THE PLATEAU

 

How often do you push yourself when you are working out? When was the last time you changed your routine?

 

If you want your body shape to change or you want to become fitter sticking to the same old routine will get you nowhere fast.  Mix things up and push yourself every time you workout.

 

If you are running the same distance or time and sticking to the same pace try to increase that distance or time and try adding some interval work into your routine. If you only run indoors on a treadmill brave the outdoors which will give your muscles more resistance making you work harder.

 

If you want to change your body shape or to increase your strength then a progressive resistance (weights) program is the way to go. Depending on the frequency of your training we recommend that you change your program every 4 to 6 weeks. Exhaust your strength program by increasing the resistance (weight) wherever possible, if you are lifting the same weight after 4 to 6 weeks you are not going to get the results you are after.

 

INCORRECT TECHNIQUE

 

If you are unsure on how to perform an exercise winging it is probably not the best course of action!

 

Incorrect technique (bad form) will put you at a greater risk of injury and you will not get the benefit from the exercise you are attempting to perform. Usually if an exercise doesn’t feel right or is causing you pain or discomfort it is more than likely being performed incorrectly, if you are unsure about an exercise always seek advice first.

 

Posture plays a big roll when exercising, performing postural corrective exercises will help prevent injury and will help your body perform to it’s best ability. Try to include these as part of your workout routine whenever you can.

 

NOT HAVING A GOAL

 

For you to succeed when exercising it is important to set yourself a goal, without incentive you will quickly lose interest and plateau. Set yourself a realistic target, it is easy to get disheartened when the bar is set too high.

 

Give yourself enough time, it can take up 12 weeks for you to see a noticeable change in your body when losing weight and changing your body shape.

 

THE WRONG WORKOUT

 

Your workout should be specific to you and your individual goals if not then how are you going to get the results you set out to achieve?

 

Training with a partner or a friend can have its benefits, it can increase motivation and help to push you harder, that being said if you do not have the same goals it will not get you to where you want to be.

 

What works for someone else doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you, there are many different factors that you need to take into consideration when undergoing a workout including gender, genetics, weight, activity levels, injuries to name a few.

 

Treat yourself as an individual (that is what you are, after all!), your workout should be bespoke to you and your goals, no one else.

 

OVER TRAINING

 

The more you train, the stronger and fitter you become, right?

 

Yes, upping your exercise and becoming more active is a good thing but too much stress on your body and not enough rest can have the opposite effect.

 

Exercising too much without sufficient rest can have a detrimental effect on your body leaving you open to a risk of injury and may stop you reaching your goals. Our bodies need to recover in order for them to adapt and for you to get the results you are working towards. Make sure you are having at least one rest day (no exercise) and try to space out your workouts to give your body time to recover.

 

 

At Functional Training Collective we are here to educate you and to show you the best ways to exercise in order for you to succeed and get the results you are looking for.  Together, we achieve more.

 

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Copyright : Brian Jackson / 123RF STOCK PHOTO

Our in house Nutritional Advisor Helen is here to offer you some helpful snack ideas!

When you have a busy day it’s very easy to give in to one of the many ‘healthy snack’ options in your local supermarket but more often than not they are packed full of refined sugar and will not sustain you for long.

We wanted to give you a few ideas that are inexpensive and good on the go! 

 

1.  Hummus and Vegetable batons
   
   
   A classic! If you have the time, why not whip up your own hummus? Then chop some carrots, cucumber and celery to dip. Easy to transport and a great mid morning or mid afternoon snack!

 

2. Nuts
   
   
    Aim for 30g,- it can be so easy to overeat nuts, they are pretty great! So we recommend that you portion them out into small tubs and have them ready to go, it saves you eating too many and its easy to chuck in your bag before you leave for work! Cashews, Almonds or walnuts are a good choice.
   
   

3. Avocado on toast
   
   
   Opt for wholemeal toast or some rye toast, mash the avocado and spread! I like to sprinkle some chili flakes on top of mine, gives it a nice little kick! I would suggest half an avocado would be enough for a snack.
   
   
   
4. Fruit Pot
   
   
   Apple, grape, orange, pear, blueberries….whatever you fancy!  We all know that fruit is natural sugar, but better to be reaching for a pot of fruit over a chocolate bar! Chop yourself some up, chuck it in your container and take it to work with you, when you’re feeling the need for that tea and biscuit break, opt for a water and your fruit – your energy levels will thank you for it!
   
   
   
5. Protein Smoothie
   
   
   Now, this is where you can get creative! Sometimes, I know that I wont have time to get a proper sit down lunch, so I plan out some snacks and make up a smoothie. I add in some oats to up the carb content and give me a longer energy release, one of my go to smoothies is: 1 banana, 10g nut butter, 50g oats, 100ml coconut milk, 1 scoop of vegan protein powder.

 

As the saying goes, everything in moderation, which is just as true when it comes to snacking! While we all know that things like nuts and avocadoes are healthy fats, fat is still fat, so be mindful of the amounts that your consuming and be aware that if you are planning on having a main meal such as salmon, for example, perhaps loading up on nuts mid morning and then some avo on toast in the afternoon is not the best choice!

We can find ourselves in the trap of overthinking snacks, just keep it simple! We want to be consuming foods as close to their natural state as possible, so keep your fridge and cupboard stocked with some good whole foods and you are sure to always be able to whip up a quick, healthy and nutritious snack.

Eat well, feel well...it is just that simple.

Happy snacking!

There is a world of conflicting information out there and a plethora of fad diets, so what do you really need to know?

Here are the basics…

The average adult should be aiming to get 50% of their daily energy intake from Carbohydrates, 30% from Fats (the good kind!) and 15% from Protein. Now, let me highlight at this point what I mean when I say ‘energy’… food. Food is our energy, it is our fuel. It is an essential piece of daily life that keeps us healthy, strong and alert.

Energy contributes to every factor of our bodily functions and it should not be taken for granted.

In society today we have demonised food, we have forgotten how necessary it is, how fundamental to health and wellbeing it is and how completely incredible it is. Good nutrition is vital to a healthy body and mind, in order to achieve the best from our bodies, we must fuel them well.

Restriction seems to have become the go to method for weight loss, somewhere along the way we have become lazy and uninspired. How many of you have tried the ‘amazing new diet’ that guarantees you weight loss? Does it guarantee you sustained weight loss? No. Because when we get down to the basics, to achieve a sustainable and healthy weight loss, we must understand what our body needs.

Every body is different, it needs different things, to be refuelled and fuelled according to the tasks it is undertaking, for example, if you are about to embark on a marathon, your body will have significantly different requirements to that of someone sedentary at their desk.

What are you asking your body to do? Have you given it the energy it needs to complete the task?

One of the most common problems encountered within the fitness and nutrition industry may come as a surprise to you, it is people not eating enough. Now, you may be under the impression that the less you eat, the more weight you lose. In it’s simplicity, this may be the case, but let’s dig a little deeper. We are asking our body to move, breathe, think, exercise…how can it do this? By being hydrated and fuelled well. When we cut down our energy intake to a level that creates too high a deficit, we are putting our body into starvation mode. When we are at this point, our body will begin to store the energy you do give it as fat, as it is not being efficiently fuelled, Now, if your goal is weight loss, you do not want this to happen.

In order to lose weight and sustain and maintain this loss, you must be eating enough food to match your body’s requirements. Not one person is the same, we all need different things and it is by providing this insight and by developing an education into your own body’s needs that you will see changes.

Here at Functional Training Collective we are committed to helping you see this change and to understand what your body needs, so if you are ready to forget about that ‘amazing new diet’ and begin a new lifestyle, we can help. Together, we achieve more.

FTC.

There are many articles and lots of misleading information out there telling us what we should and should not eat, even telling us the amount of calories that we should be consuming. The problem with a lot of this information is that it is not aimed directly at you and for this reason it can only be considered a guideline.

Lets, for example, say you want to lose some weight or shift that last bit of body fat, maybe you know somebody that has tried the latest diet or has signed up to one of the many slimming clubs out there that is claiming so many success stories, so you decide to give that a try. You are then probably told a random amount of calories you should consume and maybe even cut down on your carbohydrate intake in order to succeed? If you are overweight and over eating, reducing your calorie intake will of course help you lose the weight, but can you sustain that? You need to be consuming the correct balance of food and know what works for you as an individual to be able to maintain the weight loss.
If it was as easy as just consuming a certain amount of calories then why are you not where you want to be?
The answer is simple, your body has it’s own dietary needs but you are being sold a generalised plan, aimed at the masses and not to what your own body requires.

Based on a healthy, balanced diet, we are told a man needs around 2,500kcal a day to maintain his weight. For a woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal a day. These values will vary depending on a wide variety of factors. So how do you know what you need to be consuming and what will work for you?

The first thing you need to establish is a set goal, what do you want to achieve? When do you want to achieve it by? Setting realistic goals is key to success.

Our body is a fantastic machine, absolutely incredible. It needs certain levels of carbohydrates, fats and proteins to be able to function. Here lies the tricky bit, all of that is dependent on you. It is affected by lifestyle, activity level, age, weight, height and specific goals. When you know all of the things that impact on how your energy consumption is calculated, you will begin to realise just why those ‘perfect for all’ franchise diet plans won’t work.

When you know what you are aiming for, the calculation of your macronutrients (macros) comes into play; this is a term describing the type of food that is required in large quantities in the diet, namely; carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The balance of these foods will vary depending on your goal and you as an individual. By getting this balance right, you will be able to sustain weight loss, build muscle and improve the overall performance of your body.

At Functional Training Collective, we are committed to education. We want you to understand what your body needs and why. We want you to know why you need that level of Carbohydrates, why you need that amount of Fats and why you need that amount of Protein.

We are not here to give you a meal plan. We are not here to offer you juices or shakes in place of meals. You won’t find us telling you to skip meals.
We want to empower you with knowledge, to help you understand all the incredible things that your body is doing with the fuel you give it. We believe that when you know all of that, when you listen to your body and accept that you are a unique bit of kit, you will succeed.

Functional Training Collective is about offering you all the tools you need to create a new lifestyle, a sustainable, healthy, happy lifestyle. We want to get to know you, understand your goals, appreciate your lifestyle and help you create a way of living that works for you.

Together ,we achieve more.

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