ap_fitness_and_nutrition

Building muscle builds confidence👊🏻

Picture on the left I was roughly 58kg struggling with very bad anxiety and depression. Drinking and doing other things to numb the pain. Failing college as I didn’t have the confidence to attend. I suffered a lot of trauma when I was young and growing up I was always a nervous kid and found it hard to socialise. Also found it very difficult to attend school and college. On my 21st birthday I had an accident that left me in a very bad place mentally and physically . At the time I neglected everyone especially my family, thankfully I’ve learned overtime that family are no.1 priority and will always stick by you in times of need.

I always thought I wasn’t good enough and doubted my abilities in every aspect of life. The gym has helped me build confidence and is something that I can always turn to in times of need. If you are struggling don’t hesitate to drop me a message as I’d be more than happy to help. It’s okay not to be okay. Onwards and upwards x 💪🏻❤️

Exercise ex*****on 🦾

Are you training 4-6 times a week, applying progressive overload to your training, eating in a calorie surplus etc but not gaining the muscle tissue you thought you would? Then maybe have a look at your exercise ex*****on. Are you executing each exercise using the correct form and using a slow and controlled tempo?

Using the correct form when lifting weights and also applying a slow and controlled tempo is so important and in my opinion the secret to changing your physique. You see so many people in the gym lifting heavy weights which they cannot control and there form goes out the window. I was guilty of it in the past but I have learned and it has helped me greatly with improving my body composition. If the weight is too heavy drop it down, pick up a lighter weight and execute the exercise in the correct manner. Use it or lose it 😏 This will benefit you in the long run and you will get the results you want. At the end of the day it’s not about how much you lift it’s about how you lift it.

*****on

Motivation😏

Are you finding it hard to motivate yourself during lockdown? Are you struggling to motivate yourself to do home workouts, get your steps in daily or stick to a meal plan?

Don’t worry your not alone, recently I’ve been finding it hard to motivate myself to do home workouts and adhere to a meal plan. This is probably because I don’t get the same buzz out of home workouts as I wound out of a session in the gym and I find it easier to adhere to a meal plan when my training is 100% on track. Not to say I haven’t been training well and sticking to my meal plans because I have but I am finding it harder to motivate myself on all aspects of training, nutrition and life in general.

Today was the first day in a few weeks where I felt my motivation had come back. I can put this down to one thing. I found my why. Finding your why is probably one of the best things you can do when your lacking motivation and just feel like giving up. Everyone’s why is different and we all began our journeys in the gym for different reasons. For example, I started because I hated my physique and was going through a very hard time mentally. So if you are looking for something to fuel your home workouts, something to get you off the couch to get your steps in or something to get you to stick to your meal plan then try finding your why. And never forget why you started 💪🏻💯

Used this picture to remind ye that it won’t be long before we’re back in the gym lifting some heavy weight again and also because it’s in motivated fitness 😆👊🏻

3 reasons why you should consider investing in a coach 😎

1. Accountability- one of the main reasons for why I chose to invest in an online coach. A coach needs a coach. Nailing your nutrition and getting the most out of every workout can be difficult if we take it on our own accord. Having someone to hold you accountable to stick to your meal plan and make sure your getting the most out of your workouts is a massive step in the right direction. E.g I knew personally I should be eating 3000+ calories a day to gain muscle and improve body composition but I would not do it without a coach telling me to do so. Also when it came to training I would never train to failure but now I push myself to the limit where I don’t have another rep left🤮

2. Structure- One of the main components of when it comes to seeing progress. Do you have a gym programme to follow or are you just randomly selecting exercises each time you workout? Do you know how much calories you should be consuming or are you just estimating it? Random exercise selection and random calorie intake= random results. Coaches will give you a programme to follow and a nutrition plan tailored to your fitness goals.

3. Results- Results are guaranteed if you adhere to the coaches plan. Being consistent week in week out will lead to the results you want. Showing up in the gym, smashing your workouts and nailing your nutrition will lead to big changes over time and that’s guaranteed.💪🏻

Online coaching isn’t a money racket. You get what you pay for. Most online coaches will only charge you what you would spend on one night out for 1 months coaching. Think about that 😁

Yo-Yo Dieting!!

Have you yo-yo dieted in the past? Have you had negative feelings about yourself and had a desire for a better body/physique? Have you used extreme calorie restriction in order to achieve that body and then found yourself losing control of your eating and end up binging? Well that’s yo-yo dieting.

Example: Individual on 2,500 calories decides to reduce intake to 1500 cals

Week 1- Loses 7lbs
Week 2- Loses 4lbs
Week 3- Loses 2lbs
Week 4- Loses 0lbs

By week 4 metabolism has adjusted to 1500 calorie intake and to return to 2500 calorie intake will create a surplus of 1000 calories and will result in weight gain. Severe calorie restriction can depress resting metabolic rate by 45% and cause us to lose lean tissue and have a negative impact on our long term health.

Losing weight is a long term process and will only be achieved with consistency, patience and a healthy relationship with food💪🏻😊

3 years between these photos so definitely not the most impressive transformation you’ll see today but the gym can also help us transform our mental health.

In the first picture I was struggling with depression, anxiety, addictions etc. I was in a very dark place mentally and received a lot of help to get me through stage in my life I never thought I would. The gym became a major part of my life. It was a place and still is a place where I could escape from everything and all my problems would go away. It was my therapy. Now as a personal trainer I love helping people in the gym as I see it as a way of giving back. I’m sharing this because every one of us has mental health and I think most of us have struggled with it at some point in the past year. Personally finding this lockdown the toughest and have struggled myself. If you are struggling talk to someone, a problem shared is a problem halved😊 I’m not saying the gym can resolve all of our problems but it can teach us a lot such as self discipline and so on. Also don’t judge people’s progress in the gym as they might be there solely for the benefit of there mental health. Stay strong, be brave❤️