Do you roll with it?

Exercise regularly? Got a marathon or half marathon race coming up? Keen cyclist or gym goer? If you have not been using a foam roller as part of your daily cool down/recovery routine your really are missing out.  

Not just for the elite athletes, foam rolling aka Self-myofascial release, is a form of self-message to release tight muscles  or trigger points (specific "knots" that form in muscles) as you put targeted pressure on your fascia.  The fascia is a fibrous layer of connective tissue that surrounds all of the muscles in your body.  If this layer becomes sore and restricted post exercise, muscles will also become restricted in their movement and this is not conducive to great performance and may ultimately lead to injury. This is where foam rolling can help. 

Once just popular among elite athletes due to the immediate and strong impact rolling has on their performance and overall recovery, many people have now discovered the fantastic benefits including:

1. Improved Circulation

2. Injury Prevention

3. Enhanced Recover

4. Reduced exercise related soreness

A foam roller will set you back between (£8-£35) depending on quality so a relatively inexpensive piece of kit to have at home. If you regularly suffer soreness after exercising, or exercise and want to reduce the chances of injury it is a must buy!!

Top tips on using a foam roller:

• Keep it slow (Roll over each area slowly and pause for 20 seconds on tight spots to relax the muscle and release any tension).

• Keep breathing as this helps facilitate the muscles to relax too.

• Avoid rolling the IT band, instead focus on the glutes for the stability they offer.

For further info and some great foam rolling exercises (especially runners) see this great Guardian article 

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2014/feb/28/foam-roller-runners-guide-muscles

Why I love working out with my Kettlebell

Are you looking for a way to tone your entire body, activate those essential posterior chain muscles, improve your posture and lose weight as an added bonus? Look no further than the kettlebell.

Why I love to work out using a Kettlebell

1. A sweat producing whole body toning workout can be achieved in a very short amount of time.

2. Only one piece of equipment is required and it can be done anywhere! (Please make sure children and pets are well out of the way!!)

3. All the major muscle groups can be worked out, including the very important posterior chain muscles. (Those muscles that are made weak by excessive sitting and underuse leading to back pain issues, non-firing glute muscles etc)

4. Its fun and gets that heart pumping for a great cardiovascular workout too!

My three favourite kettlebell moves:

1. The mighty Kettlebell Swing is such a simple but powerful move. You will see great changes to your bottom, and tone in your legs and tummy too! (I personally aim to do a minimum of 100 swings at each session. Try reps of 20, 30, 20, 30 with a 20 second rest break in between each set.

2. The Kettlebell snatch is such a fast and fun move that once you have masted it you will really enjoy the fluidity of it. (Good form is key here. Research the correct technique or ask a trainer to show you how). Try 12-15 reps each side x 2 reps.

3. The Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift is not only great for the legs and stabilising muscles but a good core and balance exercise too). Try 12-15 reps x 2 sets each leg.

If you are a beginner I would advise starting off with a light weight such as a 4kg/6kg (women) or 9kg/12kg (men) and then once you have perfected the moves then consider upping the weight as you get stronger.

Please see the video attached for a sneak peak at these three moves. x

Enhance Your Workout with Resistance Bands

Resistance bands could be the one piece of workout equipment that can take your body to the next level of fitness, strength and overall muscle tone.  As a Personal Trainer, Pilates instructor and pre and post-natal teacher (www.redhotpersonaltraining.com) I find resistance bands a wonderful, versatile and full body strengthening little 'gym in my pocket' tools that really do work wonders.

Bands come in a variety of lengths and strengths so suitable from beginner to advanced athlete and some are made in a loop construction that adds to the versatility and variety of exercise combinations that can be used. They are budget friendly and can easily be used while away from home travelling as they are so portable and require little space to use. (Many of my clients travel with work a great deal so when they are away from home they can continue with their exercises whilst away).

Resistance bands allow you to get a full body strengthening workout without the use of any free weights or gym machines.  The key here is that working out with resistance bands produce a different type of tension on your muscles than that of free weights or resistance machines. They produce progressive tension so they actually create more resistance through the range of your repetitions. This is a good thing as the bands will be targeting your muscles fibres in a different way than you would achieve by just using free weights and machines alone. Resistance bands strengthen the neuromuscular system where it is weakest which is at the end of the range of motion but do not place as much strain on the joints than using heavy weights thus their is less chance of injury. 

Have you reached a fitness plateau?  Resistance bands can be an excellent way to add an element of fun and variety into your workout and can be just what the muscles are looking for to overcome that stagnation.

You can do just about any strength training exercise using bands. In fact an entire full body workout can be achieved (including a band warm up and cool down) using a set of small loop bands (in different strengths) and one 1.5 meter single length band. My diary is usually very full and that sometimes leaves very little room for me to work out myself. A short 20 minute band session can be amazing at achieving an excellent resistance workout in a short amount of time. 

Some body weight exercises can be taken to the next level by simply adding the use of a resistance band. For example, a plank with an alternating rear leg lift could be done with a loop band attached around the ankles for added resistance. 

If you have not tried integrating bands into your workouts you simply must give it a go as they are such a wonderful addition to any workout.

If you would like the help of a personal trainer or to purchase gift vouchers for a loved one please contact www.redhotpersonaltraining.com

Increase your energy and vitality today

Clients of Red Hot Personal Training often ask what are the things that they should focus on to increase their energy and vitality. The list below is by no means exhaustive but it’s a great starting point.  Remember unless you make the change nothing will change. 

Reduce your sugar intake.  Watch the sugar content of your food.  Keep a food diary and see how much sugar you actually consume throughout the day, it may just surprise you! Sugar can play havoc with your energy as you spike your insulin levels (that initial sugar hit soon followed by the slump) leave you feeling lethargic and can also lead to overeating. Learn to read labels for sugar content. Remember to look for "of which sugars" on food labels. (4kg = 1 teaspoon of sugar).  Aim to consume no more than 6 teaspoon of sugar daily. Especially limit fruit juice and fizzy drinks and also avoid drinks that look healthy but are secretly sky high in sugar.  Some so called "green smoothies/juices" have as much sugar as soft drinks. CHECK THE LABELS YOU MAY BE SURPRISED. Click on this link to read a blog we wrote last year about the sugar content in childrens packed lunches. https://www.redhotpersonaltraining.com/health-fitness-blog/2015/8/19/packed-lunch-ideas-for-kids-and-adults-alike?rq=sugar.

Make sure you take a brisk walk outside for at least 15 minutes a day.  A wood, forrest or green leafy park is best but a walk around your street will still count! Take time to appreciate the nature around you and focus on breathing deeply and calmly. This is great for boosting your circulation, working your muscles, fat loss, better sleep and a great mood booster too!

Top up your vitamin D levels with 20 minutes of sensible sun exposure to your arms and legs each day (not in the midday full sun).

Avoid blue light late at night.  Lots of interesting science is emerging on this topic and we think this is going to be a very important subject. This means turning off your mobile phones and tablets at least 1 hour before bed. 

Fill up on a rainbow of colors each day.  Fill your plates with a variety of vegetables as this allows us to gain a huge variety of vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in a bland “beige” coloured diet. Click on this link to read more on this subject. 

https://www.redhotpersonaltraining.com/health-fitness-blog/2016/4/18/eat-the-rainbow?rq=rain