Why you aren’t losing fat! - You don’t understand calories.
This is one of the most common things that we see when it comes to assessing someones nutrition and its not your fault at all, it is an absolute minefield of information out there (some good and some terrible) so how are you supposed to know whats right and whats wrong? Read further down this blog ;)
Lets go into some basics when it comes to calories. Calories are basically a unit of energy that is mainly used when it comes to food (calories consumed) or exercise (calories burnt). Calories are needed for our brain, muscles and all cells in our body to function at an optimal level due to the energy they give to us. They come from different types of food made up of Protein, Carbs, fats, sugar etc.
Everyone of us requires a set amount to be able to live (which is different to each individual) which is known as our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the amount of calories that we need to live when we are completely resting. You can work this out through one of the more common ways which is a BMR calculator which can be found online (Have a look at the link below). But bare in mind they are not always 100% accurate but will give you a fantastic starting point to go from.
What you do need to look at from here is your activity level! This is actually done on link that is above below your BMR score which is great. It does take a little bit of a play around with to find out what exactly works for you dependant on your goals. If you are looking to lose weight, you would want to be in a slight caloric deficit whether you create it by your food or by your calories burnt in exercise is completely up to you. But make sure that you monitor it as much as possible so that you can adapt and progress.
A lot of people believe they know how many calories they are having per day or how many calories are in certain foods they consume, generally they aren’t too far off the tracks with these guesstimates. But we find when we sit them down is that its the calories that they don’t realise they are consuming which is the danger.
A lot of the trouble is when it comes to different types of coffees, alcoholic drinks, condiments etc things that people consume everyday but they also don’t realise the number of calories in them.
These are examples below showing you the varying calorie amounts of each coffee:
Coffee calories with skim or no milk, per serving:
Coffee calories with skim or no milk, per serving:
Espresso: 1 calorie
Long Black: 3 calories
Piccolo Latte: 26 calories
Cappuccino: 68 calories
Flat White: 68 calories
Chai Latte: 127 calories
Mocha: 164 calories
Coffee calories with full-cream milk, per serve:
Espresso: 1 calorie
Long Black: 3 calories
Piccolo Latte:46 calories
Cappuccino: 134 calories
Flat White: 155 calories
Chai Latte: 224 calories
Mocha: 394 calories
So the key take ways from this is to know what your calorie intake should be relative to your goals (don’t just go really low calories if you want to lose body fat!), know what calories are in the food you are consuming and drinks aren’t always low calorie ;)
Take a Break
I was having a catch up with the Sports Therapist at the gym last week about his holiday, and he was asking about my holiday as we had both been away at about the same time. We soon got on to talking about how each other’s training was going. He told me that since he had come back, he had felt strong and even hit a couple of personal best lifts. Then he told me that he did the same the last time he was away. What was funny about this was that I had also done the same the week before. Neither of us had done anything more strenuous than a bit of walking and swimming whilst we were away yet had walked into the gym feeling strong and full of energy. So why was this?
A lot of people think that 7 days away without the gym is going to ruin all their hard work and 7 days relaxing with their diet a little bit is going to mean they can’t fit in to the clothes on the way back that they wore on the way there! This couldn’t be further from the truth. Have you ever sat on the beach or by the pool on holiday reading a good book and thought about just how busy you are back home? Work, kids, exercise, relationships, family, friends, shopping, rushing around balancing a professional and social life. If this sounds like you, it’s almost guaranteed that your body and mind are stressed. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress but if you are already chronically stressed, it can actually be counter-productive, especially if you are the ‘all or nothing’ kind of person who feels they are not doing enough unless they are beasting themselves in the gym every day.
So far, we have looked at physical health but it’s also just as important to look at the mental health benefits of taking a break. Going away stressing about if you can find a gym or not and worrying if you are going to gain weight whilst away is counterproductive – again it’s adding to your stress levels. If you don’t strenuously exercise in 7 days or gain 2 lbs in weight in a week, that really is not the end of the world. What’s far more important is how you manage your exercise and diet in the other 358 days of the year. Read a good book, chill and listen to that new album, and generally allow your mind time to empty some of the thoughts that you really don’t need to worry about.
The take home message from all of this is make sure you are taking time away from your ridiculously hectic schedule to give your body and mind a break. Do the things you enjoy with the people you enjoy doing them with. Don’t worry too much about doing loads of exercise whilst you are away and relax a little bit with your diet. Just try to walk around as often as you can whilst you are away and enjoy your eating whilst being mindful not to undo all your hard work. You will come back energized, refreshed, and with a fresh focus on what you want to achieve. Your body and mind will thank you for it!
Trying something new
The Urban Training community recently completed the autumn wolf run in Leamington Spa and, its safe to say we had a great day!
For the majority of the clients taking part, it was their first wolf run. I had to persuade many of them to sign up and really twist their arms to get everyone to the starting line but, we ended up with a great turn out of 17 runners! For weeks leading up to the wolf run, many clients were beginning to doubt their abilities to complete the course, but my simple reassurance was, if I didn’t think you could complete the run, I wouldn’t of suggested it in the first place. Usually, this was enough to fill the client with confidence.
Now, for those of you reading this that have never heard of the wolf run, they are held 4 times a year - one for each of the seasons. It’s a 10k run, broken up by loads of very muddy obstacles, sounds amazing right..? The obstacles range from a huge cargo net climb, to mud pits and, (my favourite) the big water slide! The aim of the day is to complete the course in one piece, we had no set time to finish, and our biggest goal was to have as much fun as possible.
But, in the midst of all the mud and laughter, some of the clients began to feel like they were running “too slow” or “holding the rest of the team back”, they were working as hard as they could but to them, it still wasn’t good enough. My response to these statements was simple. I said to them “you are running faster than you would be if you weren’t taking part, everybody has to start somewhere, just keep pushing yourself”. With any event where you have a large team, it’s inevitable to break apart a little during the running parts of the course, but in true Urban Training spirit, we all waited for each other before completing the obstacles. Admittedly, this was more so we could cover anyone in mud who looked a little too clean, and have a good laugh at each other slipping over in many failed attempts to get out the mud pits!
However, throughout the course, many of the clients surprised themselves by tackling obstacles they didn’t think they could do. If one of us was struggling with a particular obstacle, the Urban Training crew rallied together to make sure that everyone accomplished each and every challenge - whether that be a foot on the shoulder to push you higher, or a helping hand to pull you out the mud, we left no man behind! With each obstacle completed, our clients began to fill with more and more confidence. They began to worry less about being covered in mud and, more about making sure everyone else was covered in mud, and that all of us were having a good time.
Have a read of what out client Lisa had to say about her wolf run experience. “Before doing the wolf run, I was very apprehensive but Bella assured me I would be fine. To be honest, if I knew the exact course beforehand, I would never of agreed to it, convinced I could never complete it! It was very challenging but I loved every minute of it! It was so great being part of a team encouraging each other every step of the way, it really helped me get through it and now I cant wait for the next one!”
The point I am trying to get across for this blog is to try something new, try something that is out of your comfort zone and something that you never thought you could do! Even better, do it with a supportive group of people who will be there to give you that boost of confidence when you need it most. Here at Urban Training, we make sure that exercise and keeping active is fun, in this case, it meant getting muddy and having a good day out with friends. Will you be joining us on our next adventure…?
How Things Can Change
I have just got back from a great holiday in the South-East of Spain in the beautiful region of Murcia. The temperature was around 28-30 degrees each day, the flights there and back were perfect, the car hire was quick and easy (as was the actual driving!) and I spent a lot of time chilling out doing all the things I enjoy; running, swimming, training, sleeping, eating and drinking, all in great company. It literally could not have been a better week.
A couple of days after I left this seemingly perfect place, it now looks like a disaster zone. The weather changed from sunny and bright to severe storms overnight, and unfortunately several people have lost their lives as severe floods have decimated the region and left a huge trail of destruction closing roads, railways, and airports alike.
The way the weather and the situation changed there so suddenly got me thinking about how life can change quickly and suddenly, usually when you least expect it. In this case, things changed for the worse but it’s also important to remember that things can, and do, often change for the better. If you find yourself going through a rough patch; be it a relationship, career related, financial, or even a health issue, it’s vital to retain a positive state of mind.
Here are 5 things that can help in tough times;
1. Do what you love doing – if you are bogged down in worry, it’s easy to lose focus of what you enjoy doing as you concentrate too much on whatever the problem is. Now for many of us at Urban Training, this is hitting the gym. However, this can be anything that helps you relax, relieves stress and brings a big smile to your face. It could be playing a musical instrument, knitting, or walking the dog. Make sure you take time out to follow your passion.
2. Continue to work hard – working hard very often brings luck. It is no coincidence Manchester United scored so many late goals under Sir Alex Ferguson. It wasn’t luck or the referee fearing Sir Alex! It was sheer hard work and determination right until they heard that final whistle. Look at the history of many successful entrepreneurs, and they are littered with financial problems and even bankruptcy. The difference between the ones you know and the ones you have never heard of are the famous ones got back up off the floor, got their head down, and made their luck by working hard and waiting for their big break.
3. Believe in yourself – this is a massive one. The moment you stop thinking you can achieve something is the moment you stop being capable of doing it. I am an absolute firm believer that anyone can put their mind to something and, if they work hard and believe they can do it, it will happen. Concentrate on yourself, don’t worry about what others are doing or what they think, look in the mirror and tell yourself you can do it, then go out and make it yours!
4. Support network – one of my bug bears. Being as simple as I can, if you are trying to achieve something and those immediately close to you are not supportive or, even worse, go out of their way to ridicule you and stop you achieving it, they need to disappear from your life. Surround yourself with like-minded, supportive people who will go out of their way to help you (contrary to belief, there are plenty of these people about) and see what you can achieve.
5. Stay active – you knew something about exercise was coming! Go for a long walk on a lovely fresh autumn day, pump the bike tyres up and go for a cycle, get down to the swimming pool, try that new class at the gym. All these things will release feel good hormones and increase your mood no matter how hard they seem at the time.
If some of the things said above have hit home, remember that most things in life move in cycles. Good times very often follow bad, so if you find yourself in a rut, remember that it won’t last forever, and you can just as quickly turn things around for the better!!
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