Are you eating like a sumo wrestler?

Many people are actually following a diet similar to sumo wrestlers. What's surprising is that most of these people are actually trying to lose fat.

Now last time I checked Sumo wrestlers are not walking round with six pack abs! Sumo wrestling has no weight divisions so for the wrestlers the bigger the better.



So what does a sumo wrestler do to gain such an athletic body...not!

1. Skip meals

Sumo wrestlers only eat twice a day. This slows your metabolism right down. The best meal to skip to slow your metabolism is breakfast. Make sure you always eat breakfast and if possible eat 4-6 small meals per day to really boost your metabolism.

2. Eat loads of rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, juice and sweets

Now all of this would usually be part of a low fat diet. You see the best way for your body to gain fat is to actually give it too much energy. You body will store this energy in fat cells. Some of the best type of energy that will grow your waistline is foods high in carbohydrates and sugars, so don't over-consume these.

3. Eat late at night

Yup eating a meal full of energy and then going to bed will cause your body to digest the food and then store all the calories in your fat cells. It is better to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. Stick to light, easy to digest meals and try to have your starchy carbohydrates earlier in the day if possible. If not make your servings of them small and load up on salad and veggies with protein.

It's good to be lazy

We are working longer hours, under more pressure and leading a life that leaves us at breaking point. But those who manage to make countless work and social appointments daily are admired. When someone says they've worked for 60-70 hours over a week we see them as successful. We are continually active but only mildly effective, and we are wasting valuable life energy on unimportant things. If you push yourself to the limit, day in day out, you will wear out sooner.

Unfortunately over time we have forgotten how to let go of the insignificant tasks that place undue stress on us and require much of out time and energy. We have forgotten how to concentrate on only the important things. It's good to plan and work for the future, but we also need to slow down and enjoy being in the present as well as before you know it, another year has whizzed by.

Let's just have a look at the effects of stress on the body. It's not just having a stressful job but rushing around not giving yourself adequate rest that can cause these to happen.

• Your body ages faster
• You become more susceptible to illness due to a weakened immune system
  
• Blood pressure rises increasing the risk of circulatory disease, heart attack and stroke
• Memory grows worse due to rises in cortisol levels (a stress hormone)
• Not giving yourself time to relax means certain parts of the brain can be damaged in the long term. Your brain ages faster

Stress warning signs

• Tight neck and shoulder muscles
• Catch colds and flu from people easily
• Constant headaches
• Weight loss or gain
• Sleepy in the day, awake at night
• Increased pulse rate
• Grinding your teeth in your sleep
• Cold and clammy hands
  

Relaxation and even occasional laziness are your body's way of balancing itself out. Your pulse and breathing are normalised and blood pressure is regulated. Your immune system, which under stress is weakened by the constant high level of cortisol, recovers.

But rest and relaxation don't happen automatically. All our worries, fears, work problems aren't always easy to put aside. Because of this, relaxation must often be planned into our daily schedules.

But today, deadline pressures and never-ending to-do lists seem to leave no room for relaxation and contemplation. But if you make sure to balance out times of stress and make room for rest will you increase your chance of a long and healthy life.

If all the above rings true you will either have to change the circumstances that are placing you under stress or change the way you deal with it. Differentiate important activities from the unimportant. Mark them red, absolutely essential to achieve that day, amber, nice to achieve that day, and green, can achieve whenever. Have a main to-do list and select no more than six things from that list to do each day so you don't feel overloaded. We are only human and can only fit so much into one day!

Include into your day, time to sit and day-dream, even if it's for just 30 minutes. Have separate breaks where you do not work while you eat or even read. Find the quietest place you can and eat slowly, calmly and enjoy what you are eating. Allow yourself contemplation time after wards.

If you have a stressful job in the week then the weekend should be used for regeneration and recuperation. In reality though this is often not the case as we try and pack in as much action and chores as possible leaving us returning to work just as exhausted. Plan in lazy time! Using relaxation helps conserve energy. Here are a couple to try:

• Short relaxation break: rest your elbows on the table and cover your eyes. Clear your mind and try not to think of anything. If this is hard, try concentrate on your breathing. Breathe slowly in for 4 and out for 4.
  
  
• Learning diaphramatic abdominal breathing – click here to download pdf file

Enjoy being lazy and relaxing!


Emma Boffo, Personal Trainer
07956 315851

www.BoffosBootcamp.com
www.YummyFitMums.com
www.BelliesBumsBatwings.com
www.OptimiseU.com

Top mistakes to make when trying to reduce body fat

1. Doing hours of long, slow, boring cardio exercise only

Heard of the ‘fat burning zone’? You may have seen it on machines in the gym. This is where you work at a lower intensity in order to predominantly use fat as an energy source. Now although this is mostly correct, you will burn far more calories as an end result if you work at a higher intensity for less time.

If you do too much cardio work, your body will break down your precious muscle tissue for energy, and that’s what you need to hang onto to keep your metabolism raised and be able to burn fat!

Keeping your metabolism raised is important, as it is your body’s ability to burn calories while at rest. It is our fat burning furnace. Muscle is the only metabolic tissue in the body and the more we have, the more calories our bodies can burn.

Muscle is the only tissue that can burn body fat as energy, so it’s extremely important to either add or maintain the amount of muscle you have, especially if you are looking to lose body fat. So why are many people still doing the wrong type of training to lose fat?

2. Not eating enough

Logically you would think that hardly eating anything will help you lose weight. Now to a point this is true, you will lose weight, but from your total body weight. Our body weight is made up of more than just fat. Your head alone is approximately one sixth of your total body weight. There are your bones, skin, internal organs, fluids, all making up your total body weight. Crash dieting does make you lose ‘weight’, but only some may be from fat, the part we are interested in reducing. You will also lose water and essential muscle tissue, therefore reducing your metabolism which is why you regain the weight plus more after every failed diet.

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of calories your body needs in order to exist, to function normally on a day-to-day basis. This means functions such as breathing, controlling body temperature, digestion and the beating of your heart. BMR will vary in each person but for example, a person weighing approximately 9.5 stone can have a BMR of around 1300 calories. Then they need to add on additional calories for movement and exercise which is where you find the average female daily calorie guideline to be around 1500-2000.

If that person was to eat less than 1300 calories, and many faddy diets out there can be well below this, their body would be alerted to a potential ‘famine’ and all it’s functions would start to slow right down to conserve energy. We may have moved with the times but our bodies still work the same as when we were in the caveman era!

3. Avoiding weight training

‘Oh I don’t lift weights as I don’t want big bulky muscles’ is a very common thing that I get told on a regular basis. Although women do have some levels of testosterone present, it’s just no way near enough to give us the same muscle growth as men.

When you see female body builders they are likely to be taking male hormone supplements, which is why they end up looking and sounding like men! They also endure a very serious and very heavy daily weight training regime.

4. Just exercising the problem areas

Many people think that exercising their problem areas will reduce the fat from it. The body doesn’t work this way and unfortunately cannot spot reduce fat, only work the muscle underneath it.

Yes we would all like a flat stomach. But, believe it or not, no amount of weird abdominal exercises or machines alone will magically flatten your belly, regardless of what the adverts say. It seems easy; do hundreds of crunches a day and wait for your stomach to magically flatten. But, after a few months you begin to wonder why it’s not happening. Everyone has a six-pack. It’s just hidden under a layer of body fat!

What you should do...

1. High intensity interval training

Shorter bursts of higher intensity interval training have been proven to be much more effective than having to endure long boring cardio or aerobic sessions.

2. Eat natural food

Cut out or reduce all the usual suspects by way of wheat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, processed and toxic food. These all place stress on the body leading to a sluggish system and weight gain. Eat foods in their original harvested state and drink plenty of fresh water each day.

Make sure you eat enough protein and essential fats. Many people live their life surviving on just starchy carbs. Toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner. This can also leave you always feeling hungry. Reducing the starchy carbs and eating protein with every meal keeps you fuller for longer and helps reduce sweet cravings.

3. Use resistance

By conditioning your muscles with resistance training they become more efficient at burning fat, all day every day, plus help tone your body. Resistance can be created not just by lifting weights, but also by using exercise bands, your own body weight or swimming.

Resistance training becomes even more important as we get older because metabolism slows and muscle wastes away when you don’t use it. So, use it or lose it!

4. Use your whole body

The more of you that is moving, the more calories your body will need to use. The biggest muscles burn the most calories, so always include chest, back, legs and shoulders into your workouts.

Enjoy getting results! :-)

Emma Boffo, Personal Trainer
07956 315851

www.BoffosBootcamp.com
www.YummyFitMums.com
www.BelliesBumsBatwings.com
www.OptimiseU.com

Do your new year fitness resolutions go something like this?

1. After the Christmas festivities you are left feeling a little tired, heavy and your clothes are feeling somewhat snug.
   
   
2. You know you have to start that 'get fit and lose weight' resolution you set yourself so you decide to go along with the masses and join a gym.
   
   
3. You make it to the gym induction and feel completely self-conscious sitting opposite the slim and/or muscle bound young instructor, who barely looks like they're out of school.
   
   
4. You then feel even worse when they take you round the lines and lines of strange, scary looking machinery.
   
   
5. You get shown your program and then make it back and do quite well for a week or two while your motivation is high.
   
   
6. Suddenly pizza and a dvd seems a much better idea than going to the scary gym and before you know it, you've blown your resolution so there's absolutely no point carrying on.
   
   
7. You return to 'normal eating' and moaning about being overweight/feeling lethargic/clothes not fitting etc.

For many this is an all too common scenario and most don't make it past the first two weeks of their resolutions. So why do we keep trying to do the same things every January when we know they don't work for us? Is it because we know most people will be trying to do the same things so there is safety in numbers? Is it because you think that joining the gym is the only option?

Well now that's where we might be able to help you. Myself and my colleague Matt Murphy are local personal trainers who between us offer a variety of options to suit all budgets and times of day. From bootcamp circuit classes to 1-to-1 and small group personal training, there should be something to suit you.

But why us and not the gym?

Whatever option you choose we will be there to support you all of the way, in and out of the sessions. We are not just there to show you exercises but to educate you nutritionally on how to make the best choices you can for optimal health and well-being. What sort of lifestyle do you lead? Do you have poor posture? Are you getting enough sleep? These all play a part of how you look and feel.

Our bodies adapt to exercise pretty quickly so in order to keep getting results your program needs to be changed regularly. Unless the instructors in the gyms do this for you, you could be left doing the same old tired program for months on end which means your body gets bored, you get bored and you don't get results. And this is what we are very passionate about getting for you!

Do you want results?

I thought so. Combining dietary advice with metabolism boosting circuit-style training and your hard work and dedication, results are guaranteed! Have a look at the sessions we offer below.

Large group classes

Boffo's Bootcamp
A community class held in South Ruislip on Tuesday's and Thursday's 6.30-7.30pm. First class is free, then invest in a block of 4 or 8 sessions with or without 28 day nutritional plan. (£6-£7.50 per class). Have a look at my website for more detailed info. www.boffosbootcamp.com

Turbo Fit Training Circuits with Matt
A community class held at St Helen's School in Northwood. Tuesday's and Thursday's 7.30-8.30pm. Contact Matt Murphy directly for further info on matt@optimiseu.com www.turbofittraining.co.uk

Semi-private personal training four week courses

Limited to only 4 people, a much more affordable way to have personal training. Held at a private training studio in Ruislip Manor. (£15 per session). Free taster sessions available. Contact us to check availablility and to book.

Yummy Fit Mums
Tuesday's and Thursday's 10-10.45am (extra slot available on Wednesday's at 11-11.45am) www.yummyfitmums.com

Bellies, Bums and Batwings
Tuesday's and Thursday's 8-8.45pm
(extra slot available on Saturday's at 11-11.45am)

Turbo Fit Training with Matt
Tuesday's and Thursday's 6-6.45am, Saturday's 7-7.45am
Contact Matt Murphy directly for further info on matt@optimiseu.com
www.turbofittraining.co.uk

Personal training

Either one-to-one or share the cost with up to six friends or family. Held either in your own home or at the studio in Ruislip Manor (up to 4 people only), at a time to suit you, subject to availability. Visit www.optimiseu.com for investment options (under personal training and trainer details).

Drop a clothes size in 30 days or double your money back!
Special package for the new year. Eight personal training sessions plus diet plan and nutritional advice for £288. Contact us to arrange a free consultation. Are you up for the challenge?

If you are interested in any of the above options and would like to know more or would like to book a consultation or taster, please email me or give me a call.

Have a wonderful new year!

Emma Boffo
07956 315851
emmaboffo@hotmail.com

My first Magic 100 - how did I do?

That's it. My first Magic 100 goal achievement program over! So how did I do? Well not too badly I don't think for my first one. I've organised them below for you to see.

Was it worth doing and would I recommend it? Absolutely! Having your list printed out for you to look at each day and having a deadline definitely makes you achieve more than if you bumble along with no clear time or plan laid out. It also made me realise that if there is something you've always wanted to do or have a go at, look into it and do it! I did a glass blowing workshop the other weekend and it was great fun. So get goal setting and goal getting!!

Goals achieved 100% or more
1. Do 60 hours of walking (achieved 66 hours)
2. Visit friends 8 times (achieved 10 times)
3. Arrange a day out each month for me
4. Plan Kinetic Chain Assessment appointment
5. Created a mission statement instead of UMI (Unique Marketing Identity)
6. Create and print general A5 flyer
7. Create and print general business card flyer
8. Create 6 week Body Blitz program
9. Look into Nordic walking course
10. Watch games dvd
11. Get bootcamp vinyl banner made
12. Create Animoto for Bootcamp
13. Create Animoto for Body Blitz
14. Revise T&Cs for PT
15. Put away 10% of everything I earn
16. Earn £1,000 from Bootcamp
17. Book fear of flying course (and went and did it)
18. Read Pete Cohen SYLO book
19. Read Matt's book on hormones
20. Plug in new house phones
21. Read Dax's Power Principle emails
22. Message a friend on Facebook each day
23. Do 30 dog walks (achieved 51)
24. Call my Aunt in Malta
25. Call my cousin Luisa in Malta
26. Call my cousin Claudia in Malta
27. Read Paul McKenna's Instant Confidence
28. Arrange to see my UK cousins & aunt (and went to stay with them)
29. Read 'Sweet deception' by Dr Mercola
30. Watch bender ball dvd
31. Book glass blowing workshop (and went and did it)
32. Look into advertising on Facebook
33. Give something free to all new PT clients
34. Give something free to my bootcampers
35. Create and upload a video to You Tube
36. Watch Lee Evans dvd
37. Watch Frankie Boyle dvd
38. Look at all pdfs on desktop
39. Look for things to sell on e-bay
40. Plan new website for nomoregyms.com

Goals almost achieved
1. Drink 2 litres of water per day (averaged 1.5 litres per day)
2. Exercise 4 times per week (averaged 3 times per week)
3. Plan food each week
4. Go to bed at 10.30pm 2x week
5. Contact my girlies once a week (achieved 9 weeks out of 14)
6. Create 'Top Tips' sheet (this turned into a much bigger project)
7. Plan 2 days ahead for all my sessions (still need to work on this!)
8. Re-visit Excellence stuff (looked at some of it)
9. Use vitamin E oil on nails 4x week (averaged 2-3 times per week)
10. Floss teeth 4x week (averaged 2-3 times per week)
11. Listen to a relaxation cd once a week (achieved 9 weeks out of 14)
12. Perform 30 full push ups (achieved 22)
13. Teach doggies some new tricks (did a few times but not consistently enough)
14. Visit friends at old gym 6 times (achieved 5 times)
15. Wash and hoover car x2 (achieved once)
16. Create 6 week Body Blitz distance version
17. Visit Auntie Grace and Pauline 3 times each (Visited Grace twice)
18. Create leaflet for printers for design work (started it)
19. Listen to and learn first 2 cds of Italian (Listened to but not learnt)

Goals not achieved

1. Lose 2" off waist in 8 weeks
2. Stretch calves for 3 mins 3x week
3. Foam roller legs 3x week
4. Do VMO exercises 3x week
5. Set up Constant Contact account (looked at how to do it)
6. Send e-newsletters x3 (needed to set up Constant Contact above first)
7. Start a morning bootcamp (decided to look into later)
8. Practice KCA assessment on 5 people
9. Earn £5,000 from PT
10. Re-cap on all muscle actions (got book out and bought 2 big posters)
11. Have some 'me time' on Fri and Sat eves
12. Continue with my travel writing
13. Perform 5 pull ups
14. Bench press 20kg (was a little bit ambitious on this one!)
15. Call my friend Adele in Nice
16. Book kettlebell course (decided not to do)
17. Read 'How to read food labels' (Read first few pages)
18. Plan fitness open day/mini Fitpro
19. Get car branded (got some quotes)
20. Sell 5 Magic 100s
21. Sell 5 ED cookbooks
22. Make a pot on a potters wheel (looked into options)
23. Learn some basic words in Maltese
24. Try out tape gadget to transfer music to laptop
25. Create action plan booklets for clients
26. Visit my dad's grave in Naples
27. Write an e-book – Smart Shopping
28. Put on weekend bootcamp course
29. Book Outbox Level 1 (decided not to do yet)
30. Get bootcamp ning site going
31. Trek Machu Pichu
32. Visit Edinburgh
33. Ride underwater with dolphins using seascooter
34. Visit Disneyland Paris (looked at options on website)
35. Visit New York
36. Visit the Bahamas
37. Do PADI open water course
38. Visit Ibiza
39. Visit the Aztec pyramids in Mexico
40. Attend a tap class (found one I can attend)
41. Sort through old fitness magazine articles

Find out about The Magic 100 goal achievement program here

My Magic 100 goals – day 75 update

Journey's may BEGIN with a single step but it takes the combined effort of ALL of the
'single steps' along the way put together to actually reach your destination.
 
That's what the MAGIC Hundred goal achievement programme is about....
 
The continued inch-by-inch, step-by-step, progressive realisation of your goals.
 
And the best thing is, as long as you keep taking the steps YOU CANNOT FAIL!

I have now reached day 75 of my first (of many) Magic 100 goals. 
Below is an update of what I have achieved so far and where I am with some the other goals.

1. Drink 2 litres of water per day
Achieved 90%

2. Exercise 4 times per week
Achieved 85%

3. Lose 2" off waist in 8 weeks

4. Do 60 hours of walking
So far: 46

5. Plan food each week
Achieved 80%

6. Go to bed at 10.30pm 2x week
Achieved 50%

7. Stretch calves for 3 mins 3x week

8. Foam roller legs 3x week

9. Do VMO exercises 3x week

10. Visit friends 8 times
COMPLETE

11. Contact my girlies once a week
Achieved 99%

12. Arrange a day out each month for me
May: Italy for 1 week! Plus Mind Body Spirit Festival
June: Lunch and drinks with old work friends in London
July:

13. Plan Kinectic Chain Assessment appointment
Need to look over course notes and plan

14. Set up Constant Contact account
Have had a look at website to see how it works

15. Send e-newsletters x3
Have started thinking about content
1.
2.
3.

16. Create 'Top Tips' sheet
Started collecting content, need to write

17. Create my UMI (Unique Marketing Identity) statement
Have written a few options but need to refine

18. Create and print general A5 flyer
COMPLETE

19. Create and print general business card flyer
COMPLETE

20. Create 6 week Body Blitz program
COMPLETE

21. Start a morning bootcamp
Have decided to leave for now


22. Plan 2 days ahead for all my sessions
Achieved 75%

23. Look into Nordic walking course
COMPLETE

24. Watch games dvd
COMPLETE

25. Get bootcamp vinyl banner made
COMPLETE

26. Create Animoto for Bootcamp
COMPLETE

27. Create Animoto for Body Blitz
COMPLETE

28. Practice KCA assessment on 5 people
Have asked two people so far
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

29. Revise T&Cs for PT
COMPLETE

30. Put away 10% of everything I earn
Achieved 100%

31. Earn £1,000 from Bootcamp

32. Earn £5,000 from PT

33. Listen to and learn first 2 cds of Italian
Have listened to first one but not learnt yet

34. Book fear of flying course
COMPLETE

35. Read Pete Cohen SYLO book
COMPLETE

36. Read Matt's book on hormones
COMPLETE

37. Re-cap on all muscle actions
Have taken book from shelf to look through

38. Plug in new house phones
COMPLETE

39. Re-visit Excellence stuff

40. Use vitamin E oil on nails 4x week
Achieved 80%

41. Floss teeth 4x week
Achieved 90%

42. Have some 'me time' on Fri and Sat eves
Achieved 50%

43. Read Dax's Power Principle emails
COMPLETE


44. Continue with my travel writing

45. Listen to a relaxation cd once a week
Achieved 95%

46. Perform 30 full push ups
So far: 22

47. Perform 5 pull ups

48. Bench press 20kg

49. Message a friend on Facebook each day
Achieved 100%

50. Do 30 dog walks
So far: 25

51. Call my friend Adele in Nice

52. Call my Aunt in Malta
COMPLETE

53. Call my cousin Luisa in Malta
COMPLETE

54. Call my cousin Claudia in Malta
COMPLETE

55. Read Paul McKenna's Instant Confidence
COMPLETE

56. Teach doggies some new tricks
Started

57. Visit Auntie Grace and Pauline 3 times each
Auntie Grace x1

58. Arrange to see my UK cousins & aunt
COMPLETE

59. Visit friends at old gym 6 times
So far: 3

60. Book kettlebell course
Decided not to do now but going to get colleague to show me exercises

61. Read 'How to read food labels'
Started

62. Read 'Sweet deception' by Dr Mercola
Started

63. Plan fitness open day/mini Fitpro

64. Plan new website for nomoregyms.com
Have explained to friend what I need to start with and she’s going to plan for me.

65. Create 6 week Body Blitz distance version

66. Watch bender ball dvd
COMPLETE

67. Look into advertising on Facebook
Have set up a Bootcamp page. Once I have some ‘fans’ I will look into advertising more

68. Get car branded
Received quotes from various companies but will probably wait till next year

69. Sell 5 Magic 100s

70. Sell 5 ED cookbooks

71. Book glass blowing workshop
COMPLETE

72. Make a pot on a potters wheel
Have looked into day courses

73. Learn some basic words in Maltese
Off to Malta soon so will probably wait till then although will be after my Magic 100!

74. Try out tape gadget to transfer music to laptop

75. Wash and hoover car x2
So far: 1

76. Watch Lee Evans dvd
COMPLETE

77. Watch Frankie Boyle dvd
COMPLETE

78. Look at all pdfs on desktop
COMPLETE

79. Create action plan booklets for clients
Have started gathering information

80. Visit my dad's grave in Naples
Have spoken to family member about visiting

81. Give something free to all new PT clients
COMPLETE

82. Give something free to my bootcampers

83. Create and upload a video to You Tube
COMPLETE

84. Write an e-book – Smart Shopping
Have been gathering information

85. Put on weekend bootcamp course

86. Book Outbox Level 1
Have looked into the course but decided not to do just yet

87. Get bootcamp ning site going

88. Create leaflet for printers for design work
Started

89. Trek Machu Pichu

90. Visit Edinburgh

91. Ride underwater with dolphins using seascooter

92. Visit Disneyland Paris
Had a brief look at website and asked friends if they are interested in going

93. Visit New York

94. Visit the Bahamas

95. Do PADI open water course
Am going to look into when I am in Malta
96. Visit Ibiza

97. Visit the Aztec pyramids in Mexico

98. Attend a tap class
Have sent an email to find out more info about the adult classes

99. Look for things to sell on e-bay
COMPLETE

100. Sort through old fitness magazine articles


SO FAR: 28 GOALS FULLY COMPLETED

Beach Body Blitz

In-home fitness and nutrition course
Call Emma on 07956 315851 for a free consultation