5 things a personal trainer will never tell you
Even trainers have deep, dark secrets they don't want to know. We reveal their top five pieces of insider info.…
You know the workout drill: hours spent lurking by the busy treadmills only to think better of it and go for a “stretch” instead; stocking up on heaps of raw vegetables and fruit to snack on, and then leaving it all to rot in the fridge while you feast on the remains of your selection box. It may not always be easy to get into shape, but rather than wasting your time reading endless diet forums and splashing your cash on a gym membership you’ll never use, we’ve un-earthed a few deep dark secrets from those in the know. We've asked some well-known personal trainers, dieticians, and fitness experts to share a few of their most closely guarded secrets - some simple tricks that’ll make the road to recoery quicker, easier and more effective.
Ditch the treadmillIf you thought that plugging in your iPod and pounding that belt was the fastest way to shed those pounds, think again. Kathryn Freeland, a personal trainer and founder of Absolute Fitness, has other ideas. “Exercising outside burns far more calories than running on a treadmill. With varying terrain and weather we work harder using our core muscles, balance and proprioception. A session outdoors can be done anywhere, any time and is far more physically and mentally stimulating.”
Go cold turkey
What’s more, Freeland says one of the benefits of outdoor exercise is that your body burns more calories in the cold even when at rest! Dr Dukan, founder of the Dukan dieting method, advises taking a cold shower for 2 minutes every day – just standing there is enough to burn 100 calories!
Eat more, sleep more
No, we don’t mean you should sit down and guzzle sandwiches; the message is to eat more frequently. Tim Walker of Walker Brothers Fitness says, “Make sure you eat regularly. If you are hungry for a long while, your body will slow down your metabolism, which means that when you do decide to finally let your body have something, it will be stored as fat.” He also advises you to get your zzz’s - studies have shown that if you get under six hours of sleep a night, you are 87% more likely to be obese.
Curl up with a DVD
Geeta Sidhu-Rob, founder of Nosh Detox confides that sticking to a 6:30pm food cut-off for only one week will help you lose weight. “If you eat before 6.30pm for a week you will lose between 1 and 2 lbs. a night – it never fails! Go to sleep early to stave off hunger pangs, or watch a good DVD.”
Have a bath
Detoxing your system is the quickest way to jump-start your body into a new routine. Geeta Sidhu-Rob recommends making time for a daily bath using dead sea salt baths to thoroughly cleanse the system of toxins which make you sluggish, tired, hungry and unmotivated. “Your skin is your biggest detox organ and dead sea salt baths really help to suck toxins out of your system and clean your lymphatic system. Put 2-3 handfuls of dead sea salts in a bath and sit in it for 20 minutes. Come out of the bath and wrap yourself up warmly and lie down for a short while.”