Tuesday 31 January 2017

What the hell is a Macro?

Hi Guys,
Macro's, macro's....what the hell are macro's?
So you may have heard about macro's when talking about diet or health and fitness? When people refer to macro's (macronutrients) these are the sources which we get our daily caolries from.......Carbohydrates, Protein & Fat.
Now we all have different requirements when it comes to daily calorie intake and when it comes to weight loss then energy in v's energy out is where you need to balance the scales. 
When it comes to calories and counting your macro's you might wonder if you can fit a doughnut into your diet and still lose weight? The answer is yes if you are in a calorie defecit, however these are what are classed as 'empty calories' and have little nutritional value. Plus eating high calorie snacks leaves you less food to eat through-out the day.......which leaves you less satisfied.
Filling up on 'healthy' foods keeps you fuller for longer, more satisfied and you are less likely to want to binge on unhealthy foods. So getting the right amount of macros to keep you on the road to success is key. Protein to help build/maintain muscle and carbs and fats to keep you satisfied.
If you want to know your macro/calorie requirements then drop me an email and I will be happy to advise.......
One thing I have come across recently in several articles is that alot of people are not eating enough when it comes to trying to lose weight. This is quite relevant to me at the moment as I have just started my 12 week competition prep and my coach has increased my calories at the start of the process. Now I know the science behind it and often speak to clients about under eating, however, when you are going through it personally, psychologically it is hard eating more as you think that you are going to pile weight on. 
Ok so best way to describe this is from my own personal experience........
I train 4-5 times a week (at least) and prior to Christmas I was living off reduced calories. Now I can't train anymore (not without giving up my job lol) and to reduce my calories any further would make me pretty miserable! So I needed to shock my system and kick start my metobolism again and reset my calorie needs......
So increasing my caolries, reducing my training and getting my body used to eating more will reset, then when I need to cut I can introduce more training and reduce my calories without living on saw dust! Now when I say I am increasing my calories I don't mean I am having a doughnut or dairy milk buttons with every meal......I am eating healthy food and following a diet which is sustainable whilst competing!
The same goes if you are just wanting to achieve fat loss goals or change your body composition.......so many people don't eat enough, which puts the body into starvation mode, the metabolism slows down and then it is harder to lose weight. Also I know I have said this before but if you get too obsessed by the scales it can actually have a negative effect. Muscle is more dense so weighs more than fat, however the size of muscle is alot smaller compared to the same weight as fat.
Some times you just have to 'suck up' an initial increase in weight whilst you reset your system to become more efficient at burning fat. If you don't eat enough then more often than not you lose muscle mass..........now the more muscle we have the more fat we burn!
I hope this is some help........so eat enough and make the right choices, if you constantly cut calories you have nothing to work with and you will plateau.......
If you want more advice on this or want to kick start your training and become a fat burning machine, click one of the links below.........
macros
Our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! So if you want to kick start your fat loss click below....
Andrea (looking to win this time) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Thursday 26 January 2017

In the words of Wilson Philips, Hold On.....

Hi Troops,
Some day somebody's gonna make you want to
Turn around and say goodbye
Until then baby are you going to let them
Hold you down and make you cry
Don't you know?
Don't you know things can change
Things'll go your way
If you hold on for one more day
Can you hold on for one more day
Things'll go your way
Hold on for one more day
Just a few song lyrics there for you.....
January can be tough on motivation, you start full of plans and resolutions only to find your ambition start to disappear as the weeks roll on.......this week is a week where people tend to break their new years resolutions and fall off the wagon when it comes to healthy eating & fitness regimes.
It is cold & dark outside and most of us want to hibernate and eat comfort food.....This is when you need to carry on with the change, stick to your goal and hold on as things will go your way. 
Last few days to get the half price special offer! Have a great weekend and stick in there, the results will be worth it :)
hold on
If you sign up for a contract in January you get February and March half price!
Also our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! 
So just click on one of the links below  make 2017 a happy one!
Andrea (looking forward to some warmer weather) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Monday 23 January 2017

Dieting & Dating can often feel like hell!

Hi Guys,

Hope you have all had a good weekend? I spent Friday evening with a group of friends at one of our friends house.......we had a lovely meal and plenty of alcohol. I felt it all day Saturday! It was my final blow out before my next competition prep started this week!
We were talking about dating and how it can be a mixture of fun and hell all in one! 
Dating, like dieting can start off exciting and fun when you embark on something new, you prep your food and make sure you are date ready. Then when all the initial excitement dies down or you realise you have nothing in common or just don't fancy them, you feel like tucking into a cream cake! Then you plateau.....after all the interest and all the pounds dropped then nothing....no dates no new interest and no more pounds lost.
This is when you have to persevere and stick at the end goal.......if you want to look your best and be fit and healthy, when things get tough stick at it. You have to kiss a lot of frogs to meet your Prince!
Now I can't help you with dating although I can help with your fat loss and fitness goals. Be honest, faithful and committed to the cause and things will work out ;)
dieting and dating
If you sign up for a contract in January you get February and March half price!
Also our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! 
So just click on one of the links below  make 2017 a happy one!
Andrea (too honest when it comes to dating) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Thursday 19 January 2017

What a refreshing change!

Hi Guys,

The other week I was at the swimming baths and whilst I was getting changed I heard some kids talking in the changing rooms.......
One of them was on about their PE lessons at school and how they didn't get enough time, they said by the time they had got changed for PE and then had to get changed back at the end of the lesson there wasn't much practical time.

Now it was such a refreshing thing to hear! Normally you hear kids talking about their computer games or facebook so it was good to know that some kids still want to exercise!

Now I haven't been lucky enough to have children yet, however, when I do I will make sure that they are active warrior kids ;)
If you lead a healthy active lifestyle then this can only be a positive influence for Children......

So if you want to make a change and inspire someone younger to be healthy and active click one of the links below.

Also watch this space for kid's activity parties coming soon......
children
If you sign up for a contract in January you get February and March half price!
Also our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! 
So just click on one of the links below  make 2017 a happy one!
Andrea (love to inspire the young) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Monday 16 January 2017

Blue Monday.......Kick it in the butt!

Hi Troops,
Hope you have all had a good weekend and survived 'Blue Monday'!?.......
Now I didn't have a clue that it was blue Monday until I heard about it on the radio and read about it on my facebook news feed. I had heard the term before but never really knew why yesterday was an official day of being unhappy!?
So I googled the meaning..........
The story goes that 'Blue Monday' is the 'most depressing day of the year' based on a calculation of factors such as weather, debt levels, time since Christmas and time since failing our new year's resolutions. In truth, Blue Monday was created in 2006 by PR people to sell summer holidays.
Now is this not abit naive to think that it is only a certain day that effects people when there are a lot of people struggling with such things on a daily basis? People are happy, sad, depressed and have life struggles every day of the year.
Now when I was at University we looked a lot about the positive effects exercise and healthy eating can have on your mood and also help with the symptoms associated with depression. Exercise & healthy eating interventions are the most under utilised!
I know myself how much better I feel when I eat healthy and exercise......Exercise really does lift your mood. Also when you train with like minded people it can be fun too!
Now I wish that by eating healthy and exercising would reduce the number of depression cases, however by making healthy lifestyle choices it can help prevent and improve symptoms of those who suffer.
Some come on make 2017 a happy one!
depression
If you sign up for a contract in January you get February and March half price!
Also our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! 
So just click on one of the links below  make 2017 a happy one!
Andrea (had a happy Monday) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Monday 9 January 2017

Life's for living & sharing!

Hi Guys,
Hope you've all had a good weekend and survived the first week back at work......and at boot camp ;) I started 2017 as I mean to go on lol!
December 2015 was bit of a wake up call for me, I can remember sitting at home just before new year thinking what had I done with my life in 2015, it felt like another year had passed and that I hadn't achieved anything. When I look back now I had a pretty good year, but you forget all the stuff you have experienced or achieved when you are sat alone in your flat single and feeling fat!
I had read somewhere about happiness jars and how through out the year you fill them with happy times, goals you have hit and the great things you have achieved and experienced. So 1st January 2016 I started my jar, through out the year I filled it with everything that put a smile on my face and all the fun stuff  I had done.
So this Christmas & New Year was completly different, I made sure I had fun, spent time with people I cared about and didn't think about what I still want to achieve but all the great stuff I had done. New Years day I sat (whilst a little hung over) and read through all my happiness slips. It was great as I sat and remembered all the great stuff I have done and actually laughed out loud at some of the stuff I have done.
Also for the last few years I have tried to buy my parents 'experiences' for birthdays and Christmas rather than material things. On Sunday I went to a spa with my Mum and a couple of her friends as my brother and I bought her it for her birthday. We certainly made memories when one of our friends dropped water and wine and smashed glasses in the 'relaxation' room. If you have ever had the feeling of getting the giggles when you are supposed to be quiet, well that was us.
Now the same goes with exercise, you have to experience both pleasure and sometimes pain to get results. You have to remember how far you have come not how far you have to go. So if you want to get results and fill your fitness happiness jar then click one of the links below......
The healthier you are then the more time you have to experience life!
Some come on make 2017 a happy one!
happiness jar - 2
If you sign up for a contract in January you get February and March half price!
Also our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! 
So just click on one of the links below and start your 2017 fitness journey :)
Andrea (happy) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Thursday 5 January 2017

15 years younger......I wish!

Hi Troops,
First week back at boot camp and it has been great to get back into the swing of things and back to a normal routine. I feel a little less bloated than at the beginning of the week, however, I still have a bit of work to do before the Christmas excess is completely gone!
At the beginning of the week I had to go to hospital for a blood test and the nurse who was taking my bloods asked me my name and date of birth and then she asked me what moisturiser I use. I thought it was a bit random, then she said that I was three years younger than her and she thought I was 15 years younger! Boom great compliment and made my day.....especially when I had gone straight after work and it was first day back and it showed in my face lol!
Now if you are interested I use sunscreen on my face everyday (even through the winter) which I have done for years and for the last couple of years I have used coconut oil. However I also drink 4 litres of water a day, eat healthy 90% of the time, I have never smoked and hardly drink. So I firmly believe that your lifestyle shows in your face. Granted Mr & Mrs S look great for their age so good genes may also play a part.
Whats the saying... you are what you eat!
So if you want to stay youthful and have a good quality of life then diet and exercise are key.
Come on make 2017 the year that you make lifelong changes........it is inevitable that you will get older, however you can roll back the years by training and eating well on a regular basis.
Lets do this together :)
compliment
If you sign up for a contract in January you get February and March half price!
Also our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! 21 days to shred Christmas!!
So just click on one of the links below and start your 2017 fitness journey :)
Andrea (wish I was 15 years younger!) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Tuesday 3 January 2017

How December ruined me ;)

Hi Guys,
Well first day back at work yesterday and I am glad to get back into a routine......although after being awake most of the night before my first day back I wasn't that pleased when my alarm went off! Looking forward to dishing out those Burpee's at bootcamp tonight too ;)
So what can I say about December....other than it turned me into a fat alcoholic lol! I did my last competition of the year back in November then I hit December and had a month of parties and catching up with friends! I had the bootcamp Christmas Party, my other work's do and then my birthday. Catching up with friends and eating out more all has an effect and after four weeks of going from clean eating to partying it has played havoc on my waist line.
The dress I wore to the bootcamp party was somewhat tighter when I put it on 4 weeks later on New Years Eve!
Now this type of eating and drinking is the extreme and out of the norm for me.....which it is for most people in December. However it is what you do afterwards and the rest of the year that counts. You can let this become your norm or create a healthier, fitter, lifestyle which becomes your norm.
I was so glad to go to Morrisons at the weekend and buy lots of green colourful food ready to start the LifeForce plan again. I am competing again in April so back to what has become my norm and something that actually makes me feel happy and healthier. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed letting my hair down for a while, what I dont enjoy is the negative effect it has on my body!
No amount of chocolate tastes that good that its worth piling on the pounds for!
So if you want to get rid of the bloat and start incorporating regular exercise into your routine then click one of the links below :)
Lets do this together :)
fat barbie
If you sign up for a contract in January you get February and March half price!
Also our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! 21 days to shred Christmas!!
So just click on one of the links below and start your 2017 fitness journey :)
Andrea (glad to be eating broccoli) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Monday 2 January 2017

Time of year to get the rear into gear

Happy New Year Troops!
Wow it seem's ages since I have done a blog......I will fill you in what has been happening later on in the week!
I will be so glad to get back into a normal routine and to start operation reduce the gut!
2017 new year
So just a quick one today to tell you about our January offers to help you get back into fitness and health!
If you sign up for a contract in January you get February and March half price!
Also our 21 day transformation plan is flying out the door and a great price of only £25.00! 21 days to shred Christmas!!
So just click on one of the links below and start your 2017 fitness journey :)
Andrea (feels like a beached whale) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk