Two simple rules for working out

As I have mentioned before in my blog posts, food and diet is such an important part of fitness, health and muscle building. It is therefore very important that we eat correctly around our workouts but this can be hard to do. Here are two little tips though:

1. Avoid eating a full meal less than an hour before a workout. No our body won't explode if we do, but we will be very uncomfortable and will not be able to get the most from our workout. If we are hungry before our workout we should grab something like a banana that has a good supply of carbs as it will help us during the workout.

2. After a workout it is important to re-fuel as soon as possible. We need to ensure that we take in carbs to replenish the energy levels that we have been using and we will need protein to repair the muscles that we have used during our workout.

Hope these little tips help!

Little Changes for Weight Loss

Weight loss is a hot topic - always. And it is fair to say that many people really struggle to lose the weight that they want, and it is easy to understand why. There is so much information out there that contradicts itself, and many people are enticed by 'crash diets'. Crash diets are NEVER a good idea. But here are four ideas that can help to shed a few extra pounds.

1. Drop fruit juice from your diet. Despite it seeming a healthy drink, fruit juice contains a lot of sugar and people can drop a good few pounds a month by replacing it with water.

2. Avoid energy bars and products along similar lines. The reason for this is that when working out the energy from your last meal should be enough to get you through so you could do without the extra calories!

3. Add a piece of fruit or a vegetable to each meal. As well as the extra goodness you will receive from eating them, you will also feel fuller for longer and therefore be less likely to snack and will need less from your next meal.

4. Cut out the booze! As severe as it may sound this can help shed a good amount of weight each month. Or you could always try switching to a lighter beer!

The Importance of a well balanced diet

When looking into fitness, health, muscle building and weight loss, diet is such a key thing to address. Essentially, a good diet is the key to a healthy body.

No one single food will provide all the nutrients that our body requires in order to function as it should so it is important to have a well balanced diet in order to get these nutrients. The body needs protein, fats, carbohydrates and fibre as well as vitamins and minerals.

For building muscle mass protein is key. However, carbs, fats and fibre should not be ignored. About 20 minutes after a weight lifting workout we should refuel our body and this should contain proteins and carbohydrates.

One of the most important pieces of advice with regards to weight loss is to not starve yourself. This will lead to more harm than good. The body begins to store fat and often weight can go on. You will not be living healthy by starvation.

A good diet can also help maintain everyday health and prevent long term disease and illness.

Eat right!