B.M.I.... WAIT I'm Fat.... NOT!!!!

We've all been to the doctors at some stage in our lives and had to be weighed for whatever reason, but have they ever told you, you need to lose weight. Well they have to me and some of my clients because we don't fit into their specific guidelines that tell them what's heathy or not. 

The funny thing about doctors is they think they know healthy is in a  BMI range of 20-25, well they are wrong by putting it into a select bracket. 

First off what is BMI? 

B.M.I is a persons body mass index, which only takes into account their height and weight and is compared on a scale axis with different brackets that show healthy ranges and stages of obesity. 

What it doesn't take into account....

BMI doesn't take into account whether you exercise regularly, your Body Fat Percentage, where you carry your body fat, whether it is internal or superficial, Muscular content, function of the lungs, resting heart rate, optimal fitness levels, etc.... 

In all honesty yes if you weigh over 20 stone and your body tells you you are unfit then maybe you need some help, but all in all whether your a size 8-10 and weigh 80kg with mostly muscle you will most likely be told you need to lose weight by your GP. But don't take it to heart, your best thing to do is a completely Body Stat Analysis which can easily be found in most pharmacies, gyms and even your PT can do it for you. 

The healthy body fat percentage range for an adult is roughly between 17% and 30% dependant on height and body shape.

Can you go up the stairs without getting breathless, can you lift heavy weights, can you run a marathon, can you do 10 lengths with a heavy prowler sled? YES! Well you;re fit then aren't you and it's time to ignore the BMI lark and jump on the body fat % and use measurements to track your progress and journey.

Now don't be too hard on yourself next time the doctor says lose weight and thrown this in their face, it feels great knowing something more than them. Crack out the tape measure, take a picture and share your journey without the worry of the dreaded doctor talk on your BMI being high. 

Cheers then, See ya 

Beth xoxo

Teeenneeeyyy Tiny Waist

Waist Training... You've seen it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Celebrities, The LOT... Anyone who is anything is jumping on this fad. Well here's the truth about it all. 

Kim Kardashian Supports Waist Trainers. 

What is a Waist Trainer supposed to do... 

- Reduces Back Pain

- Improves Posture

- Reduces Bloating

- Aids in Weight Loss

Oh wow, I'd love to do all that, well read further to see why not to!

Why do people use them? With the promise of shrinking you waist down with consecutive use for hours on end to be able to look like Kim K or her sister Khloe... 

But unlike having a healthy lifestyle and eating well people think they can cheat the hard work out of it all and just wear this constriction machine. Prolonged use of these contraptions has been shown to damage internal organs, restrict breathing and also can push the lower ribs further up the cage which could lead to penetration of the lungs (NOT WHAT WE WANT). 

In all honesty the body will not adapt to these things and after use will just return to original shape and you will has just created a whole lotta problems. In a society run by celebrities and their shape or size it is giving women and young girls the wrong impression on life and being healthy. You don't have to be a size 6 with a waist smaller than your thigh, you don't have to have a gap between your legs, you don't have to be a VS model walking the catwalk with tiny ankles that may just break if you take one more step. You don't have to just eat 1 single apple a day and starve yourself of everything. 

The only thing that is going to get your waist tiny or as small as it will taper in to is hard work, dedication and healthy eating. Yes you can splurge on the odd foods just so you're not depriving yourself of everything?! Don't think you have to conform to what celebrities are doing to get the body you deserve. 

Cheers then, See ya 
Beth xoxo

A Little Bit M.I.A....

As some of you have probably seen already I'm been a little bit M.I.A on the Blog front. I do have my reasons, I left my commercial gym job at a large branded gym and moved to a small private personal training studio, where I am super happy and seeing some amazing results. During my time at said commercial gym I slightly lost my way and may have been just off rock bottom, luckily enough I had a great client base and an amazingly supportive family and boyfriend. With my move I brought majority of my clients over but I did lose a few in the process but that has since built up with the fantastic support from my Team/Boss, I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more. I have since moved out of my family home and into a flat with my other half and life has just gotten so busy, but now is the time to be more proactive on this front, with busy mornings and evenings I have a few hours spare to get some serious time down on some blogs and paperwork so you will be seeing a lot more from me now, maybe some videos and chats will be happening. 

Don't forget to follow my Twitter @__Bethh and my Instagram @__Bethh for life updates and my general goings on. 

Cheers then, See ya 

xoxo

About me...

Why on earth would I write about myself.... Well I thought I would give you a bit of my background and how I came about to do the job I love. 

Reverse the clocks back 7 years ago... I was at a good level of Athletics competing for schools and county. When on my birthday (of all days) I decided it would be a great day to go and ruin my athletics career (if ever there was one). After sprinting full on at the long jump pit and missing the board on my second jump (my first jump still got me second place) I managed to jam my leg into the sand and hyperextend my knee thus snapping my ACL and damaging ALOT of cartilage. With an impressive few flips and laying in agony for 10 mins I was carried off and taken straight to an emergency doctor. "Oh no you've just sprained it!!" At this point my leg in swollen and my knee won't move and dangles. GROSS. 

9 months later, after trying to walk on it and persevere through the agony and get up after it collapsing on me when walking and the constant grinding. I managed to land myself a private doctors appointment which confirmed what we all thought SURGERY. Day operations are a life saver. In and Out on the same day. 3/4 months on crutches and a extra 3/4 months of Physio and I was able to run again. 

Netball seasons, Hockey, Football teams the lot I hit team sports hard. 

Then about 5 years ago I went to the gym for the first time ever... I'd lifted small weights for sprinting and all of that but not like I do now. 

I headed on over to the weights and did my bits. Then smashed cardio. I was your typical Cardio Bunny, I had a typically straight body with a butt and boobs. 

And then.... 

During the last 5 years I've qualified as a sports coach, PT, nutritionist, sports psychologist, rehabilitation coach and general agony aunt. 

But only in the last 2 have I turned myself into a Power Lifter. 

I lift heavy things just for the hell of training, as you do. 


Beth xoxo

Lifting - Is It For Me?

With today's day and age plenty of people are giving their advice on just about anything and everything. I have a small bit of impartial advice, GET LIFTING! 

Why lift??

THIS IS WHY!!!!!

Well with lifting come form and a change in shape these two things are great for the body and muscle and losing weight. The heavier you go the better it will be for you. Let's explain this... 

By lifting at a 65% - 80% of your maximum weight for any given exercise it will increase fat loss and tone by 40% - 60%. WOAH that's a lot. 

The purpose of this lifting heavy is to cause the muscles too fatigue and cause microscopic tears in the muscles, (yes, tears it's a good thing.) By causing these two factors it increases the need for energy to repair and recover the muscles, during recovery the body will use its primary stores of energy to provide the muscle cells with the energy to repair themselves. So it's true after a weights session you will be burning more energy during and after you finish, you can be burning energy stores down up to 48 hours after. (Obviously it will be slower but still burning off)

What are the best exercises to do for the female form?? 
SQUATS
DEADLIFTS
PULL UPS 
CORE (Not ab exercises)

All of these exercises are needed to be done at 60% - 80% of your maximum lift with a minimum rep range of 8-12. With all of these exercises they will increase core manipulation and also increase basic strength. You can also incorporate all of these exercises into a weighted cardio circuit which will hit that horrible cardio part of exercise. 

Happy Lifting!!!!!

Cheers then, See ya 
Beth xoxo

Oh no.... I don't want to be bulky and butch....

Yep that's right ladies I'm aiming this at you!!! (Okay and some men?!) Nearly every week I have about 5 out of 10 clients tell me they don't want to get bulky or butch, always a different one each time. Lets all just take a minute to sit and think about this..... Done??

First things first, you will not get big and butch by lifting weights, well yes you will but thats with a different training style, High Volume - Low Reps combined with a appropriate diet to bulk! Yes to shift some weight you may have to lift a big heavy weight or two. Do you know why? No you don't well why the hell not?? Let me explain...

Strength training for women has been shown to decrease body fat percentage by 3% in just a matter of 10 weeks for those lifting twice a week for an hour each time. That's because you get more calorie burning pump for your time, and after you have finished your workout. A study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that women who did an hour of strength training burned about 100 calories more the day following their workout than they did when they didn't lift weights. That amounts to about four and a half pounds of fat burned per year for women who lift weights three times a week! When you replace 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of lean muscle, you can effortlessly burn up to 50 calories a day. I mean who doesn't want that?!

Strength trying also decreases the risk of several things such as Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Weight Gain, Muscle Dystrophy etc. Healthy I know!!!

The Fear- That awful fear of looking like a bloke...

It;s common for women to fear looking manly and bulky as that is a typical thing to happen to the men during training. But due to those awful female hormones and the high presence of Oestrogen in the majority of women it will not effect the density of muscle and the size, so thus will not cause that butch look. For women to train with weights, their muscles will more be inclined for more tone, endurance and strength in stead of size. As you will hear what those female body builders go through to get in the shape of their lives, they will miss certain things that our hormones bring along due to their low body fat percentage, as their body is unable to produce oestrogen quick enough for them to be able to function as a female which is why you will see more of a definition in their muscle structure. 

So lifting a heavy weight will not make you big and bulky if the exercise is right for what you want to achieve. 

Training techniques are key when it comes to training with weights. Best exercises the enhance the female body are:
Squats (OH YEAH)
DeadLifts (Big boy stuff)
Pull Ups (Assisted of course)
Core work (That does not mean ab workouts girlies*) 

So how about giving those 4 exercises a go and see how it can change your body. 

Cheers then, see ya. 

Beth xoxo

Training in Winter...

So everyone hates the winter right?? Well I mean it has it's perks and that, who doesn't love cosy nights in under a blanket and a nice big open fire (My favourite). 

But as everyone knows the seasons don't change the fact that we go to the gym or do they?! Studies have shown that during winter months moods and desires for training have depleted in individuals. With darker evenings and darker mornings I mean why would you want to drag yourself out of the warm sheets to be faced with the pitch black and having to de-ice your car to get to the gym! To be healthier and fit? Maybe or just so you can have a little bit more chocolate on those nights in? Yes I thought so. 

Well Winter months shouldn't change your training habits because of the mood you're in and the darker mornings and evenings. In fact it would be a great way to lift those low moods of winter. 

So here are my Top Tips for beating the Winter Training blues. 

Number 1

Grab a buddy!

Why should it be just you who has to get out of bed on a cold winter morning, why not get some motivation from a friend and train together. We all know how bad we feel when we let someone down so being lazy in bed isn't an excuse when you've arranged with "Sophie" to train at 6am to get the session done and off to work! Plus you get a bit of motivation to train when you actually get to the gym, you partner is ready you're dusting away the sleepy dust from your eyes and you're faced with the daunting task of running on the treadmill. You'll also find you try new things because you have someone to laugh with when it goes wrong. 

Number 2

Get to an early morning class. 

Spin, Pump, Combat, Yoga (yes yoga) etc, all of these classes will help your training. Group classes mean your all in the same boat trudging out of bed through the snow to get to the spin class and feel fresh and ready for the day. Another good thing about group classes you don't have to think about what you are doing someone else tells you what to do. Great huh?!

Number 3

Plan ahead. 

Always plan ahead when it comes to training, so that way you can't get all comfy in bed when the alarm sounds. If you have to set 3/4 alarms to get up! DO IT! 

Number 4
Wear warm training gear... Always a good one. Even if you pack on the layers and shed them off when you get to the gym you'll be all toasty and warm ready to face that treadmill (AHHHH)! 

Number 5 
If you are a coffee drinker like me! Drink away, its a great Pre-Work Out. That caffeine will hit you and you'll be smashing those PB's by 6am!!! 

Number 6
Those BIG hearty comfort food meals in the evening, make them healthy! Casseroles with plenty of veg and meat, open top pies, stews, soups.... The lot!! Make them from scratch so you know exactly whats going in them. 


That's all from me for today. Make the most of winter, those Christmas and New Years parties are just around the corner. 

Cheers then, See ya. 

Beth xoxo