My food intolerance journey part 1

There may be some of you that don’t know who i am, have possibly never heard of me or anything about me for that matter, so to write a full blog about my journey without first giving some insight to who i am could be confusing.

 

With out giving every detail of my life away i want to concentrate on one area of  importance that relates to this blog. My name is simon herbert and I started up pro-fitness sheffield and run the business as a personal trainer and sports nutritionist, i have competed in many sports from body building, sprinting as a younger teen and now currently compete in the ever-growing combat sports.

I will be writing this blog not just for my own purposes but also for many out there that suffers the same medical problems i have over the past few years.

4 years ago at x-mas time, i was waking bloated first thing in the morning, it was like this daily for me, bloated when eating, bloated when fasted, urgency to empty my bowel within seconds then struggling to open my bowel.

I knew something wasn’t right with my stomach and at that time i wasnt too sure what was causing it, i had good knowledge of nutrition at that time and my diet was pretty good all round 80/20. So to me at the time it was somewhat baffling.

It wasn’t until i was running to the toilet 10+ times per day loosing blood from my back passage, that i realised something was very wrong. I attended A&E and was checked over, to cut a long story short, after a few days in hospital they diagnosed me with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) or ulcerative colitis as its also known. This is where the colon (intestine) gets inflamed and ulcers, causing bleeding of the intestinal walls and the matter of urgency to empty the bowels at no warning.

It was hard at first been told this by the specialists, as you can imagine all the questions went through my head. They dosed me up on high amounts of steroids and antibiotics and eventually i returned home.

Totally un aware what to do know, if i would keep my colon, will i live less years, all these questions went through my head after been told by the specialists that the lower part of my colon is past repair and eventually i would loose it and have to be operated on for a colostomy bag, i decided to do what i do best and deal with this my self.

Nurses and doctors are super at what they do, but i know that the best way to deal with most health issues is by diet and lifestyle and in this case thats what i researched. I hadn’t studied nutrition at that point, but my knowledge was still good. I have been training my self and others for around 12 years and i was fully aware Taking medications has other major impacts on health.

REWIND:

1 year before i had the bowel problems start, (5years ago) i cut my arm while working, it got infected and tracked up the veins in my arm. I was sent for surgery where they cut an access out and put me on 4 different types of antibiotics for 3 weeks,

I will come back to this later, but i am convinced this is what started my bowel problem due to an imbalance in gut bacteria from the antibiotic use.

So after my stay in hospital with the diagnosis of UC (ulcerative colitis) I went deep into the effects, causes and how to deal with my UC, i was told by specialists to take anti inflammatory medicines to combat the inflammation and reduce any irritation in the gut. I was advised to take antibiotics, edemas, oral mezalazine, prednisolone, this cortico-steroid is evil, strips bone mass, muscle mass, causes rapid weight gain.

I couldn’t bear the thought of loosing my physique and the way these meds made me feel, so i discontinued use of them

8 months later i was rushed back into hospital with bleeding again, they drove some intravenous medication in me and pumped me full of meds again, i logged 27 toilet visits in 24 hours and loosing lots of essential fluids from my body, i knew this was BAD but didn’t know how bad. The next day i was told they needed to operate to remove the damaged part of my colon before the disease spread. “what does that mean ” i asked, ” we need to remove the diseased part of your intestine and surgically make a colostomy pouch on the out side of your stomach as a temporary measure, with the possibility of total removal of my colon.

 

My answer was no FUCKING way, i refused surgery, signed a disclaimer and discharged my self from hospital 3 days later. i continued to take my medication and with in 6 months i was back in hospital with massive pains in my abdomen, nothing i have ever experienced so bad. They run some tests and told me i had pancreatitis which is inflammation of the pancreas, life threatening in some cases and i was extremely ill for weeks in hospital.

My research was still going on from my hospital bed and i found out the medication for my ibd was pointing towards my pancreatic problem. the side effects of mesalazine which i had continued to take.

Although the surgeons had told me it wasn’t the meds, i was convinced it was. It was time to get serious with my nutrition and figure this out in depth.

I took some time off training and all the evidence i found out about my illness was linked to the bacteria imbalances in the gut. Earlier i stated i had been on 4 different types of antibiotics, this would have messed up my gut flora like you have never nown. In our gut we have bacteria called gut flora, gut flora is a balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria, both need to be present in our guts. But if an imbalance occurs and we have too much bad bacteria, then digestive issues can occur. Antibiotics and most medications remove the mucosal lining of the colon and increase bad bacteria. When the mucosal lining is thinning, the colon can perforate, these explantations are over simplified but you get the gist right? once the colon perforates (leaky gut/dysbiosis) Food particles can pass through the colon and into the blood stream. When these food particles pass through they are recognised as a problem in the blood and are attacked. This is the bodies natural defence mechanism, over time un digested food passing through the gut lining is attacked and causes an auto immune response, IBD and UC are auto immune diseases.

Over time i reduced gluten, dairy, alcohol, stimulants like caffeine and fat strippers, i was also using anabolic steroids so discontinued the use of these too. I also removed all sweet and processed foods but carried on taking my mesalazine, i knew the other meds were evil but i didn’t have the knowledge or the guts ( no punn intended) to remove the last part of my medication. I was worried if i discontinued my mesalazine i would be hospitalised again.

 

I slowly added exercise back in, and kept my diet clean without alcohol for months and months, I slowly got better and better. Compared to how i felt when hospitalised i felt awesome, i knew i wasnt 100% but i was just glad to be back feeling good and back in the ring fighting again.

Its now 2 years since i have had any serious problems with my gut, my diet is good 90% of the time and i reintroduced alcohol, gluten and dairy and some sweet stuff back into my diet over time, i had no major problems. I did however have bloating sometimes and stuffy nose, tiredness and lethargy etc, but i can deal with that shit after previous implications.

So i build the courage up to start weening off my last medication i was using (mesalazine) and hope for the best, 7-8 months have now been off all meds with no major implications, surgeons are surprised, IBD nurse is amazed (thinks I’m risking it in time but hey ho ).

The problems i have been encountering recently are increased tiredness and fatigue, brain fog, lethargy, bloatedness, and i noticed this more than ever in my last fight. I was signed up to fight for the northern area kickboxing title in july, i knew my opponent was tough and i trained harder than ever and dieted stricter than ever, but i lacked the mental drive and energy like never before. Before entering the ring i was tired, dry eyed and just didn’t want to be there. I knew i didn’t feel my self, i lost to a good opponent in the first round by taking a knee to the ribs. This was a school boy error on my side and should have been avoided but my brain felt tired and foggy, i couldn’t think.

After a few days i knew i was having some underlying problems still, it just isn’t normal to feel how i felt leading up to that fight. I knew i needed to take my nutrition to another level.

This is when i decided to get in contact with a guy called calum gore who i have followed and spoke briefly with for over 2 years, i first came across calum from Zach khan who i knew, (thats one L calum) :-), Calum owns gore bio science and there the top of there game for all types of biochemical diagnostic testing. After a brief chat with calum we discussed what i needed to do.

Knowing that calum has had some similar issues i knew i was in good hands, calum suggested taking an MRT test, this test basically tests 150 foods with droplets of my blood, there are checked with each food under a microscope to check for reactions. The test is around 96% accurate and i received a full breakdown of the foods i am intolerant to and the foods i am safe to eat.

 

The idea of this test is to remove all foods that i am intolerant to, reduce gut inflammation and rebuild my gut health and immune strength. It is a long strict process but when it is completed i will be back to normal. I am 2 weeks into my immune calm diet and already feeling better. I can’t wait to feel 100% again, its been long awaited.

 

Here is a recent photo, although i look in good shape my insides don’t feel it, i feel shit everyday and could not get rid of the last bit of abdominal fat. some people will be heavily bloated and struggle to loose weight. This is a prime example that looking in shape does not mean your healthy.

Stay tuned into my blog, part 2 will be a breakdown of my mrt test results and my gut fixing protocol and the road to recovery.

 

Simon Herbert

http://www.pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/profitnesssheffield

@infoprofitness

The war on sugar, and how to optimise fat loss and maintain good health!

 

Sugar, Where do i start? 

 

Sugar for some people is high on there radar of giving no benefits to health, but who actually realises the difference between sugars and sweetners and low-fat, sugar free products.

Everyday on my journey been a personal trainer/nutrionist, I see many people hour after hour, day after day, buying and consuming products that are screwing with there fat loss goals and there health! This is purely down to lack of good education.

I can’t name every product, i would be here all day scrutinising the food industry and the major impact it has on our diets and general health. So i’ve decided to focus on the more common enemies and the psychological trickery behind it all.

 

Sugar free drinks!

You pick up a can of sugar free pop, you pull the ring back and start drinking with a clean conscious!  It says sugar free on the can right?? You have 1, 2 , 3 , 4  cans and psychologically you think your not drinking any sugar right??.

WRONG!!! The can says sugar free, but its a BIG FAT lie. Although there isn’t actually any table sugar in there, there is aspartame.

Aspartame (E951) is an artificial sweetener, used in over 6000 products. Aspartame is a very sweet chemical, responsible for shit loads of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, brain diseases, migraines, ADHD, etc. It is also a neurological poison, So drip feed this into your system over time and health is affected. Put a 2p coin in coke and see what happens to it, the same will happen on the inside of the body.

Apart from aspartame, and the health problems it causes, theres the insulin spike it brings to blood sugars. Those who follow me regularly, will have heard me pipe on about blood sugar levels and insulin levels over an over. (its something i feel everyone should be aware of)

When we consume a high glycemic food or product, ( can of coke for e.g), blood sugar levels spike instantly, (red line on graph). This takes us out of our fat burning zone then these levels quickly drop into the cravings zone, resulting in an urge for another can of coke or sweet sugar (high glycemic) hit. Once we have this sugar hit, it bring us back to feeling somewhat ok but taking us back into the fat storage zone.

Eating a low glycemic index meal ( chicken, veg and some healthy fats). Our levels will rise nice and steady (blue line), and drop nice and steady untill we consume our next low glycemic meal. What we want is to keep blood sugar levels in the fat burning zone and free from cravings as shown on the graph. This will not be achieved by consuming any product containing sugars or artificial sweeteners.

 

 

What are artificial sweeteners! 

Here is a list of the main artificial sweeteners in the table below, if health and fat loss is on your radar, then i suggest avoiding any foods and products containing the below ingredients!!

Food Additive Code (E Number)	Name of Sweetener
E420	Sorbitol
E421	Mannitol
E422	Glycerol
E950	Acesulfame potassium (k)
E951	Aspartame
E952	Cyclamate
E953	Isomalt
E954	Saccharin
E955	Sucralose
E956	Alitame
E957	Thaumatin
E959	Neohesperidine dihydrochalcone
E962	Aspartame-acesulfame salt
E965	Maltitol
E966	Lactitol
E967	Xylitol
E968	Erythritol

 

 

Low-fat, low-calorie!!!

The battle does not end with sugar free products, We see low-fat low-sugar plastered every where these days in supermarkets, on government guidelines, TV adverts, Billboard posters, In Magazines etc. These days we are led to believe that low-fat, low calorie foods are the way forward, but what your not told is this is absolute BOLLOCKS, and the health problems and weight gain that come with low-fat, low calorie is RIFE.

Every isle you walk down, low-fat yoghurts, low-fat biscuits (full of artificial sweeteners, and sugar), low-calorie meals (microwave, processed, etc)

Why is low fat-low calorie a problem?

Well low-fat yoghurts are intruth as stated low in fat,  But what you don’t realise is ,the fat thats removed is generally good quality fats full of beneficial enzymes. These are needed for many everyday neurological responses in the body along with the transportation of important fat soluble vitamins. Food Companies remove the beneficial fat from the yoghurt, and pump it full of sugars and artificial sweeteners, therefore your getting the same taste factor a but high amount of sugars and artificial sweeteners, with no beneficial fats, vitamins-minerals and enzymes.

Calories and good fats are NOT the enemy if consumed intelligently, eating low-calories and missing out on beneficial fats seems the norm these days as government guidelines and advertisements confuse the majority of folk.

I will tell you this now and its FACT, This comes from all my current research and training and flaws all the old dieting myths of low-fat ,low-calorie.

MISSING out on good quality fats (nuts seeds,good oils coconut, olive oil etc) and over restricting daily calories, leading you to believe you will loose weight WILL catch up with you overtime, possibly cause metabolic issues where hormones are in balanced and making fat loss merely impossible.

The message here is low-fat low-calorie diets are high in sugars and lack the vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health and body composition. You may loose weight at first but you will sure as hell gain it just as quick. Eating quality fats and consuming calories above your metabolic rate (BMR) will ensure correct homeostasis (hormone balance), Keeping the fat burning machine firing on all cylinders with the byproduct being good health and fat loss. People need to get it into there heads that eating good quality amounts of fats and protein with ample vegetables will not make you fat, but in reverse burn fat.

 

Heres an example of how i would count (BMR) calories of a 10 stone or 140lbs/64kg male.

140lbs body weight x 10 = 1400 + (140×2=280) +1400 = 1,680 calories

1,680 calories is the minimum this person would need to maintain correct functions of the body.

Then dependent on activity levels i would x the calories by 1.2 lightly active upto  1.9 highly active, so for e.g 1,680 x 1.9 if highly active = 3,192 calories per day.

This should give you some idea of the calories you need to consume per day, On average a 10 stone person would probably not even consume there “basic metabolic rate” of 1,680 calories per day, this would be the amount needed just to breath and maintain normal body functions, without even getting out of bed.

Get out of bed to move and exercise and this increases, consuming less than your BMR and doing exercise is taking you into a major calorie deficit and your heading for trouble. The body cant function properly in this extreme calorie deficit, there fore the body slows down to compensate for the lack of calories.

When metabolic rate slows down, the body goes into survival mode, clinging onto as much fat as possible to survive in extreme conditions, think out in the mountains stuck with no food. For you to survive on no food you need adequate fat storage. When survival mode kicks in the body knows it needs to convert fat to energy to supply the body with fuel in harsh conditions.

 

If fat loss and optimum health is your goal, avoid restricting calories to stupid levels and consume good quality amounts of food your body needs. restrict your food intake and replace it with shit food and you restrict results.. Its that simple.

 

 

Simon Herbert

http://www.pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.28dayinchlossprogramme.co.uk

info@pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield

Nutrition Through ramadam!!!

 

 

Fasting through ramadam is not something most trainers and nutritionists will be all that familiar with, but having 2 clients who follow ramadam fasting, its become something of an area i’ve covered, but many times failed with in the past.

But through trial and error i have now managed to guide the few clients i have through ramadam effectively.

For most muslims, i have found that after around an 18hr fast, the first thing they do at iftar is mainly eat high carb meals  and too much of it, this results in feeling stuffed, bloated and tired, allowing little room for more feeds due to slow digestion rates.

I have also seen hitting the gym before breaking fast, and then proceeding to overeat post workout, hitting training after an 18 hr fast is not ideal. The body is under nutritioned and possibly dehydrated which could lead to injury among other issues.

Ramadan is a time to focus inwards. You should not be training 5x per week and stuffing yourself at night, nor should your mind be too occupied with things concerning diet/training. Ideally, these should take a back seat while doing the bare minimum to maintain your strength. equally, you don’t want to lose all your hard work by losing too much strength/size are the best ways i’ve found maintaining muscle tissue and lean body composition through fasting for my clients. Be realistic about your goals, Your not going to build any muscle tissue, its all about maintaining what you have worked for!!!

 

1 – Forget trying to eat clean, and eat with the following two purposes in mind:

I would guess that most of would have a hard time getting enough calories in due to the very short eating window and stomach-shrinking. As a result, aim for more calorie-dense foods and avoid dietary allergens (particularly pasta gluten & milk) to prevent bloating. Rice, whey, chicken, fatty cuts of meat, whatever you need.  However, if you have a superhuman appetite and tend to overeat: begin your suhoor with lean protein and basmati rice to curb appetite.

b) Getting sufficient protein: Eat your protein first, aiming for minimum 2g/kg bodyweight daily, followed by carbs, then fat, to satiety. 

2– Don’t deliberately aim for a calorie deficit.
If calories are too low, you’ll be worn down and under-recovered from the training program below. The only fitness goal you should realistically aim to pursue is maintainance during this month. I’m deliberately not giving any calorie guidelines because I don’t want anyone to get fixated on food like they did in past Ramadans. You will find that you lose fat naturally from the fast, provided that your calories are sensible, but don’t try to force it. If you’re unsure, track calories twice per week to gauge an average, just to ensure you’re not drastically over or under-eating.

3 – Stay hydrated at night. Aim for at least 2.5 litres.
– Try to spread this out throughout the evening, so you don’t flush it all and end up thirsty the next day.

4- Forget the no carbs at night crap.
If you’ve been following me for a while https://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield you’ll know by now that carbohydrates at night is actually more muscle-sparing and fat burning than having a larger breakfast.

5 – You won’t ‘go catabolic’ during the fast.
The potentially catabolic part is too large of a WEEKLY CALORIE DEFICIT and INSUFFICIENT PROTEIN. This won’t be a problem if you follow the above guidelines. While fasting is technically a catabolic process, you’ll offset any muscle loss by eating sufficient calories.

6: Train at night, 3x/week with the low/moderate volume strategy given below.

Ideally you can find a 24 hour gym nearby, which are surprisingly busy 11pm-2am in Ramadan! You should avoid training fasted: the dehydration increases risk of injury and will inhibit performance + recovery.

7: Intra-workout nutrition:
See below.

Example Day:

7am: Awake – fasting until 10pm

6pm: Depending on your working hours, 6pm-8pm might be a good time to catch some sleep.

10pm: Iftar:
Serving of rice & chicken, and dessert. 1 litre water

11pm: Taraweeh

Midnight: Begin training, sip intraworkout drink (See below)

1am: Suhoor (pre-fast meal). Should be similar to your iftar, but with more fibre and fat. This will slow digestion and help to maintain satiety during the fast.

1.30am: Sleep

Intra-Workout Drink:
Cellular dehydration is highly catabolic, so be sure to keep the cells hydrated during your workouts. 1 scoop  whey and up to 100g maltodextrin (optional) in 2 litres of water, to ensure adequate fluids, electrolytes, blood aminos, and insulin, all of which will improve cellular hydration and performance.
Training Template
Goal of training during Ramadan is strength maintenance/gain,. i advise a low to moderate volume split that can be done 2-3x/week, using straight sets.

 

 

 

 

Simon herbert

 

http://www.pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.28dayinchlossprogramme.co.uk

info@pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield

Operation transformation, Hit a glitch!!!!!

 

 

Yesterday i let Blog 4 free for you all to read, In the first part i expressed how i wont be counting calories blah blah blah, Well today i went for my body composition analysis and I was quite shocked to be fair.

Here was my previous stats from several weeks ago

BF% 8.9%

weight 85.1kg

Trunk fat % 3.4kg

 

This morning 1 hour before i went for my tests i weighed my self at home, weighing 83.6kg and looking already leaner than i did before, so i was feeling pretty good and not concerned at this point.

So i turn up for testing and off we go getting analysed, then came the results.

 

Here was todays results

BF% 8.4%

weight 84.4kg

Trunk fat % 3.6kg

 

SHIT, im less than 3 weeks out and i still have 3.4kg to loose. Thats the amount of fat i have round my abdomen. 3.4kg sounds a hell of a lot but to look at me i wouldnt think i was carrying that. So its obviously visceral fat from an untidy diet over the past few months.

Although i’m not fully hydrated (which can effect the results) i was hydrated sufficiently for the test.

So, going visually on how i look, I look leaner than before, i know this because i’ve been taking regular photos so i can clearly see i am  leaner from the front. My weights gone down slighter but i am also bigger in size, so in theory my body composition is changing. But not to how i thought it was. Body fat calipers and weighing scales are just not accurate enough in my eyes and this has proven it. Imagine i had turned up for weigh-in 3kg heavier than i should have, thinking i was all good.

 

So what happens next??

 

Its obvious things weren’t going as i expected so i need to make some changes, I could play this cool and hopefully drift in on weight nearer the time, but i am going to play shit safe, Im not going to count calories or even cut calories still. I need the nutrients i’m getting and cutting them out isn’t going to help me out 1 bit.

 

So, i’m going to add a little run to my training, in a morning on a fasted stomach. No food no nothing, this should burn an extra 200+ calories for me without dropping my food intake, but heres the mind fucker. Im going to add some carbs in pre workout for my training to see if i can gain a boost in energy while training, and hopefully train harder without a slump in energy levels that carbs have recently been giving me. This means adding more calories but hopefully i will burn more in training, which should balance itself out. ( lets see)

I refuse to calorie count yet and its a last resort for me, i’m not even going to dehydrate my self to make weigh-in, i am still pretty confident i can come in on weight without scraping the barrel.

Lets see what happens over the next 5 days:-).

 

As far as food has gone for today, It’s totally gone out of the window. Ive had 1 meal 9am which consisted of lean beef mince and greens and its now 3pm my water intake is down and i literally have fXXked up, because i haven’t planned my day. Im now going to consume some protein and carbs with veg and hopefully i still have time to get 2 more meals in late today. If i am down on calories today its not the end of the world. As long as i recover sufficiently from training ill be happy.

 

Recovery!!!

 

Post workout its important to replace lost glycogen, i normally do this with a 2:1 ratio of simple carbs to protein in a shake form around 10minutes after doing weights, i use protein powder to stop muscle tissue breakdown and maltodextrin powder to replace glycogen stores.

If i am refuelling from cardio, i will generally consume some high gylcemic whole food like a baked potato with some protein like chicken, and try to get this in within 20 mins of finishing exercise.

 

Recovery is an important thing when training hard, I use some supplements to help me recover quicker but believe it or not, rest is the best. Without sufficient sleep you can’t get optimal recovery, all the supplements in the world wont help, unless you get un interrupted sleep.

If sleeping is a problem, take some simple steps to getting a good nights kip.

1. Dont watch tv or use other electrical equipment like phones or computers 1 hour before bed, they stimulate the brain (kindles are an exception)
2. Read a book
3. Have sex (or a fiddle lol)
4. dont drink alcohol
5. Make sure there is no natural or artificial light in the room, this includes alarm clocks and any LED lights.
6. Use magnesium spray before bed
7. Dont use caffeine or any caffeine based supplements 6 hours before sleeping.
8. Have a relaxing bath

If your getting a good nights sleep, theres a few extra steps you can take, magnesium and zinc work well together for recovery, good hydration, low stress levels, i cant stress enough how important it is to stay de-stressed. Stress is a silent barrier, it  effects many of us in many different ways. Some of us realise were stressed and some of us don’t feel it, but we are stressed. Sit back and give it some thought. I live a highly on the go kinda lifestyle, i never get chance to sit and rest or chill. I cant sit still for longer than 2 mins, i have to be up and about doing something and recently its draining me. I am stressed and i wont get all the time i physically need to de-stress, so ive taken on board a little help. I just started taking phospho-tydl serene at 800 mg a day just short term. ( got a months supply) so hopefully this should calm me down a tad and keep my cortisol levels down.

Take time off training!!

 

Training everyday wont get you better gains if your body is crying out for recovery. Every now and again, stop the addiction to train and take some time to sit back and focus on your training.

 

When i was bodybuilding, i could never miss a meal or a gym session. If i did i would feel depressed and shit the whole time i was not in the gym, this becomes a way of live for some people. But you have to listen to your body, would you prefer to train 7 days a week and only be able to put 60% in because of fatigue and mental blockage, or be able to put 100% in over 4 sessions, have time to rest and recover and also get to spend time with loved ones??? Give it some thought, TRAINING everyday is only running you down, thats when the little things in life get affected;-)

Simon herbert

http://www.28dayinchlossprogramme.co.uk

http://www.pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

info@pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

 

Why running can make you FAT!!!

Why do i run long distance and still gain fat?

When you picture marathon runners, you imagine a skinny muscle starved body -capable of running miles after miles after miles.

You don’t expect to take up running and gain weight, so can it happen? YES, does it happen to everyone? NO

So if i put some mileage in most days and and eat a “balanced diet” how can i put weight on?

Theres many factors that promote weight gain and fat gain in distance runners, I’m not talking about your elite athletes or your olympians ( we already know these people come to events in the best shape possible, For numerous reasons) I’M talking you about YOU, yes you -who goes running because you want to get fit/loose weight or you just enjoy it.

If you enjoy running and it doesn’t bother you wether you loose weight or not, then stop reading this blog, because you might change your mind otherwise:-)

Theres many factors that affect weight gain in runners,

1. Intensity of running
2. Nutritional profile
3. Genetics
4. Body somatotype
5. frequency of training and rest periods

Running at long distances to loose weight is not the best advice i would give my clients, Heres the downsides to running long distance

1. Muscle breakdown
2. Increased joint pain
3. Damage to hips and knee joints over time (irreversible)
4. Heart failure and heart attacks ( look it up for your self, heart problems and running)
5. High Cortisol production ( more on this later)
6. Develop injuries
7. Can cause inflammation
8. Decreased anaerobic capacity
9. Decreased testosterone levels
10. Decreased power
11. Decreased strength

The list goes on, But lets not forget the benefits of distance running

1. Releases endorphins ( so does any exercise)
2. Improves mental focus and PMA positive mental attitude
3. Better endurance
4. Enhanced stamina
5. Increased sense of well
6. Increases mygolobin levels in the blood

So heres some benefits to long distance running, but can we get the same results if not better from other methods of exercise, That are better for the heart, weight loss and less damaging to the body?????

Me personally i avoid repetitive sessions of long distance running, I feel it doesn’t have enough benefits to out weigh the negative effects it has on the body. I don’t think it should be avoided altogether but done in moderation, Unless you have other reasons for e.g, training for an event or specific sport then it does have it’s place.

The above photo speaks volumes, these guys probably consume near on the same calories, its possible the 100m sprinter consumes less than the marathon runner, but -put aside the calories (and possibly the use of performance enhancing drugs) The sprinters training is totally different from the marathon runners schedule.

The sprinter will train at higher intensity for shorter periods and have lots of rest, the marathon runner will run for hours at a steady pace with no rest. The bigger picture to look at her is that , deterioration of the body is possible from marathon running, Burning fat and changing lean body composition is  possible from High intensity training.

Heres the benefits of HIIT (High intensity interval training)

1. Efficiency. By working at a higher intensity for short time intervals, HIIT allows you to reach your goals without spending hours in the gym or on the tarmac and damage crucial ligaments and cartilage and tendons.
2. Improved Aerobic & Anaerobic Fitness.   Through HIIT training, the body becomes more efficient at producing and using energy from the anaerobic energy system and more effectively removes metabolic waste from the muscles during recovery intervals, resulting in increased performance.
3. Increased Metabolic Rate. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), during HIIT, a person consumes more oxygen than in slower, distance exercise, which can increase post-exercise metabolism.(burning fat after exercise)
4. Convenience. HIIT can be done anywhere – at the gym, your apartment, outdoors — and with no equipment. After all, the most valuable piece of equipment when it comes to HIIT is YOU!
5. Increased muscle mass. HIIT increases muscle mass, muscle tissue burns more calories per gram than body fat can burn-therefore increasing your metabloic rate, which in turn burns more fat.

Mix things up to get maximum results!!!

 So basically we burn muscle tissue when running long distance instead of fat, if you are keeping muscle tissue but not burning fat you need to look at your calorie intake, the foods you eat and the timing of your meals.

If you run everyday or every other day for the purposes of fat loss, Try changing this around to 1 long run per week, and incorporate different training methods into your schedules, do hill sprints, circuit classes, cross training, resistance training and run medium distances in faster times lasting 20-mins maximum.  What you class as a “balanced diet” may not be correct so if in doubt seek professional advice.

Mixing your training up will cause more of a metabolic disturbance than running alone!!

I once heard a saying ” If You don’t have all the tools in the tool box how can you do the job properly” This is so god damn right.

 

 

Simon Herbert

http://www.pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.28dayinchlossprogramme.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield?ref=hl

Melting fat workout 2!!!!

 

Hey guys, this blog is a bit later than i anticipated but my word press decided it didn”t like me  for a few days and would”t allow me to log in.

No drive today!!!

We all have those days, the days when were suppose to train but just cant motivate our self’s to get off the couch-after coming home from work, or you cant be bothered to get out of bed to train because the weather is cold and dull?

This then turns into a routine where you think, miss today train tomorrow, BUT did you know, exercise releases endorphins in your brain like serotonin that make you feel less stressed and happier. Exercise has a mountain of benefits from keeping you healthy/preventing diseases-to making you feel in a shit load better in general. The days you don’t feel like training, get up and get to your class, session, lesson, run or what ever exercise it is you do and after wards assess how you feel. Do you feel better/worse, more energy/ tired etc.

See!!! If you are drained from over training, sometimes its good to rest, but are you tired? or are you sluggish?, These are two things you need to ask your self. If you have eaten wrong or not done much for a few days the chances are your metabolism has slowed down, therefore good food and a good workout is what you need. If your tired and feel worse after exercise you could be over training and/or eating wrong. Don’t rule 1 thing out, remember you should be getting to know your own body, lazyness and exhaustion are not the same thing.

 

Workout 2!!

 

30 secs squats as many as possible – 60 secs rest

30 secs squat jumps as many as possible – 60 secs rest

15 burpees to completion – 60 secs rest

30 secs press ups- 60secs rest

repeat above 3 x

then

30 secs squat thrusts-20secs squat thrusts-15 secs squat thrusts-10 secs squat thrust-5 secs squat thrust

rest 30 sescs

60 secs burpee into short plank.

 

HEARTY STEW

 

 

HEARTY STEW

INGREDIENTS

⇒ 500g lean ground beef
⇒ 1 medium onion, chopped
⇒ 2 medium carrots, diced
⇒ 2 stalks celery, diced
⇒ 800g, diced tomatoes
⇒ 1litre water
⇒ 1 tsp salt
⇒ 1 tsp crumbled dried basil
⇒ 1⁄2 tsp crumbled dried thyme
⇒ 1⁄4 tsp black pepper
⇒ 225g sweetcorn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned, drained) ⇒ 50 ml barley

PREPARATION

Combine ground beef and chopped onion in a large saucepan with a cover. Cook over medium-high heat until the meat starts to brown slightly, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in carrots and celery and cook, stirring for a minute or two. Add tomatoes with all the juice from the can, the water, salt, basil, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Add sweetcorn and barley. Stir and continue to cook over low heat for 50 to 60 minutes or until barley is tender.

The recipes i will provide you are out of my own cook book, it is available to purchase from me and is £11.99, there is 90 healthy weightloss recipes, ranging from starters, main meals side dishes, desserts, smoothies and more. All gluten free, sugar free, dairy free an fat free.

 

Peace out and enjoy

Simon Herbert

http://www.pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.28dayinchlossprgramme.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield

Melting fat work out 1!

Time to burn the fat!

The detox is over, weve rid the body of toxins and now its time to rid the stubborn fat, JUST remember this is where the self motivation really kicks in, I’m not suggesting doing hours of cardio, Infact quite the opposite……

You have heard me talk about HIIT training before so i have put you a workout together to get you started.

 

Workout 1!!!

 

warm up and stretch, all exercises are body weight do as many of the movement exercises as possible in 30 secs

30 secs squats

30 secs squat and hold

30 secs push ups

60 secs rest

repeat 8 x

Simple put effective first workout.

 

 

YUMMY CHICKEN KEBABS

INGREDIENTS

• ⇒  60g natural organic yoghurt
• ⇒  60ml fresh lemon juice
• ⇒  6 garlic cloves, minced and red peppers
• ⇒  1 tsp turmeric
• ⇒  1 tsp salt
• ⇒  1kg skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut

  into 2cm pieces

 

0. PREPARATION

   Whisk together the yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, and salt in a large bowl, then add the chicken, stirring to coat. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.

   Best cooked on a BBQ, or else a preheated medium-hot grill

   While grill heats, drain the chicken discarding the marinade, and thread chicken pieces about 1⁄2 cm apart onto skewers.

   Lightly oil hot grill rack, then grill kebabs, turning occasionally, until chicken is just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes.

 

The recipes i will provide you are out of my own cook book, it is available to purchase from me and is £11.99, there is 90 healthy weightloss recipes, ranging from starters, main meals side dishes, desserts, smoothies and more. All gluten free, sugar free, dairy free an fat free.

 

info@pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.28dayinchlossprogramme.co.uk

http://www.pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

Simon Herbert

http://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield

Day 9 the final day????

How do i feel????

 

Day 9 was the end of my journey from bloated to sorted, you’ve seen what i eat and ive told you how i train…….

Iv’e given you my supplements and youv’e seen the photos from the start. Ive  decided to keep you in suspense ( for those thats bothered lol).

My bloatings gone and i feel so much better, on day 10 i did some cheating and on day 11 i went straight back to my clean eating.

 

Its day 11 and i get ready to take my photos after the detox, i thought what if i diet for another 14 days and show everyone how to continue and burn some fat. Lets face it in a few days my body wont burn huge amounts of fat- only rid the body of toxins and rid the excess water i have been storing. I thought if i dont educate you all thats following me to continue these protocols, WHAT would be the point of the detox if your going to go back to normal.

So i’ve cut out GLUTEN, DAIRY apart from eggs, butter and full fat yoghurt, I cut out all sugars and processed foods. Why do i need to add any of this back to my diet??? what if i do??? Well if you do add it back into your diet you will gain weight, These foods should never be consumed if you want to stay healthy and disease free and off course!! stay in good shape!! So really were not only detoxing for 9 days, we’ve learnt to change our lifestyles, yes you can have cheat meals and yes you can still have your favourite meals. But in moderation 1-2 times per week is ample. Train hard, eat clean and cheat with caution. If we were designed to eat anything we want, and walk around with lean tight physiques we would be doing, but to get lean and healthy we need to make adjustments to our lifestyles and work at it.

But its a full time job!!

We eat all day everyday dont we???, we choose for ease and eat the first thing we fancy, why does it have to be hard eating-staying healthy???? It doesn’t but we all think it does, Its all about meal planning……. If you know your going out for the afternoon and you dont take a healthy meal in a container, YOUR going to cheat, if you dont take water YOUR going to dehydrate. Its all about habit.. All we need to do is re-educate our selfs, re-plan and think ahead. Your going out for a meal, were would you go??? pizza hut, a greasy take away, some restaurant for lasagne??? why not try nandos? its chicken, its chargrilled and if you want you can have it plain. They do sweet potato, its fresh. YOU see what im getting at?? you have choices….. YOU fail because you choose to fail.

 

The next 2 weeks i will dedicate to fat burning and getting you all in the habit of planing meals and making concious decisions.

I wont be posting blogs every day because i want you to think for your selfs a little, Give it a go your selfs, try and plan healthy meals and think forward, during the next 2 weeks i will Update you with photos and training ideas to melt fat.

I will post 3 x times a week giving you a fat melting workout you can do in your home that will take 20-25 mins. I will give you some recipe ideas for meals that you can work off your selfs. This will all start tomorrow morning, tomorrow will contain 1 workout and 1 meal recipe to get you all going.

Simon herbert

http://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield

-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.28dayinchlossprogramme.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Tired is not the word!!

 

Give me some sleep….

 

Day 7, and  yesterday (day 6) i did not grace you with my presence for 2 reasons- firstly because it was a boring day and nothing had changed from the previous day, i had nothing to talk about, nothing interesting and i just felt shit, so why bring you down to my level??. Secondly i was so tired it was unreal. And i gave in but ill fill you in on this bit shortly.

 

Ever woke up after a nights sleep but still feel like you never slept???

 

I woke up absolutely drained, i thought i would feel totally replenished and be ready for anything today, I couldn’t have been any further away from this. I am knackered, my nutrition is good my water intake good, ok i am aching from training but not enough to screw my sleep up-i don’t feel a fever coming and i haven’t over trained, so why do i feel so tired????

I put it down to two factors.

1, my last meal before bed was a spicy one, i had homemade chicken stir fry and wasn’t shy with the red chilli.

2, i noticed the heating had been cranked up, i don’t recall any sweating or discomfort but i did wake up hotter than normal.

So if i put both factors together i think my problem was overheating in my sleep. Spicy foods raise the body temperature and when we sleep our bodies prefer a cooler environment, so with the added heat from the central heating its enough to hamper a deep fulfilled sleep.

 

Another reason why spicy food is no good before bed…… This we will pass on though!!!!

 

As the day goes on i’m getting more and more tired, SHIT i could sleep on a washing line but i have no spare time to power nap, Too much to do and no time to rest. So what do i do..AAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH.

It had to be done, my work was more important!!

I had to make a conscious decision, i am really tired, as i previously said i can’t stop to rest and i need a kick of some kind,to get me through my clients i have. What would you do????

Sometimes its about making the best decision out of a bad situation, we all get these problem areas from time to time and i my self am no different to anyone else, i practice what i preach but i am also a realist and i know it’s not possible to be 100%….24hours-7days a week.

I had a choice of many things like energy drinks that i see every where in stores, sweets, fruit, coffee etc, you see where i’m coming from???? i’m tired and my body is seeking something.

I had a piece of fruit- made no difference

I had some cocao powder in hot water- made no difference

Its now 4pm and i have 4-5 hours of work left teaching, Its obvious that my blood sugar levels are stable, as i was eating correctly and my water intake was ok, i even curbed the sugar craving. I was obviously just drained, The best decision for me was a coffee, not instant coffee but – 100% fresh filtered coffee. Not normally a good choice when detoxing but sometimes needs must, I consumed the coffee and got straight back into my normal diet.

 

Here there is a lesson to be learnt, if your going to cheat and you have no option, Been strong willed is one thing, but in some cases its not always an option. If i stayed tired and could not concentrate on my clients, injury may occur, i didnt reach for the sugar kick and i knew fresh coffee – would give me the kick i needed at the drop of a hat. I didnt choose sweets, or monster energy drinks or anything else that was a bad choice. I weighed my options up and did the best i could.

Something you all you need to be aware of is, at some point you will have to give in for various reasons, but REMEMBER we are NOT robots. If you fail, make the best decision possible and then get right back on track, do NOT think,”oh sod it i’ve failed, i might as well start back tomorrow or next week” DO NOT DO THIS.  

Get back on track asap.

 

My Workouts today:-

In 1 minute of working as many reps as possible followed by 1 minute rest

3 x 1 minute olympic barbell press – 1minute rest

3 x 1 minute barbell squats – 1 minute rest

3 x 1 minute deadlifts – 1 minute rest

3 x 30 secs body weight renegade rows-30 secs lunges – 3o secs burpees then 30 secs rest.

Nutrition.

 

Meal 1

scrambled egg with orange pepper and spinach and homemade bison burger

Meal 2

Mixed berries

Meal 3

Sweet potato and water buffalo with broccoli

Meal 4

Avacado and almond butter

Meal 5

Kangaroo steak with stirfry and rice noodles

Meal 6

Mackeral fillets

My supplements

Magnesium oil

omega 3 fish oils

superfood antioxidants

whey protein

vitamin c crystals

l-glutamine

VSL-3 probiotics

Peace out till tomorrow

Simon Herbert

info@pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield

kangaroo herby, From bloated to sorted day 6.

 

 

Day 6, SHEEEEEEETTTTTT –  where are these days going??  At first it was dragging now my days are flying!!

Today i might as well be a kangaroo, i am bouncing off the walls with energy – normally i hit the snooze button but today….. “ALARM clock get outter here” !!!!!!.  I’m up, i’m awake and hell yeah i beat my alarm clock!!

Someone said to me today ” if your detoxing,why are you eating? shouldn’t you be fasting and taking a colon cleanse thingy??”

“why would i fast?” i replied, “where will my nutrients come from if i don’t eat?, How will my metabolism stay high and most of all how will my liver and other detoxing organs function properly without adequate nutrients to keep me functioning properly?”

These were all the questions i asked, the reply was ” detox drinks with vitamins in wont ya?”

I think this person was totally missing the point of my 9 day detox, I personally have many views why i won’t fast for long periods of time, But the most obvious 1 is, i am trying maintain lean muscle tissue while ridding my body of toxic deposits, If i don’t eat where will my body derive energy substrates from? I’ll tell you!! My own hard earnt muscles, yes thats right!! my body will turn catabolic and start eating its own tissue to supply energy to function properly.

How can i push my workouts on no food, feel dizzy , faint, think you get the picture!!!

Ever wondered why you loose weight but you still carry fat??

If your body runs out of other sources of fuel (food)  it will start to use muscle tissue for energy. This isn’t  a normal condition, and your body will only start to use muscle tissue for energy under extreme conditions, such as if you are very sick, severely malnourished not eating or not consuming enough calories over an extended period of time to support normal body functions.

Metabolism

During digestion, your body breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugars that are converted to glucose, or blood sugar. Glucose travels in your blood to every cell in your body, where it is used to make energy. If you consume more sugar than your body needs for immediate energy, some of the excess is converted into glycogen, a type of sugar that is stored in your muscle tissue. If your body needs glucose, and no sugar is coming in from your diet, glycogen is released from your muscles and broken down to supply enough glucose for energy to last about half a day.

Muscle Breakdown

Muscle tissue is made up mostly of protein, which, in turn, is made up of amino acids. Normally, your body does not use protein to produce energy. If you run out of glycogen stores, and no glucose is available, your body will then break down its own muscle tissue to release amino acids. These amino acids are sent to your liver, where they are converted to glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. When your body starts to use muscle tissue for energy, you lose muscle mass.

Causes

Normally, the body will only start to use muscle tissue for energy in the case of starvation. If you have an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or engage in long-term fasting, or if you are sick with a chronic disease, such as cancer, and you are unable to consume a balanced diet that contains sufficient calories, your metabolism changes. That means the rate at which you burn calories for fuel changes. Over time, as your body chemistry is altered and you continue to be undernourished, you may lose muscle because your body resorts to breaking down its own tissue in need of fuel.

Muscle cells burns a considerable, higher amount of calories than fat cells do. The way to burns fat cells is by certain exercises which use different energy stages of the body ( i won’t go into this but you have heard me rave on about HIIT training), The HIIT training i perform not only burns fat, burn also increases muscle fibres, due to growth hormone response post training and epoc (yesterdays blog)<, This in turn having more muscles cells will provide a better calorie burn than a higher amount of fat cells.

 

Todays training was strength and conditioning, i mixed it up with the following

Following sets i did as many as possible in 30 secs then rested for 30 secs, i repeated this 3 x and then had a 2 minute rest.

3 x sets of barbell dead lifts

2 minute rest

3 x sets of push ups

2 minute rest

3 x sets of barbell push press

2 minutes rest

3 x sets of squats

2 minutes rest

Then my finisher was 30 secs burpees, 30 secs touch toe star jumps, 30 secs squat and hold ,30 secs rest then repeat once more.

Meal 1

Chicken, pecans and satsuma

Meal 2

mixed berries and full fat yoghurt

meal 3

Salad with almonds and tuna

meal 4

Gluten free Rice noodles and chicken stir fry with homemade tomato sauce ( Rice noodles for pre exercise energy )

Meal 5 Pre workout snack

Avacado and almond oil

Meal 6

Seared tuna on a bed of gluten free rice noodles with wilted spinach and cracked black pepper

 

3.5 litres of water

My supplements

Magnesium oil

omega 3 fish oils

superfood antioxidants

whey protein

vitamin c crystals

l-glutamine

VSL-3 probiotics

Peace out till tomorrow

Simon Herbert

info@pro-fitness-sheffield.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/Profitnesssheffield