Health & fitness - 8 steps to change

Jamie Ford, Head Trainer of EASY ST Personal Training, Rochdale, shares his top health and fitness tips. Whatever your current fitness level, follow these simple steps to become a healthier, happier you...

GENERAL MOVEMENT

This is the most underrated part of good health and especially weight loss. Someone can work hard in the gym three times per week but still not lose any weight or see any positive changes in their body composition - that person needs to look at the other 165 hrs of their week and what they are doing in that time.

There are so many fads out there, but the craze for Fitbits and counting steps is the best thing to happen for general health and wellbeing in quite a while.

I have clients that come to me struggling to lose weight; I track their steps and they have days where they are doing under 1k steps which is extremely low. Aim for between 8-10k steps to be classed as active consistently and note how you feel - increased energy and productivity and even less aches and pains. Also keep an eye on any bodily changes such as reduced bodyfat or weight loss.

HYDRATE

Drink at least two litres of water per day and even try three if training. There isn’t a bodily function that doesn’t require you to be hydrated to work optimally.

You would think, in 2019, that we would all be well hydrated, but with our busy lives, people often forget to make it a priority.

If you’re suffering from low energy, lack of concentration, headaches or bad skin, stop and question if you are drinking enough.

FRUIT & VEG

Forget national ‘five a day’ guidelines - double it. Aim for ten per day. Packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals this should be the basis of any standard diet. Not supplements, potions and powders; get the stuff you need directly from the source.

It may sound a lot but it’s as simple as: Breakfast - Two types of berries with your oats and yoghurt Snack - Banana and grapes with your mid morning snack Dinner- Sweet potato, peppers, and onions with your chicken Tea - Butternut squash, spinach and broccoli with some fish = NUTRITION THROUGH THE ROOF!

RECORD

Keep note of what you eat. You can either plan food in advance and stick to the programme, use a food diary to note food as you go or learn to use an app such as My Fitness Pal. The last is the one that’s a bit more time consuming but also most effective when used correctly. They all require you to be 100% honest with yourself, and more than anything, accountable.

STRESS LESS

Don’t ignore stress - look into what causes it. I’m talking all aspects, physical, mental and emotional.

Are you sleeping enough? Do you have gut issues? Problem skin? Mood swings? Low energy? All these can be associated with stress and can also cause stress themselves.

Stress is a part of life but unmanaged can cause serious physical and mental health issues.

EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN

With each main meal aim to get a solid hit of protein through eggs, meat, fish, Quorn, greek yoghurt. Protein is an important component of every cell in the body, in fact, hair and nails are mostly made of protein. It is used to build and repair tissues and is a vital building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

SET GOALS

Set achievable goals - short/mid/long term. These could be about anything but let’s think in weight loss terms. Your short term weight loss wants to be 2lb per week max - so let’s say your short term aim is to lose between 1-2lb per week consistently for 4 weeks, your mid term goal is to reach between 4-8lb by the end of week 4 and your long term goal is to reach at least 12lb by the end of week 12.

At this point reassess, self evaluate and pick new achievable goals. If it went well, excellent - take the positives and pick new goals. If it didn’t go to plan, take a close look at why and learn from that - pick new goals and set out to achieve them.

JAMIE FORD Head Trainer

EASY ST. Personal Training, Rochdale

www.easystpt.co.uk Instagram: @easyst.pt

Facebook: easystpt