Mandarin Fitness Weight Loss

Happy New Year With Mandarin Fitness Weight Loss

Here is a new series of blogs for you, starting with ‘Mandarin Fitness Weight Loss’ tips for the New Year.

With 33 years experience as a Personal Trainer I’m here to help you on your journey to health and happiness.

Over Indulged?

Christmas has been and gone already!  Did you buy enough chocolates, alcohol, savoury snacks and treats to last the day…..week?

I’ve heard it said that many people consume around 4000 ‘extra’ Calories per day over the Christmas holidays.  To put this into perspective; in order to burn off 1Lb of body fat you’ll need to burn an ‘extra’ 3500 Calories.  Those ‘extra’ Calories means an awful lot of exercise! Read on for useful tips.

Mandarin Fitness Weight Loss – Don’t Despair

Gaining 5Lb (2-3kg) over the Christmas period isn’t really such a big deal so don’t despair. Body weight naturally fluctuates on a daily basis so resist the temptation to succumb to the advertising hype from the big companies. You ‘will’ be bombarded with the latest eating craze, special diets and prepared meals from all of the media and social media channels. ‘Don’t Despair – Do Resist’ the temptation to follow the crowd. Hold onto your money (at least until you’ve finished reading this blog) because you may find some simple and cheaper alternatives.

The Six Pack

For those of you who know me, you’ll know that I don’t particularly subscribe to the ‘six pack’ club. My preferred mantra is ‘healthy’ rather than obsessive.  Don’t get me wrong though, the ‘six pack’ is good – but it’s just not a realistic goal for everyone.  So, what can the answer be for those of us who don’t aspire to that type of figure or realistically understand that the ‘lean, mean, fighting machine’ body is never going to be achievable?

Here are some simple rules:

1. Don’t feel guilty if you think you over indulged over the Christmas period.
2. Love yourself as you are.
3. Aspire to be healthy, pain free and able to move freely.
4. Be prepared to make small changes on a regular basis to make sure you reach your goals.
5. Be active and stay active.

I can think of many more rules but these five will hold you in good stead for the foreseeable future.

We all know that the consequences of over indulgence and not enough exercise can be fatal. Don’t obsess with your fitness and weight loss programme though. There are some simple changes that you can implement to help make lasting changes.

Mandarin Fitness Weight Loss – Small Changes

If you’re asking yourself “what should I do to help myself?” try starting with these simple tips:

1. Make small, healthy changes to your diet.
2. Don’t rush to make big changes all at once. The smaller changes are more likely to become habits that will be long lasting.
3. Don’t run a marathon! Over exercising is the biggest cause of injury and it happens ‘every’ New Year! Becoming a statistic isn’t part of the game plan.
4. Invest in appropriate clothing and footwear.
5. Join a structured club or class that you are likely to enjoy. If you don’t enjoy the exercise you probably won’t stick at it.

Walking Is Free

Our digital age provides technology to help motivate us. In addition we have nice cameras on our phones so we can use them to help give us a reason for walking.

There are many free Apps available to help track our walks and activity. As an iPhone user I utilise the built in fitness App to track my activity and walks for myself and my client sessions. Other Apps available including ‘Map My Walk’ and ‘Strava’. A photo taken during the walk is a lovely way to record your activity too.

If you normally drink a late or cappuccino coffee try swapping it for an Americano coffee. Likewise, if you always eat ready meals, challenge yourself to cook a healthy meal instead. If you have a takeaway meal every week change it to once a month.

If you don’t normally go for a walk try starting off with 1 mile (1.5km) at a time on a daily basis. Your fitness levels ‘will’ improve and your weight ‘will’ reduce. These very simple change ideas can make a world of difference to your life.  Adapting the idea to suite yourself is a perfect way to make permanent changes.

Mandarin Fitness Weight Loss – Superfoods

There is no such thing as a ‘superfood’.  I’ll say that again in case you aren’t sure what you just read: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SUPERFOOD!

Don’t be fooled by the adverts on TV.

Mandarin Fitness Weight Loss – Exercises

Here are a few ideas for exercises that you might find useful. Don’t forget to start off gently to avoid injury.  It’s better to stop while you’re feeling good than to push to fatigue then suffer the consequences later.

Mandarin Fitness Weight Loss Challenge

Small changes make all the difference. Challenge yourself to make a few small changes this month.