Let’s get started! Are you ready?
Contents 2
What can you expect from this ‘Life’
3-7
What you want to achieve
8 - 10
Your Empire Life plan
11 - 16
The role of food groups and macronutrients in your ‘Life’
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Calorie counting vs portion control
18-19
Portion your ‘Life’
20-22
What to eat, when!
23-26
This is your ‘Life’
Your support network... Empire Life has been developed from the team of fitness experts at Empire Health & Fitness. They have pulled together the latest thinking in nutrition and exercise to bring to you a plan which will change the way you look at food and exercise. The team consists of Personal Trainers with many years’ experience and qualifications in fitness and nutrition. They all have their personal story on how they changed their lifestyle, which they will share with you to motivate you even more. The team will focus your energies and enthusiasm on physical exercise and give you nutritional guidance to achieve optimum results. Across the team, they will be there to motivate and support you every step of the way, delivering the knowledge you need to continue with a change of lifestyle, for ‘Life’. This booklet is just the start... 1
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What can you expect from this ‘Life’... Empire Life is an easy to follow exercise and nutrition plan that will change your approach to healthy eating, exercise and lifestyle choices for ‘Life’. By providing you with education and knowledge about nutrition and exercise, combined with your commitment and consistency, you will achieve optimum results in weight loss, energy levels and enjoy a healthier life. This is your overall guide for the plan and is yours to keep and reflect on during your journey.
Are you ready for ‘Empire Life?!’... Disclaimer: Empire Life is a nutrition and exercise plan designed by Empire Gym Studios. The approach in this plan is to be used as guidance. It is recommended to seek doctors advice before making any major changes in your diet.
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What you want to achieve... This is your time, all the reasons ‘why’ do not matter anymore, it is now about you ‘wanting’ to achieve the healthier lifestyle you need. Are you ready to understand everything about what drives you and makes you want to smile?
We need to have a look at why you want/ need to make this lifestyle change for good. Whether it be appearance, an occasion, health reasons, to improve energy levels, skin, hair etc… Whatever the reason, it’s for ‘you’.
We all know how it feels to feel fantastic, or do we?
Educating yourself about healthy living and wellness is your key to success. Understanding why you are making the ‘right’ choices. So when people say to you wow you look amazing, you can tell them how you did it, and more importantly how you continue to maintain it. This is not a ‘diet’ it’s about the choices you make.
Can you recall feeling… Confident, happy and in control of you? How long did that feeling last? Was it until that weekend away, the next holiday, a party... Why did it change? You are about to rediscover ‘the’ person you want to be, by making the right choices in the correct direction, towards your goals. Nothing feels better than being confident and happy in your own skin… And loving it!!
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Wow! You look amazing!
Thanks! I feel fantastic.
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Stop and think for a moment And answer honestly: • How are you feeling today? • When did you last feel in control of you? • Can you remember the last time you smiled at yourself in the mirror? • When were you at your happiest? • Do you feel confident at the minute? • If you could change one thing what would it be?
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All about you! Reflect on what you are thinking and fill the boxes with a few thoughts... How are you feeling today?
What do you want to achieve, and what are you prepared to do?
Describe your current nutrition and lifestyle plan?
How confident are you? One a 1 - 10 scale (10 being superman/woman)
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Record where you are now Before you start, record your profile and goal setting. Your body measurements are the perfect way to not only see progression but to set your mind to what you want to achieve. Seeing measurements change is the best motivation and reward with any nutrition plan, whether you want to lose size or gain! Use these starting stats as a reminder of where you started. This is the beginning of your journey to a healthier more energetic and fitter you. Use the new innovative Boditrax system to get your body stats.
Measurements
Goals
Weight
I will...
Waist (smallest) Hips (widest)
KG CM CM
When...
How much...
Body Stats My reward will be...
Note: You will have a chance to record your progress later in the plan
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The importance of focusing on you
Remember, You are important‌ The hustle and bustle of life naturally creates a certain amount of pressure that actually helps us function. Constant stress, however, can wreak havoc on your emotional as well as physical health. Aside from causing anxiety, depression and sleep deprivation, stress can lead to hypertension, unwanted weight loss or gain, and an increased vulnerability to colds and infections.
So do your health a favour and slow down!
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Your ‘Empire Life’ plan You will:
• Eat from a basket of food full of the ‘good stuff’! • Be given guidance towards making lifestyle changes for ‘Life’ • Have ongoing support on what to eat and how to exercise • Get ‘Life-line’ hours to kick metabolism and mind set to keep you on track • Follow an exercise plan tailored to your individual ability and goals • Have a review after 6 weeks to check exercise plan and progress • Have free access to the ‘Boditrax’ system, to record and measure your body composition • Be supported throughout both interactively and on site, by Mel, the team and your peers
40%
60%
Your plan is focused around eating well and physical activity...
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What you can expect from this ‘Life’ The good stuff in your shopping basket will be full of healthy food choices with the highest nutritional value. These will help you lose weight, reduce body fat and increase lean muscle for good! You will aim towards balancing your daily macronutrient intake of wholegrains, healthy fats and lean proteins at each meal.
Kick out unhealthy and processed foods! As well as kicking sugar and unhealthy processed foods out of your life, part of achieving a healthy nutritional diet is portion control. On the Empire Life plan, you will follow a simple guide to getting it right every time you prepare a meal. Exercise and activity are an important part of your lifestyle change. Being active burns calories, boosts mood, increases energy and improves quality of life. So to support this, you will receive a weekly exercise planner adapted to your level – be it beginner, intermediate or advanced. 9
Every 6 weeks your plan will be reviewed and tweaked, allowing for progression as your programme continues. A key benefit of the plan is the support you will receive. This may be given interactively via email, closed Facebook group, telephone and on-site through workshops in the gym. Support will be offered for all parts of the plan and changes to lifestyle.
The biggest cause of failure is lack of support And you? All you need to do is make a commitment to invest some time into preparing meals and being overall more active in and out of the gym!
...let’s get mo ving!!
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Choose your Life plan There are 3 ‘Life’ plan types to choose from depending on your goal Lean Life
Healthy Life
Strong Life
This plan is for someone who wants to:
This plan is for someone who wants to:
This plan is for someone who wants to:
• Lose excess body fat • Tone and sculpt • Increase fitness and energy
• Maintain their current body weight • Learn new approaches to food and nutrition • Increase fitness and energy
• Gain lean muscle and maybe size • Reduce a small amount of body fat • Increase fitness and energy
Each plan can be adapted for special conditions such as; IBS, diabetes, food intolerances and vegetarians
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The role of carbohydrates in my ‘Life’ The role of a carbohydrate is to provide energy, as they are the body’s main source of fuel, needed for physical activity, as well as brain and organ function. Once consumed, carbohydrates are easily converted to fuel. There are two types of carbohydrates ‘simple’ and ‘complex’.
Complex carbohydrates
Also called starches, these include whole grain, breads and cereals, starchy vegetables and legumes. Most complex carbs contain fibre, which helps digestive health and give a sense of fullness. This reduces overeating and weight gain. Additionally, high fibre foods help lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease.
Simple carbohydrates
Also called simple sugars, these are found in fruits, vegetables and fresh milk. They are also added during the processing of sweets, chocolate and cakes.
AIM: To eat veggies and wholegrains and avoid processed foods such as cakes, pasta and white rice.
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rbs:
Life ca
es Potato Potato t e e w S Wheat r u g l u B Quinoa Rice Brown sh t Squa u n r e t But
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The role of protein in my ‘Life’ Protein is responsible for many processes in your body, not just one single function. One of its main roles is to act as a structural component of cells and tissues. Proteins are large, complex molecules made up of smaller amino acid compounds. Some amino acids are made by your body and are nonessential, but others are essential, so you need to get them in your diet. Proteins from foods can either be complete or incomplete.
Complete proteins
Provide all of the essential amino acids, there are more than 20 of them. Meat, seafood, dairy and eggs are all complete proteins.
AIM: To eat protein rich foods everyday, since your body does not have a way to store them.
Incomplete proteins
you need each day. Plant based proteins such as whole grains, nuts, beans and lentils, are all incomplete proteins. You can get all of the essential amino acids you need solely from incomplete protein sources, but you have to have a variety of these foods throughout the day.
Life proteins: Chicken Beef Lean Mince Beef Lean Pork Turkey Salmon Herring
White Fish Tuna Mackerel Prawns Sardines Tofu Lentils
Provide only some of the essential amino acids
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The role of good fats in my ‘Life’ ‘The skinny on fat’
You’ve avoided eating fats and sweated it out on the treadmill, but fat is actually your friend. Your body needs it in order to function. Fats help you absorb vitamins A, D, and E, and they are vital for your nervous system. Not only that, by eating a diet filled with monounsaturated fat lowers your risk of heart disease. Nuts and cheese are two foods we tend to eliminate due to the dreaded word ‘fat’! However, these are ‘good fats’ and eaten in small amounts and are a great way of getting fats into your diet. These foods also provide our bodies with essential nutrients like omega 3’s, calcium, protein and B vitamins, so they are great for overall health.
Fats: Avocado Avocado Oil Coconut Oil Walnut Oil Seasame Oil Canola Oil Ex tra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Feta Cottage Cheese Mozzarella
Nuts & Seeds: Almonds Brazils Walnuts Cashew Sesame
Pumpkin Seeds Hemp Seed Flaxseed Peanuts Chia Seeds
AIM: To eat the permitted portion size of cheese, nuts and fats don’t eat too much! 13
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The good, the bad and the ugly! The good - Mono-unsaturated fats Raise good HDL cholesterol, lower bad LDL cholesterol. They also help prevent belly fat. These fats are found in olive oil and olives, canola oil, almonds, cashews, peanuts, peanut butter, sesame seeds and avocado.
The good - Polyunsaturated fats Contain essential omega 3 fatty acids, which boost brain function and may help strengthen your immune system and improve your mood. Omega 6 fatty acids, which in small amounts can keep skin and eyes healthy. These fats are found in salmon, mackerel, herring, flaxseed, walnuts and tofu.
The bad - Saturated Fats
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Raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. These fats can be found in meat and poultry, diary products like cream, butter and whole milk. Remove any hard fat you can see such as fat on meat and skin on chicken.
The ugly - Trans Fats Are made from unsaturated fats that have been chemically altered to prolonged the shelf life of packaged foods, trans fats raise bad LDL and lower good HDL, increasing inflammation throughout the body. Avoid margarines, doughnuts, French fries, and processed foods such as crackers, cookies, chips, and cakes.
AIM: To eat small amounts of good fats and stay away from the bad and ugly.
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The role of vegetables in my ‘life’ Vegetables have amazing digestive benefits that comes from the high fibre content. Dietary fibre is crucial for our health. Food cannot move through our digestive tract in a healthy way unless it is fibre rich, and vegetables are some of the very richest sources of fibre there is. Fibre from vegetables also helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease and type II diabetes. Vegetables also have a lot going for them in terms of giving you a balanced plate of nutrients. Eating sufficient amounts of veggies in our diet provide a source of many nutrients including potassium, folate (folic acid) and vitamins A, E and C, as well as fibre. Potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure and folic acid helps the body form healthy red blood cells.
AIM: To eat some vegetables at every meal to improve digestion and overall health.
(an example, there are many more!) Peas Peas Cucumber Cauliflower Broccoli Asparagus Green beans Courgettes Carrots Lettuce Rocket Tomatoes Cabbage Peppers Spirulina Celery Kale Pulses - beans, peas and lentils Chard
These are a great low fat source of protein, iron, fibre, vitamins and minerals. These can be particularly important for people who don’t get protein from eating meat, fish or dairy products
Vegetable Proteins - Red, green, yellow and brown lentils Peas: split and chickpeas Beans: kidney, edamame, runner beans, broad beans, soya
Add variety to your plate by introducing some pulses as either a veg or protein!
Vegetable - Protein: 15
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Hydration for Life We have all been told ‘drink more water’ more than once in our lives...but why? Water is essential for life, staying hydrated is vitally important for good health, as it is essential for every bodily process, carrying nutrients to cells and waste matter from the body.
Caffeine-free herbal and green teas are great for staying hydrated. There are loads of alternative teas available, try these hot or cold! Coconut water is a great was to replenish electrolyte deficiency during exercise as it carries a very good amount of electrolyte potassium. Limit the amount of this you drink, as too much potassium can be harmful.
Water is a natural lubricant to limbs and joints, helps metabolise fat, aids digestion and regulates body temperature.
Try nut milks in smoothies or breakfast solutions: such as almond, coconut; or rice milk
Lacking hydration
Limitations on Life
A lack of water causes daytime fatigue and thirst is often be mistaken for hunger, so you reach for a snack, rather than a drink therefore this interferes with your healthy eating plan.
Stay away from alcoholic and caffeinated drinks. These contain toxins and actually dehydrated the body as they act as diuretics, which increase the loss of water as urine from the body.
AIM: To drink at least 6-8, 8-ounce glasses each day. You may need more in hotter conditions and when exercising. Spice up your water with fruit slices or Alternative liquid refreshments cucumber and mint!
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Calorie counting v portion control? We have all heard ‘the best way to lose weight is to count calories’ After all it’s a simple equations: Calories in v’s calories out, eat more calories that you burn and you gain weight and eat less calories than you burn and you lose weight – RIGHT?
Except counting calories isn’t that simple!! So ‘calories in’… Once you have figured out how many calories are in the foods you have eaten (from various conflicting sources), you then have to assume all these ‘estimates’ are correct because of incorrect labelling and food quality.
Then there’s ‘calories out’… Estimating your
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calorie expenditure each day comes with a 25% measurement error because of equipment used and individual differences. Do you walk the same way to the office, at the same speed, therefore expelling the same amount of calories? Is it worth it?… Counting calories can be a drag! No wonder so many people give up and go back to eating the way they did before. Empire Life is based on a large basket of healthy food, which you eat within allotted portions, so you have an easy and consistent way of controlling what you eat – without counting points, sins or calories!
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Portion your ‘Life’ The quantity you eat can be the one thing that can hinder a nutritional plan even if you are getting the quality right!
A serving of protein = 1 palm
With Empire Life we are mindful of the types of foods we eat AND the portion size. So, here’s how portion control works: • Your palm determines your protein portions
A serving of vegetables = 1 fist
• Your fist determines your veggie portions • Your cupped hand determines your carb portions • Your thumb determines your liquid fat portion. (Or a shot glass of oil) Each portion is multiplied to an individual’s plan, whether you choose ‘Lean, Healthy or Strong ‘Life’
A serving of carbs = 1 cupped hand
For example if you are a female on ‘Lean Life’ you would have 1 x protein 1.5 x veggies 1 x fats 1 x carbohydrates. If you are a male on ‘Strong Life’ you would be 2 x protein 2 x veggies 1 x fats 2 x carbohydrates each meal. This will be discussed more at your initial meeting.
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A serving of fats = 1 thumb
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Examples of how your plate should look Healthy Life
Lean Life
Strong Life
For illustration purposes only. To be discussed with Mel on an individual basis. 19
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What to eat, when! Eat as per your portion size in all three daily meals.
Lean Life & Healthy Life • Eat 3 meals per day • Eat 1 snack per day (additional to meals if hungry). Aim to have your snack between either breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner.
Snack • •
Half a portion of protein and fats Half a portion of a meal.
Strong Life • Eat 4 meals a day • Eat 1 snack per day (additional to meals)
Snack
• Half a portion of protein and fats • Half a portion of a meal.
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Meal and Snack Ideas Here is an example of the types of delicious foods you will be eating in your ‘Life’
Breakfast
Lunch
Buckwheat & Quinoa Porridge
Avocado & Chickpea Salad
Dinner Satay Chicken Skewers
Check out facebook and the accompanying recipe book for the recipes and more ideas!
Mid Morning Snack
Additional Meal
Afternoon Snack
Coconut Chia Pod
Pina Colada Fish
Summer Kiwi Salsa
Source: Clean & Green
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Your ‘Life-line’ hour Remember, we are working on a sustainable lifestyles - not a diet - so a regular, sensible treat is allowed! During this time you will be able to indulge on some of the treats that you have missed most. This isn’t a time to go mad and undo the hard work you have put in! Its just to give your mental state a boost and give your metabolism a nudge.
These ‘Life-lines’ will be awarded at different times during your plan… ahhh enjoy, but be sensible! Guidelines for this Life-line hour: ONE HOUR of higher food volume, higher sugars and fats. Your Life-line hour doesn’t have to be at the weekend, in fact its better midweek as you are not mentally thinking “yay it’s Friday” and a ticket to turn that hour into a day!!
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This is your ‘Life’ Journey You are on a journey to make positive change and new life choices. There is lots of help and support here for you on ‘Empire Life’.
Low Mood
Bad Eatin g Habits Need to make ch anges
Ne to ed m ma o ke tivat ch an ion ge s
Over Weight Help me!
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Techniqu e Support Group Sessions
Shoppin g List
Email Faceboo k
Portion Control Exercise Plans
Sample Week M eal Plans
at Empir e Support
Telephon
e
Nutrition
Mainten
ance
Progress
ion
Peer Motivatio
Catch U
n
p Weekly Weigh In s
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New h ab its & better ch oices Continue the ‘Life ’
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So... To Sum up the ‘Empire Life’ plan What’s included, what you will cover Exercise Plan Core Upper Body Resistance Cardio
Nutrition
Technique, Support & Guidance
Shopping List Guide to Macro Nutrients Sample Meal Planner Recipe Ideas Portion Control Tailored Plans
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Exercise facebook.com/empirelife
...nutrition, exercise and support!
Support Suppo rt Email Facebook Telephone Closed Group Members only access
One to one advice Confidential support
On-site Weekly weigh in / Drop in sessions
Recipe Ideas
Group Nutritional Workshops
Facts and information
Motivation
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My Life... My Journey... ...My Success! Empire Gym Studios, Leicester Road, Nuneaton, CV11 4BW. Nuneaton & Bedworth Leisure Trust, Heron House, Newdegate Street, Nuneaton, CV11 4EL.