Woodlands Fitness Centre

The Woodlands Fitness Centre November 2014 Newsletter

Saturday 1st November 2014

What's New?

Welcome to the Woodlands Rowsley November 2014 newsletter. The word of the month this month is 'results'. After all, isn't that why you join a gym? To get results?

I was having a nosey on Facebook the other day and I noticed that somebody had uploaded a picture with the caption: "I'd rather be someone's shot of whiskey than everyone's cup of tea". It's a bit cheesy - but it's something you can apply to a number of situations or things. A gym, for example. Too many gyms try to be all things for all people. That's fine if you're a vast city centre facility with climbing walls and multiple studios - but how can a smaller market town gym provide that same level of variety?

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt once said: "believe you can and you're halfway there". I'd like to think that most members join a gym because they believe they can get the results they crave - but without support and encouragement a significant percentage will fail to get those results. This is where Woodlands is different to the other gyms in the Matlock and Bakewell area.

Woody Allen also once said that "showing up is eighty percent of life". What if showing up is eighty percent of getting results? We've added a number of group personal training sessions to our class timetable. These sessions are virtually the same as the one-to-one personal training sessions we would do in the gym. The only real difference is that there will typically be 2 to 6 people in each session. You just need to turn up - and we'll do the rest.

My job as a personal trainer/gym owner is to help you guys and girls to get results - and sometimes that means pulling you out of your comfort zone and getting you to try new things.

Working flat out at the gym for hours and seeing only a few pounds begrudgingly shift off the scales is incredibly frustrating - but it won't be down to chance. There can be plenty of reasons why you're not losing weight despite working out.

Losing weight isn't down to one thing alone. For instance, if you're working out like a machine and then congratulating yourself with fish and chips afterwards, your weight will probably go nowhere. Simple? It really is.

Conventional classes - aerobics, Zumba etc - are useful for maintaining a reasonable level of health but they don't necessary burn many calories. Some members might think they can have a couple of glasses of wine tonight because they've been to the gym. Well those glasses of wine probably have more calories than they've burnt in the gym.

But perhaps the biggest factor behind why people aren't losing weight is the fact they might be doing the wrong type of exercise. Finding the time and effort to get up and go to the gym and finding a workout that you enjoy can be tough. I own the best gym in the Matlock and Bakewell area and yet even I struggle to find the time and motivation to train - so I'm glad I have Rich, my training partner, to drag me out of my office/man cave to make me squat, lunge, bench and row my way to a better physique.

Settling into a routine that you are motivated enough to complete week after week sounds like a good thing. Your body is incredibly quick to adapt and after only a few weeks of doing the same exercise, it will plateau.

I bet there are hundreds of frustrated people in the Matlock and Bakewell area who are doing exercise, which isn't appropriate for their goals. I totally understand what it's like. You find a type of training that gets the scales moving - but sooner or later your fat loss results plateau. So, you increase the amount of time you put into it, which works at first but then the fat stops shifting again. And you repeat this process until you get fed up, or ill, or injured as a result of all of these long sessions. It's not about simply doing exercise - it's about how you do it.

I know that all of my personal training clients are convinced that resistance training and a good eating plan is the best way to get real, sustainable results - I hope you guys and girls give me the chance to convince you too!

The group personal training sessions will place in the new studio/functional training area. These group personal training sessions will provide:

• Significantly improved results
• Increased motivation and attendance
• Learn new skills such as stretching, free weights, kettlebell and core training.
• Meet new friends
• And have more fun

The group personal training sessions are designed to be progressive and very effective - but without costing you the normal fee for one-to-one personal training.

These group personal training sessions have been created for one reason: to help you get results! And best of all, the upgrade is free to all of our existing members.

I always want to know what you think of the Woodlands Fitness Centre - the gym, classes, prices, personal training, and anything else. Please speak to me at the gym, use the suggestion box or email any feedback and suggestions to the email address at the end of this newsletter.

Thanks,
Giles









15 ways to get results

I've put together a list of the 15 changes most of you should make to the way you're training. However, most of these changes can be easily made by taking part in one or more of our many group personal training sessions.

1. Increase intensity, not duration

It's a horrible fact, but that one hour run you did yesterday isn't going to blast your fat as fast as you'd like.

Long, slow endurance exercise - like chugging away on a x-trainer - will cause the body to become more endurance-focused. It will then want to store energy as fat to ensure it has plenty of reserves to get through all the miles it is using as fuel.

Instead of constantly going for longer, go harder instead. As your workouts start to feel less demanding, instead of adding on more reps or time spent doing an exercise increase the weight or do a more advanced version of the exercise (for example, standing on one leg or using a Bosu or stability ball).

Once you switch from high-intensity sessions and added more variety and strength training into your training your body should see changes. Fast. But it won't just be your waistline. In addition, your energy levels should soar and you should start feeling healthier and stronger in no time.

2. Mix up your routine

It's easy to fall into the trap of finding a routine and sticking to it week in, week out but you're more than likely doing more damage than good.

A varied training schedule featuring different types of exercises and methods of training reduces your risk of injuries which are often caused by too much repetition of the same movements, and maximises your results.

A suitable and varied programme will ensure sure all your muscles get activated regularly and that your body doesn't get too used to one type of exercise, which can lead to progress plateaus.

3. Leave your comfort zone

Doing exercise for long, lengthy periods probably means you're essentially not pushing yourself hard enough. Tabata and HIIT classes are so short because they're so intense.
If you want to burn fat, sculpt your body and increase your fitness levels you need to go to beyond your comfort zone. Think about it. You've tried easy - easy probably didn't get you the results you wanted.

To change your body you need to take it up a notch and work at an intensity that really challenges it. That's when your body will take notice and make changes.

4. Get a strategy that suits your lifestyle

If you're committing yourself to getting fit and healthy, you're going to need to face up to the fact that there are going to be times when you just don't want to go. The Woodlands Rowsley group personal training sessions are typically 40 to 45 minutes long - and include a full warm up and cool down. The group personal training sessions are available in the mornings, afternoons and evenings.

5. High weights, low reps

This is one of those things that most people try to dispute - but for fat burning related goals, then weights are your friends.

Picking up light weights and doing lots of repetitions will help build your muscles' capacity for endurance. If you're after fat loss you should go for heavier weights and lower reps. Resistance training will help your body to burn fat long after your workout is over.

Lifting heavier weights for low (fewer than 15) repetitions is the best way to super-charge your metabolism and get stronger.

6. Support your training with good eating

If you're training hard but starving yourself on a low calorie/low fat diet then your weight loss will effectively go nowhere.

Food gives us fuel to be able to exercise and it also delivers the resources the body needs to adapt to training. You must give your body the nutrients it needs (especially protein) to make these repairs and improvements so you can get fitter and keep those fat-burning metabolic fires burning.

If your body doesn't get that fuel you will be in danger of getting weaker, less fit, less healthy and you could end up with a slower metabolic rate and less sculpted body.

7. Free weights over machines

Using free weights instead of weights machines can make a lot of difference too. Exercising with free weights employs more muscles, which gives you more fat burning and strengthening benefits.

It's very much possible to get an effective all-body workout with minimal equipment - kettlebells, medicine balls, dumbbells etc.

Free weights can also help even out imbalances and encourage better functional movement patterns. At Woodlands Rowsley, we're all about the functional movement patterns.

8. Get a plan and follow it

Now we've talked a lot about variation and not getting stuck in a rut with your workout, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't follow a plan. The best way to get to where you want to be is to have a route planned and follow it, then all you need to do is take the steps required to get there.

The best time frame to choose to see some impressive results is over months as you should aim to change and reassess your goals every 12 weeks. If you're following a well-devised plan, your body can change a lot in 12 weeks. If you're not, it probably won't.

9. Set session goals

When most people say they've been to the gym for an hour what they actually mean is they've wasted 15 minutes dithering around wondering what to do next. Setting mini-goals for each session is a great way of getting around this to make your gym time really count.

I recommend that you keep a training journal where you can record everything that you do in every training session is a great way to keep you on track and you can set session targets, for example of lifting heavier weights in particular exercises or getting more reps done during an interval training session. It works wonders for motivation. You may not always manage all of these session goals, but there's usually at least one move that you progress with so you can feel like a winner almost every time you workout.

10. Think strong

The key to losing weight is to stop focusing on cardio and move over to resistance training instead. I've been saying this for years and I'll keep saying it until the end of time.

With a good training and eating plan you'll get stronger and fitter with every session too. I know you probably don't want to become a bodybuilder. Despite what many of you think, you won't get a very muscular-looking physique by doing more resistance training.

More muscle tissue will speed up your metabolic rate and make fat loss easier along with giving you a sexier, sculpted shape as you strip back the fat. Strength training helps women get leaner, stronger and healthier. So get booked in for a group personal training session and put your plans into practice today.

Paleo: The Basics.

The paleo diet emulates the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. It includes whole, unprocessed foods that resemble what they look like in nature. This is the diet I've followed and I know it can lead to significant weight loss (without calorie counting) and major improvements in health.

There is no one "right" way to eat for everyone and paleolithic humans thrived on a variety of diets, depending on what was available at the time. Some ate a low-carb diet high in animal foods, others a high-carb diet with lots of plants.

Base your diet on these real, unprocessed paleo foods.

Meats: Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork and others.

Fish and Seafood: Salmon, trout, haddock, shrimp, shellfish, etc. Choose wild-caught if you can.
Eggs: Choose free-range, pastured or Omega-3 enriched eggs.

Vegetables: Broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, pears, avocados, strawberries, blueberries and more.

Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, etc.

Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and more.

Healthy Fats and Oils: Lard, tallow, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil and others.

Salt and Spices: Sea salt, Himalayan salt, garlic, turmeric, rosemary, etc.

Try to choose grass-fed, pasture raised and organic if you can afford it. If not, then just make sure to always go for the least processed option.









10 reasons why you're not losing fat number 6: You only have coffee for breakfast

Some people just have coffee and nothing else. Some people don't think they have time for breakfast and that they're saving up calories for later by not eating until lunchtime. But this will not help you burn fat.

The best tactic for losing weight is to eat little and often. Aim to eat a combination of meals and snacks between four and six times a day. You should also aim to eat foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) score. The carbohydrate in these foods is digested slowly, which means they fuel your body with a steady, constant supply of energy, thus avoiding the blood sugar crashes that send you to the biscuit tin.

Fibre is important, too - it slows down the digestion process, which means you feel fuller for longer, and has a low GI. Fibre is, of course, present in the wholegrains and wholemeal bread that make up many breakfast options.

Paleo Snack Ideas number 6.

Sweet potato fries: cut a sweet potato into French fry-sized pieces, toss with coconut oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake on a cookie tray for about 20-25 minutes.

Frozen bananas: these are a great Paleo diet snack that kids can eat just like popsicles: you could even freeze them on a popsicle stick.

Salad shrimp: salad shrimp (the smallest kind: they're usually no more than an inch long) are tasty on their own, or dipped in salsa or guacamole.

Ants on a Log: fill a celery stick with almond or cashew butter, and sprinkle raisins on top for a Paleo snack that's perfect for a playdate.

Chicken drumsticks: chicken drumsticks are perfectly snack-sized and a great finger food: they're fast to cook if you like them hot, but they're also tasty cold on a summer afternoon.

Very Punny

A Buddhist walks up to a hotdog stand and says: "make me one with everything."

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

What's the best thing in Switzerland? I don't know - but their flag is a huge plus.

Two fish are sitting in a tank. One looks over at the other and says: "Hey, do you know how to drive this thing."

How do you keep an idiot in suspense?



The Woodlands Fitness Centre Ltd
A: Unit 29, Peak Village Estate, Chatsworth Road, Rowsley (nr Matlock & Bakewell), Derbyshire, DE4 2JE
T: (01629) 733 123
E: woodlandsfitness@yahoo.co.uk
W: www.woodlandsfitnessrowsley.co.uk