7 Shoulder Exercises for Strength and Stability

It's time to focus on shoulder workout for improving your torso strength and stability. Shoulder strength training can reduce your risk of injury by strengthening your core muscles, which makes you more stable and lessens imbalances.

• Assess yourself

Before beginning your shoulder strength training, you should assess your body and shoulders.

“Start by keeping your arm by your side the entire time. Complete one full shoulder circle going front-to-back, and then another back-to-front,” Coggan says. “You want a good range of motion in this movement, without pain. If you experience any discomfort, talk to a Gold’s Gym trainer before starting these exercises.”

• Do shoulder workouts twice a week

Doing shoulder exercises twice a week gives the muscles ample time for growth and recovery. Start with this approach:

First 10 minutes: Stretch the upper body, shoulders and back muscles.

Next 20 to 30 minutes: Shoulder exercises (listed below) paired with upper body training, such as chest, back and arms.

Next 5 to 10 minutes: Light stretching.

Last 10 to 20 minutes: Cap it off with cardio or high-intensity interval training.

• Choose your weight

One of the biggest mistakes a beginner can make is choosing either too much or too little weight.

Assess: Try 10 reps in good form. If you can easily go past 10 in good form, try a slightly heavier weight.

Tweak: If you’re struggling to get 10 or need to engage other muscles to finish the rep, you’ve gone too heavy. Go down about 5-10 pounds.

The sweet spot: If you can do 10 reps with great form and feel like you have just 1-2 reps left in the tank, you found the perfect weight for you.

• Change it up

There’s more than one way to train, Coggan says. And actually, doing the same thing repeatedly is a common mistake, he says. Bodies begin to adapt to an exercise and need variety to continue making progress. Just make sure you’re doing the basics right.

Gold’s Gym trainers, who can introduce a wide range of workouts, can make sure you’re using proper technique. Here, Coggan offers four exercises to try, as well as modifications for each fitness level.

1. Dumbbell front raise

                                                         Workout Movement Front Raise

This exercise is an effective move to isolate your anterior deltoid muscles, or the front of the shoulder. Standing, hold dumbbells in front of you with your palms facing your legs. Keep your elbows and knees slightly bent as you raise your arms straight in front of you to shoulder level. Slowly return to the starting position.

The goal: Four sets of 12 reps. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.

Beginner: Move up and down at an even pace. Two seconds up, two seconds down. Don’t lock out the elbows or lean back during execution.

Intermediate: Try decreasing the rest between sets to 30 seconds, and combine front, lateral and reverse fly shoulder raises in one sequence.

Expert: No rest between sets. Combine front, lateral and reverse fly shoulder raises in one sequence.

2. Dumbbell lateral raise

                                                          Workout Movement Lat Raise

Lifting laterally activates your posterior deltoids and upper-back muscles. Standing, hold dumbbells with your palms facing each other. Keeping your elbows and knees slightly bent, raise your arms out from your sides in wide arcs to about shoulder level. Slowly return to the starting position.

The goal: Four sets of 12 reps. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.

Beginner: Move up and down at an even pace. Two seconds up, two seconds down. Don’t lock the elbows or lean back during execution.

Intermediate: Try decreasing the rest between sets to 30 seconds, and combine front, lateral and reverse fly shoulder raises in one sequence.

Expert: No rest between sets. Combine front, lateral and reverse fly shoulder raises in one sequence.

3. Reverse fly

                                                          Workout Movement Reverse Fly

This exercise targets your posterior deltoids, as well as the rhomboid and middle trapezius muscles of your upper back. Standing, hold dumbbells with your palms facing each other. Bend your torso forward, forming a 45-degree angle with the floor. With elbows slightly bent, raise the dumbbells up and out to the sides until they are parallel to the floor. As you lift the weights, focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together.

The goal: Four sets of 12 reps. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.

Beginner: Hold your spine in a strong, flat neutral position throughout the movement. If you are not strong enough to do this on your own today, use a bench set to an incline to support yourself.

Intermediate: Try decreasing the rest between sets to 30 seconds, and combine front, lateral and reverse fly shoulder raises in one sequence.

Expert: No rest between sets. Combine front, lateral and reverse fly shoulder raises in one sequence.

4. Seated military press

                                                       Workout Movement Military Press

Along with building anterior, medial and rear deltoid strength, this exercise also targets the upper back. Sitting, hold a dumbbell in each hand, and raise both weights to shoulder level with palms facing out and elbows bent. Press the weights up and toward each other as you straighten your arms. At the top of the movement, keep a slight bend in your elbows. Slowly bring down the weights, and return to the starting position.

The goal: Four sets of 12 reps. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.

Beginner: Use a bench with a back support to support your body throughout the shoulder press and decrease the demand on your abs and back. Focus on full range of motion from shoulders to arms straight, with your arms in line with your ears.

Intermediate: Remove the back support and slow down the movement for a two-second lift and a two-second descent.

Expert: Stand up. Consider including an explosive lift while continuing to lower the weights slowly and under control.

5. Standing dumbbell shoulder press

                                                     Workout Movement Standing Dumbbell

Lifting weight overhead from a standing position engages all the muscles of your shoulders and upper arms and works your core as it stabilizes. To begin, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, squeezing your abs and your glutes tightly throughout the movement to maintain a straight back. With the dumbbells at shoulder height, press the weight straight up until your arms are fully extended. When your arms cover your ears, you’ve achieved a straight-up position.

The goal: Three sets of eight reps. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.

Beginner: Keep the weight down and aim for 10–12 reps.  Focus on good form and proper body position.

Intermediate: Superset the presses by doing the dumbbell front raise for 10 reps immediately after your set is finished. The 1-2 punch will have your shoulders really burning.

Expert: Try one arm at a time. Be sure to lighten the dumbbells slightly at first as this will really challenge your core in a big way.

6. One-arm dumbbell push press

                                                       Workout Movement Push Press

This combines shoulder work with full-body power development, increasing your strength in overhead pressing movements in a big way. The heavier load makes it a big core challenge that really gets your heart rate up and will leave you feeling like you just ran sprints.  Start in the same position as the standing shoulder press, but with a dumbbell in only one hand. Begin the movement with a slight knee dip (think quarter squat depth). Rapidly extend your knees and hips to create driving power that will push the weight explosively with one hand over your head to a full lockout. Slowly lower the weight back down to shoulder height to repeat for reps.

The goal: Four sets of 6 reps per side. Rest about 90 seconds between sets.

Beginner: Most beginners should focus on more basic movements that do not involve a power component. Straight shoulder presses would be the best bet.

Intermediate: Try doing six sets of 3–4 reps with heavier weights that will challenge your strength to a greater degree.

Expert: Hold two dumbbells and alternate sides from one rep to the next.

7. Plank dumbbell shoulder raise

                                                 Workout Movement Shoulder Raise

This exercise combines a proven core development exercise with a staple shoulder developer, making it extremely effective and time efficient. Holding the dumbbells, start in a plank position supported on your hands and on your toes. Begin with your feet a little bit wider than shoulder width. Move your feet in if you need to increase difficulty. From this position, alternate reps lifting one arm off the ground and straight out in front of you until it lines up with your body (parallel to the ground).

The goal: Three sets of five reps per side. Rest about 60 seconds between sets.

Beginner: Complete the movement from hands and knees, rather than toes.

Intermediate: Complete as directed if you’re an intermediate.

Expert: Bring the feet in as close to each other as you can while maintaining a good flat back position and not shifting your hips. This will make the exercise much more difficult quickly, so just move in a little bit at a time.

This is all for today, I hope you got some meaningful understanding from today’s blog. Thank you for your precious time, see you all in the next blog.😁

By Aryan Veerwani (Team SYNC Snippets)

4 Habits To Increase Your Consistency In Workout

While you've read so many exercises and workout routines in our previous blogs, It's time for me to tell you what all can you do to increase your consistency for better results! One of the key elements to success in endurance sports is consistency. Learn the top four habits you should form that will help you stay on track with your training. 

Consistency is not a skill or talent, you have direct control over it. Here are four habits that will increase your consistency and ultimately your success on race day. 

1. Plan and Schedule Your Workouts

Scheduling workouts on the same day every week will help with consistency. For example, every Monday might be an easy swim, every Tuesday a hard bike and so on. By creating a repeating schedule that you know works for you you minimize the chances to missing a workout. If your goal as a triathlete is to complete three swim, three bike and three run workouts per week, put all the workouts into your calendar as repeating events. 

2. Be Purposeful

Each and every workout should have a purpose. Putting in unnecessary volume increases your risk of injury and overtraining. Instead, focus on the workouts you need to do and consider the quality, not quantity, of each session. In doing so, you free up time to do everything else that you need to do rather than create unnecessary conflicts.

3. Follow Your Plan as Best as you Can

For most of us who do not make our living as professional athletes, the reality is that we may not be able get in 100 percent of our workouts each week. A good target is to complete 75 to 85 percent of your planned workouts in a given week. Note the key workouts during the week and focus on getting those workouts in. You’ll receive the desired training effect while allowing more flexibility in your life.

4. If You are Short on Time, Do a Shorter Workout

This may seem obvious, but I’ve been guilty of skipping long workouts altogether rather than doing a quick 30 minute swim, bike or run. Rather than feeling down about not getting the full workout in, be positive about having done some workout rather than nothing.

While these are fairly simple steps to follow, they are also very important. One of the key elements to success in any fitness goal is putting in the work over time. Staying consistent through every week leads to fitness gains and limits injuries so you can reach your full potential. As Jim Rohn once said, ”Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

Here are some bonus tips for you to be more consistent:

• Do what you like to do
• Track your workouts
• Don’t overdo it
• Trim down your goals
• Don’t get pigeonholed into one type of workout
• Forget the ‘all or nothing’ mentality — look at each day as a series of choices

This is all for today, I hope you got some meaningful understanding from today’s blog. Thank you for your precious time, see you all in the next blog.😁

By Aryan Veerwani (Team SYNC Snippets)

15 home workouts to tone your body - No weights required

15 minutes of strength training, five days a week is all you need to start seeing results from an at-home strength training routine.

Ready to get started? Do these 15 strength exercises at home to tone your arms, legs, glutes and core using just your bodyweight.

Lower body exercises

Walking squat

Start in a squat position with your feet as wide as your hips. Pull the abs in and bend the knees to sit back as if you’re trying to sit into a chair. Then step your right foot to the right into a wide leg squat, and bring your left foot a step to the right to the starting squat position. Keep walking sideways with this squat 10 times, then stand up and repeat to the other side.

Squat with knee lift

Start in a squat position. As you press down through the heels to stand up, lift your left knee up toward your chest. Gently put the foot back down and lower into the squat, then stand up again but lift your right knee up. Repeat this 10 times to each side.

Side lunge with a twist

Step your left foot to the left into a side lunge as if you’re trying to sit your left butt cheek down into a chair. Then press off of the left foot to come back to center and lift the left knee up toward your chest. Twist your torso to the left to engage your core and also work your balance on your right leg. Repeat this 10 times, then switch sides.

½ lunge walking lunge

Step your feet as wide as your hips. Then step the right foot forward and bend the right knee halfway to a half lunge. Bend the left knee halfway down. This is a half lunge position. Continue walking forward for 20 half lunges.

Standing leg lift to the back

Stand upright on your right leg with your left leg pointed back. Pull your navel in toward your spine and lift your straight left leg up behind you to work the glute. Repeat this 10 times, then switch legs.

Upper body exercises

Pushups on the knees

Coming down onto your hands and knees, place your shoulders over your wrists and knees underneath your hips. Then walk the hands forward about 1 foot, and bring the shoulders forward to stay over the wrists. Pull the naval in toward the spine, and bend the elbows out to the side to lower down into a pushup. Press down through the palms of the hands to come up to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.

Tricep dips

Sit on your butt on the ground, and place the hands behind you. Turn the fingers to face your butt, and lift your butt up off of the mat. Keep your knees over your ankles, and bend the elbows straight back lowering down into a tricep dip. Press down through the palms of the hands to straighten the arms, while working the tricep muscle (the back of the arms). Repeat 10 times.

Plank to downdog

Starting on your hands and knees, walk the knees back to tuck the toes under and lift up into a plank position. Maintain a flat back as you keep the shoulders over the wrists and reach the heels toward the back of the room. Then, pull the abs in and lift the butt up toward the ceiling and back, coming into an upside down "V" position. Take a breath in, and then exhale as you shift forward into plank. Repeat this 10 times.

Lat pulldowns

Standing up straight, reach your arms up toward the ceiling, keeping them shoulder-width apart. Then pretend that you’re grabbing a bar as you pull the arms and elbows down with the elbows bent out to the sides, engaging the upper back. Squeeze the shoulder blades together. Then return the arms to the starting position. Repeat this 10 times.

Arm circles

Reach the arms out to the sides as high as the shoulders and move the arms in 10 circles forward and then 10 circles backward. Repeat this 10 times total!

Core exercises

Crunch with knees up

Lying down on your back, bend the knees at a 90-degree angle. Place the hands behind the head, elbows open wide. Lift the head and neck about 1 inch off of the ground. This is the starting position. Engage the lower abs as you curl up as high as you can and hug the elbows in to try to touch your knees. Lower the head, neck and elbows down to the starting position. Repeat this 10 times.

Criss cross & reach with knees up

Lying on your back, keep the knees lifted at a 90-degree angle. Press the palms together at the center of your chest. Curl up as you reach the arms across the right thigh, then come back to center. Curl up as you reach the arms across the left thigh, then come back to center. Repeat this 10 times to each side.

Single leg lower & lift

Lying on your back, place your left foot on the ground and lift your right leg up toward the ceiling. Tilt the pelvis to press your low back into the ground. Keep your back pressed against the ground as you lower the right leg down about 45 degrees, then bring it up to center. Repeat 10 times and then switch legs.

Single leg straight toe touch

Lift both legs and both arms up towards the ceiling. Curl your head and neck off of the ground as you lower the right leg and reach your fingertips toward your left toes. Come back to center, bring the right leg in and lower the left leg down. Reach up toward the right toes. Repeat 10 times to each side.

Modified side plank elbow to knee

On your knees, lower the right hand down to the ground to the right of your body; making sure the right shoulder stays over the right wrist. Then extend the left leg out as high as your hip. Place your left hand behind your head, and crunch the left elbow toward the left thigh. Your body may not move very much, but you’ll feel the left side waist engaging. Repeat this 10 times, then switch sides.

Sample weekly workout plan

Unsure of how exactly to incorporate these exercises into your routine? I’ve created a sample weekly workout plan using the three body-weight circuits above. This full body strength-training routine can complement your cardio walking plan.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Lower body circuit + core

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: Upper body circuit + core

Sunday: Core

This is all for today, I hope you got some meaningful understanding from today’s blog. Thank you for your precious time, see you all in the next blog. 😁

By Aryan Veerwani (Team SYNC Snippets)

Can you really reach Zero State of mind with a world full of Distractions?

Before I answer your question, lets understand what exactly is Zero State Of Mind. Zero thought state is a state when our mind is doing nothing, nothing means nothing. Like our attention, observation, awareness of senses became zero. No thoughts run in our mind. During meditation we try to control our thoughts, meaning we are doing something but in a zero thought state we are doing nothing. 

Now let's get back to the question, Can we really reach zero state of mind with a world full of distractions? The answer to this question is Yes, you can. We all know 2024 is the era of AI and Web 3.0. But if you are someone who can execute deep work with a calm mind, you can easily achieve zero thought state. 

When, through practice, meditation and discipline, one is able to achieve at least for a few minutes, a state when no thoughts are present in the mind, that is when this 'empty' mind is bursting with creative potential, that is called 'nirmal sthiti'.

Here are some simple steps that you need to follow consistently at a fixed point of time according to your routine to achieve Zero Thought State:

• Practice Meditation - To start a meditation practice, simply find a place where you can sit and relax. Then observe your thoughts without becoming attached to them. Once you've noticed them, let them go and bring your focus back to the present moment.

• Mindfulness meditation techniques can be used to help you reach this zero thought state, where you are free from the constant chatter of your mind. 

• With guided relaxation meditation scripts, you can learn how to focus on your breath and let go of any mental stress or worries. 

• Even just 5 minutes of meditation per day can have amazing benefits for your mental health and wellbeing. 

• Breathwork is a powerful tool that can help us reach a zero thought state and tap into our inner wisdom. 

• Pranayama breathing technique, which is an ancient yogic practice, teaches us to focus on the breath and use it as a tool to calm the mind. 

• Breathwork exercises for beginners are easy and accessible, making it possible for anyone to learn the basics of this powerful practice.

• By connecting with our breath we can access deeper states of relaxation and peace. This can help us reduce stress, anxiety, and negative thought patterns while increasing clarity of mind. 

• Breathwork can be used as an effective tool for personal transformation and growth

• Visualization exercises can be a powerful tool to help you reach the zero thought state. This is an essential step in achieving inner peace and relaxation. With the right visualization techniques, you can quickly get into a deep meditative state and achieve clarity of mind.

• Guided visualization relaxation scripts are one of the most popular ways to use visualization exercises for relaxation. These scripts provide step-by-step instructions on how to relax and visualize your desired outcome. 

This is all for today, I hope you got some meaningful understanding from today’s blog. Thank you for your precious time, see you all in the next blog. 😁

By Aryan Veerwani (Team SYNC Snippets)

What Is a Wellness Retreat and What Are the Benefits? 

A wellness retreat is a destination you travel to with the purpose of improving your health and well-being. While a normal vacation gives you the chance to take a break from your daily routine and enjoy leisure time, wellness retreats are true health sanctuaries that offer programs focused on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness. 

What are the Benefits of Wellness Retreats?

Wellness retreats have many benefits, from supporting personal growth to helping you heal physically and encouraging you to reconnect to nature.

Wellness Retreats Are Designed to Support Personal Transformation:

Wellness retreats offer a nurturing environment where you can focus on health and personal development through a variety of healing services and activities. For example, a wellness sanctuary may offer wellness practices such as yoga, meditation, and other activities that serve as an incubator for positive transformation. 

Additionally, wellness retreats are specifically designed to promote a healthier lifestyle and help you gain a new perspective through activities and workshops. For example:

You might attend a cacao ceremony where you can set positive intentions and express yourself through movement and dance. 

You might spend time on mindfulness activities like journaling, meditation, and nature walks. 

Ultimately, wellness retreats offer a range of activities that allow you to fully immerse yourself in deep wellness while staying in a healing environment. 

A Wellness Retreat Connects You to Nature 

One of the top benefits of a wellness retreat is the chance to reconnect with nature. The top wellness resorts around the world offer guests a beautiful backdrop of serenity in majestic locations from the mountains to the sea. For example, our luxury wellness resort, located in the British Virgin Islands, offers wellness retreats set amidst a lush 43 acres of private island terrain. 

In addition to providing a natural space that allows for profound healing to take place, wellness resorts—especially those that focus on sustainability—are often designed in harmony with the surrounding environment and use eco-conscious practices. 

For instance, wellness resorts that prioritize the environment will offer:

Eco-minded architecture, such as guest rooms and retreat centers that integrate with the surrounding landscapes

Spaces that highlight the marvels of outdoor spaces, with sundecks, infinity pools, and nature-inspired dining spaces that help you connect with the great outdoors and resynchronize yourself with the movements of the sun, moon, and stars.

Wellness Retreats Promote Healthy Eating 

Apart from providing superior spa treatments, another benefit that often comes with a wellness retreat package is tailored dining options that support a healthy lifestyle. Generally, first-class wellness resorts will have a highly trained personal chef who prepares an array of organic and fresh meals and can accommodate specific dietary restrictions. Likewise, the best wellness resorts will prepare eco-conscious meals that are prepared with locally sourced ingredients, ensuring the freshness and preservation of nutrients in every single dish. 

With these factors in mind, it’s important to find a provider that offers wholesome and nutritious meals when looking for a wellness retreat that supports a holistic and whole-body healing journey. Similarly, a wellness resort should not only prioritize your health by providing healthy meals but also make sure to serve food that positively impacts the environment. By offering plenty of local organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs, a wellness retreat can bring benefits in the form of a healthy body and also a healthier planet. 

This is all for today, I hope you got some meaningful understanding from today’s blog. Thank you for your precious time, see you all in the next blog.😁

By Aryan Veerwani (Team SYNC Snippets)

10 tips to stay fit over Christmas

 10 tips to stay fit over Christmas 🎄

Start Slowly and Progress Gradually

When you’re ready to start a new routine it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and go at it with full force, however it is essential to ease into a new fitness routine especially when it comes to new exercises or if you haven’t been active for a while to prevent yourself from injury or burning out. Remember, consistency is KEY.

Mix Up Your Workouts

No one wants to get bored especially during Christmas so keep it exciting by varying your workouts. Incorporate a combination of cardiovascular exercises, strength training, flexibility exercises, and perhaps even some classes or sports you enjoy. Mixing up your routine will engage different muscle groups and help you stay motivated.

Find an Exercise Buddy or Support Group

Doing things alone can be even more challenging, finding a workout partner or joining a fitness support group can boost your motivation and accountability. Working out with someone else can make exercising more enjoyable, provide encouragement, and make it harder to skip a session.

Prioritize Nutrition

Physical fitness goes hand-in-hand with a balanced and nutritious diet. Fuel your body with wholesome foods that provide the necessary nutrients to support your workouts and overall health. Avoid crash diets and focus on sustainable eating habits for long-term success.

Listen to Your Body

This is CRUCIAL. Pay attention to your body’s signals and avoid pushing yourself too hard. Rest and recovery are essential in your fitness journey. When you start to feel fatigued or if you notice any pain or discomfort, take a break, and consult a healthcare professional if it gets worse.

Track Your Progress

Keep a fitness journal or use smartphone apps to track your workouts, food intake, and progress toward your goals. Monitoring your achievements will not only help you stay on track but also provide a sense of accomplishment as you see your improvements over time.

Celebrate Small Wins

There is nothing wrong with celebrating yourself and your achievements no matter how small they may seem. Each milestone you reach is a step forward, and acknowledging your progress will reinforce your commitment to your fitness journey.

Stay Hydrated

Proper hydration is essential for optimal performance and recovery. Make sure to drink enough water throughout the day, especially before, during, and after your workouts.

Stay Positive and Be Patient

Remember that fitness progress takes time and dedication. Be patient with yourself and avoid being too critical if you don't see immediate results. Stay positive, focus on the journey rather than the destination, and celebrate the improvements you make along the way.

This is all for today, I hope you got some meaningful understanding from today’s blog. Thank you for your precious time, see you all in the next blog.  😁

DROP THAT BODY FAT IN WINTER

 

DROP THAT BODY FAT IN WINTER

Winter is that time of the year where most athletes hate getting up early in the dark hours and love the comfort of their warm beds.

 

Along with this comes the process of comfort eating.

The drop in temperatures leaves our bodies expending a little more energy to keep warm and so there are additional feelings of hunger that require satiation. However, most people tap into their emotional eating and consume an unhealthy mix of foods to provide them that level of comfort. Meal structure is lost and so too are the hopes of coming out of winter in good shape.

 

SO HOW DO YOU EXIT WINTER LEANER & MEANER?

There are several steps you need to take and if you follow these you will succeed.

 

SET YOUR GOALS

So you know you want to come out of winter leaner and meaner but what does that mean in terms of body composition goals?

 

The first step is to know your current weight and your current body composition in terms of body fat. You might be fearful of the numbers but once it is in black and white you can set yourself a goal as to where you want to go. As an example, you might want to drop a few percent body fat but if you do not have a starting point then you will not be able to measure your rate of success. Whatever your goal, whether it’s to drop a few kilograms, increase a few kilograms, drop body fat, drop waist circumference you do need a starting point. Numbers do not lie, and they set the foundation from which to launch.

 

 

STRUCTURE YOUR TRAINING

Exercise is the only way to increase lean muscle. It is not possible to strengthen and grow lean muscle without some form of resistance training. Winter is a brilliant time to add a mix of strength sessions to the routine. They do not have to be long-drawn-out sessions. As little as 30min x 3 times, a week is sufficient to trigger hypertrophy with a split routine incorporating all muscle groups. I like to mix it up and target a combination of muscle groups a couple of times a week. This does not mean I neglect my running, cycling, cardiovascular exercise etc. It just means I reduce my volume sufficiently to incorporate a fair amount of strength training.

 

 

NUTRITION IS KEY

Now we get to the low down on how to drop the body fat. Smart eating is the way to get that body fat down and it’s quite simple. Firstly, no it does not mean fasting, it means eating and eating well.

 

Step 1 is to determine how many calories you are currently burning off on any day at rest and including exercise. Once you know this amount of energy expenditure you need to make sure you consume a deficit. So as an example, if an individual burns off around 2500Kcals daily and wants to lose weight then I would suggest a deficit of around 500Kcals meaning his intake should be no more than 2000Kcals. If you want a nice gradual loss over a longer period, you could go with a slightly lower deficit of around 300Kcals but for faster results, the former is better.

 

Do not think eating even more of a calorie deficit is good for you because it is not necessarily. It can cause fatigue, slow recovery, and drop those energy levels limiting your ability to perform. I often hear people tell me that to increase muscle one needs to eat in a surplus. This is not true, to gain weight sure you need to eat in a surplus, but you can still increase lean muscle by eating in a slight deficit or maintaining. The key to muscle growth is proper macronutrient intake specifically protein.

 

Let’s talk macronutrients for a bit………………

 

For body fat loss, Fiber is very important and a high fiber diet will see you feeling satiated and keeping blood glucose levels down. This is the trick with body fat dropping. It is ensuring you control blood sugar levels properly while giving it the proper nutrients required to achieve your end goal.

 

In many cases, people shift to keto diets to try to control blood sugar. I do not think this is a wise idea as it diminishes power and pace over time and that is what I would want to push harder during the winter months. An individual whose organs function normally and secretes insulin the way it was meant to will not have a problem processing carbohydrates. Most important is the volume of carbohydrates you consume per meal and if controlled you can limit blood sugar elevation. Doing this correctly can keep you in a fat-burning mode most of the time. So smaller meals more spread over the day is an excellent way of controlling blood sugar, hunger and stabilizing energy levels properly.

 

FLUID CONSUMPTION

Water is so vital in any healthy eating regime. I advise consuming around 30-40ml per kilogram of body weight daily. Now with the winter months and the cold many people turn to loads of coffee consumption and many with sugar. Instead of playing havoc with excess caffeine consumption and loading yourself with sugar try to incorporate some herbal teas. Green tea is my favourite and due to its catechins especially EGCG it can increase metabolic rate aiding weight loss. Over and above this its polyphenols provide a host of health benefits.

 

Another trick is to have ice water which cools down the core temperature leaving the body to work harder to warm it up. Not many people can wake up to a glass of ice in winter so green tea would be your next best bet.

 

To sum up train smart, eat smart and use this period to make the positive gains you are looking for towards your goals instead of hampering them and having to do some damage control when you exit the winter period.

 

Just a few tips to help you through this period

 

DON’T LET WINTER BREAK YOU, LET IT MAKE YOU.

This is all for today, I hope you got some meaningful understanding from today’s blog. Thank you for your precious time, see you all in the next blog. 😁