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.F is for Frequency / Flexibility F is for Frequency / Flexibility How often should you train? Firstly, whatever is realistic for your lifestyle. Don’t promise yourself 5x a week if you realistically can’t due to work and family commitments. However if you have the time and motivation, there’s no reason you need to train more than 5x a week. Take two rest days off non-consecutively for your mind and muscles to recover. That’s not to say you can’t do some “active recovery” on those days (walking, gardening, gentle stretching) but you don’t need to hammer the HIIT or heavy training 7 days a week. Being flexible is very important. I’m not talking about crazy yoga poses you see on IG, but maintaining a good level of flexibility is important for preventing injury in everyday life, as well as when you’re lifting weights. Take a yoga class every now and again, and make sure you include some kind of stretching before (dynamic) and […]
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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. E is for Exercise “What’s the best exercise to do?” Firstly, the “best” is the one you can stick to doing consistently. I’m a rubbish swimmer and hate cycling, so for me those wouldn’t be a good choice if I wanted to try to exercise 4-5x a week to keep fit. However that’s not to say you shouldn’t address your weaknesses – I plan to swim more this year, but as an added extra, not as my main focus. It depends on your goal as to specifically the ‘best’ thing to do, but for general all around fitness I usually advise doing a mixture of cardio (whatever sort), strength training in the gym, and some kind of stretching or yoga class. Remember for “losing weight,” you don’t have to run on a treadmill! (A common misconception I come across, maybe because that’s the “go-to” in the gym when people aren’t too sure what else to do.) Weight/fat loss is about […]
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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. D is for DOMS / Deadlifts DOMS. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Ever ached for days after a workout? It’s the inflammation caused by myofibril tears in the muscles, and can last for over 48hrs in some cases. Some people actually like the feeling and think that they ‘haven’t worked hard enough’ unless they’re sore. This is NOT the case, and it shouldn’t be used as an indicator of whether the session was effective or not for building muscle. How can you treat it? The usual ways people try to relieve it (massage, exercise, stretching, supplements, Epsom salts, etc) aren’t actually proven to work, but just see if any of them work for you! Deadlifts. Why do them? Strength, athleticism, fat burning. You’ll also feel like a badass. The conventional deadlift targets most of the muscles in the body, including the core. It’s vital you do them with correct form and technique, so start learning how a hip-hinge (pushing the hips […]
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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. C is for Carbs / Cardio Yummy, delicious carbs. In the words of the new bestselling book, Re-nourish by Rhiannon Lambert, her 4 rules for carbs include: – “Be carb conscious.” (Reduce Refined carbs, and aim for more Complex carbs such as grains, wholegrain bread and rice) – “Not all carbs are created equal.” (Complex carbs are important to help fuel the brain and body, as Refined carbs lack in nutrients.) – “Carbs make you happy.” (Helps create the happy hormone serotonin, and keeps concentration/mood swings at bay.) – “Cutting carbs is unsustainable.” (You can’t maintain it. Opt for balance and long term living.) Two other tips to remember: – Excess calories over a prolonged amount of time makes you gain weight, not carbs in particular! – Unless you’re a bodybuilder, the time of day you have your carbs makes zero difference to weight gain or loss (you can eat carbs after 6pm if you want!) C is for Cardio […]
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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. B is for Bingo Wings / Body Fat / getting “Bulky” My heart sinks every time a new client uses the phrase “bingo wings”, but it’s a common body gripe that a lot of women are self conscious about. Similar to my post yesterday, a combination of decreasing body fat and strengthening the upper body will help ‘tone up’ the arms. Try including these sort of exercises in your workouts: – Incline push-ups – Assisted pullups – Tricep dips – Back rows (standing, seated, bent over, single arm etc) The “getting bulky” myth. In my opinion and experience, sometimes when women start lifting weights/increasing their activity level, they get a lot more hungry and end up feeling like they can out-exercise a bad diet. However it’s then not the muscle mass that is the “bulk” (it takes months and years of hard work to gain a significant amount of muscle), it’s actually the excess body fat gained from eating more […]
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Happy New Year! 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. A is for Abdominals Ahh, abs. Flat stomachs. Six packs. What it seems the entire commercial fitness industry only cares about! Having visible abs doesn’t define how fit, strong, or healthy someone is. It doesn’t prove they are ‘better’ than someone else when it comes to fitness, or even that they know what they’re talking about. Saying this, it doesn’t stop people wanting it, so how does someone actually get a flatter stomach? Think about it logically. The abdominal muscles are just like any other muscle. If you exercise them, they’re going to get tighter and stronger. However if they’re still covered in a layer of body fat then you won’t be able to see them. Be in a calorie deficit. This means burning more calories than you’re taking in. However crash dieting and simply not eating won’t work and isn’t healthy (more on this another time) but essentially, decreasing your body fat is the only way […]
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