Carbs, Protein and Fats = ESSENTIAL

Life is all about Balance!

Let’s talk about Protein, carbs and Fats!

Protein is essential for the growth of muscle, hair, skin and bones. Whilst carbs provide your body with energy to fuel your brain and muscles. Fat is also incredibly important for insulation, brain health and the production of hormones. When protein, carbohydrates and fats work together they keep your body healthy and functioning. The carbs you eat give you energy while the protein builds muscles. Fats and proteins are essential in order to stabilize the blood sugar levels in your body and are best eaten together! To put it simply without carbs your body would not have the energy  it needs to workout and train  hard and without protein and fats you would not be able to build muscle or grow skin and hair and regulate your hormones and mood as effectvely. Demonstrating that these elements are equally essential for your diet!

This doesn’t mean you can go out and order a crispy chicken burger to ensure you include this essential relationship is in your diet. Instead you need to choose with care and be smart about it! The best protein choices are lean meats, eggs and tofu. The best carbs are whole grains, fruits and vegetables which offer more health benefits that refined grains! The best fats are monounsaturated olive oil and avocado as well as almond butter!!! Coconut oil has been shown to have a myriad of other health benefits also.

Some examples of nutritious protein and carb combinations that you can include in your daily diet include brown rice and broccoli with legumes, tofu or grilled chicken, grilled salmon with steamed asparagus and quinoa, low-fat cottage cheese with fruit or oatmeal and nuts! These food combos will take longer for your body to absorb therefore there will be a slower release into your body and a steadier energy source to keep you going!

Source: Muscle & Fit

Resistance Training

Tell me this. Why is it that the one type of training that is proven to considerable burn more calories, tone and strengthen your body and make you look hot?!

The fear of “bulking up” has been keeping many women out of the weights room! When in actual fact, us girls should be embracing dumbbells and body weight training.

Resistance Training is another name for exercising your muscles using an opposing force i.e. dumb bells or resistance bands. The benefits that coincide with resistance training will surprise you! Lifting weights improve your bone density, joint mobility and body composition, not to mention that daily tasks such as lugging groceries, carrying kids around and climbing stairs become easier! And the benefits don’t end there!! Physical strength creates and enhances mental strength meaning that each time you finish a weight training session you are going to feel like you could take on the world!!

To help kick start your love of resistance training, here is quick workout to work that BOOTY!

BOOTY BLASTER

1 Minute Kneeling Leg Lifts (right)
30 Seconds Kneeling Leg Lift Pulses (right)
1 Minute Kneeling Leg Lifts (left)
30 Seconds Kneeling Leg Lift Pulses (left)
1 Minute Squats
30 Seconds Static Squat Hold
30 Seconds Squat Jumps

Repeat 3 times and feel that BURRRNNN!

Let’s work together to quash this stigma about weight training. Feminine strength is all about being strong on the inside as well as being strong on the outside. Trainers and professionals everywhere should be spreading the news about the myriad of benefits that resistance training has to offer so that all women are keeping healthy, happy, safe and strong.

Resistance training for women alone doesn't make you bulky.

Resistance training has a myriad of health benefits other than just keeping a sculpted body. 

My latest piece for On Target Publications Magazine discusses all the health benefits for women from performing resistance training. Unfortunately there is still this widespread stigma that women who lift weights will get bulky and too masculine looking. Society still dictates that to be 'attractive' one must be a delicate flower and that muscles are less feminine. 

I want to debunk this ridiculous myth once and for all. I have been training as an athlete my whole life and have spent a vast majority of my time exerting huge amount of forces through body weight exercises such as rope climbs, pull ups or explosive box jumps, as well as lifting weight with more than my body weight such as deadlifts. Although there is no denying that I am muscular, I still only weigh 60kg (130 pounds.) I am not an incredible hulk-ess and I don't weigh 100kg (220 pounds) as common thought would have you  believe  from the life time of training that I have undertaken.

If you are feeling too bulky, there are other factors that can contribute to feeling like you have thicker thighs such as higher levels of body fat which may be attributed to a poor diet. 

So ladies, relinquish the fear that weight lifting makes you too bulky, get into the gym and enjoy the myriad of health benefits that resistance training has to offer, such as:  

- increased metabolism, and ability to burn fat

- increased strength

- better posture to prevent injuries

-increases sense of wellbeing and better mood including, a decreased feeling so depression, reduced stress, increased sleep, increased self esteem

- reduced risk of heart disease, increased cardio vascular health and increased circulation

- increased libido. 

There are all great reasons to add some weights, or bodyweight strength circuit to  your program.