Effective Exercise. Eat for Health & Long-Term Weight Loss. Learn How!

January 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Don’t miss an evening with our two leading Surrey personal trainers.  If you want to exercise effectively, eat for health and achieve long-term weight loss without following yet another ‘fad’ diet, then this could be the best £10 you’ve ever spent!

For further details, click here to book your place.

Monday 1st February

7.30pm – 9.30pm

The Azalea Room, Bourne Hall, Ewell, Surrey (plenty of free parking)

Entrance: only £10 per person

With just over 2 weeks to go, we look forward to seeing you there!

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An Evening with Two Leading Surrey Personal Trainers

January 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It’s back by popular demand!  Following on from the success of the last ‘Principles of Fitness’ presentation, our two leading Surrey personal trainers have listened to your needs and are once again back to share their tops tips and offer advice on how to exercise effectively, eat for health AND acheive long-term weight loss, without following another ‘fad’ diet.

The first presentation took place at the end of October 2009 and has been talked about ever since!  All you need are two spare hours to join us and learn the secrets to success. 

When:  Monday 1st February

Time:  7.30pm - 9.30pm

Where:  The Azalea Room, Bourne Hall, Ewell, Surrey

Entrance:  £10 per person

Agenda

Introduction 

Stretching: Dynamic & Static – what is the difference & positive effects on the body

(extended module from last presentation)

 Nutrition: Blood Sugar Balance, Sports Nutrition, Eating for Energy & Weight Loss

(including specific examples of how to balance meals and snacks)

 Will Running Make You Lose Weight?Principles of Fitness

(training intensity & other types of exercise)

 First Signs of Injury – when should you stop and rest or seek advice?

The Benefits of Sports Massage

Questions & Answers

If you are a runner, triathlete or someone who wants to start exercising but is unsure on what you really should be doing, then this presentation is for you.  Our leading Surrey personal trainers give advice that you don’t want to miss.  Book your place below!

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Dear Santa, Can You Help My Waistline Over Christmas?

December 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Dear Santa

I am a little concerned about my waistline over the Christmas period.  With all of the festivities taking place over the next few weeks, I won’t have much time to exercise.  There are so many tempting foods around too.  Help!  I don’t want to get fat and feel bloated and sluggish when January arrives…although I do want to enjoy myself.  Can you make my wish come true?

No need to wait for Santa’s reply.  Our Surrey personal trainers can make your wish come true.  Just read on!

Your body is a great piece of gym equipment when used correctly.  There is no need to spend lots of money on expensive memberships when you can exercise at home.  Burn fat fast with exercises that use large muscles; burn more calories in one movement!

Burn Fat with The Squat:

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.  Keeping your heels down on the floor, squat down as if you are about to sit on a chair.  Use your arms for balance and engage your core muscles throughout by pulling your belly-button towards your spine.

If you are new to this exercise, place a chair behind you and squat to just above the seat pad, or as far as you are comfortable.

Perform this movement: 4 sets of 15 squats.  Breathe normally throughout.

This exercise makes use of lots of different muscles, strengthens your lower back and buttocks whilst improving flexibility throughout your body.

Tone Your Upper Body with a Corner Press-Up:

Stand in the corner of a room facing the wall, place your hands at shoulder level against the wall.  Perform a ‘Standing Corner Press-Up’ by bending your elbows, squeezing your shoulder blades towards your spine and moving your body towards the wall, similar to a lying press-up but from standing.  Your heels should stay on the floor throughout.

Perform this movement: 4 sets of 15 press-ups

Increase Your Heart Rate:

In-between each set of squats and press-ups, perform 60 second ‘intervals’.  Activities could include step-ups, using the stairs or a step, jogging on the spot or even a brisk walk around the garden.  Whichever activity you choose, it should leave you warm and slightly out of breath!

The key to effective fat burning in your body combines exercise AND good nutrition.  Your exercise routine should be performed at least 3 x weekly.

Increase Your Energy!

Our bodies are designed to move and will reward you with lots of energy.  Make today your CV day and enjoy the beautiful  outdoors!  Cardiovascular exercise (CV) is good for the health of your heart, lungs and blood.  Have a brisk 30-minute walk in the morning and another later in the afternoon.  Aim to increase your heart rate to a good intensity so that you are warm and slightly out of breath at the end of each walk.  Natural daylight directly onto your skin will also make you feel so much brighter!

Before lunch, perform 2 sets of squats as detailed above.                                  

Increased muscle mass: 1lb of muscle burns MORE ENERGY THAN 1lb of fat!

Wishing you a Healthy & Happy Christmas from the Team at Total Personal Training, Surrey

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The Tastiest, Easiest & Dairy-Free Chocolate Mousse…Ever!

December 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Chocolate Mousse

Calling all chocoholics.  Now you can enjoy chocolate mousse without feeling guilty!  This amazing tasting recipe is not only VERY chocolatey, but it’s also dairy-free and packed full of goodness.  Oh, and it’s dead-easy to make.  Sound too good to be true? 

For this recipe you will need:Avocado

1/4 cup pitted medjool dates soaked (optional)

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup mashed avacados (about 1 and a half)

1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa or carob powder

1/4 water

Mix in a food processor until smooth.  Chill until ready to serve.  That’s it! 

Despite the high calorific value and high fat content, avocados have a whole host of nutritional benefits.  Similar to olive oil, avocados are high in oleic acid which studies have shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.  The fat content is good, polyunsaturated fat, the type that your body needs.  They are also low in cholesterol.

Now do you still think that it is too good to be true?  Our Surrey personal trainers say, “Enjoy!”

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Your Christmas Survival Guide Starts Today!

December 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

There is no need to panic…Christmas is coming and there is no need for you to get fat!  You can survive the festive season, enjoy everything that is on offer (well nearly everything) and still avoid piling on the pounds.  Over the next few weeks during the countdown to Christmas, our team of Surrey personal trainers shall be giving you some top tips and advice on how to enjoy yourself without the worry of piling on the pounds!

Survive the Festive SeasonThis week’s focus is all about food planning and preparation (as if you don’t have enough to do?!)  Follow these 5 easy tips below and you will be ready to face the festivities!

1)      Start your day with breakfast – it is the most important meal of the day.  Eat within one hour of getting out of bed to kick start your metabolism which will set you up for the day.  Breakfast should ideally consist of high fibre, slow-release carbohydrate and natural protein.  Porridge with some nuts, natural yoghurt and a chopped apple or banana is a great option.

2)      Eat protein with EVERY meal and snack.  Keep heavy, starchy carbohydrates to a minimum, especially with your evening meal.  Protein slows down the release of carbohydrate into your bloodstream, causing a lesser release of insulin which is required to control the amount of glucose in your system.  The less insulin you release, the fat you will store!

3)      Eat something small every 3 to 4 hours – balance your blood sugar level to help lose that mid-afternoon craving.  This is really important if you are planning a big night out and want to avoid grabbing a sweet snack when you are hungry and nothing else is available.

4)      ‘Eat the rainbow’ – fill your plate with a variety of different coloured, fresh, seasonal vegetables.  Provide your body with super nutrients and less calories!

5)      Stay hydrated – improve your fat loss results by drinking around 1.5 to 2 litres of filtered or bottled water each day.

If you can start putting these 5 easy steps into practice, your waistline will thank you for it over the coming weeks!

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Exercise Backed by Decades of Experience

December 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Exercise with one of our Surrey personal trainers and get support that is backed by decades of experience!

If you are looking for a helping hand with your fitness or weight loss, our team of Surrey Personal Trainers is the place to start.  With us, you get peace of mind in knowing that your investment is one well-spent.  Why?  Our small team is backed by Mike O’Shea MBE, a highly respected figure in the fitness industry whose credentials very few can rival.  We have hand-picked our team from a vast network of personal trainers because of their passion and professionalism in this tough industry.

Adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating sensibly with a goal to losing weight, and accommodating a realistic, enjoyable exercise regime as part of your daily routine can feel like an insurmountable challenge. It doesn’t have to be that way!  Our team at Total Personal Training, pledge to help you transform your life and restore your self-confidence. We believe exercise should be uplifting, energising and fun.

  • Have you battled for many years to lose weight on unsustainable fad diets?
  • Have you wasted vast amounts of your hard-earned money on gym membership for very little return?
  • Are you looking for that ‘edge’ with your training?
  • Are you confused about where to turn next, wondering whether there’s any point in continuing the fight against feeling sluggish and heavy, or even embarrassed and exhausted?

Our Surrey personal trainers guarantee improvements to your fitness, weight management and fat loss. Our dedicated team have the benefit of cutting-edge and widely recognised qualifications, but most importantly, we care about our clients. Starting with an initial consultation and health assessment, which is free of charge and included as part of your training package, our Surrey personal trainers offer support and practical advice as well as a sympathetic ear. With their encouragement, and your determined effort, you’ll begin to see the results you deserve as you begin to feel fitter and more positive than ever before.

Together we’ll create safe and effective exercise in surroundings that work best for you; whether it’s at home or in the park, we’ll find the time and the place where you are most comfortable, relaxed and happy. We can give you:

  • Weight management and fat loss without following a ‘fad’ diet
  • Increased ‘functional’ strength and muscle tone
  • Aerobic training programmes whether it be a 5km run or an endurance marathon
  • Rehabilitation following an injury

Ultimately we know that you want, and should expect, results that are sustainable. Our Surrey personal trainers will guide you through fitness and weight loss schedules that guarantee to make you to feel great, reshape your body and tone up any wobbly bits whilst gaining strength, flexibility and endurance in the long term. We want you to leave each personal training session with a smile on your face and a spring in your step!

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Adventures of a Surrey Personal Trainer in Asia

November 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Wow.  What a week!  Our corporate training events in Macau by far exceeded our expectations.  We didn’t realise that working in Asia with different cultures could be so rewarding.  Although we are familiar with cross-cultures who are based in the UK and Europe, the experience of actually working so far from home was well worth the jetlag!

The great thing about our chosen career path is that the skills of a personal trainer are transferable.  Over the years we have experienced working with many different European nations, and whilst the health challenges of today’s modern society differ from country to country, the underlying answers are the same. 

Last week we ventured further afield and found ourselves working with individuals from Asia and Australasia.  We set out to promote health and wellbeing to cultures that we have only ever read about and researched.  We all know that real life can sometimes throw all sorts of challenges at you when you are least expecting them, so we were braced for whatever came our way.

After spending years as an Account Manager in the world of business travel, I was lucky enough to travel extensively when I was younger.  Since having a complete career change six years ago, my love of travel and interest in other cultures has continued, but this time from a health point of view. 

How do different diets effect health conditions and certain diseases?  What happens to the body when exercise is not part of a normal weekly routine?  As personal trainers, we like to think of the body as a series of systems that work in synergy together.  Regardless of culture and diet, the requirements are still the same:

If blood sugar is not well-managed, it will lead to weight gain and exposure to certain lifestyle diseases. 

If exercise is not part of a weekly routine, it could have negative impacts on the body such as an inability to deal with stress and increase blood pressure.

Rest, recovery and sleep are vital for repair.

We returned from Asia feeling very fulfilled and motivated.  The diversity of life as a personal trainer can be unpredictable and exciting.  Whilst on home soil our clients benefit from our knowledge and understanding of whatever health and fitness challenge they need answering.

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Highest Rated Supplements in The World

October 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I don’t normally write about supplements.  The main reason being that lots of people believe that a personal trainer recommending supplements must be doing it soley for personal gain.  The negativity will never stop!  However, I thought it time to spread the word about the brand that I have been taking for nearly four years because I am proud of the company and more importantly the products.

USANA Health Sciences produce nutritional products that you can trust.  Their commitment to cutting-edge research and uncompromising quality standards are the foundation for products that are, according to independant research, proven to be the best in the world.  The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements awards USANA the Gold Medal.  Click here to read further details.  Leading physicians, world-class athletes, and smart customers (like me) trust their health to USANA.  The list of accolades for USANA is extensive, from corporate accolades to athletic accolades – the products are truly unrivalled.

USANA is committed to nutritional research and development. They have a group of in-house experts dedicated to the latest scientific findings and clinical studies. USANA is also consults regularly with the Scientific Advisory Council—a group of independent health-care professionals dedicated to helping USANA create the best products possible.

On a more personal note, the reason why I started taking these products was to overcome an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in my gut (potentially dangerous and nasty bacteria).  I used to struggle to get out of bed in the morning and then suffered from lack of energy throughout the day.  I also lived my life trying to keep the overgrowth of candida from flaring up.  The symptoms were not pleasant!!!  I was really having a tough time…and I was supposed to be supporting and motivating people in my role as a personal trainer!  After a short while of taking the Essentials™ (daily multi-vitamins and antioxidants) along with a daily BiOmega™ (ultra pure fish oils), my energy levels started to improve and I felt a whole lot better.  The vitamins and minerals support my digestive system and I no longer suffer from my previous problems.

A client recently asked if she could try some of the products.  After taking the ‘Essentials’ for a month, she sent me  this short testimonial which I think says it all:

“I really have felt the benefits of Usana from lovely strong finger nails and toe nails, hair growing quicker to having more energy. I can stay up later now and get out of my pit in the morning, feeling more than 1/2 human!”

USANA offer a wide-range of products from daily nutritionals to amazing skin care products (see my earlier post from June 2009).  For further information click here.

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Weight management is easy with this Italian-style lunch, packed with goodness!

July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I made this very simple recipe for lunch today, it was so tasty that I felt the need to share it! 

Butter Bean Salad

This great tasting recipe is packed full of goodness.  The main ingredients are butter beans from the family of pulses.  Pulses are a fantastic food that contain protein, lots of nutrients and natural fibre.  If you are trying to manage your weight, this type of food is a great way to assist the process.  Protein is used in the body in various ways.  It is used as an energy source.  It also helps with the manufacture of hormones, antibodies and enzymes. 

Quick tip for weight management and fat loss… protein should make up around 15 – 20% of your calorific intake.  If you combine protein with healthy carbohydrates, it will stabilise your blood sugar level and avoid a spike in insulin (a hormone that assists with fat storage!)

For this recipe you will need:

- 1 x 450g tin of butter beans in water (avoid the ones with added salt and or/sugar), washed & drained

- A small aubergine, diced

- A medium-sized onion (white or red), thinly sliced

- 4 x fresh tomatoes, chopped

- Olive oil

- Handful or fresh basil leaves and flat-leaf parsley, chopped

- Grated parmesan to finish, if desired

Over a medium heat, add a good helping of olive oil to a saucepan and add the onion.  Soften for a few minutes then add the chopped aubergine.  Stir for a few minutes then add the tomatoes and butter beans.  Cover for 5 minutes to allow ingredients to cook.  Stir, then add the chopped herbs and season to taste (I sometimes add a pinch of Italian herb seasoning to enhance the great flavours).  Cover for another 5 minutes, stir, then you are ready to serve.  I add a little grated parmesan and extra olive oil to finish.

Why not try this with a slice of wholegrain rye bread and some salad?  That’s a well-balanced, nutritional lunch that is packed with goodness!  Highly recommended from a Surrey personal trainer.  Bon appetito!

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Little Acorns Grow into Big Oak Trees

June 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The feel-good factor.  Job satisfaction.  Reward for my effort, or just doing what I am paid for and have chosen to do.  I’m not sure which category what I am about to write falls into, but it could probably be all of them!  A simple but true story…

Several mornings each week I get up very early, cycle down the mountain and meet with a client who lives at the bottom.  She came to me two months ago and asked for help.  Her ‘wants’ at the time were to lose the fat around the middle including the bloat, to get-in-shape and more importantly, feel better every day.  This particular lady runs her own business, is incredibly busy and has to motivate a small team.  She knew that her body needed a ‘kick-start’.  The scene was set.  She had desire, motivation and the ability to ask for help!

We started training, gently at first so that I could watch her movement patterns and how her body reacted.  The exercise included some CV work (cycling – this is what she enjoys) followed by dynamic stretching and resistance training.  All movements were bodyweight as there were some muscle imbalances that needed addressing, yet worked against gravity to achieve the right intensity.  The first two weeks went by and she was immediately feeling better, albeit a little sore in places.  Whoops!  That’s normal.  The exercises were progressed, the CV work was intensified and the fat was starting to shift.

Whilst all of this was going on, she then wanted to take the training one stage further… to improve her diet.  We’d talked about this at the start, and she knew the importance of doing so.  Hoorah!  Healthy diet combined with the correct exercise = RESULTS.  She has made the changes necessary and guess what?  She has lost the bloat, is continuing to lose more fat and is feeling fantastic.  Can you imagine waking up each day and looking forward to exercise????  She does!

Her training is progressing even further.  We have introduced interval training into the sessions (which she NEVER thought she would be able to do), her balance is improving and the resistance exercises are becoming more complex.  I like to challenge the brain with movement, something that the body is designed to do especially as we move in different directions each day.  The feedback is so positive, and I can see a little acorn growing into a big oak tree!  The training is fun, varied, set at the right intensity and yields results. 

Not bad for the first working hour of the day!  No matter where you are, whatever your circumstances or the goals that you want to achieve, our team of Surrey Personal Trainers can give your body a ‘kick-start’ too.

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