Balanced Training - Shoeburyness

The rumours are true!

The 50 Calorie challenge has a new King! With a whopping 1m11 which to anyone taking part in this challenge over the years fills your mouth with lactic just thinking about it.

Massive respect as the first time this was attempted it was over 5 minutes

Day 51 - Program

If you are still lost at what to do in the gym and don’t know where to turn?!

Get in touch we have a special membership just for you and you can get access to our amazing Studio Gym as part of this fantastic membership!

We can only have so many taking on this membership so please get in touch before all spaces are gone!

Day 50 - Pancakes

Ok so if you’re now addicted to pancakes Sarah use to make the best protein and banana pancakes which were amazing!

So here is a recipe if you fancy making some yourself:

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
2 eggs
1 scoop of protein powder (flavour of your choice)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Coconut oil for cooking.

Instructions:

Mash the ripe banana in a mixing bowl until it's smooth.
Add the eggs and whisk together until well-combined.
Add the protein powder, baking powder, and cinnamon (if using) to the bowl and mix until smooth.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly coat with oil.
Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan for each pancake and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
Serve with your favourite toppings, such as fresh fruit, nut butter, or maple syrup.
This recipe yields about 4-6 pancakes depending on the size. Enjoy your delicious and nutritious banana and protein pancakes!

Day 49 - Coaching

So this weekend I had my first actual coached session for pole vault. Even though I've competed about 20 times to fill the event.

In the past I've certainly had help from team mates and friends with far more experience than myself. It's also normally during the 2 or 3 warm up jumps before competing.

That aside the knowledge that a specific coach can make is huge. The little points I picked up should make my performances a lot easier to achieve now I have things to work on.

This is exactly what personal trainers can offer and a trained eye is ALWAYS better than just having a crack at it blind as you'll reach a limit.

If you feel that you've reached a limit with your training please get in touch as we can definitely help. Both online or in person!

Day 48 - Sun Rays

So last night we went and saw the Southend Illuminocity and got me thinking how important the sun is.

So on a daily basis you need a bit of sunlight in order for your body to produce vitamin D. This vitamin can be consumed but it is great if your body produces it itself through vitamin D synthesis when light reacts with our skin. Obviously a well known benefit is healthier bones and teeth.

So this week as it’s getting a little bit warmer make sure you get some skin into the sunlight. As most Britain’s are actually Vitamin D deficient. On your breaks at work maybe just get outside and get some actual fresh air.

Day 47 - Results

People always ask how long till I start seeing results. As we know this can be very much in the eye of the beholder.

Although I would say normally in the first 4 weeks you don’t normally see too much visual change but mindset certainly changes as long as consistent habits are being made.

In the second 4 weeks 5-8 you’ll normally see far greater leaps in your visual results and change.

9+ weeks is enhancing the change and generally resetting goals and trying to achieve overall goal!

Day 46 - Probiotics

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can improve gut health, boost the immune system, and may have additional health benefits to your body. Sources of probiotics include fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and some dietary supplements.

I tend to have more of them intentionally when I'm feeling run down, definitely after a course of antibiotics due to the body being wiped out of the good bacteria.

Also the Kombucha on the shelves is far more palatable than it used to be.

Day 45 - Wellness

So if you search about you’ll find these are generally the pillars of wellness.

Exercise, Food, Sleep and Mental Health. Obviously you can’t do these all at once but it’s a good idea to try and fit them all in your day.

Having a newborn has definitely effected sleep which in turn effects motivation levels which has a knock on effect for the usual higher intensity training but it is always easy to go out with Max (our dog) on one of his walks. There is always something quite satisfying about launching a tennis ball and seeing him sprint out and back that really helps the mental health. What I also do to help this is have a podcast on to make me laugh.

Always try and achieve balance even when times are tough, just doing a little can be enough. Getting into the gym for just 20 minutes can be worth it!

Day 44 - Slow it down!

When it comes to food obviously important to get plenty in you of the right kind. However make sure you don’t wolf it down as our digestive systems are limited.

So basically to get the most out of your food you need to digest it which means the enzymes to break it down need to react with the food!

So in order to do that we need to flatten the food (mastication) by chewing. See a trick to great nutrition is to chew more and slow down how quickly you eat.

Try and increase the time you spend eating so you can appreciate it!

Day 43 - Eat that Frog

Brian Tracy wrote a the book ‘Eat that Frog’ and the general idea behind it is this:
Start your day with the worst thing and then everything after that will be better!

So the assault bike is that frog! Nobody really wants to eat it! It’s the worst exercise for a lot of people especially if they have experienced 50cal as fast as possible before.

Next time you are in how about trying to either set or beat your best 50 cal time?!

Day 42 - Ice Baths

This does remind me of the days having to crack the ice in the swimming pools at our hotels and jumping in back when I did Bobsleigh.

The general benefits of ice baths and hot and cold treatment is well known. (Wim Hof writes about this in his books)

Nowadays people also have ice baths installed when they are really serious about training and recovery.

We use to do hot then cold x 3 for 1 or 2 minutes each and finish with the cold and let your body heat itself up on the finishing cold.

Options on cold could be:
- Running a cold water bath.
- Adding several bags of ice to bath.
- Using a plunge pool
- Using a frozen swimming pool

For the heat you could use:
- A very warm towel straight off the radiator.
- Sauna
- whirlpool bath

Give it a try once and see what you think.