces can disturb our sleep. You should to be getting to sleep at around 10pm and waking at 6.30am in a completely dark room.

Drink plenty of water and reduce your caffeine as this will stimulate the already overworked adrenal glands, Choose peppermint, ginger and green tea instead.
If you are suffering from any work/relationship/parental stress then gentle breathing exercises or meditation may help.

Take a good quality omega 3 supplement with every meal
Other supplements that might help:
Licorice Root - this can help regulate the production of cortisol.
A good quality multivitamin
Betain hydrochloride taken with 1 or 2 meals could aid with nutrient absorption because for some people it also causes a digestion issue.

Carrying weight in your lower stomach might also be a slight postural problem too, your pelvis might be tilted forward slightly (anterior pelvic tilt), exercises that activate and work the core, stretch the hip flexors and work the glutes to bring your pelvis back might also help.
Exercise examples:

Forward Lunges/split squats x 15 each leg
Plank x 30 seconds to 1 minute
Side Plank x 30-45 seconds each side
Supine bridges x 15 (on one leg when more advanced)

repeat 3-5 times per week

So answer to the question – clean up your nutrition, look after those hormones and concentrate on postural correction through the correct exercise choice.

Is Low Fat Food Stopping You From Losing Fat?

Could your low fat diet be doing you more harm than good? You have two options when buying food - normal or low fat, if you struggle with your weight I'm guessing you'll go for the low fat option every time?

Contrary to what we've been conditioned to believe these last few decades, low fat is not necessarily the best option. When a product is advertised as low fat it generally means that it will have gone through a lot of process to remove the fat, by doing these food manufacturers generally strip the fat and replace it with sugar or sweeteners which when processed will be stored as fat anyway!

We all tend to put too much trust into the foods that we eat without really checking the labels, if you do check the labels on everything you eat you can't go wrong. If your on a quest for fat loss then you want to be cutting out processed foods, foods containing wheat flour, alcohol (this is a big one alcohol is LOADED with empty calories!), and sugar.

It's best to go back to basics, with meat and fish if its free to run around, fly, swim in the open water then it can be eaten.

Fruit and vegetables: as long as its been farmed without the use of pesticides and other chemicals, is as fresh and in season as possible it can be eaten!!

Nuts are great but only in moderation because they are high in fat and calories, one or two small handfuls is great but no more because you will get fat!!

Fluids: water and herbal teas are the best, two or three cups of tea/coffee is ok too.

The next time you reach for that low fat bag of crisps, your 'healthy' breakfast cereal or the diet coke, just have a good look at the label; it could be doing you more harm than good!! If you can't pronounce the ingredient it's probably best not to put it into your body!!

Personal Trainer North Yorkshire, Fat Loss North Yorkshire

Corrie Star Michelle Keegan is a boot camp fan!

Hey just a very quick post,

Celebs are loving bootcamp (read more) Michelle Keegan enjoying Boot Camp

although I dont think this goes on at my boot camp (the hand prints!!)

Is there any wonder that celebs like Michelle are choosing Boot Camps over the Gym - They're more Fun (where else would you get that messy!!), you achieve better results in faster time.

Boot Camps aren't just for Celebs its for people wanting to achieve fantastic results for their body and overall well being! Why not sign up for a Boot Camp near you!

I CAN and I WILL

As a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Coach I hear the words “I CAN’T” so many times I’ve lost count, in fact if I had a pound for every time one of my clients uttered those words I wouldn’t have to work anymore!; ) Before anyone thinks I might be preaching here – I want you to know I too mutter those words far too much for my liking!!

It’s left me to wonder why we use the words “I can’t” so quickly, is it because we believe we truly can’t do it? Maybe it’s because believe it’s too hard and we’re scared of the challenge! Maybe it’s that we just don’t want to give it a go, or don’t feel like it!! Maybe it’s because we’re afraid of failure....

Whatever the reason may be by muttering (or thinking) the words I can’t we have already talked ourselves out of even giving something a go, we are already defeated.

Just imagine what would happen if every time you thought or said the words I can’t they were replaced with the words I can! Just think of the power those words have:

I can run that extra mile! I can do that extra press up! I can get up for Boot Camp!



Even when we get to the challenging stuff like Body weight pull ups, I remember when I first gave them a go I couldn’t even lift myself past the bar!! But with practice and determination I finally managed to do 5! If I’d have had the attitude “I CAN’T” I still wouldn’t have been able to do one today, but because I told myself “I WILL be able to do....” I had set myself that challenge! I couldn’t not see through on that challenge because I’d be a failure to myself!

Fair enough sometimes we might not be able to do something straightaway, it might take days, weeks or even months to achieve but imagine the feeling you’ll have once you get there. Each time it doesn’t happen, don’t see it as a failure, just look at it as a minor setback in your path to achieving your goal

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next time you feel the words ‘I Can’t’ coming to your mind or the tip of your tongue, replace them with ‘I CAN’, even if you don’t manage to do it at that time by saying ‘I WILL’ you have set yourself the challenge – how can you fail!! If you set yourself daily challenges and follow through until you achieve it you can be nothing but an absolute success.
To your health and fitness success!!

Tell yourself you are going to achieve great things!

Tell yourself your going to achieve great things!

I've been reading several great books lately (on goal setting and achieving success) and sharing thoughts with a client of mine who has attended a lot of training seminars very much alike what I have been reading.

We had some really interesting conversations and came to the conclusion that these books and training sessions really do have a point. Have you every noticed that when you really want to do something - you'll put your mind to it and achieve it.

I'll give you an example from me and you might be able to relate - When me and my partner bought our house 18 months or so ago it was in terrible state! No carpets, No Bannister on the staircase, ceilings were damaged, damp in several rooms and much more!! My other half was in Iraq so it was left to me (and my fantastic supportive family) to get the work done! The mortgage completed finally after 6 long months on the 27th Dec 07 and I made it very clear that I wanted to be in the house by the 6th Jan 08 (before I went back to work on the 7th Jan ). Do you know what - I made that deadline because I pushed out all the stops, worked until 2am most nights painting and stripping wall paper etc, because I was so set on being in there on that date, I felt so passionate about it. I had also set another goal to lose 6lbs before he returned but I managed that during these few weeks!! Whilst the excitement and hardwork did play a big part, I maintained the weight loss with healthy eating and exercise!

I still make these goals with my weight, at home, on my business etc and am contantly working to achieve them, fair enough not every time i'll get there in the timeframe I had set myself but I'll have had a good go at it!!

To cut a long story short, if you decide that you want something badly and tell yourself that you will achieve it - guess what - YOU WILL, providing you are willing to put in the work that is required. If you have joined a Boot Camp or taken up Personal Training Sessions or even just decided you want to lose weight. If you set your mind to it, have an image of what you want to achieve and (here’s the most important part) have a passion for getting what you want then you can't go wrong!!! Set yourself a clear goal and work towards that goal, for example: to lose weight is a bit vague, change it to – to lose ...lbs by ....., monitor your progress in achieving that goal!

This mindset can also be applied to your career, relationships and much more - if you want something, tell yourself YOU CAN do it and go get it!!!Set those health and lifestyle goals, I have faith in each and every one of you and I know you can achieve great things!!

GOAL SETTING VIDEO - watch the video and make that connection!!!

To your success in a healthy and happy life!!

Debbie

Never Give up on your goals!

Never give up on your goals!

Sometimes in your quest for weight loss things get hard and you might feel like giving up but remember, the only person being cheated by doing this is you! Sure its easy to just stop your training sessions (then wonder why you haven't achieved results!!) but it takes real strength and determination to see things through to the end, knowing that you put 100% into it every step of the way.

If you have started a health and fitness regime and haven't achieved great results then have a think - do you have excuses? Did you follow a healthy eating plan? Did you put your all in on every session? Have you done at least 3 sessions per week?

Next time you feel things get hard and don't want to turn up for a session or worse yet feel like giving up altogether I want you to watch this video and find the strength from within:

Video - NEVER GIVE UP You are powerfull beyond measure and don't talk yourself out of achieving your goals.

To your success

Jessie Wallace - Weight Loss

I came across this article recently and i thought i'd share it with you - My Personal Training and Boot Camp clients will recognise this!

The best trainers are using this diet plan - why? ITS THE BEST FOR ACHIEVING FANTASTIC RESTULTS!!I just wanted to share that with you, i use it with my personal training and Boot Camp clients.

Even if your not following a diet plan - I bet you'll think twice after reading the article!!
Jessie Wallace Sheds two stone in 6 weeks

Here's some tips from one of the U.S. top trainers!

Jessica Biel 10 Tips with trainer Jason Walsh

I came across this article recently. My Clients recognise a lot of these tips as they have heard most of them from me! Great tips to ensure fitness and fat loss success!

Usmagazine.com asked the hottest celebrity trainers how they get their clients into shape.

1. Change is good!Jessica Biel’s trainer, Jason Walsh, likes to keep his client mentally stimulated. “I’m a big advocate of recreational sports and stuff. If someone can get out there, even if it’s a hike or something like that, just to break up the monotony of going to the gym…I really like that.”

2. Hard work is even better.According to Walsh, Biel’s workouts are intense. “We do full body movements. You are pretty much using as many muscles at once, which in turn will jack that heart rate up.”

3. Food is not the enemy.If you’re out and about as Walsh recommends, you need snacks and drinks to give you sustained energy. He suggests “really organic and clean foods, all natural, like nuts.” Also, “an amino acid drink, so that you’re not burning up a lot of your muscle, or protein.”

4. Everything old is new again.Walsh loves to use medicine balls with his intermediate to advanced level clients. “Get a medicine ball and do a lunge with a twist while you are holding the ball. Those are great. You are activating so many muscles at once, and you are using those muscles over so many different plains.”

5. Healthy meals can be tasty.Harley Pasternak, who works with Eva Mendes and Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl, taught both of the actresses how to cook meals with some easy, healthy substitutions. “Breakfast would be whole grain bread French toast with egg whites and cinnamon. For a mid-morning snack, they’d do a mixed-berry protein shake. Lunch might be sweet potato tuna melt. An afternoon snack might be hummus with celery sticks. Dinner would be spaghetti and meatballs with spaghetti squash and meatballs made of turkey or chicken breast.”

6. Just because it’s trendy doesn’t mean it works.Pasternak doesn’t do yoga or pilates with his clients. “Those are great forms of exercise for stability and balance, but neither one of those is going to change your body dramatically like training with weights does.”

7. The “F” word is not all bad.Rachel McAdams‘ trainer, Jerry Owen, says, “The biggest problem is that people are fat phobic. It¹s clinically proven that we need healthy fat in our diets. You need to eat a balanced diet but not be afraid of fat, like Omega 3 fatty acids like walnuts, olive oil and even coconut oil.”

8. Focus on your whole body – not just problem areas.Owens tells Us the best way to lose weight and tone up is “to blend nutrition, exercise, and physical therapy. The body responds better. People get too wrapped up in doing isolated movement, like being very body part specific.”

9. All cardio and no lifting makes for bad workouts.“People get too cardio-crazy and need to do more weight lifting,” says Owens. He explains that for many people on elliptical machines, “their heart Rate is about the same as if they were shopping around a mall.”

10. Everybody needs a break.Owens delivers the best news possible: working out for more than an hour is a “waste of time.” He suggests gym-goers “take one to two days off a week: have a massage, make sure you get plenty of rest. The muscles actually change when they’re recovering.”