07376 805 410
training@josgym.co.uk
  • Home
  • The Gym
    • Meet Your Personal Trainer
    • The Equipment at Jo’s Gym
  • Prepare Yourself For…
    • Kickboxing for Fitness
    • Insanity Training
    • 1 on 1 Spin Training
    • Ab & Core Conditioning
    • Heavy Bag & Boxing Training
    • Circuit Training
    • Body Conditioning
    • HIIT Training
    • Strength Training
  • Prices
  • Nutrition for Fitness
  • FAQ
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contacting Jo’s Gym

Get Your Weight-Gain Hormones Under Control to Lose Weight

30th June 2017 by josgym

With summer supposedly here! Many of you may be thinking about getting your beach body ready. After months of winter, it’s definitely possible that you might have put on a few extra pounds?

As well as overeating, there are a few other things that could be responsible for your weight gain. These are – Lack of physical activity, Genetics and Stress.

These are the main things that will affect your weight but there is another key factor that is influencing this as well…. your hormones. Hormones such as insulin, cortisol, leptin, and thyroid hormones all play a key part in metabolism control.

They also tell your body to store or get rid of fat. Keep on reading to learn what to eat to help you lose weight and get your hormones under control.

Firstly the Four Hormones

The four chemicals that tell your body to store or burn fat:

Insulin – Glucose is a primary source of energy for the cells, Insulin helps your body turn Glucose into energy. It also helps your body store it in your muscles, fat cells, and liver to use later, when your body needs it. After you eat, the rise in glucose triggers your pancreas to release insulin into the bloodstream.

Cortisol – This is known as the stress hormone, because of its connection to the stress response, however, cortisol is much more than just a hormone released during stress. It’s produced in the adrenal glands to prevent blood sugar levels from dropping below normal. This is why you crave sugary snacks when you are stressed out. Cortisol helps slow down the metabolism so you preserve more energy. If you have high cortisol levels, you will gain weight.

Leptin – This is called the satiety hormone, but also called the starvation hormone and it’s secreted by fat cells. It signals the brain that you are full and have enough energy stored in your fat cells to engage in normal activity. When levels are low, for instance when you’re trying to lose weight or not eating enough for your activity level, your brain senses starvation mode and the body may store food as fat.

Thyroid Hormones – T3 and T4 are produced by the thyroid glands. Their job is to prevent lipolysis and they help regulate the metabolic processes. So if T3 and T4 levels are low, your heart rate may be slower than normal, and you may have constipation/weight gain. If T3 and T4 levels are high, you may have a rapid heart rate and diarrhoea/weight loss.

What Should You Eat To Keep These In Check?

It’s important to avoid a strict diet. Sticking to extremely strict diets isn’t healthy because when you’re not eating regularly the body begins to think its starving and takes energy from the muscle tissues while trying to conserve fat.

Losing weight gradually and slowly is ultimately healthier for you in the long run. If you want to become slimmer and lose weight, start a small calorie reduction. Remember that each person’s calorie intake is different and should be calculated based on your height, weight, age, and activity level…

Eat Foods With A Low Glycaemic Index

I know, I mention this a lot! But sticking to LOW GI foods keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels steady and can even help your body metabolise fat more effectively, you should feel fuller longer, feel less cravings and therefore finding it easier to control your weight, or lose weight.

Remember that everyone loses and gains weight differently and for different reasons, so it’s okay to experiment with your diet and exercise..

Avoid Fast Carbs

Avoid foods that will fill your body with fast and fatty carbs. Fast Carbs are foods that are refined, low in nutrients and fast digesting, the sort of foods you crave when you are starving! So avoid going long periods without eating, if you eat regularly your body will be less likely to crave fast carbs.

Protein helps to build muscle mass and repair tissue. It can help reduce hunger, boost your metabolism and burn more calories during the day and even when you’re sleeping. Eating more protein has been shown to reduce cravings and desire for late-night snacking.

Staying Active Reduces The Stress Hormone

If you’re really serious about getting your weight gain hormones under control, it’s also important to exercise properly and to do the right type. So if you are unsure whether you are doing the right type of exercise or enough to lose weight, speak to a personal trainer.

You can look up a list of foods that are low GI foods online or check the links below.

See some tips on LOW GI here: https://www.josgym.co.uk/the-diet-that-isnt-a-diet/

Or see some low GI recipes here: https://uk.pinterest.com/josgym/my-recipes-eatclean-lowgi-high-protein/

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Filed Under: Advice from Jo's Gym

Time To Stop Dieting

7th March 2017 by josgym

If you feel as if you’ve been “dieting” for years with little to show for your efforts, this article is for you!

Dieting has become a habit for an estimated 100 million people in the United States, many of whom say they diet four or five times a year! Surprisingly enough, the answer might be to — wait for it—stop dieting!

Time to stop dieting and get rid of the scales

By understanding how your body reacts to dieting, you can make fundamental changes and finally attain that physique you keep starving yourself for!

Outside Your Comfort Zone

Our bodies view dieting as a stress, not some sort of weird Survivor-type fun vacation. It’s stressful, because eating fewer calories than your body needs pushes it beyond its comfort zone—the body-fat percentage (or weight) where your body feels most comfortable.

This is the weight where your body — not you you — feels most comfortable.

To get back into that comfort zone (also known as your “body-fat set point”), your body starts sending all kinds of messages to your brain to tell you to stop dieting. The two big messages it sends are “I’m tired” and “I’m hungry.”

To deal with the calorie deficit your diet has created, your body conserves energy by reducing the number of calories you burn each day. Less calories burned means less energy, so, naturally, you feel tired and lethargic!

To make matters worse, your hunger hormones (leptin and ghrelin) go through an abrupt change as your dieting ways continue. It’s not fair, but it’s true.
The more you consistently you take in fewer calories than you burn, the more desperately your hunger hormones tell your brain that you’re hungry.

Diet Induced Reactions

  1. Decreased resting metabolic rate
  2. Decreased thermic effect of food
  3. Decreased non exercise activity thermogenesis
  4. Decreased thyroid hormone (T3) production
  5. Decreased leptin
  6. Increased ghrelin

Now to explain what this means to your body:

Your RMR Resting Metabolic Rate is the energy required by your body to perform the most basic functions when your body is at rest, Like breathing, eating, circulating blood etc.

Thermic effect of food (TEF) is the amount of energy expenditure above the resting metabolic rate due to the cost of processing food for use and storage.

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not resting (as above) or sports – like exercise. It ranges from the energy expended by walking to work, typing, gardening, household tasks and fidgeting.

Thyroid Hormones control metabolism, growth, body temperature, muscle strength, appetite, and the health of your heart, brain, kidneys and reproductive system.

Leptin is a hormone that is tied closely to regulating energy intake and expenditure, including appetite, metabolism and hunger. It is the single most important hormone when it comes to understanding why we feel hungry or full. When present in high levels, it signals to our brain that we’re full and can stop eating. When low, we feel hungry and crave food.

Ghrelin is a hormone that is produced and released mainly by the stomach with small amounts also released by the small intestine, pancreas and brain. It has numerous functions and is termed the ‘hunger hormone’ because it stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage.

How Your Body Responds to Diets

If your goal is to lose a few pounds before a holiday and you use a combination of exercise and eating fewer calories, within a few weeks you should be seeing results. You go on holiday and eat normally….when you return you step on the scales and you’re heavier than before you left! But it probably wasn’t necessarily because you had eaten more food.

Your body has grown accustomed to burning significantly fewer calories during the dieting days. When you started to eat normally, your body literally doesn’t know what to do with those extra calories, so it did what any sensible body would: it stored them as fat for the next time you go on a diet. So the next time you try and lose weight by cutting calories your body your body knows what’s coming and can go into “Operation Energy Conservation”, burning fewer and fewer calories. Even with a harsher diet! And that’s what is commonly known to most as “yo yo dieting” bigger weight gains resulting in harsher diets to try and keep control of your weight!

The answer is to NEVER starve yourself…. dont let the bathroom scale run your life, focus on energy, exercise performance, recovery and well being. This is not a strategy for sudden weight loss but about working toward a healthy more energetic body, a stable healthy weight and feeling great when you look in the mirror.

Woman with a tape measure round her bicep

Breaking the cycle

  1. Cut back on “weighing in” What you weigh at any given moment isn’t the best measure of your progress, pay more attention to how you look and feel in your clothes.
  2. Increase your calories slightly If you’re eating a low calorie diet (1200 calories) increase it slightly with healthy snacks of good carbs and proteins, this will give you more energy and your body will respond by ramping up your metabolism…your metabolism will increase if you’re not starving yourself.
  3. Stay patient, and be consistent As you increase calories, you should start feeling more energetic, which will improve workout performance. The more calories (within reason) you take in, the more you’re able to exercise, which increases your metabolism and helps your body burn even more calories. Plus, once you’re taking in enough calories, your appetite hormones no longer need to send those hunger signals to your brain.
  4. Give your body a chance Your body weight will find its own happy, healthy weight if you don’t over eat, make healthy choices, stay active, get enough sleep (Sleep-deprived individuals have a decreased ability to manage blood sugar levels and also may find themselves hungrier particularly for high carbohydrate foods), drink plenty of water (Hydrating with water also saves calories and plays a key role in helping to regulate whole-body metabolism) and don’t forget protein (protein intake has a profound effect on metabolism and results in a higher energy expenditure at rest).

Filed Under: Advice from Jo's Gym Tagged With: diets, fitness, healthy eating, nutrition

New Year, New You?

11th January 2017 by josgym

Thinking of hitting the gym this January?? Here’s some things you need to know!


You can’t out-train a bad diet

I can’t stress enough how important it is to educate yourself and become aware of the food you’re eating, and the impact that it is having on your health. Many people will eat clean for a few days and then feel they deserve a treat and blow it all in a few mouthfuls. Where I don’t believe in calorie deficit diets personally unless you are dangerously overweight, just making smarter, healthier food choices and eating the right amount of calories and macros for your metabolic output is the answer for long term weight control and good health. If you’re eating more than you’re burning off you are going to get fat that’s the harsh truth!

I don't Diet. I just eat according to my goals

Train for the goal you want

All too often people resort to what they know when it comes to their fitness routine. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.

If you want to build muscle and lose fat, then lift! The spinning class that you do three times per week is not going to change your body shape drastically. If you’re a busy parent or struggle to make time, train smart! Try HIIT training which burns more fat than steady cardio in less time and continues to elevate your metabolisms for hours even days after, but its not suitable for all, for lean muscle and weight loss add in Circuit training with weights, steady cardio on the other hand although it wont burn massive amounts of fat, increase stamina greatly or build any muscle, for a low-key workout that reduces your stress level and improves recovery while delivering general health and an efficient aerobic engine, old-fashioned steady-state cardio.


Have a plan

Do yourself a favour and have a S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed) plan. Don’t set yourself up to fail! One of the worst mistakes we can make is embarking on a program we do not understand or cannot achieve. This often results in failed attempts that were either too difficult to be sustainable, or something our current fitness or movement abilities made impossible to follow.


Keep going

If at first you don’t succeed, that’s human, keep going. We can be our own worst enemy when it comes to being strict with ourselves, rewarding our “good behaviour” and chastising ourselves for being less than perfect. This is not useful and will only ever lead to giving up or feeling miserable. If you’re exhausted, take a rest but do not quit! If you hit a plateau, change it up!


Stay motivated with mini goals

These goals are often the building blocks to something life changing. Keep these goals small enough to be achieved regularly, always moving closer to that ultimate goal. A mini goal could be to swim an extra lap per week, do 5 more press ups each week? Don’t try to do everything at once, be kind to yourself, but keep pushing to the next goal. Fitness is not about being better than anyone else, its about being better than you used to be!

It Doesn't get easier, you just get better!

Ditch the excuses

Even the most organised of us can become a victim of unexpected complications at work, in our social lives, or our family life. You have to learn to be flexible and make time to exercise and eat well. Whatever is happening, prioritise yourself. I find planning my meals for the week ahead simplifies things and ensures I eat balanced. You are no good to anyone if you aren’t firing on all cylinders and taking care of number one. BE BETTER THAN YOUR EXCUSES!


Power in numbers

Training with a friend or a Personal Trainer can have several benefits, the most obvious of which is motivation. I refer to the motivation not only to start, but to remain consistent to the program. This can also provide added accountability by having another person to answer to when we may have otherwise allowed ourselves to skip out on a training session. Having a friend or trainer to share and your success with will provide encouragement to continue on your road to success and beyond. At Jo’s Gym I offer a special rate for you to bring a friend and train together.


Know your ‘whys’

Why are you doing this? When it comes to changing your lifestyle to achieve your new goal, is there enough ‘why’ to keep you going? In order to succeed and stay motivated, the reason why you’re doing something needs to be at the forefront of your mind. Having an exact vision of where you want to go can be a constant source of inspiration, motivation and of course, reward. Goals change though! So update them, tick them off, and create bigger and better or just different goals.


Beware of the scales

Otherwise known as the biggest liar in the fitness industry. More often than not, the scales can do major damage and derail a newbies best efforts if it shows little or no movement. Keep in mind that the scale only reads weight, not fat! During the initial weeks of training it is not unusual for trainees to gain valuable metabolic boosting muscle to help burn fat, hence why sometimes the scales show a result that you are not happy with. I personally don’t use a scale to monitor progress (unless specifically asked to) because we have significantly better information at our disposal – our eyes,! Keep a picture diary… pictures, clothes and mood show you what progress you’ve made so before consulting the scale, think, do your clothes fit better? Are you starting to get more compliments? Are you liking what your seeing in the mirror? Remember, progress is not all about weight or numbers, it’s about confidence, strength, health and much, much more!


For any further information on the topics in this blog please feel free to get in touch at training@josgym.co.uk

Filed Under: Advice from Jo's Gym Tagged With: diets, fitness, january, jo's gym

How Core Fitness Exercise Benefits The Entire Body

14th April 2016 by josgym

corestrength

Core fitness exercise has become synonymous with abdominal conditioning. In terms of core stability, the abdominal muscles don’t do very much. Without proper strength and conditioning of all core muscles, injury, aches and pains can occur more frequently. The core of the body is responsible for supporting the back, spine and shoulders. Core fitness exercises should aim to strengthen all muscles related to these areas.

A strong Core will benefit you for the following reasons:

The Power to Work Harder in the Gym
Strength and power originate in the core of the body. When the trunk, torso and pelvis are strong and stable, power is transferred to all other muscles. Powerful contractions, such as rapid muscle movements, require a strong core. The more stable the core, the more energy transferred to the muscles leading to quicker repetitions and more effective training.

Improved Posture
Core fitness exercises also support proper posture. Imbalances of posture can lead to improper weight lifting form, injuries, and undue pressure on the lower back. Pressure and pain of the lower back is a common symptom of weak core muscles.

Improved Balance
The abdominal muscles are important to core stability and strength. When the abdominal muscles are weak, the lower back holds additional pressure and weight from simple daily tasks like walking. When exercising, this pressure grows exponentially leading to painful back injuries. Strengthening the abdominal muscles allows the weight of the upper body to be evenly distributed over the front and back. When weight is distributed, balance improves.

Choosing Effective Core Fitness Exercise:
In order to choose effective core fitness exercises, you must first learn the muscles supporting the core of the body. The core muscles begin at the top of the abdominal trunk and run down to the lower torso.

These muscles include:
Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Maximus and Gluteus Medius these are the muscles of the middle hip and buttocks area. Hamstring muscles are also included in the gluteus muscles.

Hip Flexors and Adductors these are the muscles of the upper hip andpelvis.

Abdominal Muscles which are the the external and internal obliques, traverse abdominis, and rectus abdominus.

Erector Spinae and Multifidus, are muscles supporting the spine.

Working the Torso as a Solid Unit
The torso can be pictured as a solid unit. This unit needs to be strong and stable like the frame of a car. If the torso is weak, the muscles of the body will not perform at optimal levels. Core fitness exercises can help build stability of the core. Building strength in the core of the body does not require weights or gym machines.

Some common core exercises that work the core as a solid unit include:

Abdominal Bracing – Pull the belly button in toward the spine and hold. Continue breathing while bracing

corestrength2

Plank – Start in a push-up position with the elbows and forearms on the floor. Hold the back straight do not dip the back or raise the bottom, its called plank because you should be as straight as a board!

Crank it up by adding a lift, lift one leg, hold then lower the leg and repeat with the opposite leg.

corestrength3

V-Sits – Sit on the floor with your legs out in front of the body. Lift the legs to a 45 degree angle and keep your back straight with your arms out in front reaching forwards in the direction of the feet. The body will resemble a V shape.

Crank it up by doing in outs, maintain the strong V shape, but close the V and then extend it to a wider flatter V.

corestrength4

Spiderman – start in a strong press up position, bring your left knee to the outside of your left elbow without your position lifting or lowering, return leg back to start and do the same with the right leg, don’t let foot touch the floor, if you cant reach your elbow at first bring it in and to the outside as far as is possible without losing form.

Filed Under: Advice from Jo's Gym

Ignite your fat burning furnace with HIIT!

17th February 2016 by josgym

Ok so firstly here are the 6 things you need to stop doing if you want to get lean, ripped and ignite your fat burning furnace! Get results with HIIT…


1. Doing isolated exercises – Doing isolated exercises like bicep curls and tricep kick-backs will NOT get you any significant results. These one-muscle-at-a-time moves simply don’t stimulate enough muscle fibers to build lean muscle or expend enough energy to maximize your calorie burn. If you want to build lean muscle while burning fat so you can get serious definition, you need to perform exercises that stimulate as many muscles and expend as much energy as possible at the same time.

2. Working out with machines – The problem is this: Machines alter the way your body naturally moves and restrict your range of motion. This severely limits your ability to fully activate all of your muscles fibers — that means less fat burning and less muscle definition. Worse yet, machines can cause excessive strain on your joints, leading to nagging injuries down the road. If you want fast results, it’s critical that you incorporate exercises that allow your body to move naturally with full range of motion so you can skyrocket your metabolism and tone your entire physique.

3. Doing long bouts of cardio – you need to do cardio if you want to lose weight and burn fat…BUT there’s a right way and a wrong way to do your cardio workouts. If you’ve been pounding the pavement or the treadmill with nothing to show for it (except sore joints and a worn out pair of sneakers), you probably already know it takes a lot of effort to get minimal results.

4. Doing crunches to get 6 pack abs – If you want washboard abs, doing traditional ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups WILL NOT get you a six pack. In fact, doing any exercises that target your abs won’t get you a six pack either. They don’t make your abs get any more defined and they definitely don’t burn any fat. The key to getting sculpted abs is to burn off that stubborn layer of belly fat that’s hiding them!

5. Repeating the same workouts over and over – Repeating the same workouts over and over is a surefire way to STOP getting results. We’re creatures of habit and we tend to stick to things we’re familiar with and good at. But when it comes to your workouts, if you want to keep making progress and keep seeing changes in your body, you’ve got to start switching things up.

6. Doing really long workouts – Longer workouts do NOT equal better or faster results. If you’ve been slaving away at the gym and your body isn’t visibly changing, you can’t do more of the same thing and expect a different result.

The best way to supercharge your workout and start getting the results you want, is with shorter more effective, full body workouts or HIIT training….for more on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) click this link https://www.josgym.co.uk/prepare-yourself-for/ and get the body you want!

Filed Under: Advice from Jo's Gym

THE LATEST BLOG POSTS

  • Get Your Weight-Gain Hormones Under Control to Lose Weight
  • Time To Stop Dieting
  • New Year, New You?
  • Fat is Good For You
  • How Core Fitness Exercise Benefits The Entire Body

THE CATEGORIES

  • Advice from Jo's Gym
  • Food and Nutrition
  • JOIN US SOCIALLY

    AROUND JO'S GYM

    • Home
    • About Jo's Gym
    • Meet Your Personal Trainer
    • The Equipment At Jo's Gym
    • Jo's Gym Prices
    • Nutrition for Fitness
    • FAQ
    • Client Testimonials
    • Jo's Gym Blog
    • Contacting Jo's Gym

    TRAINING

    • Kickboxing for Fitness
    • Insanity Training
    • 1 on 1 Spin Training
    • Ab & Core Conditioning
    • Heavy Bag & Boxing Training
    • Circuit Training
    • HIIT Training
    • Body Conditioning
    • Strength Training

    FINDING JO'S GYM

    • Norwich
    • Norfolk
    • t. 07796 398 674
    • training@josgym.co.uk

    © 2015 Jo's Gym

    designed & developed by visualise creative