Ronald Abvajee

Fit body tips for road warriors

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:15:13 GMT

Trying to find the time and a place for fitness during business travel can be an added stress to a busy trip – or a welcome escape.

Follow these pointers to keeping fit before, during and after meetings on the road. Remember, it’s important to be healthy and keep energy levels up for the rigours of the road warrior lifestyle.

Tip 1: Look before you book

Many hotels, especially hotels that cater to business travellers, are making advancements to their fitness centres. When booking reservations, ask what equipment or amenities are available and how recently they were updated. Research shows that a nicer gym will increase your motivation.

Tip 2: Eat smart

I advise travellers to look into restaurants in the city you will be visiting prior to landing. If possible, scout menus online for healthy options so you don’t find yourself faced with only calorie-laden options during key business dinners.

Tip 3: Pack accordingly

Knowing your fitness preference can help you make smart packing decisions. Are you a runner? Look for light-weight or flexible sneakers that pack well. A resistance band takes up next to no space in your suitcase but a packs major fitness punch.

Tip 4: Stick to a schedule

You wouldn’t forget a sales meeting if it was scheduled in your email calendar, so use the same system to set aside time for fitness. Most people benefit – and are more likely to work out – if they do it early in the day.

Build More Size and Strength

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 09:34:05 GMT

It's pretty easy to see why weight training gets boring for most guys. After all, it can be pretty challenging to make things exciting when you're stuck doing the same exercises over and over again. That's when a little strategic creativity can help reap more results from the same muscle-building exercises you're already doing. These three tried-and-true tactics - can accelerate your muscle potential, without having to make major changes to the exercises you're already doing.

The Run/Rack Approach

This exercise technique lets you blast your muscles more thoroughly in the same set. Although you can do it with a weight stack machine, it's called 'run the rack' because it works easiest while standing in front of the rack of various-sized dumbbells in your gym.

To Do It:

Stand in front of the dumbbell rack with a light weight in each hand that's approximately 40 percent of the amount you would normally lift for eight repetitions. Lift the weight eight times, then quickly return the dumbbells to the rack and grab the next heaviest dumbbell. Repeat the exercise again for another eight repetitions, grab the next heaviest pair and continue for another eight repetitions. Keep increasing the weight with each set until you can barely eke out eight repetitions.

The Rest/Pause Approach

This technique lets you do more repetitions with heavier weight than you can normally lift, which will force them to grow stronger and larger.

To Do It:

Choose a weight you can only lift for a total of four to five repetitions. Do a set of four or five reps, then lower the weight and rest for five to six seconds. Lift the weight for another repetition, then rest again for another five to six seconds. Keep repeating the process until you've completed a total of eight full repetitions.

The Nine Angles Approach

Most guys fall into the trap of doing three sets of three exercises to work each muscle group but instead, you can perform one set each of nine different exercises. This helps conditions each muscle through nine different angles in one workout instead of three, so a higher percentage of muscle fiber gets trained for better results.

CARDIO + WEIGHT TRAINING = Best Results!

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:57:13 GMT

It's common to associate building muscle with weight lifting and fat loss with cardio training. Unfortunately, by doing so, you're really selling yourself short on potential results that could be seen if you truly understand the intricacies of working out, particularly when it comes to weight lifting for fat loss.

Weight lifting can actually prove to be a very effective method for losing weight, provided you go about it in the right manner. Here is the information you need to know about why you should choose weight lifting to help with fat loss and how to design a program to get the results you desire.

The first reason weight lifting is a good option for fat loss is because it boosts metabolic rate both over the short term as well as over the long term. In the hours after an intense weight-lifting session you will experience an increase in metabolic rate. What’s more, weight lifting will help you maintain your total amount of lean muscle mass, creating a permanent increase in metabolism.

The second reason to choose weight lifting for fat loss purposes is because, while cardio may make you lose weight, weight lifting will help you lose body fat.

So in every workout aim to blend your cardio training and you weight training into one workout.

Lose weight and body fat

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:26:35 GMT

It’s common to associate building muscle with weightlifting and fat loss with cardio-training – but by doing so you’re selling yourself short on potential results

Weightlifting can actually prove to be a very effective method for losing weight, provided you go about it in the right manner. Here is the information you need to know about why you should choose weightlifting to help with fat loss, and how to design a program to get the results you desire.

The first reason weightlifting is a good option for fat loss is because it boosts metabolic rate over both the short and long term. In the hours after an intense weightlifting session you will experience an increase in metabolic rate. What’s more, weightlifting will help you maintain your total amount of lean muscle mass, creating a permanent increase in metabolism.

Cardio-training will only cause a short rise in metabolic rate for an hour or two after the session, taking away from the overall calorie-burning benefits, compared with resistance training.

Often, overdoing cardio will actually decrease your total lean body mass, so you could see a reduction in metabolism over time, working against your fat loss efforts.

The second reason to choose weightlifting for fat loss purposes is because, while cardio may make you lose weight, weightlifting will help you lose body fat, altering your body composition.

Many individuals who just hop on the treadmill to lose the kilograms don’t end up looking much different. This is because they still have the same proportion of muscle mass to body fat – they are just “smaller”.

Weight-training will help change the way you look completely, giving the impression that you’ve replaced fat with muscle and are actually working at improving your body and changing your body composition.

Weightlifting for fat loss is a great alternative to cardio and will give you better, more visible results. So do the best of workouts: weight0training and cardio in one session.

What drives bad eating habits?

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:25:09 GMT

As is the case with most bad habits, there are a variety of forces that can drive men toward bad eating.

A few familiar forces characterise the majority of bad eating habits:
- A lack of discipline
- Stress
- Convenience

Bad Eating Habit No 1: You overeat
The explanation: You ignore the screams from your satiated stomach and continue to cram morsel after morsel down the hatch.
The root of the problem: A lack of discipline.
The solution: Overeating is often the result of intense hunger. To battle the binge, try to eat before you are overly famished. When eating, eat slowly and savour each bite. It takes the brain some time to register a feeling of fullness, so slowing your pace will keep your portions at a healthy size. Lastly, try to bring greater discipline into all areas of your life. Getting yourself organised is a great way to start.

Bad Eating Habit No 2: Junk food
The explanation: You rewrote the food guide to include only one major food group: junk food.
The root of the problem: Convenience.
The solution: There is a reason junk food is called “junk”. Your typical junk foods are rarely nutritious, while your typical snack foods are rarely satisfying, making it easy to overindulge. People get tired of eating the same food day after day and junk foods offer a convenient escape. Don’t become a slave to this convenience. Healthy foods can offer the same variety as junk, but the motivation to opt for change will have to come from within.

Gain maximum results

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:54:47 GMT

In order to achieve maximum results from your muscle-building or fat-loss programme, taking in the right amount of calories is essential

Your calorie balance is what will dictate whether you gain or lose body weight, making it incredibly useful to track this information. Unfortunately, there are a number of calorie-counting myths people fall for, that will cost them results in the long run. By making yourself aware of these myths, they won’t affect your progress.

Myth 1: There are negative-calorie foods
One major calorie-counting myth is that certain foods actually cause the body to expend more calories digesting them than they provide. The belief is that if you eat these foods, they will actually cause more weight loss than if you hadn’t eaten them in the first place.
Reality: While there are certainly foods that provide very few calories, especially once you factor in their dietary fibre content, there are no foods that will put you in a negative calorie balance.

Myth 2: If you exercise enough, you don’t have to count calories
Another calorie-counting myth is that if you exercise enough, you don’t need to count calories. Often, individuals who feel dragged down by regulating their calorie intake will attempt to lose body fat simply by training more.
Reality: Increasing your activity levels will cause the body to burn more calories and help in terms of total weight loss, but it’s important to keep in mind that the body can only handle so much exercise. At some point, it’s going to have difficulty recovering and if overtraining sets in, fat loss will stop.

Some men who have high amounts of muscle mass and a fast metabolism may get away with not regulating their calorie intake to a large extent, but there still must be some degree of moderation taking place. How much will depend on each individual.

Abs for life

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:54:08 GMT

Washboard abs are high on every man’s list of must-have muscles, yet the abdominal muscles often cause confusion when it comes to training

The first mistake a lot of men make is thinking that more is always better. They crank out hundreds of crunches a day and wonder why those squares of muscle aren't developing properly. Like with all muscles, the way to build your abdominals is to keep the reps per set fairly low – in the region of 10-12 – and increase the resistance when you find it too easy, not the number of reps. That means adding weight when doing crunches or using a cable machine.

The other mistake that men often make when hunting for abs is to forget about the layer of fat that covers them. Men tend to store fat around the gut, so you really need to work hard at lowering your overall body fat percentage if you want to see your abs. This means watching your diet and doing plenty of big muscle moves, such as squats and deadlifts, that torch calories.

Your six-pack is actually one sheet of muscle, called the rectus abdominis, which extends from your ribcage to your pubic bone. Because it is one muscle, any abs-specific exercise will work the entire area, but it is possible to target the upper or lower portions of the rectus abdominis with different exercises, which is why we have indicated whether each move focuses on the upper or lower abs.

Your rectus abdominis is supported on either side by your external obliques, internal obliques and transverse abdominis. Together they support and manipulate your spine, and combine with your lower back muscles to form your “core” – the muscular region that connects your upper and lower body. A strong core is vital for performing any dynamic movements in sport and for preventing back pain. So abs training is not just for show: it will make you stand taller and perform better in all areas of life.

Looking for easy ways to burn more calories during the day? Send your fitness questions to Ronald@mypersonaltrainer.co.za

Sit-ups are not the solution to belly fat!

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:06:11 GMT

You can do all of the abdominal exercises in the world, but it won’t do any good if there is too much fat blocking the view

Many people are under the notion that in order to lose abdominal fat, you have to perform a countless amount of sit-ups every day. This isn’t true. Abdominal fat loss is achieved through a proper diet and a well structured workout routine. Performing sit-ups or crunches with the hopes of losing that unwanted fat around the mid-section really only accounts for 5%-15% of the battle. Having a well balanced diet and a cardiovascular workout routine accounts for the large majority of abdominal fat loss success. Here are some quick tips to get you started on losing abdominal fat:

- Eat with fat loss in mind: The only way you will see your abdominal muscles, is if your body fat is low enough. You can do all of the abdominal exercises in the world, but it won't do you any good if there is too much fat blocking the view! Your diet should consist approximately of a 300 to 500 caloric deficit per day than what your body needs to operate, which will allow for fat loss.
- Regularly workout: Get that heart beating at a higher than normal rate for a significant period of time, at least 4 to 5 days a week. This will help strengthen your efforts of fat loss by burning more calories. Run, jog, swim, bike, do whatever you like best!
- Work those abs: You really only need to perform a few sets of abdominal crunches each day to ensure that your abs are being worked. Remember what I said, though: abdominal exercises really only account for 5%-15% of your abdominal goals.

Following those key principles will help you develop those abs you’ve always wanted. There isn’t much to it – as with any goal in life, it’s all about consistency and motivation.

If you need help formulating a solid diet plan and workout routine, I can help you: email me on coach@mypersonaltrainer.co.za

How healthy are you?

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:56:00 GMT

Every once in a while it’s a good idea to take stock of your habits and routines. Are you doing everything you can to feel good and stay healthy?

Here is a fun quiz to get you thinking about some of your habits, as well as some lifestyle changes you might consider:

Give yourself one point for each question you answer “yes” to:

1. Do you do cardio workouts at least four times a week?

2. Do you strength training two to three times a week?

3. Are you a non-smoker?

4. Do you wear sunscreen daily?

5. Do you get at least seven hours of sleep per night?

6. Do you take a multivitamin every day?

7. Do you eat fresh or frozen fruits and veggies each day?

8. Do you each fish or chicken each week?

9. Do you take a few minutes to meditate each day?

10. Do you drink no more that two to three cups of coffee each day?

11. Do you wear proper footwear and clothing so that you are safe and
comfortable while you are exercising?

12. Do you own (and use regularly) any resistance bands or a stability ball?

Scoring:

0-4: You should probably lie down to recover from taking this quiz. Your lifestyle needs some attending to!

5-6: Get a personal trainer pronto!

7-9: You’re on the right track. Keep up the good work!

If you need guidance on to how start getting fit and healthy or losing weight, email me on Ronald@mypersonaltrainer.co.za

Exercise works your mind,not just your body

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:54:20 GMT

Ever heard the expression “healthy body, healthy mind”? Exercise can have a very positive impact on your emotional state

Exercise can lower stress levels, release “happy hormones” and boost self-esteem.

Prolonged stress can play havoc with your wellbeing, so it is good to know you can use exercise to take control and do something about it, and even better to know that while you are lowering your stress levels, you are doing something great for your body at the same time. People feel stress in different ways and, likewise, respond to exercise in different ways. What suits one may not work for another.

Aerobic exercise is a select rhythmical activity, which involves the large muscle groups and can be maintained continuously – such as swimming, running or cycling. Aerobic exercise can help your mental state in several ways: firstly, by removing yourself from your environment, you immediately enter a different state. This is where I thoroughly recommend getting outside for your workout. Exercising in your aerobic zone (where you are breathless but still able to recite your address) causes your body to release endorphins, the so-called “happy hormones”. You may have heard of “runner’s high” – this is the feel-good factor that regular exercisers will feel. Regular aerobic exercise can also help to improve the quality of your sleep, which will have a very positive effect on stress.

Take a tip from a pro and try to exercise aerobically regularly, as well as taking time out to breathe and still your mind with yoga, tai chi or something similar.

Healthy body, healthy mind: Happy body, happy mind!

If you have any questions, email me on Ronald@mypersonaltrainer.co.za