A Low Fat Christmas

Mince pies are our favourite festive staple, containing approximately 475 caolries per supermarket version. But before you use Christmas as an excuse to chomp through one a day - take a look below to see how much exercise you'll have to do to work it off!

Running.... 40 minutes
Spinning... 40 minutes
Walking.... 1 hour 50 minutes
Boxing...... 40 minutes
Rowing..... 55 minutes
Pilates....... 1 hour 15 minutes
Resistance training.... 55 minutes

''Britains Most Gruelling Exercise Session''

For more information about these sessions see www.insideouttraining.co.uk

NEWS 'Britain's Most Gruelling Exercise'

http://www.insideouttraining.co.uk/britains-most-gruelling-exercise.php

Healthy Snack Ideas

As ''Queen Snacker'' I wanted to write a post to dispel this myth I often hear about avoiding 'snacking between meals'. One of the key factors in any healthy diet is to accept that you'll need to snack and to prepare for it - problems only arise when you're not prepared. Planning is critical! It's no use trying to avoid eating if you're hungry, you may manage to go without once or twice, but its simply not a pattern that you want to set for the rest of your life!

Instead know that its okay to snack and to have snacks that fit with your daily plan to hand. The best piece of advice I can give anyone is to buy yourself some Tupperware so that you can prepare portions of healthy snacks in advance!

Shopping List
Fresh fruit (any type)
Strawberries / blueberries / raspberries + Elmlea low fat cream (makes a great dessert!)
Dried fruit i.e. raisins, crunchy bananas
Nuts (natural, not roasted or salted)
Cereal bars
High fibre breakfast cereal with low fat milk
Yoghurt
Yoghurt + muesli
2 plain biscuits (rich tea, garibaldi etc), or Jaffa cakes
Fruit milkshake using low fat milk and fresh fruit
Smoothies
Tinned fruit (in natural juices)
Oat biscuits / Wheat biscuits
Wholemeal crackers + jam / low-fat cheese spread
Ryvita snack packs – numerous flavours
Rice cakes / Rice cake snack packs – numerous flavours
Dark chocolate
Raw vegetables i.e. celery and carrot sticks + low-fat dip
Popcorn
Pretzels

Challenge for Charity 2010?

There's no better incentive to get fit over these dark Winter months than knowing you have a big chairty event looming in the New Year! The Royal London Society for the Blind have race spots available for some fantastic running events in 2010. As a small charity they don't get the same level of coverage as some of the larger ones, but need your help just as much!

Brighton Marathon – 18 Apr 2010 (sponsorship £500)
Sevenoaks Triathlon – 18 Apr 2010 and Sept 2010 (sponsorship £250)
Virgin London Marathon – 25 Apr 2010 (sponsorship £1500)
British 10k – 11 Jul 2010 (sponsorship £300)

If you are interested in or would like more information about any of the above contact Penny at penny.wedesweiler@rlsb.org.uk she'd love to hear from you! Good luck to those of you who take on a challenge for this wonderful charity! You know where to come for any training hints and tips!

Diet Myths

There is so much misinformation today about nutrition, it can be impossible to know what’s true and what’s not! Factor in the additional challenges faced by those people trying to lose weight, and you can see why so many fail. Just for fun read the following statements and decide which are true.
a. Eating more than the recommended daily allowance of protein will help build muscle.
b. White spots on your fingernails indicate a calcium deficiency.
c. If you have an upper-respiratory-tract infection, you should consume less milk in order to reduce mucous production.
d. None of the above.
For those of you who answered ‘d’ well done! But don’t feel bad if you failed the test, these are just some of the misconceptions I hear from people day in day out. Here is a few other common diet myths that you can help debunk.

MYTH: Skipping breakfast helps promote weight loss by reducing total calorie intake.
FACT: This couldn’t be further from the truth, skipping meals is a big mistake. In fact, research has shown that going without breakfast is associated with a higher risk of obesity, whereas people who eat four or more times a day experience a 45% lower risk of being obese (Ma et al. 2003). Simply put, those people who regularly eat breakfast tend to be thinner than those who don’t! Try whole-grain cereal, yoghurt or fruit as a great start to the day.

MYTH: Carbohydrates are the bad guy.
FACT: A diet rich in carbohydrates – particularly high fibre foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole-grains – is essential. Carbohydrates are the body’s favourable fuel source, you require adequate amounts to ensure sufficient energy for daily activity, metabolic function and repair. Aim for 50-60% of total calories from carbohydrate as part of a well balanced diet.

MYTH: In order to burn fat you should exercise on an empty stomach.
FACT: You are likely to fatigue more quickly when training on an empty stomach, resulting in suboptimal performance! You should aim to eat a small meal or snack containing both protein and carbohydrate, such as wholemeal cereal topped with low fat milk before heading to the gym.

MYTH: Fats should be completely avoided in order to lose weight.
FACT: Fat is an essential macro-nutrient for good health. Among other roles, it helps maintain proper body temperature, provides essential nutrients, protects vital organs and is a dense energy source that helps us feel satiated for longer periods of time (essential for all dieters!).
It is the type and amount of fat that one should monitor. Limit ‘bad’ fats (meaning saturated and trans fats) and replace them with ‘good’ fats such as nuts, seeds and olive oil. Our daily intake of fat should be around 30% of total calories.

MYTH: Eating after 6pm makes you gain weight.
FACT: There is no magic hour at which everything suddenly turns to body fat! There is nothing wrong with having supper and a light snack at night as long as you don’t overindulge by eating more than your recommended daily calorie allowance. The truth is that many people eat too much in the evening during sedentary activities such as watching television. Make sure you are eating in response to hunger and not boredom!