The Fitbiz Training Blog

The Magic of Diets

15.12.2023

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Whatever diet you can think of (or, perhaps, that you have tried) works in the same way – there’s not really anything magical about any diet.

They all work to create a calorie deficit.

The same is true whether you’re following a low carb or low fat plan, or if you’re trying intermittent fasting. Likewise, slimming clubs, meal replacement shakes and even the cabbage soup diet – they all work to create a calorie deficit. No magic. It’s the deficit which creates the weight loss.

You could eat only chocolate and still lose weight, as long as you […]

Do You Wear A Fitness Tracker?

7.12.2023

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Fitness, Health

Most people I meet these days have some kind of wearable fitness tracker.

Their popularity has EXPLODED over the last few years.

Personally, I use an Oura ring, which I find pretty good. It’s more a sleep and recovery tracker which also tracks activity too.

The other day, I caught myself looking at the data from the previous nights sleep and thinking “oh, that’s nice”. I then proceeded to forget all about it and just move on with my day.

Which got me thinking about how many of us must do this.

Wearing these things is only useful […]

Don’t Exercise To Lose Weight

30.11.2023

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Fitness, Weight Loss

I saw an advert for an exercise class which promised to burn 900 calories per session.

This makes me roll my eyes.

I really can see the appeal – if you’re trying to lose weight, I know this kind of advert sounds awesome!

But if you’re trying to lose weight only with exercise, you are fighting a losing battle.

You will never out-exercise a bad diet.

A standard sized chocolate bar is somewhere around 200-250 calories.

That’ll take you about an hour to walk off, or about 40 minutes if you do something more intense for […]

Tips For A Great Nights Sleep

23.11.2023

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Health

Sleep is so important, yet, do you really know what makes a good nights sleep?

A great gauge is to think about whether you feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning.

You could also consider your energy levels throughout the day. Although sleep might not be the full story, if you’re feeling tired it could well be a sign that you’ve not slept enough, or that your sleep quality needs a bit of work.

If you’re restless, wake frequently in the night, or just feel like you don’t sleep well, these are more signs […]

Three Strategies To Lose Weight

16.11.2023

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Weight Loss

Often in November we try to tighten up our diets for a few weeks, in anticipation of all the tasty treats heading our way over Christmas.

If this is the position you find yourself in right now, remember a revelation is not what is needed – 99% of the time, a simple ‘brush up’ around the edges is enough to achieve the changes you’re looking for.

Here are my top three strategies to put in place in order to shift a few pounds over the next few weeks:

Write Down Your Food Intake

You probably already have a […]

Cardio Exercise Is Terrible For Fat Loss

7.11.2023

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Fitness, Weight Loss

There was a study released recently which compared cardio, strength training and a combination of both together.

I believe this is the first study to have compared these three types of exercise for their effects on fat loss.

The results?

Those who only strength trained lost more body fat and maintained more muscle than those in the cardio only group.

And even a little more than those in the combined group! (This is interesting to note – more work doesn’t always equate to more results).

Remember that while, at least for the short time, you’ll burn more calories during […]

Will Deep Squats Damage Your Knees?

1.11.2023

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Fitness, Health

I had an interesting conversation with a client this morning about squat depth and knee health, and I thought it might be of interest to some of you.

There’s a bit more information about this on the Facebook group – if you’d like to read more, please do join at www.facebook.com/groups/fitbiztraining

So, a deep squat is defined as going below parallel. Parallel is the point of a squat at which your hips are in line with your knees. Below parallel is the point at which your hips are below your knees.

Clearly, a lot of […]

Workouts Designed for Women

17.10.2023

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Fitness

Workouts “For Women”

The fitness industry has a lot to answer for. There’s a lot of rubbish touted as fact, and one of the biggest red flags when you’re buying a workout program is if it has been designed for women!

These programs involve lighter weights and higher reps.

Apparently they make your body sculpt without ‘getting big’.

The first thing to know is that it really is HARD to gain enough muscle to make you look bulky, especially as a woman.

The next thing is the exercises generally contained in these workouts. They’re not usually the […]

Should You Exercise If You’re Sore?

10.10.2023

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Fitness, Mindset

Should I exercise if I feel sore?

Yes. You probably should.

It’s starting to be shown in research that what many have known from experience for a long time is true. Exercising on top of a muscle ache will generally reduce the severity of the ache more quickly than resting. Getting your body moving and making things flow is helpful.

This said, there are different types of soreness.

If you’re sore due to an injury, then you should probably back off the injured area until the initial inflammation has gone down and you have a plan for fixing […]

Finding Time For Exercise

4.10.2023

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Fitness, Mindset

While some people seem to find it easy to fit exercise into their life, others find it very hard to find the time.

There are lots of ways to look at this, but for today, let’s look at the idea of exercise featuring on a scale.

Think of doing zero exercise as a 0, and doing regular intense workouts aiming towards some sort of competitive event as a 10.

You don’t have to go in at a 10!

Doing ANY kind of movement is positive – and you probably never NEED to reach a 10 on this scale.

Before […]