We all know that exercising as we age is important to help maintain our physical and mental well being. Walking, running, strength training and fitness classes are all great ways to stay healthy and active but have you ever considered hiring a personal trainer?
A personal trainer is not just for those who are training for big events, although obviously personal trainers are amazing for this too, one-one fitness sessions with a personal trainer will be tailored to an individuals needs and goals, often including nutrition advice making them a great option for someone struggling to get fit on their own. Reach your Goal If you are trying to get fit but have hit a barrier, maybe feeling like nothing is working anymore or you are unsure if you are doing the right type of exercises, then a personal trainer is a brilliant way to reach your target. Your trainer will be able to work out a bespoke plan for you to help you achieve your goals while making sure you are working all the muscle groups and avoiding risk of injury. Having that scheduled time with your personal trainer will help make you accountable meaning you’ll be more likely to succeed. Get Ready for an Event If you are training for a specific event, maybe a run or a charity challenge, then a personal trainer will be a great addition to help you get ready for your challenge. When training for longer events it’s easy to over (or under) train and a personal trainer can help make sure you are training at the right pace. If you are training for a run, cycle ride or swimathon it can be easy to focus completely on cardio exercise and miss out on the all important strength training- a personal trainer will schedule in a good balance of strength and cardio training to make sure you have a well rounded regime. Build Confidence If you are at the start of your fitness journey you might not feel ready to hit the gym or join a class. A personal trainer gives you accountability and allows you to ease yourself back into exercise without the pressure of worrying how you look to a group of strangers. Just a few weeks of personal training sessions could help you feel confident enough to join a class or venture into the gym. Group classes or crowded gyms aren’t everyone's cup of tea and personal training is a great alternative. Advice and Support When you choose to work with a personal trainer you get that extra support you don’t have access to in a group situation or when you work out alone. We have probably all experienced that uncomfortable situation where you go to use an exercise machine with absolutely no idea how to use it but with a personal trainer you will never have that issue. One to one sessions mean your qualified instructor can really ensure you are doing any exercises correctly, they can advise on intensity and explain how you can get the most out of your exercises. If you would like more information on professional personal training, contact Amanda here. Amanda can also offer you nutritional advice to make sure you are eating a balanced diet that will fuel your workouts and help with your weight loss, fitness goals as well as having a bit of fun!
0 Comments
Summer is here which inevitably means we’ll be bombarded with ads for slimming tips and tricks and ‘helpful’ guides to get the perfect beach body. Many of us make the mistake of thinking of getting in shape solely for summer, after all it’s when we generally show more of our body to the world. But this can be a damaging cycle to get into where we just diet and exercise for a specific goal only then allowing our fitness and healthy habits to fall by the wayside once summer is over.
So this month we are going to be looking at how and why we need to focus on getting fit for life. Eat Healthily There are always trends and fads when it comes to dieting and losing weight but the best approach is to aim to eat a healthy, nutritious, balanced diet and be sure to fuel your body so you have enough energy. Last year the government launched a health campaign called Better Health to help people make better choices with diet and exercise. This campaign is great for helping you make changes to your lifestyle that you can stick to for life. Don’t skip meals You might be tempted to cut out all snacks and even skip meals but this is not generally advised, remember it’s not just about quantity of food it’s also about quality- sweet, sugary snacks that lack fibre and nutrients should be replaced with fruit and healthy snacks that provide energy along with vitamins and minerals. Exercise all year round Change your mindset and embrace exercise as a part of your everyday routine. Even simple changes such as making sure you go for a brisk walk every day will set you on the path to lifelong fitness. It’s important to make exercise part of daily life as we age- adding in strength training up to 3 times a week will help strengthen your bones, muscles and improve your posture and balance. Join a class Make a commitment to exercise by joining a regular class such as Move It or Lose It or Bootcamp. Taking part in a regular class means you’re more likely to stick to it, you’ll make new friends and it’s a great way to get professional support and advice on nutrition and exercise. Make sure it’s fun! In order to make sure you stick to a healthy lifestyle you need to make sure it’s fun. So pick activities you enjoy and try to do them regularly. Set yourself challenges to complete to ensure boredom doesn’t set in- you could sign up to complete a swimathon or maybe a sponsored walk or run. Whatever you choose make sure you enjoy it! Get gardening Get out in the garden and raise your heart rate while you do a bit of weeding, digging and planting. As well as some much needed vitamin D if you work a bit harder you’ll be getting a healthy dose of cardio and strength training too. *Please speak to your healthcare professional before you embark on any new exercise or diet regime. Please get in touch if you would like to find out more about the classes or one-one fitness sessions with Amanda. Personal plans to help you start making changes now, have accountability with some added motivation to help you succeed! Good nutrition and regular exercise is important for everyone of all ages but we should pay particular attention as we are ageing, especially over the age of 50. Our dietary requirements can change for many different reasons but as we age both men and women become prone to certain disorders, particularly disorders affecting the bones or cardiovascular system.
The age-old mantra of move more, eat less is too simplistic and you risk missing out on vital vitamins and minerals if you just cut out meals. The word diet is loaded and many of us associate the word with meaning eating less but really, we should be looking more closely at what we are eating. Fuel Your Body No matter how active you are it’s really important you are fuelling your body to give it the energy it needs. It can be tempting to eat less when you are trying to lose weight and get fit, but you are putting yourself at risk of injury or illness if you are not properly fuelling yourself. The important thing to remember is to try and make sure you are eating more healthy, nutrient dense foods and less of the foods that are high in salt and sugar (convenience foods and snacks such as crisps and biscuits). The government Eatwell Guide is an easy to understand example of what you should try to include in your meals to ensure you are getting the right balance of each food group in your meals. Healthy Ageing To continue living an active life as we age it’s important to make sure you stay active and eat well. The current government guidelines suggest that older people (over the age of 65) should aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week. You should also include at least 2 sessions a week where you focus your activities on strength, balance and flexibility.
Contact Amanda if you have any questions about good nutrition and exercise for a healthy lifestyle. |
Archives
August 2023
Categories
All
|