Competition Time - Nourish to Flourish

Here at Ladies, Lunch and Lunges we like to practice what we preach!

Therefore, Aileen and I have decided to undertake a four-week spring health and fitness challenge - Nourish to Flourish - and invite two of our wonderful followers to join us on this journey.  

Not only is this a fantastic opportunity for the chosen two readers to improve their own health and well being but, as Aileen and I will be regularly updating the blog during this time, everyone will be able to keep abreast of the highs and lows such a challenge will inevitably provide!  

This is because we want to keep it REAL!  We both have busy jobs and young families - so we want to show you that it's not all a bed of roses for us health and fitness "experts" either!

So what's in it for you?

You will each receive a personalised nutrition and fitness plan based on initial consultations with us.

Nutrition:

You will have your Metabolic Typing analysis done by me once you have filled in an online questionnaire.  Results are usually returned within 24hrs.  

From this I will be able to identify your eating ratios of fats, carbohydrate and protein and give you a food chart with a clear list of foods to eat - and those to avoid!  I will also assist the you with the planning of your weeks food.  

"But what about the rest of the family"? I hear you say! 

They too can enjoy the whole food diet you are about to embark on even though they haven't been metabolically typed, as any whole food change is a good change and they can support you through this.

 

Well being:

You will also be provided with a health and well being journal that will need to be filled in on a weekly basis.  It is through this that we shall document your progress.  

In addition you will also have weekly consultations with me via Skype so that you are given the support and guidance needed throughout this time. 

http://www.perthshirekettlebells.co.uk/nutrition/
 

Fitness:

Aileen will have an initial consultation call/Skype with you where you will decided on your aims and goals during this challenge.

From this discussion she will write you an individual training plan - based on your exercise preferences/ability and facilities available - in order for you to get the best from this challenge.

Aileen will also have weekly consultations with you via Skype in order to provide you with the support and advice you need as well as keeping you motivated!

If this sound like the type of challenge for you - get in touch!!!  All you need to do is post below in the comments box with the phrase "I'm in" by midnight on Monday 27th April in order to be entered in the competition.

Two names will be chosen at random on Tuesday 28th April - with the 4 week challenge starting on Monday 4th May.

Good luck!

So how did you get on?

Right my little Easter Bunnies, how did you get on with the Burpee Challenge?

I found that any more than 30 in one go saw me compromising my form!

Sam and I would like to say a massive well done to those of you who took part - and please feel free to share your experiences in the comments box below!

Everyone who comments will be in with a chance to win our gorgeous chocolate bunny too - so what are you waiting for....

We are also working on another challenge too - detail to follow soon!



Joanne Scott you are our winner of the Easter Bunny! well done. It's in the post

Have you started yet?

Morning Folks!

Hope you are fully embracing your inner Easter Bunny and are taking part in our burpee challenge.

How are you getting on?

What number do you get to before the burn really starts?

Remember, it is really important that you do them correctly rather than rush them!

We would really love to hear from you!

Aileen xxx

Easter Bunny Burpee Challenge!

The humble rabbit is an awesome athlete!  It moves at high speed with great power and grace!  Ultimately it is born to leap!  That is why I want you to embrace your inner "Easter Bunny" to take part in our burpee challenge!

What is a burpee?  

For those of your who aren't sure what a burpee is, have a look at this short video clip which includes variations dependent on you fitness level:

Did you know that one burpee roughly burns one calorie?

Not very much is it - bearing in mind that the average child will consume about 8000 calories in chocolate over the Easter period!

So, my challenge to you is to try and cancel out some of this overindulgence by taking part in the Easter Bunny Burpee Challenge!

The Challenge

Day 1 - 10 burpees

Day 2 - 20 burpees

Day 3 - 30 burpees

Day 4 - 40 burpees

Day 5 - 50 burpees

The rules

The challenge must be completed by Friday 10th April.

The challenge must be done over 5 consecutive days.

Burpees do not need to be performed in one go i.e do groups of 5 at a time etc.

Doesn't sound too bad, does it?  And as an added incentive for those of you who want to take part and leave a wee comment at the bottom of this post,  a participant will be chosen at random to win this bad boy! (only 1358 burpees required to burn him off!!!) Hehe!!!

Aileen x

Interview with fitness bloggers Sam Weir and Aileen Hill | Talented Ladies Club

Sam and I were lucky enough to be interviewed by the Talented Ladies Club.  

If you missed the feature click here to learn more about why we decided to start the blog!

What do you mean I am not Wonder Woman!

A very wonderful friend gave to me a brilliant mug that I use constantly.  Every morning I see it and staring back at me is the message:

" Anything is possible" she believed, so she grew WINGS and flew like an angel to the STARS!

"She didn't know that the back of her dress was tucked into her knickers, though, but, hey, you can't have it all!"

Wise words!  I love this.  

Not so long ago I would wake up every day and it would never occur to me that I wouldn't be able to do something.  However,  this thought soon became more than just a sense that I could do whatever I set my heart on - I felt I had to do it all - be a mum, run my own business and household, compete in events as well as whatever else life threw at me.  (Us 21st Century women can do anything and everything, can't we?)

Unsurprisingly, this way of living and constant self-imposed pressure built up to such a level that it had to be released.  My body's safety valve was deployed! 

My journey of awareness started last April when I was on my Outdoor First Aid course.  I had already completed my Boxercise, Kickboxercise and Kids Boxercise instructors course that year as well as the Holistic Lifestyle Coaching course and my Trail Cycle Leaders course.  

It was on day one of the course, drinking a little more coffee than usual, when I could feel this thud in my chest.  I have had this in the past where my heart double beats but usually it only happens once in a blue moon.  This time it went on for the rest of the day!  It then continued for the following few months, with no let up, not even when I stopping drinking coffee or when I stopped taking the Pill.  By now I was training full throttle, like a woman possessed some might say - in preparation for a local endurance event called a Quadrathlon. Training for such an event like this (which involves a mile swim in the Loch, a tab round 7 Munroe's, a 7 mile kayak and then a 36 mile cycle round the Loch) is emotional and exhausting enough without having to cope with the hormonal change that was now taking place in my body re-producing its own hormones, so maybe not my brightest move 3 months before one of my biggest events to date.  I completed it all with a smile on my face though!  (Most of the time!!), and some friends did see the more grumpy, unsympathetic, exhausted and on occasions irrational side of me when things did not go well.

Thankfully I listened to my body and realised that I had to re-prioritise.  I'm always amazed that when you tap deep down into yourself you can always seem to find a "change button" - something that makes you move in a different direction.  For some people this doesn't happen until they hit rock bottom or being close to death.  Thankfully my situation was a case of realising that I needed more time with my family and less time doing EVERYTHING!

We are now 8 months on and I feel a heck of a lot better.  My diet had been out of control - I couldn't feed my body right because of the huge stress I placed it under.  So now with a more balanced work, family and exercise life I am slowly repairing my body with what it needs. Back to basics and realising the nourishment my body needs.  That means understanding that my body needed almost 3 years to fully recover from a pregnancy, that moving back into a natural menstrual cycle could take up to 6months +, and that I didn't have to make myself do it all, (as nobody put me up to it, in fact quite the opposite), but I didn't listen to them or my body at the time. 

I've revamped my business and now concentrated on a few select regular clients.  It's very much a case of quality over quantity now.   I have also decided to take a year off competing and look forward to being stronger and fitter next year. And most importantly having time with my boys (all of them including my black lab)

Just recently I have completed my health and well-being journal and here is one of my captions that pretty much sums it all up:

Sam xxx

Ways to progress your fitness

If you have been exercising for quite a while you may be keen to know how to progress your fitness, especially if you have achieved your initial goals or feel as if you have hit that "plateau" stage!

Fitness can be progressed by applying the F.I.T.T principle

• Frequency - this refers to the number of training sessions that are carried out per week i.e how often training is performed.
• Intensity - this refers to how hard a person works during a training session.  The intensity of training is probably the most important factor when it comes to improving fitness.
• Time - this refers to the duration of the training session.  The duration of training is inversely related to its intensity: the more intense a session is, the shorter the duration needs to be in order ti gain the fitness benefits.
• Type - the chosen mode of training should be specific to the individual's needs and goals.

It is general advised to just change one of these factors at a time in order to avoid over-training.

I am going to focus this blog on the intensity of your workout as I believe this is the factor that helps you progress the fastest as well as being is the easiest one for you to change.

So, how do we monitor the intensity of our workouts?

If you are lucky enough to have a heart rate monitor you can easily and objectively use this to measure the intensity you are working at.

However, not everyone has access to this technology so instead we can use the Borg scale of Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).

As you can see, it categorises how we are feeling into a number on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the least intense and 10 the most.

How can I increase the intensity?

If we look at Cardiovascular fitness first you can:

• increase the resistance you are working against (on the rowing machine/spinning bike)
• increase the incline (on the treadmill or by finding a steeper hill to exercise on)
• perform the exercise at an increased pace

For Muscular Fitness you can:

• increase the load/weight
• increase lever length

Additionally you can try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).  This is where you perform a certain exercise for a short period of time followed by a small rest before moving on to the next exercise i.e. do squats for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds then start the next exercise.....

As the name suggest, it is to be performed at a high intensity to get results!

The principle of HIIT can be applied to most levels of fitness - including ante and postnatal clients but at a more appropriate intensity and modified exercise choice.  I actually do this with my ante and postnatal clients but call is Mummy Intensity Interval Training (MIIT)!!!!!! Hehehe!!!!!!

Generally I would recommend the follow intensity levels for HIIT workouts:

General population - 8-9 RPE

Antenatal clients - 5 RPE

Postnatal clients - 6 RPE

If you would like anymore information/explanation on any of the topics covered please just email me at info@thefitnesspuzzle.co.uk

Aileen xxx