Recently I appeared on Mornings With Kerri-Anne to discuss how we can burn more fat during our workouts and through our diet. Watch the 3:24min clip below.

My Top 5 Tips for Burning More Fat:

Do you have any fat burning tips that have worked for you in the past?

Ever wondered what the top nutritionists recommend for healthy snacks???  I recently had the pleasure of interviewing my nutrition idol Dr Joanna McMillan Price on her top tips for snacking. Joanna has written many fantastic books on health and nutrition. She comes from a strong research background, yet has a brilliant way of explaining things in practical terms.  She walks her talk and is one of the most highly respected Nutritionists in Australia.

Joanna talks about her favourite snacks for health, weight management and enjoyment!

Two key lessons really stood out for me:

1. Spread out your meals: You will expend more calories (ie speed up your metabolism) if you spread your calories out in the day (rather than eating 2-3 larger meals). That’s why if you skip breakfast then eat more than half your daily calories after 4pm, you will probably struggle to lose weight.
2. Beware Foods that Drive Hunger: The three main drivers for hunger (ie these things make you want to eat more) is Fat, Sugar, Salt. Food manufacturers know this so they load up food with these things. Chips: Fat and Salt. Chocolate bar: Fat and Sugar – ouch!

Joanna’s top Snack Pics:

• Fruit/veggies: Bananas, Oranges, apples, strawberries, carrot sticks, celery sticks.
• Muesli bars (Be Natural are her top pick). Beware of fat and sugar content
• Small portion sizes of nuts and seeds

Thanks SO much Joanna for your informative (and cheeky) interview! I need one of those banana holders!

What are your favourite snacks that follow my guide of  SIMPLE – NUTRITIOUS – DELICIOUS?

Recently on Mornings with Kerri-Anne we discussed exercising throughout your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. What are some of the best exercises for different age groups and what should you be focussing on?

Sydney Marathon

You’ve done the training. You’re feeling fit. It’s time to think about your strategy for the big day. Factors such as the type of training, food, recovery, and race day strategies can be the difference between a PB and a PF (personal flop!) What can you do in the two weeks leading up to a race and on the day that will deliver your best running effort yet?

Taper your training:

Tapering training will enable your body to be fully recovered from all those long runs you’ve subjected it to. It gives you a chance to build up important stores such as your iron levels, zinc and white blood count. Do you need any more reasons to cut your training back? Most people jump at the opportunity!

Tapering is dependent on the distance of your race. For a marathon I would suggest halving your total distance/time run for the last two weeks. Doing shorter easy runs, mixed with a few sprints will help with speed, but really it’s just about maintaining what you’ve already got.

For a half marathon, the more prepared you are, the more time you have for tapering. Your last long run should be 8 days before, but if you only decided only three weeks before the race to do it, you may very well need that extra bit of time! You won’t make a huge difference to your fitness in the 8 days leading up to the race, but you run the risk of being tired/injured if you smash yourself so close to it.

For any distances less than a half marathon, give yourself four days off running before the race and you should fresh a daisy on the day.

Get stretching:

Admit it, you don’t stretch enough. What is it with most runners and stretching? It’s about as popular as a cold shower in winter (maybe because it can feel just as painful!). Hamstrings, calves (stretch with both a straight leg and bent), glutes, hip flexors, and lower back are the essentials. Click here for a video on some popular runners stretches. You may prefer to join a yoga or body balance class as this will stretch not only your running muscles but others you never even knew you had.

What to eat and drink before the race:

The ‘last supper’ is an important one. Actually what you eat that entire day could make a difference. Eat sensibly all day, rather than stuffing your face at night. Eat the same amount as you normally would, or slightly more, but don’t be a pig. What goes in must come out, and you don’t need that half way around the course! Don’t try a new meal or something you’ve never eaten. Spicy, rich foods are a no-no, so is salt and high salt meals.

You definitely want carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cous cous etc) to make up about 80% of your evening meal. If you suspect you might be intolerant of wheat, best to stick with brown rice or potatoes the night before, rather than bread or pasta.

I would suggest adding some iron rich food and protein your evening meal as well. It could be spinach and white meat, but I prefer a small piece of red meat. The protein from the meat will also help in your recovery, but save the big, heavy protein meal for the days after the race.

Some people are camels and can run on a completely empty stomach (like me). I would suggest sticking with what you know on race day, but you may want to have a sugary drink prior if you haven’t eaten since dinner.

Those who need to eat before a run, make sure you leave three hours between your meal and the run and keep it light like a banana, porridge, or toast with jam.

Hydration before the race

Pre-hydration the day before, not just re-hydration after the race is a crucial factor. Each day you need 30ml of water for every kilo you weigh. Then between 500ml- 1litre (depending on body size and race intensity ) for every hour you exercise. If you feel you might be dehydrated, you may want to increase that amount the day before. They say that a normally hydrated person will often need to get up once during the night.  So it’s a good sign if you need to get up the night before your race.

If you are well hydrated before the race, you will need less drink stops, which can help with your race time. You also don’t want to be having big gulps while you run as it can lead to stomach cramps. Besides, they say that once you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated so best to tackle that the day before and just sip at your drink stations.

Sleep

Try to get 7-8 hours each night in the week leading up to the race. Have an early night the night before and do what you can to reduce your jitters so you sleep well. If, however you have a restless night, don’t despair. One night out of seven won’t make that much difference, and I can assure you, I’ve done many a fast run on little sleep!

Race day strategy

Everyone has their own little systems that work, but here are some tips for race day that you might want to consider;

• Don’t change anything! No new shoes, outfits, food, drinks, gadgets, that have not been tried and tested in training. Not even your underpants!
• Get there early – however don’t freeze your butts off: There can be a lot of standing around, so bring an old jumper you don’t mind throwing away, or have your pit crew nearby to toss it to right before the gun. By getting there early, you can relax, enjoy the atmosphere, use the bathroom, and most importantly have a proper warm up and stretch.
• Go to the bathroom before the race: But remember the queues can last up to 45 mins in some of the bigger races.
• Know your race plan: Position yourself in the correct start place so you aren’t elbowing the slow pokes to get past, or getting trampled by the keen beans. Have your watch or heart rate monitor set up to all the correct laps and settings so you can pace yourself. Some races have pacers wearing shirts with their estimated pace time. They can be a really good helping hand but pull away if the pace is different to your norm.
• Enjoy the race! You have trained hard for this, and you are quite possibly the fittest you have ever been. Be in the moment throughout your race, and blow away any negative self talk. Yes you will be hurting, but remain positive in your attitude and watch how much more fun you will have. If you can’t enjoy the race, I promise you will enjoy the feeling of accomplishment afterwards.

Good luck and keep me posted on your results!

Recently I appeared on mornings with Kerri-Anne  to discuss whether it is necessary to weigh yourself for weight loss. It’s an interesting debate and one that I have very strong views about. Watch the discussion below…

What has your experience with the scales been? How frequently do you weigh yourself?

One of the most popular articles on this site has been Spinning Classes- 5 reasons why you need to learn to love them. I always get lots of questions about Spin and RPM like “will it make my butt look big?” and “how many calories does it burn?” So I have asked James Sutherland,  an experienced RPM instructor and bike riding nut, to answer a few questions for us.

1. James, what, in your mind are the best benefits of spin or RPM classes?
[James Sutherland] Increasing cardiovascular fitness, is the biggest benefit. Of course along with that is weight loss and increasing overall tone of your body, in a single RPM class you can burn from 400 to 900 calories!

2. One of the biggest questions about spin class or RPM class is ‘Will my butt get big?’ or ‘Will my legs or calves get big?’ What’s your view on this?
[James Sutherland] Take one look at the riders in the tour de France. They spend hours riding a bike every day and there are no big buts there, but plenty of toned bodies. RPM will not give you a big butt but what you eat and drink after RPM might, so you should always avoid the fat crave and replenish your body with plently of fluids and proteins.

3. How many spin or RPM classes maximum would you recommend people do per week?

[James Sutherland] I have always felt that 2-3 is the right amount, but if you can only fit in one that is still great!

4. What are a couple of riding tips for getting the most out of your spin classes, especially as your fitness levels increase?
[James Sutherland] Your first challenge is just to finish, but as time goes on look at trying to work harder each time. It might never get easier but your recovery will get faster. Lots of people use heart rate monitors and try to gradually increase their calories burnt

5. What is your preferred handle bar position? What do you recommend for beginners and advanced spinners?
[James Sutherland] Years ago I read that the best handle bar height was 2 – 5cm below your saddle. In the 25 years I have been riding bikes I have always found this to be true. Although if your riding for first time or if you have lower back trouble, equal to or higher than your saddle if fine. Where you feel comforable, will always be the best place.

6. Any tips for preventing a sore butt?
[James Sutherland] Sit your bum right back in the saddle. The saddle is designed so you sit on you sitting bones, so pushing your butt back a little will help releive pressure. Also remember there are millions of different bottoms but not millions of different shaped saddles, so try a gel seat protector if you can’t get comfy.

7. How many calories does a typical class spin or RPM class burn?
[James Sutherland] Research says about 400 to 900 and I have seen evidence of both ranges. To burn over 800 though you will have to ride hard.

8. Compared to other types of exercise, is RPM or spin a good way to lose weight? [James Sutherland] Its the best way to lose weight! Low impact, fun and effective what more could you want!

9. You are known as one of the best spin/rpm instructors around. What, in your mind is the difference between a good instructor and a great one? What should participants look out for?
[James Sutherland] You should look to be challenged and have experience that takes your mind outside of the confines of the 4 walls that the studio is in. Sure it’s going to hurt, but great things don’t come easy. Most of all you should look to have fun! A great instructor will make you forget about your problems and give you an experience that may just change your life (well for a little bit anyway)

10. You are also an avid cyclist. What kind of riding/racing do you do? Do you think spin classes benefit people who race or ride recreationally? Why?
[James Sutherland] I love all sorts of riding, but most of the racing I do is centred around mountain bikes. I race in longer endurance races and sometimes up to 24 hours, but also enjoy the shorter cross country format. I have also done a fair amount of bicycle touring before, and have dragged my wife around Tasmania. I think there are many benefits to RPM, particularly the intense interval format that the class has, this format helps to increase cardiovascular fitness and strength and because you are inside no problems with the weather.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and have your question answered!

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The Psychology of Fat Loss: Part 1 of 3

Recently I appeared on Mornings with Kerry-Anne Kennerly to discuss what it takes to burn off those Easter eggs.  Here’s some examples of what you would have to do to burn off your eggs:

• a small 7g mini Easter egg: 8 minutes of brisk walking (6.5km/hr) or 4minutes of jogging, skipping or boxing
• a medium 25g egg: 30min brisk walking or 14 minutes of jogging, skipping or boxing
• a large 100g egg: 2hr brisk walking, 1hr jogging, skipping or boxing

Some of the Questions Asked

Q. We’ve heard the studies about chocolate and red wine being good for you, so is chocolate really that bad?

• Bad only if you eat too much. 7g or 1 square per day is all you need to take advantage of health benefits
• Chocolate is calorie dense, nutrient poor. High in Sugar and fat, low in nutrients
• Dark chocolate is better as it contains antioxidants from the cocoa beans.

Q. What is chocolate made of?

• Cocoa beans, milk, fat, sugar, often many flavour chemicals

Q. Why is saturated fat worse for our bodies?

• Saturated fat hardens at room temperature, eg animal fat from red meat, butter, chocolate. It raises your LDL (bad cholesterol), has been associated with increase risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Q. How many grams of fat should we be eating a day?

• 45 for women and 60 for men. Preferably from mono unsaturated or poly unsaturated fats. Avoid Trans fats at all costs

Q. And what about carbs per day?

• Average woman 180g, trying to lose weight 100g per day.

The Verdict

Whilst one to two squares of chocolate per day has some health benefits, overdoing it quickly tips the scales. Dark chocolate (70% or higher) has considerably higher health benefits, so stick to dark and use it as a treat, not a daily snack.

What’s your plan of attack for keeping the sugar cravings at bay? Can you stop at just one egg, or once you break the seal is it all over?

Is goal setting really worthwhile? A recent study from Harvard University seems to think so. In this goal setting podcast I explore how goal setting will put you back in the drivers seat and how to best organise your goals.

Click play on the above icon (approx 6min).

Have you done any goal setting this year? I’d love to hear what you’ve set out to achieve and how you are tracking.

Recently I appeared on Mornings with Kerry-Anne to give her some tips on how to Hula Hoop. You can watch the clip here (use the tabs on the right of the video to locate the Hula segment).

Ever since October 2009 when Michelle Obama hula hooped 142 times without stopping, the world has gone hooping mad! Gyms and dance studios are including more and more hooping classes, and many celebrities are coming out of the woodwork saying it’s their workout of choice.

The History of Hula Hooping

Hula Hooping originated in ancient Greek times when it was invented as a form of exercise. Although the name ‘hula hooping’ came about in the early 1800’s when British soldiers witnessed Hawaiian women performing hooping as part of a dance. The 1950’s was when hula hooping really took off, and while it has always been popular amongst kids, it’s only been recently when the adult world has rediscovered their love of the hoop.

Nintendo Wii Fit has a lot to do with the sudden popularity of hula hooping as do celebrities such as Michelle Obama. Wii Fit’s hula hooping game is a really effective cardiovascular  workout. Whilst standing on the Wii you have to rotate your hips trying to keep your virtual hoop from falling. In the meantime more hoops are flung in your direction and you have to lean your body whilst rotating to catch them (or you get donked on the head). I was embarrassingly puffed the first time I tried this, luckily I wasn’t the only one!

What are the Benefits of Hula Hooping

• Increased fitness
• Weight loss (you burn around 600-800 calories per hour)
• Improved muscle tone, particularly your core muscles
• Balance and coordination
• Increased energy
• Improves lower back flexibility
• Heaps of fun!

What Muscles does it work

• Upper and lower abdominals
• Obliques
• Lower and mid back
• Gluteus (butt)
• Upper Thighs
• Heart and Lungs – a great cardiovascular workout

How to Get Started

Watch this video to learn how to get started. It takes practise but you will improve faster than you think!

What is a Good Hula Hooping Workout

• Warm up for 5 minutes doing total body stretching and some walking on the spot
• Hoop for 5 rounds of 2 minutes, with a short (30sec) break in between
• Move to your arms and hoop with each arm for 3 rounds of 1 minute, alternating sides.
• Switch back to hooping with your waist for another 5 rounds of 2 minutes, trying to hoop faster and add a few turns with your body if you can
• For your final round count the repetitions and try to beat your last score. Can you beat Michelle Obama’s 142 reps?
• Drop the hoop on the ground and hop in and out of the hoop for 20 reps, turning around going the other direction for 20 reps. (do lunges if you prefer low impact)
• Finish with some cool down stretches, and a big drink of water
• Alternatively you can add hooping into your regular workouts a. Add it at the start and finish of your walk, run, or class. If you do circuit style workouts, make hooping one of your circuits.

Although you probably view hula hooping as a kids game, give it a go and soon you’ll realise it’s a solid workout that will leave you smiling and panting at the same time!

Go to http://www.hooping.org/ to find out about your local hula hooping classes.

If in Sydney Australia visit Hooping empire.

When was the last time you hooped? I’d love to hear your hooping stories!

Since the creation of Wii fitness, there has been an explosion of fitness based products on the market. EA Sports active is one of them, and with a newly launched More Workouts addition, they are proving to be leaders in the development of fitness based Wii products.

Recently I have been trying out the new addition to EA Sports Active Franchise, More Workouts.  They have upgraded their fitness program to include the More Workouts addition with a 6-Week Challenge and this is what I have been trialling.

How it works

The six week challenge is entire workout program based around your level of fitness. It works both cardiovascular fitness, strength, and flexibility. It has a tracking system whereby you can monitor your progress and compare your results to previous weeks.  It is set up, exactly as it says, as a 6 week challenge, designed to push your  boundaries. The exercises are similar to the original EA sports active, but with the addition of new exercises and more of an emphasis on your abdominals, all wrapped up into the six week challenge.

The accessories you need is the leg strap and some elastic resistance bands (provided) and of course the Wii nunchucks. You can also use the balance board on certain exercises (not mandatory).

My Experience

Being a trainer I was really trialling this out from my clients perspective. I wanted to see if this program could be something I prescribed and could feel confident that my clients were getting a decent workout.

The verdict: Yes.

Unlike other Wii games, this program had you moving from one exercise to the next in quick succession and some of the exercises were quite challenging! The squats and lunges I had trouble initially getting the nunchuck to register, which I have decided is a clever ploy by EA to get you holding your position for longer (gotta love that burn!).

There is a large variety of exercises keeping the program interesting and always challenging. I particularly loved the boxing, with ducking and weaving getting my heart pumping. In one workout you can expect to be going from lunging, to waterskiing, to skipping, paddle surfing and negotiating an obstacle course. This is all performed at the Wii Sports resort, which leaves me torn between feeling like I’ve just been on a tropical island to desperately wanting to go to one.

The abdominal component is very thorough, there were some new exercises I hadn’t seen before as well as some variations on the classics. I was surprised that some of the curl ups used straight legs, as opposed to bent, but I feel very confident that a lot of research and testing has gone into the exercises chosen.

Having a virtual trainer there to motivate me was a novelty, being a trainer myself, it was nice not to be in the drivers seat. She (you can chose male or female) was a big help in demonstrating the exercises, and providing motivational comments.

I really enjoyed the cool down at the end of each workout. Some of my favourite stretches were incorporated here although I would have liked to see a bit more variety for next time.

The verdict

The More Workouts 6-Week challenge is a great program for people wanting to incorporate fitness into their life in a fun, convenient way. The program is easy to set up and use and is one where the whole family can get involved. The workout would be best suited to below average to average fitness levels. For above average users, you would need to supplement some other training in (such as a run prior) to get the full benefits.  Unlike other Wii games there is much less fiddling in between sets and this is definitely the ‘real deal’ when it comes to workout programs.

I am giving the 6-Week Challenge a big two thumbs up and recommend it to anyone wanting an effective workout at home, which will leave you smiling, sweaty and with some visible results.

You can order it here or for more information go to EA Sports Active

Have you done the 6-Week Challenge or used Wii Fit? I’d love to know your feedback.