Sometimes even the healthiest intentions and goals can be compromised if youâre not suitably prepared. Forward planning your nutrition is incredibly important and yet is often overlooked by many people who then find themselves wondering why they can't stick to their healthy eating principles...
In my last blog I wrote about the highs and lows of running a half marathon (check it out here). As much as I had a fantastic time and feel proud of what I achieved, I also made some big blunders by not sleeping enough, not eating properly and ignoring some niggling injuries. I firmly believe I'd never have made it to the starting line had I not implemented some really cool stuff prior to the race that made me a stronger runner. Here I share five things that supported my running goals.
If you know me (Matt Whitmore) or have followed Fitter Food for some time, you'll know I love training my glutes and helping others do the same â and for good reason. The glutes are essential for a strong foundation, injury prevention and for looking smoking hot in and out of clothes. Here are my current 5 fave exercises to target the glutes ensuring they are strong and firm.
At the last few Fitter Food events Iâve discussed the role of relationships in health. Not something you might consider when you decide on a health or fat loss goal, but actually, it's hugely relevant.
One of the most common trends that seem to be driving a number of health issues and fat loss fails today is the fact that many people are creating a debt crisis with regard to their body. In life we need a healthy bank balance in order to pay for our living costs and do the things we enjoy like going on holiday or eating in a nice restaurant. Similarly, our body has a limited reserve of funds available for essential physiological processes and tasks â weâre referring to vitamins, minerals, hormones and all the vital nutrients that keep us alive and kicking. It has some spare resources stored away just in case we need to occasionally go above and beyond.
I posted on Facebook a while back that perhaps there's a little too much effort going on when it comes to fat loss and people might be missing some quick wins which could be achieved by kicking back a little and simplifying things. When an individual decides they want to change their body composition and focus on getting healthy it often starts off all guns blazing. There are plans to eat boat loads of steamed kale, smash HIIT sessions daily and answer to no one but the weighing scales.
This week is certainly up there as one of the most stressful I've had all year. The deadline to get our book to the printers is this Friday. With recipe testing, editing, referencing, macronutrient information and image design to finish, my 'to do' list went way beyond overwhelming at times. Running a business I've been here before and luckily I've made time to develop coping mechanisms that enable me to nail these projects without letting my health suffer in the process. I thought I would share with you 3 things that really helped me over the last few days when the going got really tough.
This week we interview Dr. Tommy Wood, he's a strength and conditioning coach (so he lifts!), he's also a brainy fella; after studying medicine at Oxford University he went on to work as a doctor in central London for two years. He's now completing a PhD in Norway researching neonatal brain metabolism. Tommy is also the Chief Scientific Officer for the Physicians and Ancestral Health Society and lectures across the globe on nutrition, lifestyle and chronic diseases.
So, with this title you might be thinking that I'm going to suggest green tea (ramps up metabolism), celery (more calories to digest than it contains), coconut oil (it's fat burning y'know) and as much as I'd like to believe dipping celery into a bulletproof green tea might help your waistline, I'm yet to find anyone to do this on a daily basis, but feel free to give it a go. In actual fact, the foods I'm about to recommend have a more indirect effect on your body composition, mood, energy and vitality by feeding your gut flora.
Join us for our best Fitter Food Academy yet on Saturday 21 November where we'll be sharing how to fuel awesome health, for life! Just wait 'til you see our awesome line up of speakers who will be sharing their expert guidance on nutrition, training and lifestyle essentials to get you fitter than you've ever been!
Whenever I ask clients or Fitter Foodies about their top goals, you can guarantee fat loss figures somewhere in the list. For many people it's their No.1 goal, whilst others might speak of health priorities like "fix my bloating" or "improve energy levels" but there is always an added "oh and lose a few pounds" somewhere in the conversation too. The problem with these fat loss goals is you're almost doomed to fail from the start! Here's why!
Join us for another educational and informative hour as we present a Fitter Food guide to Women's Health, Hormones and Happiness on our brand new, free webinar!