Common reasons you may not be hitting your goals – Part 2
The second instalment of our 2 part blog on why you might not be reaching your goals….
Goals and goal setting – Common reasons you may not be hitting yours (Part 1)
In fitness, it’s not uncommon to meet people with goals that they feel they’ve tried so hard to achieve before but ultimately, have never quite managed it. Each time we set a goal and fail to meet the target we set for ourselves, our motivation, self-belief and confidence in reaching that goal gets chipped away at bit by bit and this can lead us to feeling we may never achieve that goal or even others we may wish to set ourselves. What if, instead of viewing OURSELVES as the ‘failure’ or weak link in these situations, we took time to reconsider the goal and our approach to it that may need amending as opposed to there being something ‘wrong’ with us. Read on for some possible reasons why you’ re struggling to meet certain goals and changes you can make to get right back on the best track for you!
Restaurant and Takeaway tips for healthy eating
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that we promote a balanced approach to health and fitness – with no foods being ‘good’, ‘bad’ or ‘off limits’. However, as personal trainers one of the questions we get asked often is how to still enjoy takeaways and meals out without it hindering healthy weight management, weight loss or other fitness goals. As ‘fast food’, or at least not home-made food, has become cheaper and more accessible over recent years this has led to suggestions that this is contributing to rising levels of obesity and weight gain. This blog aims to give some simple suggestions and tips to make sure you don’t have to miss out on enjoying social events and food treats, whilst also being able to maintain a healthy balanced diet and weight management.
Children/ Young People and Exercise
Whether it’s healthy eating, exercise, personal hygiene, organising schoolwork or anything else we want to build good habits around for young people – there’s no denying that childhood is a key time to instil practices that will help them develop into happy, healthy and well-rounded adults. Whilst many guidelines remain the same throughout our lives, such as eating plenty of vitamins and minerals, limiting less nutritious foods and keeping active, there are certain specific recommendations for children in order to best support their health and development. This blog covers some of the key guidelines for children and young people and suggests some ways in which they may manage to hit their daily exercise target without it feeling like a chore! You never know, they might even have a positive impact on the adults in their lives and encourage a whole-family approach to health and fitness, as there’s no better way to lead than by setting a good example.
Fibromyalgia Facts and How Exercise Can Help
What is Fibromyalgia and what are the symptoms? Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition affecting the muscles and soft tissues of the body. It may also be referred to as fibromyalgia syndrome, fibrositis and/or fibromyositis. It is characterised by chronic muscle pain and tenderness, increased sensitivity to pain, extreme fatigue/tiredness, muscle stiffness and sleep disturbances. Fibromyalgia […]
Exercise for Osteoarthritis and Joint Health
For people living with long term health conditions, it can be difficult to know whether exercise will help or exacerbate symptoms and the anxiety and confusion around this can prevent them from exercising at all. The truth is, there are very few conditions that exercise is unable to help with, although amendments may need to be made to make sure exercise is safe and effective for each individual and their medical history. Many people may avoid exercise or physical activity in order to prevent short term pain or discomfort or simply through anxiety, however this often makes matters worse. This blog discusses a common long term health condition, arthritis, and how exercise can help to manage it.
Exercise for Weight Gain/ Eating Disorder Recovery
When it comes to exercise programmes, we often think of losing weight as one of the key motivations. Whilst it’s true that weight loss is one of the most common reasons for wanting to make lifestyle changes (dietary, exercise etc), it’s not the only one. This blog covers exercise for weight gain and follows on from the previous 2 blogs on eating disorders. There are many reasons why people may want to gain weight, but exercise shouldn’t be demonised as always contributing to weight loss. Below are some top tips on making sure exercise supports weight gain if that’s a personal goal, whilst enjoying all of the other physical and mental benefits that are so important.
Eating Disorders – Symptoms, Causes and a Personal Story
Eating disorders are serious conditions that involve sufferers becoming overly focused on their weight, body shape and food. This leads to dangerous eating behaviours that can have serious detrimental effects on the body, mind and ability to function in other areas of life such as work and relationships. Whilst eating disorders often have extreme physical symptoms, they are classed as mental health conditions. Eating disorders are not just about food, but are often a way of coping with stress or difficult emotions. They can help sufferers to feel in control of one area of their life, often at times when other areas may feel out of their control. This blog is the first of two on eating disorders and aims to cover some key signs and symptoms. In parts this is also related to my personal experience with anorexia and orthorexia, which I suffered from at varying levels of severity for around 10 years.
Walking for Health, Fitness and Weight Loss
Walking is free, can be done anywhere and anytime and can be a highly effective form of exercise when it comes to building fitness and reaching or maintaining a healthy weight. It’s especially great for anyone who feels more formal exercise settings aren’t for them or maybe wants to build up a bit of fitness or confidence before trying anything more. Whether you’re already walking regularly or just looking to start, this blog aims to cover some top tips you need to know to get the most out of this unbeatable form of exercise.
BMI, weight loss, body fat and persevering…
In the fitness industry, one of the most common complaints or queries we get when somebody has recently started on a new diet and exercise plan is… why has my weight loss stopped/slowed down? People often start off in pursuit of weight loss full of enthusiasm and commonly see the numbers drop drastically on the scales for a few weeks, spurring them on to expect this will continue. However, over time despite still trying just as hard to exercise and eat well, the numbers on the scales become too stubborn to budge. Sometimes people may even notice clothes feeling looser and other desirable changes, yet the scales register no weight loss. Why does this happen and what does it mean? This blog aims to explain why weight loss doesn’t necessarily equal fat loss and why there is far more to it than a number on the scales.