Personal Training is NOT somebody standing over you telling you to do 50 press-ups!
It’s all about letting somebody take on the responsibility for assessing every aspect of your life that affects your health and fitness. This allows me to identify your own highly personalised route to achieving your potential whether your main goal is weight loss, health & fitness, strength, power, toning, balance, coordination,...(the list goes on and on!) or a little bit of everything.
And it’s not just the rich and famous who have Personal Trainers. As this provides such an ideal targeted route to health and fitness it’s highly effective in terms of value for money and time spent in the gym! Using a Personal Trainer is therefore the natural choice for people in many different circumstances:
So why should you use a personal trainer any way? Well, to answer this question we need to consider two things:
We all know that “exercise is good for you”, but very few of us appreciate exactly why this is true and the extent of the benefits to be gained through exercise. These benefits are evident not only physically, but also in many mental and sociological aspects of our lives.
This refers to any form of exercise where the body’s musculature applies a force to some external resistance. This so-called “weight-training” (in its many forms) has only recently become acknowledged as being an important part of improving all-round body condition and health. While aerobic training is also essential for health and fitness, it is only when both aerobic and anaerobic training is combined that the benefits are optimised. Resistance training generally falls into the anaerobic category, although the specific method of training can be designed to target any of the body’s energy systems. Some of the benefits of resistance training include:
The advantages of choosing a Personal Trainer rather than becoming a member of a gym or health and fitness club are centred around three critical aspects:
As a fully qualified professional Personal Trainer I have a private gym in Cottingham, East Yorkshire. My client-orientated one-to-one service allows the design of tailor-made exercise programs, lifestyle advice, constant monitoring and re-assessment in order to achieve specific fitness goals. When combined with the positive motivation and continuous program adaptation I guarantee that within just a few weeks you’ll be able to appreciate how this approach allows outstanding results that are generally unobtainable through conventional public gym membership.
This is how it works....
The first session for any new client is something of a “fact finding mission”. This takes the form of an initial consultation in which I gather as much information as possible relevant to your fitness needs and we discuss exactly what it is you hope to achieve under your new fitness regime. This is also a valuable opportunity for you to ask any questions or just have a general chat about health and fitness preconception, concerns, or the general impact of fitting exercise into your life. Armed with this information, this session then ends with a few static health assessments as a safety check before any form of physical activity is undertaken.
The second session is where the fun starts! In order to get a quantitative baseline, from which we can see real improvements, a series of dynamic assessments are performed. These cover functional flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, strength and endurance. At the end of this session we are fully equipped to design and implement a safe and effective program to meet your fitness and lifestyle requirements
The third session is where we start putting your fitness program into place, whether your emphasis is general conditioning, cardiovascular fitness, neuromuscular strength, body composition/weight control, hypertrophy, toning, muscular endurance...
One of the great advantages of having a Personal Trainer is that, given the information gained in sessions 1 and 2, I will be able to design a weekly program to suit your likes, dislikes, abilities and lifestyle. How frequently you wish to be trained depends entirely on you. Depending on the nature of the program, some people are happy to follow their program independently for several weeks and then return simply for re-assessment and program modification. Of course, many people benefit greatly from the additional tuition and motivation provided by more frequent supervised training - You may chose to train with me once or twice per week with the possibility of independent exercise structured by your weekly program if required.
As your Personal Trainer I have a commitment to:
In addition to the above, I am also bound by the Code of Ethical Practice for the Register of Exercise Professionals.
Obesity is becoming a major problem in the UK with 22% of adults classed as obese [1]. Gone are the days when families used to sit down and enjoy a healthy, hearty meal together. This has been replaced by an array of microwave meals, take-aways and convenience foods which can be cooked and eaten in the time it takes to watch an episode of Eastenders. Combined with the sedentary lifestyles that many of us lead, scientists are predicting an increase in the rates of heart disease and weight-related illnesses over the next decade.
Of course it is possible to stop yourself from becoming one of these statistics by exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. However 'Rome wasn't built in a day' and a good starting point is to make a few simple changes to your lifestyle. Try the following tips and you will have taken the first steps towards a 'fitter you'.
1 - Aim to do some moderate exercise 2-3 times a week. This might include a brisk walk or cycle ride for about 45 minute sessions. You might also consider going to a Personal Trainer who will design an individual programme for you .
2 - Think about everyday things that you can do to improve your fitness. Leave the car at home and walk the children to school if possible. Park in the furthest space away from the cinema/supermarket/bowling alley rather than the nearest. Try to allocate some time every weekend to do some sort of fitness related activity like swimming/walking/cycling/going to the park - whatever 'floats your boat!'
3 - Family walking and cycling holidays can be great fun and you can get fit at the same time rather than coming back from holiday and feeling like you have eaten your weight in cooked breakfasts! There are lots of firms that organise walking holidays where you walk from one place to the next and they arrange luggage transfer. Most of them also provide you with a clearly marked map and written instructions so they are ideal for 'first-timers'. Alternatively you can organise them yourself if you want to save money - just decide on the area you want to visit (eg North York Moors), buy a book of walks/cycle routes for that area and book the guest houses yourself.
4 - Keep a food log for one week and write down everything you eat. Then sit down and have a good look at your diet, you will probably see things that you can alter immediately. Think about reducing caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee and fizzy drinks - drink water instead. Do you eat lots of take-aways or ready-meals? Consider cutting them out of your diet completely or if this is impossible keep them to an absolute minimum. This is because processed foods and take-aways usually contain high levels of salt, sugar, fat, preservatives and additives. Grill your food instead of frying it and switch to semi-skimmed milk and low fat spreads instead of butter. Finally, aim to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg every day.
5 - Get into the habit of checking food labels for salt, fat sugar, preservatives and additives. The recommended daily allowances set by the government are 70g of fat and 5g of salt per day for women and 95g of fat and 7g of salt per day for men. Gillian McKeith's book 'You are what you eat' contains some useful advice about how to improve your diet.
Try the above five tips and stop yourself becoming a 'government statistic'!
Remember, if you are in any doubt about your health you should consult a doctor before undertaking any physical activity.
[1] Obesity Report Published, House of Commons Health Committee, 26 May 2004
"Why should I run?… It's cold and wet outside!… I'll get all out of breath and uncomfortable!"… I'm just not fit enough" - all common responses when posed with the question "Why don't you start running?" What's so good about running anyway? Why do you see so many people religiously putting themselves through so much seemingly unnecessary exertion? Well we all have the vague notion that if you can run then you must be quite fit, but the health implications of running are actually much more far reaching than most of us realise. Think about it. We were originally designed to be hunter-gatherers; Agile and nimble, able to cover large distances on foot if necessary and capable of producing short bursts of power in order to escape our predators.
"OK, that was fine for cavemen" I hear you say, "but when was the last time you had to dodge a tyrannosaurus rex at the supermarket?" Well, the thing is that our programming still exists in much the same way and we simply function better if all our physical attributes are regularly used to the best of their ability, and running is one of the most natural forms of exercise that calls upon far more physiological effects than simply using your leg muscles or burning off a few excess calories.
Simply by imposing regular and gentle extra physical demands on your body your cardiovascular system will become healthier as your heart becomes more efficient. Your metabolic rate will be increased (helping to burn off fat more efficiently) and your resting heart rate will be lower. A lower resting heart rate, fat levels and blood pressure mean far less strain on the heart. Simply by running 3 times a week you are 40% less likely to have a heart attack than a sedentary person. But improved cardiovascular fitness is just the start. Even a long, brisk walk or the most gentle jog helps to maintain muscle flexibility and joint mobility. Any load-bearing physical activity such as running will actually help to strengthen the bones by maintaining their density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis in later life (particularly for women). Regular, gentle running at a comfortable pace can be a very efficient way to reduce your percentage body fat. Your resistance to disease and infection can be improved by moderate amounts of running. Running can even improve the appearance of your skin! This is because it actually improves the function of your skin which is to be able to sweat and help tolerate excess heat or cold by regulating your body core temperature. Running also helps you to maintain the optimum posture which encourages use of your core muscles around your stomach and lower back. Apart from making you look in good shape, this also helps protect you from those strains and injuries of every day life activities. In addition to these physiological benefits there's a huge impact on your sense of well-being and achievement. An early morning run will leave you feeling instantly invigorated, alert and ready to meet the challenges of the day!
So, what's the best way to get started if you've never run before? Well, it's always best to take things gently, progress slowly and always be aware of how you're feeling. See your GP or health professional if you have any doubts. Three brisk walks per week of around 30 to 60 minutes each is a good start. If you've never run before it may feel uncomfortable to start with, so try progressing to 1 minute of gentle jogging followed by 3 minutes of brisk walking and repeating for about 45 minutes. You'll be amazed at how quickly your performance (and fitness) improves. As you become fitter your body becomes more efficient at whatever you impose on it, so don't fall into the trap of letting it become easier and easier. So many people come to me and say they run regularly but can't see any improvements in weight loss. The trick is to continuously impose new challenges on your body. Try gradually progressing the jogging / walking intervals by increasing the jogging time, reducing the walking time, increasing the pace or total time, changing the route, running on different surfaces, running up hills… This so called interval training is a great way to get out of the plateau experienced by regular runners who's training seems to have lost its effectiveness. It's also worth noting that 45 minutes of strenuous effort will elevate your heart rate slightly for up to several hours afterwards as you're your heart works to recover your body's state of "oxygen deficit". During this time you're still burning fat, making running a very time-efficient and convenient form of exercise.
As you can see, by incorporating something as simple as running into your regular routine, you could find it's actually a life-changing activity!
Remember, if you are in any doubt about your health you should consult a doctor before undertaking any physical activity.
Cycling is a great form of exercise and a good way to burn off calories and get in shape! Most people have an old bike kicking around in the garage so all you need to do is dust it down, check it over, make sure you have a helmet, put on some trainers and hey presto…….get ready to have some fun!
There are a couple of good bike rides around the Cottingham area. Did you know that part of Route 66 on the National Cycle Network runs from Cottingham to Beverley? You can join the route by cycling up Park Lane heading towards the Lawns and following the road round to the right. It gradually turns into a quiet country lane which goes past a power station and then swings left through a caravan park. After that it becomes more of a gravel track which is great for family cycling. The route is clearly marked all of the way with small blue cycle-route signs and it eventually ends up on the country lanes near Beverley. The highlight of the ride for the weary cyclist is when it goes past a garden centre (on the outskirts of Beverley) which has a lovely, reasonably priced, tea-room for a well-earned refreshments stop! You can then either continue on into Beverley or return to Cottingham.
This is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, particularly if you have younger children as a lot of the route is traffic free. Don’t forget to take plenty of water to drink, a puncture repair kit, a basic first aid kit, waterproofs and it is always best to take an ordnance survey map (Barkers in Cottingham have a good stock of them and the one you need to ask for is OS 107 which covers the Hull/Cottingham area). You probably need to allow a couple of hours (depending on stops and your level of fitness) as the route is approximately eight miles.
If you fancy venturing a bit further a field you might want to consider investing in a bike carrier for your car. Halfords have a good range but if you are an internet whizz it might be worth having a look on e-bay as we recently bought a three-bike high rise carrier off e-bay for half the retail price. This opens up a whole new area to you as you could try out the Hull-Hornsea route along the disused railway line or even venture up to the North York Moors. There are lots of good books around which give details of cycle routes/refreshment stops etc. Beverley Cycle and Walking Shop stocks a series of handy booklets published by Trailblazer. They only cost £1.95 and include titles such as “Mountain Biking on the Yorkshire Wolds” and “Exploring Ryedale, Moor and Wold by Bicycle.”
If you like the sound of cycling but lack the motivation or experience you could consider going to a Personal Trainer. A good trainer will be able to incorporate cycling into a program to help you lose weight/tone up/get fitter. They will also monitor your heart-rate while you are cycling to ensure you achieve your goals without overdoing things.
Remember, if you are in any doubt about your health you should consult a doctor before undertaking any physical activity.
It is that time of year when we all feel we have indulged a bit too much over Christmas and are now paying the price in terms of bulging waistlines! The booksellers are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the sales of diet books rocketing. However I am sure many people reading this article will have tried various diets which may or may not have worked but how easy is it to sustain that weight loss over a longer period of time? I believe that the secret of a sustained weight loss is to change your whole attitude to food rather than following the latest diet. I always recommend to my clients that they try to gradually introduce the suggestions contained in my Food and Lifestyle Improvement Plan (FLIP) – because, in order to make lasting changes they have to be realistically incorporated into routine life or you won’t be able to maintain them.
The FLIP is a set of suggestions that will help you take control of the food you eat before it takes control of you. It does not require you to weigh or measure any food but you will need to set time aside every day to prepare good quality, healthy, hearty food. It is also absolutely crucial that you eat at the recommended times rather than skipping meals. If you skip meals and don’t plan your food in advance you will find that is when food takes control of you as your blood sugar level drops too low and you grab the first thing that you can get hold of (usually junk food which will give you a temporary feeling of being satisfied and a quick sugar rush usually followed a while later by a slump in energy). I have summarised the FLIP recommendations below but please feel free to contact me if you would like more information about following this plan or about losing weight generally.
Eat organic! Most supermarkets now sell organic food and there are also some companies that deliver organic food (including fresh fruit and vegetables) – Arthur Street Trading covers the Hull area and more details are available from their website www.arthursorganics.com
Eat as much organic fruit and vegetables as possible every day. It is common knowledge that you should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetable every day.
Cut out take-aways, junk food, processed food (like ready-meals) and as a general rule, food containing e-numbers. Get into the habit of checking labels on food. Some e-numbers are okay to eat and more information on this can be found in Gillian McKeith’s book ‘You are what you eat.’ You can replace processed foods with quick meals using things like organic cooking sauces for pasta and curry available from most supermarkets. Ideally it would be best if you also cook ‘from scratch’ using fresh ingredients instead of eating processed food.
Think about the fat content of food. If you are trying to lose weight you will also need to check the fat content of food that you are buying, for example creamy pasta sauces are usually much fattier than tomato-based pasta sauces.
Reduce salt and sugar intake. Don’t add salt or sugar to anything - you’d be surprised how much there is already in even the most unlikely processed foods.
Breakfast – within one hour of getting up
Mid-morning snack – two to three hours after breakfast
Lunch – two to three hours after mid-morning snack
Mid-afternoon snack - two to three hours after lunch
Tea – two to four hours after mid-afternoon snack but not later than approximately 8pm. Your body needs time to digest the food before you go to sleep otherwise your heart is under extra strain pumping blood around to process your meal when you go to bed
Supper - only if you have at least a couple of hours for it to digest before going to bed
I have a great recipe for a “quinoa quick snack” which is a fantastic healthy power snack. You can also snack on organic fruit, organic yoghurts, nuts and seeds (try a few almonds and pumpkin seeds) and the occasional organic biscuit or chewy bar.
Don’t eat later than 8pm or 9pm at latest. If you eat supper, make sure it’s at least a couple of hours before you go to bed. If you are eating at the suggested times above you should only need something light at this time anyway. Avoid anything too sweet or excessively fatty.
Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. I recommend that you stick to wine and limit consumption to a few units now and then (maximum of 2-3 units, three times a week).
Rotate non-organic food on a four-day cycle. There will be some non-organic foods that you wish to continue eating, eg. tuna. Try to rotate these and only eat them every four days or so. This stops the toxins building up in your body as far as possible.
Drink a maximum of two cups of tea/coffee per day, even decaf needs to be reduced to a maximum of two. Drink hot water with a slice of lemon in instead.
Drink at least 4 pints of bottled waterper day. This can be either hot as described above or cold.
Avoid fizzy drinks like lemonade, tonic, caffeinated fizzy drinks, etc. They’re loaded with sugar and artificial additives and flavourings that your body just does not need.
Don’t eat white bread. Eat brown wholemeal organic bread if possible. Maybe consider getting a bread maker and making your own bread (you can also make fantastic wholemeal pizza bases with them.)
Prepare food in advance. Always make sure you know where your next meal is coming from so you’re not forced to make bad food choices in places where healthy food is not available.
Carry out some form of physical activity routinely, 4 or 5 times per week. A Personal Trainer can design an individual program based on your current level of fitness and working towards your goals. If you want to lose weight, this will be achieved in a carefully directed, enjoyable and progressive way. Nobody becomes healthy through diet alone – it is essential to incorporate some regular, gentle activity into your lifestyle.
Follow the 90/10 rule. If you follow the above suggestions for 90% of the time, you can deviate from them for the other 10% (as long as it is only 10%!) This means that if you absolutely must have a take-away once in a while or a bar of chocolate, do so without feeling guilty!
Remember, if you are in any doubt about your health you should consult a doctor before undertaking any physical activity.
This depends on many things such as your current level of fitness, the type of results you’d like to achieve and your time available. In some cases I can prescribe exercise to be done by you on your own in your own time either at a public gym or at your home. However, this is not always suitable as Personal Training provides so much more by way of motivation as well as guidance and instruction on technique and program progression. Clients usually train with me once or twice per week but this varies and can be as little as once every few weeks, or as much as every night! I’m happy to give advice related to your own circumstances, but at the end of the day, the choice is completely yours.
Again, this depends on many individual factors. Expect to feel different within the first few sessions. If you’re new to exercise, don’t be alarmed if you experience some muscle soreness within 24 hours or even up to 48 hours following a workout. This is perfectly normal and indicates that your body is preparing to adapt to the new demands imposed on it. Measurable changes in factors such as body fat or muscle mass can be seen within around 3 or 4 weeks in some cases, but the great thing is that if you stick with it these changes can be sustained in a continuously progressive way.
If you want something badly enough there’s always a solution! I work weekdays throughout the day and usually into the evenings as well as most Saturday mornings if required, so I’ll do my best to work around your other commitments. I can also advise you on the most useful, low-cost home equipment for you to buy so that incorporate some training at home if necessary.
Yes! Personal training is all about guiding you through the right program schedule of exercise that suits your individual abilities, preferences and time availability so that, when coupled with sensible nutrition and lifestyle advice, we achieve your goals in a way that’s optimised for health and effectiveness.
Yes, absolutely. I fully appreciate that meeting a stranger to discus your health and fitness can be a little scary, so please feel free to bring a companion to the initial session. You may even wish to train together to reduce the cost.
This will depend on your goals, capabilities and what you find most enjoyable. This is something we will discus and you’ll probably get a better idea of after the first few sessions - you may find you enjoy the effects of certain types of exercise you might not have considered before. I’ve set out a number of packages as examples, but everyone is considered on an individual basis so the we can arrive at a unique format for you that consists of a combination of many different types of exercise.
Bookings are normally made on a weekly basis in advance and payment is due on the first session of that week.