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A-Z of Fitness – Q for Quads

by Fitcentric· January 31, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. Q is for Quads Strong, lean, lovely quads make you feel great. If you complain of “big legs” then decide whether you think it’s mainly body fat or muscle. For the majority of people it will mainly be a little excess body fat, so there’s no reason to avoid lower body exercises to add a little bit of muscle mass to increase their firmness. The body fat will then decrease over time when working in tandem with diet and exercise (more on “toning” soon. And I mean “diet” as a whole rather than going on “a diet.”) I’d also like to add that 99% of women (made up statistic, but you get the idea) have cellulite on the backs of their legs and there’s nothing to be ashamed of – many have to be at a very low bodyfat level to get rid of it completely. Focus on muscular development instead. The Quads are made up of four muscles. There’re […]
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A-Z of Fitness – P for Protein

by Fitcentric· January 31, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. P is for Protein (A “Throwback Thursday” pic to a few weeks ago at Rhitrition’s book launch – Elton Johns piano at the Royal Albert Hall.) Protein is one of the three essential macronutrients (along with carbs and fat), but Protein Powder should only ever be seen as a supplement to your diet, as they don’t have the variety of nutrients that whole foods do. Protein itself doesn’t make you gain muscle, it just aids it. 8 of the 20 types of amino acids that the body needs can only be supplied by the foods we eat, as our bodies can’t make them naturally. While animal sources of protein (chicken, etc) contain all eight, other sources like beans/whole grains don’t, which is why Vegans and Vegetarians are advised to eat a wide variety of protein rich foods to ensure they consume all the essential amino acids. A little low down on the common Protein Powders: 🔹 Whey – Quickly absorbed […]
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A-Z of Fitness – O for Overload Principal / Outdoor exercise

by Fitcentric· January 31, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. O is for the Overload principal / Outdoor exercise Muscles (either when weightlifting, or in the form of cardiovascular endurance) adapt and grow when they are forced (with proper form) to overcome a resistance they haven’t experienced before. If there is no overload, then there is no change or adaptation. It depends on how new you are to exercise, as to how much of a change you’ll experience. “Newbie gains” refers to the quick progress that new lifters experience due to their previous sedentary state, even if the load is not “that much.” However progress then slows when the muscles get used to working in that way, and the overload principal gets more specific (for example by increasing how much weight is lifted, decreasing rest time between sets, or increasing the amount of reps and sets regularly performed.) The programme has to be suitable for the specific goal (usually muscular endurance, size or strength) but the muscles have to actually […]
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A-Z of Fitness – N for Nutrition / Negative reps

by Fitcentric· January 31, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. N is for Nutrition / Negative Reps There’s so much I could say about nutrition and one Instagram post definitely wouldn’t do it justice. However in the fitness world, eating for health and eating for aesthetic results can sometimes seem like two different things. I’ll try and keep it simple: – Losing body weight/fat is usually as simple as calories in vs calories out. Your body needs to be burning more than you’re consuming. However there’s so much more to it than simply just eating less. – The quality of calories is definitely important for your health! (1000kcal of Mcdonalds vs 1000kcal of fruit and veg) – For a balanced diet mentally and physically, focus on eating 70% single ingredient foods (fresh vegetables, meat, fruit, nuts etc), 20% “healthy” mixed foods (things you can buy in packages – almond milk, bread, sausages, flavoured nut butters etc) and 10% whatever else you like (the occasional pizza, chocolate, alcohol etc to keep […]
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A-Z of Fitness – M is for Motivation

by Fitcentric· January 28, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. M is for Motivation. No one in the world is 100% motivated all the time. What separates those seemingly successful people from others though, is CONSISTANCY and ROUTINE. No one is born with the will to brush their teeth twice a day, but we do it because it’s engrained in our daily routine and we know the long term benefits outweigh the short term mundane 5mins (same with walking a dog multiple times a day! And he’s not even my dog full time haha.) The same can be said of fitness – if you create a habit of going to the gym/attending classes X amount of times per week, then you’re more likely to go even if you don’t particularly want to one day. What about other motivation to keep striving towards a specific goal? In 2018 we’re still obsessed with body image and feeling like we have to look a certain way. In London especially, there are lots of […]
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A to Z of Fitness – L for Lean Body Mass / Lactic Acid

by Fitcentric· January 28, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. L is for Lean Body Mass / Lactic Acid Lean Body Mass is everything in the body except for fat. So this means organs, bone, skin, nails, and of course muscle. 50-60% of lean body mass is water, which is why it’s so important to keep hydrated. That ‘toned’ look is essentially someone who has a decent amount of lean body mass from exercise, but with a low amount of body fat (I’ll talk more about “toning” when we get to T.) Having a high LBM boosts your metabolism (thanks to healthy working organs and muscle) so it’s easier to maintain a healthy weight. So build muscle and lose body fat, but never dip below necessary levels as it’ll lead to health complications. Building muscle as we age becomes much more important too. Lactic Acid isn’t the waste product that causes muscle soreness (DOMS) and tiredness, it’s actually an important energy source for your body both during and after your workout. Muscles break […]
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A-Z of Fitness – K for Kinesiology / Kettlebells

by Fitcentric· January 28, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness, Personal Training· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. The actual word “Kinesiology” comes from the Greek word kinesis, which means to move, and is literally the study of how our bodies move. (“Applied Kinesiology” however is a holistic energy therapy, that combines the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern ‘muscle monitoring’ techniques. Alongside naturopathy and hypnosis, it’s debated in communities as to whether it’s a valid form of therapy. We won’t be talking about that.) For the purposes of this post (and being a true Virgin Active advocate for the Zuu classes 😉) I’ll chat a bit about primal animal movement, and how it can help our own fitness. Ever done a bear crawl, a frog squat or a gorilla walk? Weight training in the gym is all well and good, but our bodies aren’t just made for moving up & down and side to side. Similar to the jumping I spoke about yesterday, children often do more “primal” movements, but as adults we tend to lose the […]
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A-Z of Fitness – J for Jumping

by Fitcentric· January 25, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness, Personal Training· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. J is for Jumping In my humble opinion, adults don’t jump enough! Although I never seriously focus on plyometric training with any of my clients (I don’t coach any professional basketballers who specifically HAVE to learn to jump higher), I do feel that overcoming a fear of jumping or learning how to actually jump and land safely, can give a massive confidence boost and can benefit overall fitness levels when put into practice. Start by practising straight jumps into the air – bend the knees, use the arms to help with flight, and land with bent knees, absorbing the impact into the floor. Progress onto a small step, and start learning how to rebound into a second jump with no pause inbetween. Keep the core tight so you don’t lose control. If you like doing box jumps then step back down onto the ground, rather than jumping, to avoid injury. Benefits of jump training includes muscular elastic capacity, hip explosiveness, […]
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A-Z of Fitness – I for Isolation exercises

by Fitcentric· January 25, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness, Personal Training· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. I is for Isolation Exercises Isolation exercises place an emphasis on a single muscle or muscle group (eg. A bicep curl), rather than Compound exercises which do more than one (eg. Press ups, pull ups.) If you’re new to fitness or have little time to exercise, doing compound movements will be better to focus on as you’ll be working the entire body, you’ll be lifting heavier weights, and your workouts will be more ‘bang for your buck’ (you’ll be getting generally fitter and stronger quicker.) The same can be said for athletic performance goals (jumping higher, running longer and faster.) Saying that, Isolation exercises are great for shaping the body aesthetically once you’ve mastered the compounds, and for sorting out muscle imbalances (eg. If all you did were squats then your quads would be stronger than your hamstrings, or if you did a lot of benching/overhead work then your shoulders wouldn’t have that ‘capped’ 3D look.) Isolation exercises allow you […]
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A-Z of Fitness – H for Hamstrings / Health

by Fitcentric· January 14, 2018· in A to Z of Fitness, Fitness, Personal Training· 0 comments
I get asked a lot similar questions, so over the next month both on my Instagram (@fitchicnic) and on here, I’ll be going through the alphabet talking about some of the most common health and fitness related questions and topics. H is for Hamstrings / Health What a contradictory photo – it shows my hamstrings, but definitely not what the pinnacle of health looks like! (Competing is an extreme of the fitness industry, and is 100% about aesthetics rather than health, strength, fitness or endurance.) Hamstrings. A lot of us spend our days with our knees bent, whether that’s sitting at a desk, curled up on the sofa, or cycling to work etc.  It’s no wonder that our hamstrings get tight, and that can limit our ability in squats and other everyday movements. There can also be other tightness issues in the calves, hip flexors, fascial interconnections, lower back, or a mixture of them all.   I could list various stretches to help with flexibility, but while either trying to touch your toes in a seated or standing position, then keep your legs straight, and bend from the hips rather than curving the lower back. This will be a lot […]
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