FAT!!

The CF diet recommends a moderate intake of fatty foods. Why?
Because we are promoting weight loss here people, and fat is high in calories. BUT we do need to eat some fats in order for our body to work efficiently. Nerves, brain cells, skin, tissue, hormones, the transport of vitamins and minerals all need fat to function.

Healthy fats are unsaturated fats, which come from plant foods like nuts/seeds/avocado and from oily fish.

Try to stay away from saturated and trans fats which promote heart disease.
Unfortunately we live in world where portion sizes are majorly distorted. Your average bumpkin in the state of Texas might think nothing of consuming a meal 3 times the size of a Rhinoceros’ arse. I’ve been to International House of Pancakes – I’ve seen the menu.

You would be surprised at how little you need to eat in order to survive. The men and women you see on the cover of ‘Muscle Magazine’ aren’t ripped because they eat 25 steaks a day – they are most probably injecting steroids.
We actually only need 1g of protein per kg of body weight per day to sustain lean muscle. Which isn’t a right lot. So don’t be sucked in to the marketing trap of high protein food claims.

Same goes for micronutrient. Don’t go spending your wage pack at Boots on supplements, antioxidants, vitamins – you will get enough by eating a clean diet with a wide variety of fruit and veg.

No we are not suggesting you eat portions that would starve your average pet hamster. You must be sensible with your choice of food if you want to 1. Lose fat and 2. Sustain lean muscle.

“But isn’t it all about calories in and calories out?”

By all means, create a deficit in calories and you will lose weight. But eat non-nutritional foods and your body will look fucking shit. Greasy hair, flaky skin, poor muscle definition, osteoporosis, tooth decay, bad breath… the list is endless…

It is SO essential that you eat a balanced, nutritious diet. Would you rather eat 5 cheese burgers a day within your daily calorie allowance, or would you like to live to see your grandchildren and feel physically fit to handle them!?

More Magic Marketing - Slim in Sleep!

“Just a quick question in regards to some wraps I found & was wondering if they were CF friendly.”

I got this question via email from one of last month’s most well-behaved, dedicated Mini Challengers – you know who you are ;) Top marks for swotting up before the big March Challenge kick-off.

What makes a clean, balanced meal?

In order for your muscles to work/contract you need to provide them with energy. Your cells need glucose to produce energy (ATP). Complex carbohydrates are an essential part of your daily diet to sustain your energy needs.

The best supply of glucose when following a balanced diet for weight loss – we aren’t talking about Olympic athletes or body builders here - comes from whole grains. These contain nutrients and fibre which slow digestion, and release energy (sugar) into your blood stream at a steady rate, preventing a spike in blood sugar levels.

When your blood sugar levels spike from eating sugary foods (white carbs/sweets/sugary drinks) your body releases the hormone insulin. This sends the excessive amount of sugar into storage in your fat cells, leaving you with depleted energy levels and major munchies!

By adding whole grain carbs to breakfast or lunch – you are eating something substantial to give you enough energy until your next meal.

Don’t get caught up in the ‘protein’ obsession. Yes we need protein to sustain lean muscle, but in adequate amounts. Good protein sources are lean meat – chicken/turkey breast / fish, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds. Grains like amaranth and quinoa are also a good source of lean protein AND provide you with slow release energy. Bonus.

When selecting whole grain bread or wraps as a carbohydrate option with a main meal – remember portion control.

This protein bread recommends 100g as a serving. 50g would suffice.
Laughably, it markets ‘slim in sleep’ – suggesting that this additional protein will help you to lose weight at night time? Yes, protein has a high thermic effect (uses energy to break it down) and increases satiety, but look at the fat and calorie content.
You require approximately 1g of protein per kg of body weight. A serving of this bread provides half of the recommended daily protein intake for a woman weighing 60kg. Adding this to a meal already containing lean protein means you will be eating as much as your full day’s protein allowance – in just one sitting.

If you overdo your protein intake not only do you put major strain on your kidneys, but the excess calories will be stored in fat cells.
It’s all about finding a balance.

Eat natural, clean foods and avoid anything processed.
Obviously we can’t expect you to harvest your own grain and bake your own bread. Although this would be pretty damn good!

Portion control is key. This bread is ‘enriched’. Enhanced/enriched foods have been played about with – stick to food with a very small list of ingredients. If this is as long as your arm then run a mile!
It does rate itself for its high fibre content – you need approx 30g of fibre per day for a healthy digestive system. But this is outweighed by other factors. It is enhanced with protein from soy and seeds, resulting in a high fat content. Not smart when trying to lose weight.

To simplify this so you don’t try to end your life rocking back and forth in the ‘health foods’ aisle of Carrefour….

Balanced Diet:
For slow-release energy: whole grain carbohydrates
For muscle/tissue repair and maintenance: lean protein
For a healthy digestive system: fibrous vegetables
For essential vitamins and minerals: fresh fruit

All of the above contain micronutrients essential for a healthy body inside and out.

Make sure you check out the CF Shopping list and of course, The Holy Grail.
Happy Eating ;) x

Flex like a Bitch

As the next Challenge approaches, there are lots of ways to help protect your body from possible injury.

If you want to reach the finish line of the next challenge feeling fit and healthy, you need to train smart and eat right.

Suddenly embarking on a high intensity-training programme can leave your body in a lot of shock! It will be under pressure it has never felt before. As well as stretching and correct form, which our lovely trainers will drill into you, diet comes into play…in a big way.

This is why calorie counting does my head in. We are not just recommending clean, balanced meals because of low calorie content – Sod off Weight Watchers.

Vegetables, lean protein, fruit, whole grains and pulses contain various vitamins and minerals essential for achieving optimum health.
You will be training hard therefore you must replenish your body with the correct nutrients so it can grow strong, healthy and super sexy ;0)

Cartilage is a connective tissue that is found in many parts of the body, most importantly between bones. It absorbs force and distributes it equally, protecting joints under load and during movement. Without this, the very concept of high-knee-running would be a mere fantasy.

When cartilage is damaged or worn away, the affected joint becomes painful, stiff, and limited in its range of motion – kiss the splits goodbye.
Vitamin C plays a vital roll in the formation of collagen, which forms the basis of connective tissue. You can find this saucy Vitamin in the following CF diet friendly foods;

Grapefruit, lemons, oranges, kiwis, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, pineapple, papaya, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts.

Omega 3 rich foods have an anti-inflammatory effect. Inflammation can cause major pain – ever had sore knees after squatting?? You can find this gem in walnuts, pumpkin seeds, oily fish like salmon and herring.

Vitamin E is your knight in shining armour when it comes to combating exercise-induced stress on your body’s cells. Shield yourself by eating almonds, sunflower seeds, spinach, whole grain breads and cereals.

Zinc is needed for the body's defensive (immune) system to properly work. A lack of zinc can slow collagen formation in connective tissue. Zinc yourself up (yes I just said that) with oysters, pumpkin seeds, crabmeat, sunflower seeds, whole meal flour and bread, turkey.

Copper is also needed for the maintenance of connective tissue. It works alongside zinc to stimulate the immune system to fight infections, to repair injured tissues, and to promote healing. You can find this in oysters, lobster (here’s your excuse for fine dining ladies! – unfortunately it is not found in Champagne), sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, crab, chickpeas, lentils, whole meal bread and whole grain cereals.
BUT there are foods that diminish these effects – food high in saturated fat like red meat and dairy. So steer clear of these or you risk more than a severe bollocking in your Food Diary Feedback…so there!

The important thing is to create the right balance, as getting too much of one nutrient and not enough of another can have a counter productive effect.
There are supplements you can take to help avoid injury to joints, and combat long term degenerative diseases that can put an end to your training days – Say sayonara to osteoarthritis.

WARNING: don’t get carried away and buy into the marketing too much – sports supplements are a lucrative and misleading industry.

We recommend:
Glucosamine – Highly productive in the formation and repair of cartilage. This supplement can relieve pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis. It helps to increase mobility and reduces the joint space narrowing (bone-on-bone…ouch!).
And
Chondroitin Sulphate - One of the building blocks of cartilage. This promotes the water retention of cartilage, keeping it spongey, as well as elasticity, thus helping to reduce joint pain and increase mobility (hello again drunken cartwheels at Sandance).
You can buy these at any reputable pharmacy (Life Pharmacy / Boots).
A clean balanced diet = Healthy bones and joints = happy squatting at CF :)

Bring on the March Challenge x

Food Currency

At CF we are not big on Calorie counting. Why?

As well as being socially ridiculous, cracking out your calculator at Nandos is no healthy way to monitor the nutrients you are putting into your body.
This article sheds light on portions in relation to calorie content, which will help you to make the right choices size-wise.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm

Remember, you cannot compare the cals from a chocolate bar to those offered in a balanced meal of veggies, whole grains and lean protein. Yes it may taste ‘nice’ but is this your body reacting to a refined sugar fix or is it really satisfied??
Your body is no fool. Eating non-nutritional foods (junk!) is no way to obtain a healthy, hot body. Besides, a 6 pack will be of little use if you have clogged arteries!
Fad diets and ‘diet pills’ do not work. Drastic measures like skipping meals can lead to ‘starvation mode’. Your body clings on to fat reserves and burns lean muscle in an attempt to ‘survive’. This does no justice for body composition. Your metabolic rate increases depending on the amount of muscle you sustain. Who wants to be ‘skinny fat??’.

Depriving yourself of essential nutrients has a negative impact on your body’s ability to burn fat effectively.
When you eat sugary foods or foods lacking in nutrients like fibre, which slow down digestion rate, the hormone insulin is released. This puts any fat-burning on hold, and enables the extra sugars in your blood to be stored in cells. Too much sugar will be stored in FAT cells.

This sudden drop in blood sugar levels results in energy depletion and you are left feeling tired and hungry again. If you eat 1 biscuit, you are likely to polish off the rest of the packet too.

Eating clean, healthy foods that release energy at a slow rate keep you feeling satisfied and energised, as well as providing you with essential vitamins and minerals for optimum health.

I hope I explained that well. Nutrition is a complex diva.

Bring on the March Challenge Food Diaries. x

Clever Marketing

At CF we live and breathe the concept of 'clean eating'.
This does not entail polishing your snickers, dousing hot dogs in bleach or ordering a Big Mac with a Diet Coke.
I've lost count of how many times I had to argue the poor nutritional value of brand cereals (Rob Newbould).
It is amazing what big name brands can get away with when trying to trick the consumer into buying their product on the pretence of 'healthy eating'.
Next time you amble around Spinney's open your eyes to the conspiracy of 'clever marketing'. I absolutely love this blog... x

http://eatsleepdreamlovefood.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/clever-marketing.html

I really, really (don't) hate to burst your bubble here people. In preparation for the next Challenge... and sea of food diaries...those of you taking sanctuary in your convenient lunch of 6 inch turkey salad on wheat bread - please read this article and think again before you join the queue at Subway.

...And see why I am not just being a pedantic, ruthless bitch when you get pulled up in big red writing for your 'Eat Fresh' fast food options.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/hea lth/article-1365424/Subway-vs-McDonalds-The-artery-clogging-truth-favourite-fast-food-chains.html

As CF regulars like masterchef Peppy Dosanjh can tell you, eating clean is all about home cooked meals with (genuinely) fresh ingredients. We have got so many helpful downloads on our website, so use and abuse these to plan, prepare and perfectly execute your Challenge Diet...bring it!!

http://circuitfactory.ae/downloads.php

If you have any questions please feel free to email me: hanna@circuitfactory.ae

So at the local gym – in Bradford – they are selling these ‘Sculptress Diet Bars’ – pink wrapper, branded with the word sculptress like ‘princess’ and ‘diet’ – aimed at women obviously. Clever marketing.

With 215 calories per bar, most of which are from sugars – can this really be considered as a healthy snack option?

I query how our prehistoric ancestors got by without one.

Take a look at the ingredients:
Milk proteins (whey protein concentrate, milk protein isolate, calcium caseinate, emulsifier: soya lecithin), glucose syrup, milk chocolate (14%) (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, emulsifier: soya lecithin, flavouring), humectant (glycerol), honeycomb pieces (8%) (sugar, glucose syrup, vegetable fat, water, raising agent: sodium bicarbonate; emulsifier: soya lecithin), concentrated mixed fruit juice, rice starch, sunflower oil, mineral blend (potassium phosphate, sodium chloride, magnesium phosphate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc oxide, cupric gluconate, manganese sulphate, potassium iodide, chromium (III) chloride hexahydrate, sodium selenite, sodium molybdate), L-carnitine L-tartrate, milk mineral complex, vitamin blend (dextrose monohydrate, vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin, biotin, vitamin A, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin K), flavouring, caramelised sugar syrup, green tea extract, antioxidant (mixed tocopherols), sweetener (sucralose).

...Good luck to your body attempting to process all that shite.

Eating foods high in chemicals and other nasty additives makes a lot of extra work for your liver as these need to be broken down and eliminated from your body.
215 calories = 1 medium chicken breast and 1 cup of chopped garden vegetables.
This provides you with essential vitamins and minerals without the strain on your liver.

Eating a clean diet is not something unobtainable, that only super slim, vegan, macrobiotic diet-followers can do.
I actually spoke to someone today (whilst she tucked into a plate of fish and chips) who said 'I have never eaten a salad before'....she then went on to admit she had eaten lettuce, carrot, cucumber, tomato...but never in the same sitting.
Healthy food isn't just lettuce leaves and chopped celery. You can make a pretty hot and sexy salad adding lean protein, roasted veg, beans, wholegrains...

...If the thought of depriving yourself of doughnuts is terrifying then is this really a healthy relationship with food?
No.
Sugar is a drug. You need to break the habit to lose the addiction.

Sally Reid is one of CF's yummiest mummies. The hardest part of joining CF for Sal was the diet....

"To be honest the first few days were hard to lose the craving for sweet things and a quick sugar rush. It made me realise I was eating for the wrong reasons before – tired, bored, stressed etc. Women especially are very emotional eaters. Once I weaned myself off the junk, I rarely crave it any more. You quickly adjust which pleasantly surprised me!"

Ditch the sugar - find your figure....simple ;) x

The Bloody Truth

Even though I am female I get completely grossed out when women talk to me about periods. Yes I should probably grow up and get over it but there’s a reason I didn’t go to medical school and study gynaecology.

Here goes…Periods and exercise. The bloody truth.  So once a month females go through a brief spell of bleeding out of their vaginas. What’s worse than hearing about this is the fact that when you’re on your period all you want to do is tell people. Yes I’ll have a diet coke with that and my flow is ridiculously heavy this instant.

Throw your handbags at me if you want but I feel we use this as an excuse – own up how many times have you barked abuse at your partner then blamed it on being pre-menstrual. I actually threw a saucepan at an ex when he finished my maltesers. Fucker.  “But I’m not a crazy bitch I’m premenstrual." 

Weigh-in day at the Circuit Factory and the amount of females who say ‘my weight won’t have changed because I’m on my period’. Well the fact that your diet has been shit may be the underlying cause of your 2kg weight gain.

I worked at a Health Club in the UK and there was a lady who wanted to sign up with a discount for the 12 weeks of the year where she would not be able to use the gym due to menstruation. She classed this as her ‘disability’.

This is for those of you who have been kindly describing to me in great detail the life and times of your vagina.

So like an overconfident teenage boy – let’s break it down…

I've been bleeding for 7 days and I'm not dead yet

During your monthly cycle, the levels of Oestrogen in your body cause your uterus to thicken in preparation for ‘the egg’ becoming fertilized. When this doesn’t happen you shed the lining over 4 to 7 days, if timed poorly you ruin your best pair of white silk knickers along the way.

Why am I such a moody bitch?

4 – 5 days before your period your hormones are all over the place. Oestrogen levels rise and fall making you feel emotional, depressed, irritable, angry…

You may experience increased insulin resistance which means the glucose you eat is not able to enter your cells and stays in your blood –  your brain produces more insulin and you crave more sugars as your cells are not receiving the glucose.  These ups and downs in blood sugar levels will affect your mood as well as your energy levels.

Eat a balanced diet to stabilize blood sugar levels and avoid unnecessary spikes.

I’m pre-menstrual and all I want to do is eat mars bars – in fact I’d replace my tampons with a box of mars bars if that means I get my fix without compromising the diet.

Just before your period you go through what’s known as the ‘luteal phase’. Your Oestrogen levels drop (as you have an adequately lined uterus) as do your Serotonin levels.

Serotonin – other than sounding like a 80s pop band– is a neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates your mood. It controls your mood – it calms you down and makes you happy.

Your body craves high carb foods that promote serotonin production.

Chocolate – contains a chemical that releases serotonin in the body and also enhances secretion of endorphins – another feel good chemical.

It’s proven that women have a harder time than men replenishing serotonin levels - women think they have a harder time than men full stop.  This does not give you the green flag to roll around in baked goods. 2 squares of 70% cocoa dark chocolate will suffice.

It feels like I’ve been punched in the ovaries - I will punch you in the face if you make me run on the treadmill.

Endorphins are also released during exercise. Which is why exercise is actually recommended during your period.

Regular exercise limits PMS which helps with similar symptoms during your period. Getting the right amount of exercise should help to reduce period pain and ease cramps.

Will following the Gwyneth Paltrow Macrobiotic Twat Diet help?

There are all sorts of supplements claiming to help with PMS as they improve your mood.

B Vitamins – help your body to generate energy from food. They help form red blood cells – a deficiency can lead to anaemia which leaves a person tired and zombie like. But don’t get spending your pay pack down boots on supplements – if you eat a balanced diet rich in protein and leafy greens you should get all the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs.

I’ve gone up 5 pounds, therefore the diet isn’t working and I may as well sit at home eating biscuits

Some women retain water before their period. It’s not exactly known why but they do.  You can help by avoiding foods high in sodium that prevents your body ridding itself of excess water. Salty foods like tinned soups, condiments, soy sauce, processed food. 

Another great way to get rid of excess salt and water is to sweat it out with exercise.

I’ve been through 10 super sized tampons and am contemplating putting a mattress between my legs

Oestrogen is responsible for ensuring the lining of your uterus is thick ready for fertilization. The thicker the lining, the heavier your period.  Excess of oestrogen causes Menorrhegia (heavy bleeding).

Over exercise actually causes Amenorrhea which is when you stop having periods altogether as you have such little body fat.

Try taking NSAIDS like Ibuprofen which inhibit the hormone in the uterus that helps to shed the lining and also helps relieve cramps.

Tampons at the ready

If the Williams sisters can don their tennis whites and be filmed legs akimbo on the tennis courts mid flow then what’s stopping the rest of us. You wouldn’t find Rebecca Addlington dropping out of the 800m freestyle and forfeiting her Olympic Gold Medals due to her ‘monthlies’. Even a small issue like public urination won’t stop Paula Radcliffe in her tracks never mind a bit of period pain.

Try being proactive in this situation rather than dwelling on something you can’t change. Studies show that women who exercise regularly have lighter and shorter periods.

Do yourselves, your partners and any poor sod that catches you having an emotional moment a favour. Ditch the excuses and get to the gym instead of hugging your hot water bottle and gorging on chocolate. 

Why are women such stupid bitches?

Possibly the most frustrating topic I am confronted with on a daily basis – by BBM, on facebook, text message, email, sky writing – and always from a female - is weight.

What is weight or body mass? 

This is how much you - including anything that happens to be on the scales with you, whether that be your clothes, shoes,  ‘dense bones’, a stronger gravitational pull – yes some Ben and Jerry’s addict in denial came to this conclusion once.

One such common question that makes me want to dramatically punch a wall: “I weighed myself this morning and I’ve gained since last night…why?”

Well perhaps you suffer from sleep walking and are blissfully unaware that you are emptying the entire contents of the fridge down your gullet on a night? Err... probably not – but don’t rule it out.

What is this fascination with the number on the scales? 

This is the manifestation of obsessive behaviour for 99% of the female population.

When you weigh yourself you need to consider these things:

•         Have you just eaten a 6 lb steak?
•         Have you just necked 3 litres of water?
•         Perhaps you are retaining water; were you drinking alcohol last night? have you eaten a lot of salt?
•         Are you big boned? Stop listening to your mother you sad bastard.
•         Is it that time of the month? If so please do tell me about it in the greatest possible detail.
•         Are you dehydrated – have you just trained? Have you been sat in the sauna for 3 hours?
•         Are you wearing the equal amount of bling to Mr. T?

Well ladies – and no I’m not being sexist because the fact is men just don’t give a shit (which is another thing you have to consider).

Personally I don’t weigh myself. Last time I did I had gained 4.5kg. Did this bother me? Did I feel the need to run into oncoming traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road and end it all there and then?

Not really. I hadn’t had to go out and buy a new wardrobe, all my clothes fitted me exactly the same. Probably better.

No I did not own a faulty pair of scales. I had recently changed my training and gained a lot of lean muscle. Muscle actually weighs more than fat. Throw a chicken breast and a fist full of fat into water and guess what?... the fat floats.

Not so handy if you are a chicken that can’t swim but does that make sense at least?

You can in fact change your body composition and gain weight without putting on size. 

Think of gaining muscle as being compact like a stone, and having fat being like a balloon – bigger but lighter.

BMI is a bitch. 

This is used by the likes of weight watchers and any equivalent fat fighters club. It’s a simplified way of showing you that if Jonny eats 5 digestive biscuits and Mary eats 23 then there will be no biscuits left and Mary is a fat slag.

BMI does work in some cases. If you are actually morbidly obese, your BMI will be over 30.

If you are a 6 foot solid rugby player with the body fat percentage of a lean stick then 1. Send me your number and 2. Your BMI will also be on the overweight to obese end of the scale.

So does this mean the majority of the England rugby team qualifies for a gastric band on the NHS? Probably, but that's not the issue.

BMI does not take into account body composition. Just like the scales it considers only the weight and not the matter.

On to my next point.

Every woman has an ideal weight. Usually one that is completely unrealistically obtainable. I have met women who have been under 7.5 stone before and still not happy with their bodies. In fact they looked ill and about 7 years old. Why this obsession over a number? This is where women are their own worst enemies. It’s those insecure mother f*ckers who have to be the skinniest or the lightest of have the biggest boobs or the biggest lips or the most exotic vajazzle.

With women it’s a competition like the cool group at school. You are only allowed in if you lose your virginity at 13 and can neck a whole bottle of white lightening in one go.

Even in this day and age where we have the privilege of modern technology and hundreds of years of scientific research, are women a slave to the scales.

This is sad. 

Thus justifying my belief that all women, including myself, are actually mental.

Perhaps it is time to review our role models. I like to think we saw past the Kate Moss painfully thin look when she started snorting cocaine with notorious drug addicts. This is not cool and it’s definitely not clever. 

More deserving and appropriate are the Jessica Ennis and Natalie Coughlin's of the world – female athletes with smoking hot bodies – real muscles formed by eating a healthy diet and  dedicating time and energy to some serious exercise. 

It’s the women who have these bodies that should be celebrated and put up on a pedestal, not emaciated idiots with the vitamin deficiency of a sailor from the 1600s.

Give me my 4.5 kg and a sexy squatters bum over underweight on the BMI with a bony behind. 

Now sod off with the compulsive weighing – if you eat clean and train hard and generally look after your health you can be happy and confident with peace of mind that you are mentally and physically respecting yourself.

Lifestyle vs Mortality

Why Do you Exercise?

Do you get called a ‘weirdo’ for getting up at 6 am for a run? Perhaps you have an unsupportive partner who questions the time you spend at the gym, choosing dumbbells over a night in with a chinese in front of the telly. Do your friends roll their eyes if you opt for a salad over steak? Tell them to BACK OFF.

The Facts

Keeping fit is a lifestyle choice. Personally, I want to have a long and prosperous life. As long and as healthy as possible. Now I can’t stop myself getting run over by a bus tomorrow- but there are other things that I can do to lower the risks of an early grave.

Consider natural disasters, poverty and famine where people lose their precious lives in the most unfair situation. How can we possibly put our own lives at risk with self inflicted poor health?

Depending on your religious views we each have one life and one body. Two main killers or causes of a shorter lifespan are Cardiovascular Diseases and Type 2 Diabetes. There are certain risk factors associated with each that you control, meaning  the way you live your lifestyle directly impacts your vulnerability to these diseases.

Dad – do you want to live to see your kids grow up or do you want a third pork pie?

Poor diet and low activity levels put you at a higher risk. The National Health Service recommends 20 mins of moderate exercise a day to combat this – what’s moderately walking to the fridge and back going to cure really? These are half hearted attempts to alert the public of the dangers of inactive lifestyles.

In 2006 in the UK a poll of 350,000 people showed that less than half did any activity or exercise. Even worse, 95% of the UK do not manage to achieve the recommended 20 mins of fridge hopping moderate activity per day. Scary.

Don’t just join a gym – join the longer life club.

I’m not just talking about fatties here. Being underweight is just as unhealthy. You can have a skinny person with ridiculously high cholesterol levels just as susceptible to a heart attack as someone who is morbidly obese.

Drugs

Never mind being off your tits on LSD. The UK health service has royally fucked this one.  For example, you have a young girl who is overweight. She goes to her doctor to tell him she is unhappy. Does he prescribe her a healthy dose of exercise and provide sensible dietary advice? Or does he make the drugs companies happy by dosing out Prozac by the sackful.

Sadly in many cases it is the latter.

The same goes for lowering cholesterol, blood pressure even diet pills that actually make you shit yourself if you eat fatty foods. Has modern society really been reduced to considering adult nappies rather than good old fashioned self control.

E is for Endorphins

Why is fitness important?

Believe it or not, some people actually enjoy exercise. For me going for a long run is therapeutic, it helps me clear my head, plan my day, it fills me with a sense of achievement and the endorphins I get are a natural high that sets me up for the day.  I feel good knowing I am doing good for my body – maintaining a high level of fitness and increasing my lifespan.

One of the important benefits of exercise is to lower both resting and exercise heart rate. Recent studies show that a lower resting heart has a direct impact on morbidity and mortality. There is now scientific proof that having a low resting heart rate, and subsequently a lower diastolic blood pressure, actually reduces the strain / damage to blood vessels  surrounding the heart due to relatively prolonging diastolic blood flow (flow in the circulation as the heart relaxes) versus systolic flow which is more turbulent. The calmer flow means less risk of damaging plaque and causing a heart attack or stroke. And what are the experts prescribing – a fucking pill.

Value your life – train hard and eat clean.

Carrots?

I’m not saying you have to live like a saint. I don’t exist on a diet of raw carrots. I enjoy the occasional drink – I just don’t have a pint with every meal . Moderation is key. If you lead a healthy lifestyle 80% of the time you can afford to relax 20 % of the time. The road to a healthier lifestyle especially with regard to weight loss is a longer process but once you are there you can afford to relax a bit more.

I work out.

Exercising is not just about vanity and looking good in lycra. It’s about bettering your quality of life. If getting off your arse means you get to live a longer life on earth then get moving.

The most productive 40 minutes of your day

What is the best form of exercise.

It worries me how much time people waste in the gym doing the 1 hour cardio slog, then 40 minutes weight sessions , 10 minute warm up 10 minute cool down , stretch. This means an unsociable amount of hours in the gym and for what?

There is simply no need .

If you want to lose weight and look good there is no quick fix I’m afraid but you don’t need to move your bedroom into the gym just yet.

Exercise Intensity

What exercise do you do?

If you go for a long run, say 5km plus, you are working moderately hard – open mouthed breathing heart rate fairly high, you keep going for a good half hour. This is considered aerobic – you are able intake enough oxygen to deliver to your muscles and sustain longer periods of exercise.

Anaerobic exercises is high intensity. Consider sprinting. You can only go a short distance full pelt before you stop – breathless, burning and sweating. This is anaerobic. Your body can only take in enough oxygen to sustain activity for very short periods of 30 secs to just over a minute. The oxygen deficit results in lactic acid production which is that burn you feel in your muscles and you have to stop.

Circuit Training

Increases fitness

Now let’s look at Circuit training… which I think is the dogs bollocks.

This combines both aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

Your heart rate goes up and down a lot like interval training. This improves your body’s ability to recovery from more intensive exercise, which means your fitness increases and you are able to do more and go for longer.

At your first session you may struggle to do one or two burpees. After a few classes you will see vast improvements in the number and how your body reacts – breathing will become easier and you will be able to handle the lactic acid burn. As you get fitter the volume of oxygen your body can take in and utilise (VO2 Max) is increased allowing you to go for longer without having to stop.

 

Builds lean muscle -  increased basal metabolic rate

You also build lean muscle through the incorporation of strength resistance training– a combination of stations with functional exercises to hit every muscle group of the body. Even the ‘connecting muscles’ – so fuck off Tracey Anderson. The muscle fibres built through circuits are mostly fast twitch muscle fibres (the ones that allow you to go for a short time but fast and full on). These are more dense than your slow twitch muscle fibres – the ones that marathon runners have so they go for hour and hours. This means they raise your resting metabolic rate so you burn more calories at rest. In translation, you burn more while you are not doing exercise.

Improves muscle balance

Because the exercises are functional – rather than isolated movements like when you are sat like a twat on the adductor machine – these incorporate each tiny muscle in your body otherwise overlooked, and are excellent for improving core strength – something that no number of pathetic crunches will do.

So not only is fitness increased but you also strengthen and tone your body.

This is why circuits are popular for different athletes because they make you use other muscles and energy systems you might not normally use. A marathon runner will not normally sprint or work against resistance and their form may be shit. A lot of runners develop a hyperkyphotic posture which is when your back hunches over. This can lead to all sorts of injuries in the long run. By conditioning their muscles through circuit training they improve their muscle balance and strength which can in turn improve their performance.

Burns a shit load of calories

So  why is this more effective for stripping body fat?

People looking to sustain or build muscle often stay clear of circuits or any cardio for that matter but this should not be the case. They worry CV will eat into their lean muscle. Not so, the release of HGH (Human Growth Hormone) from intensive circuit training allows fat loss with minimul muscle atrophy.

This is a potent fat burner.

When you work out to the point your muscles burn (due to lactic acid build up), your body secretes HGH. This promotes the use of fat as a fuel and spares you eating into your lean muscle.In short this keeps your body fat down and muscle mass high. This is why a lot of body builders work to the point they get DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness). This means the muscle has been sufficiently worked to the point it needs to be repaired – bigger and stronger than before.

Eat the right food

So what about the diet?

You just need to ensure you take in an adequate amount of protein to sustain the muscle.

This does not mean eating mountains of steak. You need roughly 1g of protein per day for every 1kg of lean muscle.

Most fitness professionals will recommend a low carb diet with lean protein to sustain muscle and fruit and veg for essential vitamins and minerals to keep your body healthy.

You do need carbohydrates as these give you energy. But remember fruit and vegetables contain carbs too. A lot of people ask if it’s better to train on an empty stomach ie. first thing in a morning as they will be eating straight in to fat reserves. Carbohydrates (glycogen) are stored in the muscle and liver as energy for 12-16 hours this means you will still be burning these stores if you exercise within that time frame, but there will be less available if you haven’t eaten another meal on top.

It’s when these are not used up that your body ends up storing them as fat. For weight loss you need to expend more calories than you take in so think about what you are eating and increase your training. Exercise alone is not enough , you need the correct diet to ensure maximum repair and recovery for your body and an adequate calorie deficit to ensure fat loss.

But aren’t I better off training in the lower intensity ‘fat burning zone’?

The fat burning zone can suck it quite frankly.

If you go for your lower intensity brisk walk on the treadmill you may burn 200 calories in 40 minutes.

You then check your heartrate monitor and it will say 50% calories from fat – meaning you have burned 100 calories directly by using fat as a fuel. However 1lb of fat roughly equates to 3500 calories. Ah.

That’s about 12 hours of brisk walking.

Compare this to higher intensity circuits. In one session let’s say 40 minutes you can manage to burn 500 calories. But the watch says 40% calories using fat as a fuel. Don’t be confused. You are using the fuel from stored carbs which would end up being stored as fat anyway. And in total have burned a shit load more calories overall.

Plus your metabolism burns at a higher rate for hours after training which means even more calories expended.

Plus you have built lean muscle which as discussed earlier allows you to burn more calories at rest.

How long will this take?

A circuit session usually lasts around 40 minutes to one hour, until your body has used up it’s energy stores.

This is great because you get your cardio workout and resistance training combined in one training session.

But going through the moves will not ensure results. You need to push yourself to the absolute limits – the harder the better – to get great results.

A circuit should never feel easy or comfortable. If it is you are not working hard enough. Always look to push it a step further – go faster, go harder, pick up a weight, jump a bit higher.

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it - plato

There is nothing quite like the high you feel when you are done. Sweaty, knackered and like you have accomplished something great. This is what exercise is all about.

 For elite level circuit training visit the professionals www.circuitfactory.ae