Let’s Keep It Simple (KIS)! If you want to lose weight, you need to focus on the quantity of calories you eat. If you want to be healthy, you need to focus on the quality of the calories you eat. If you want to lose weight and be healthy you should focus on the quantity and quality of the calories you eat. How much you eat will determine whether you lose or gain weight. If you are in a calorie deficit you will lose wight, if you are in a calorie surplus you will gain weight. What you eat in this case might not matter as much. For example you could have burgers and chips every day, and once you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. However, the problem arises in that the “quality” of foods like burgers and chips is not great. They are processed calorie dense foods. Thus you may not feel great if you eat these types of food every day. If you want to feel great, you need to eat wholesome quality foods. Bottom line, If you want to lose weight and be healthy you should focus on the quantity and quality of the food you eat.
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18/4/2021 0 Comments “I’m too busy to workout”!!“I’m too busy to workout”!! How often have you heard that, or said it to yourself? Question for today! How much time did you spend on: Social Media, Netflix, Working out? Did you know the average person spent: 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media in 2020. PLUS they spent 1 hour and 16 minutes per day on Netflik. They may have spent 2 hours over the course of the week working out/ exercising/ strength training, i.e. 17 minutes per day! Over the course of a year that’s roughly 876 hours a year (37 whole days) on social media, 462 hours a year (19 whole days) on Netflix, compared with only 104 hours (4 whole days) of physical activity. Think about that the next time you hear that little voice at the back of your head saying you are too busy to workout! Shift the pendulum and work out/ exercise/ strength train a bit more, and a little less time on social media/ Netflik! Your body, mind, health and wellbeing will thank you for the switch! 11/4/2021 0 Comments Keep your energy focussed on YOU!This is the quotation I have up on the wall of my Personal Training Studio. Too often we compare ourselves with other people. We naturally compare ourselves to others even though we know we shouldn't, we still do it! Particularly now in the age of social media where pictures are shared by a lot of people. But we don’t know their full story, like how long have they been working out, how much time they have for exercise, how much sleep they get, what stresses they have, and what types of food they eat. And then there are also the photo effects like lighting and photoshop! So many factors go into how you are feeling and looking. Pay attention to one thing and one thing only. Are you better than yesterday? Are you progressing with what you're doing? It doesn’t matter how fast or slow, as long as you're moving in the right direction. Keep aiming for that 1% better than the previous day/ previous workout. Keep your energy focussed on YOU! Rest day! All the “R”s: Rest, Recover, Recharge, Reset & Re-evalaute
Having a rest day is so important. It allows the body and mind time to recover and recharge. But it is also an opportunity to Reset and Re-evaluate. You should take at least a day off per week from strength training. And while you rest and recover, do take the time to Reset the goals for the week ahead. What are the key things you want to improve upon? What are the things you want to progress? What 1% improvement are you going to make for the next day? By re-evaluateing while you are resting you get have a major win:win – your body and mind recovers, and is recharged for the next set of accomplishments! 14/3/2021 0 Comments Feeling Great!One of my clients has lost 2 stone (28.7 lbs, 13Kg) – his weekly weight results are in the graph above. When I asked him about his journey, he said the most important thing was that he has been feeling great, that that feeling was more important than the weight. It got me thinking, which comes first: weight loss results, or positive mindset/ feeling? One might argue you need to see some weight loss before you start feeling better. Or you could argue you need a positive mindset to get started and to keep going. For most people a positive spiral develops: Weight improves, sleep improves, eating improves, strength/ muscle increases, and the person feels much better. This positive cycle builds on itself and things keep improving. When I asked the client more about how he accomplished his results, the main things were:
The one problem he has now is he needs to get a whole new clothes wardrobe! His pants size is down from 38 to 34 inch, and his shirt size is gone from extra large to large! Some people might love to have that problem! And remember what he said: “Feeling great is the most important thing”!
28/2/2021 0 Comments The weight loss pill!There is no special pill you can buy in a shop or online. The only magic pill for weight loss and muscle gain is consistency! It’s as simple as that! Consistently be in a calorie deficit, move every day, and workout/ strength train on a regular basis. It takes times, so it is a question of prioritising your time and putting your exercise and strength training as a non-negotitable, must do item. If you do this you will see sustainable amazing results. If you want to lose weight and build muscle, it is best to do strength training before cardio. The reason is that usually what you do first is what you do best, and also you have more energy at the start of your workout. Strength training requires all of your energy to perform at your maximum and at your best. Cardio is a way to burn some extra calories and to improve your stamina. It’s ok to do this second as you will probably burn the same amount of calories whether you do it first of last. Another way to look at it is before you start your workout, your body is full of “easily” accessible energy. If you do your cardio first, then you are burning off all the easy to access energy. Take an example of using 200 calories. Those 200 easy to access calories would have made your strength training way more effective. You would have more energy stored in your body but most of it isn’t available as quickly as you need for lifting weights, especially short burst of energy for lifting and strength training. However, it is ok for cardio workout to tap into the additional energy in a continuous manner, particularly for burning some extra calories. So, to optimise your workout, lose weight and build muscle, you should do strength training before cardio. 14/2/2021 0 Comments The best ways to manage stressFocusing on these five things of exercise, nutrition, sleep, friendships and controllables will help you manage your stress level better. 31/1/2021 6 Comments Common questions about proteinA few people have asked about protein in the past few weeks. I had previously written a blog about proteins. Three main questions kept coming up:
1. How much protein should you have per day? The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, such as your goal, your weight and how active you are at exercising/ strength training. The RNI (Reference Nutrient Intake) recommends 0.8g per kg bodyweight for the general public. However, a more general guideline for someone who exercises and works out and wants to encourage muscle growth is 1.2 – 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight daily. Two other ways to look at it are:
2. What are the best protein foods? Precision Nutrition have a nice graphic on what are the best high protein foods: 3. Should I take a protein supplement? A protein supplement is a convenient way to increase your protein intake. A typical Whey protein shake would contain 23gms proteins. It is very handy to take this immediately after a strength training session. Conclusion: Protein is very important food component, particularly if you exercise and work out regularly. One should aim to consciously eat more protein rich foods throughout the day. 20/1/2021 0 Comments Consistency versus PerfectionNow that we are 3 weeks into the New Year, some of the New Year resolutions may start to fizzle out. Now is the time to double down and stay the course in a consistent fashion. How often are we perfect for a few weeks and then average again or the old habits creep back? For example we smash our training and nutrition goals but then start slipping up. CONSISTENCY IS KEY! It is far more important to be consistent with our habits than it is to strive for perfection. Follow the 80/20 rule, this rule can be applied to your training and diet. 80% of the time you give it your all at training and you stay consistent with your nutrition plan. 20% of the time you indulge a little or you have a less intense training day. This allows our body and mind to recover and prevent that regression & burnout. Focus on staying CONSISTENT, you will find this propels you closer to achieving your goals and embedding them as sustainable habit! Aim to be consistently good rather than perfection all the time. 31/12/2020 0 Comments New Year, New HabitsAs we enter a new year, it is good to take stock of where we are, and where we want to be. It doesn’t mean stop doing loads of things. The best thing to do is add a few new manageable sustaining habits to what we are already doing well. Pick a few of the following:
Don’t try and do everything, don’t boil the ocean as it won’t be sustainable. Pick 1-3 things that you think will have the biggest impact for you and do them well, and they will become sustainable habits that will cause continued improvement in your health, wellbeing and happiness. Wishing you a great 2021!
Remember Christmas is only one day! You won’t ruin all your progress in one day, so enjoy and get back on track ASAP. Losing weight doesn’t usually follow a straight linear line or path. There are usually ups and downs on the journey. The graph below are actual results of a client who lost 7.9Kg (17.3lbs, 1.24 stone) in 2 months. The client’s waist was down by 5cm (2 inches) in this time period too!
There are always ups and downs, but with the right approach, right attitude and right support structure you will make progress. I love the iceberg analogy about how much we eat. Most people think they eat a lot less than they actually eat! There is what we see (or what we want to see) – what’s above the surface, versus what we actually do eat (which is below the surface in the iceberg). This really comes to light when a client says they want to lose weight. When you ask them to describe a typical day or week, they often say they are eating a lot of the right things, and give the impression they are eating the right amount of the right things. But then you work with them for a few weeks and their weight isn’t coming down. You then ask them to do a food diary (this can be very easy and basic, like a paper log of what you eat, or you can use an App like “MyFitnessPal”). Next time you met them, 9 out of 10 times there will be comments like: “I didn’t realise I eat so much” “I forgot to tell you about …….. (usually snacks, or crisps)” “My portion size was bigger than I expected” “I didn’t know there were so many calories in …….. (usually beer or snacks)” “I never thought I ate so much ….. (often processed food)” “I eat great Monday to Friday, it’s the weekends that get me” “That was really fascinating” If you are on a weight loss journey, the first step is being honest with yourself. Then you can take the right steps to improve the situation. 22/11/2020 0 Comments “My weight isn’t going down despite I eating less calories and strength training”I have a client that was originally disappointed that there was no real change in her weight despite all her work focussed on what she was eating, and strength training at least three times per week. How often has this occurred? Why might this be the case? There are usually 2 main reasons for this occurring:
In order to determine what is actually happening it is best to track the calories on a daily basis, and to measure weight and have a breakdown of body fat and muscle mass (this doesn’t have to be done on a daily basis). The client tracked her calories for a period of time. That showed that in general she was eating the right amount of calories for weight loss. We measured her weight, body fat and muscle mass over 8 weeks - see graph below for actual results. That confirmed that her weight didn’t change, but her body fat % went steadily down from 36.1% to 32.5%, whereas her muscle mass went up from 43.9Kg to 46.4Kg. This proved that indeed she was losing body fat, while getting stronger. The best thing was that she felt much better, and people complimented her appearance! Key takeaways:
14/11/2020 0 Comments I want results, where do I start?If you want to lose weight or start strength training, it can often be confusing where to start. In this blog we will briefly explore the key steps to moving forward to getting great results on a consistent basis. 1. Mindset: The first step is to be open to change, that you recognise and want to make an improvement. You should have an honest assessment of the current situation and acknowledge to yourself where you are at and where you would like to be. Key points here are: · Positive mindset is critical. · Growth mindset. Be open to learning and not having a closed mind. · Compare yourself to nobody but yourself. Always remember: “Fitness is not about being better than someone else….It’s about being better than you used to be” 2. Nutrition: When starting out, getting weight loss results will be determined by the habits you build with food. · Calories are king. It’s a relatively simple equation: calories in (energy in) versus calories out (energy out). If you take in more calories than you use up, you will put on weight, if you use up more calories (energy) than you take in, you will lose weight. · Eat loads of vegetable and fruit. · Keep protein high, this is essential for any physique related goal. In general at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight · Watch your portion size. You maybe eating the right foods, but if you are eating too much, you will be taking in too many calories and you will put on weight. · Eat wholemeal products rather than white processed food. · Drink loads of water. · Get used to doing it 7 days a week, not Monday to Friday. You could do great during the weekdays, but blow it all on the weekend. · Ideally track your calories. Find a method that works for you: meal plan, “My Fitness Pal, food diary etc 3. Strength Training/Activity: · Learn how to lift weights properly. Get proper coaching. If you do it incorrectly at the start, you are making things more difficult for yourself and bad habits will stick with you. Weight training is a skill that needs to be taught. A personal trainer can really help you do it safely and do it right. · Move. Walk at least 8,000 steps a day. This is not exercise or training, this should be mandatory for a healthy person and should be the bare minimum every day. · Aim to do strength training for at least 45mins 3x times per week. 4. Accountability What gets measured, gets managed. · Track your bodyweight. Ideally have breakdown of % Body fat and muscle mass, as your weight may not be decreasing as much as you expect due to you putting on muscle if you are weight training on a a consistent basis. · Measure chest, waist and hips. Take body pictures so that you can see your progress · Get a Personal Training coach. Accountability is everything. If you are only answering to yourself, you will eventually start making excuses and justifications when things get hard and you start easing off or get lazy. By focussing on positive mindset, watching what and how much you eat, and doing strength training you will get great results. 18/10/2020 1 Comment Guest Blog about Laughter Yoga!Juniper Jade runs Laughter Yoga. She has a new series of classes starting in Maynooth at Ace Fit Club in November. Here’s some background about it: “What are the benefits of laughter yoga: Laughter is the best medicine and here's why 1. Lowers blood pressure. ... 2. It is a great aerobic exercise. ... 3. It increases the oxygen intake. ... 4. It improves your concentration. ... 5. It improves your immune system. ... 6. It makes you happy. ... 7. Improves your respiratory system. ... 8. Improve the health of your heart. 9. Lose weight without even realizing you are exercising 10. Release trauma through connecting with your inner child What happens in JuniperJade’s Laughter Yoga Class? Firstly I guarantee laughter and fun. I’ve been teaching Laughter Yoga for over 4 years and it always makes me and those who try it feel more relaxed. ALWAYS. Even if you don’t feel like laughing just being around people who are giggling is going to fire up your happy hormones and your subconscious. Laughter is contagious so you don’t even need to laugh for it to work. Sometimes you just feel happier after an hour of structured, tailored exercises that invite loving smiles and gentle fake laughter into the body using all major muscle groups. You will burn up to 500 calories and we fake it til we make it. I’m a Masters qualified Dance Movement Psychotherapist, Laughter Yoga Facilitator, H Dip Advanced Dance, Level 4 Angelic Energy Practitioner and Psychic. I predict you will also make friends in this class xx Everyone is welcome. Keep an open mind and no expectations. Ha ha moments lead to “Ah-ha” moments. NEW CLASS STARTS IN MAYNOOTH JuniperJade Laughter Yoga €30 for 4 weeks (Must be Prepaid) 1 session per week Maximum: 6 people Tuesday mornings 10.30-11.30am Tuesday evenings 7-8pm Location: Ace Fit Club, Maynooth Date: Starts 10th November until 8th December 2020 Booking: JuniperJade Healing 0894031302 Revolut/Bank Transfer Email juniperjade01@gmail.com *Fees will be refunded if class doesn’t run* I am introducing a positive fun solution LAUGHTER YOGA ! It’s a great low cost stress buster. A lot of us want to shift that 2kg lockdown blubber especially around the belly. Laughter Yoga uses breath work and games that work your core getting you in shape for Christmas. You know you will feel better. Your body will thank you with vitality and newfound energy. I am also offering Christmas Gift Vouchers for a 4 week term January 2021 start date for €30. “The Gift of Laughter” for your loved ones.” By Juniper Jade 12/10/2020 0 Comments What type of calorie person are you?What type of calorie person are you? 1. Steady: “Like eating the same number of calories each day” 2. YoYo: “Calories change everyday” 3. Weekender: “Eat less calories on the weekday, more calories on the weekend” 4. Don’t know: “What’s my calories? I don’t know how much calories I eat!” In order to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit i.e. take in less calories than you use up. You don’t need to be in a calorie deficit every single individual day, you are better to focus on the total weekly calories. Once the total weekly averages out to a daily calorie deficit, then you can still lose weight. That way you can have a little more on some days, provided your calories are little less some other day(s), and the overall weekly average is in line with your calorie goal. It can be very difficult and challenging to be in a calorie deficit every single day. Especially if there are special occasions (like Birthdays) or other people are having special treats (like donuts!). Don’t get frustrated with this.
Out of the four types of people in the diagram above, one person (“Don’t know”) is flying blind. They won’t know how they are doing and will usually be surprised they are not losing weight even though they may think they have reduced the amount of food they consume. The key thing to lose weight is to have a calorie deficit. Monitoring your calories helps you know if you are on track. Looking at your daily average calories over the space of a week is better than focusing just on a day. Find what works best for you and be consistent. NOTE: In the example above I used 1500 cals as a daily average target but obviously you will need to determine your daily average target goal based on your size, how often you workout, and what weight you want to achieve. If you need help to achieve your fitness and weight goal, a personal trainer will help you accomplish them. 7/10/2020 0 Comments What's your fitness goal?The most common goals I hear are:
“I want to lose weight” “I want to tone up” “I want to get stronger” “I want to lose x lbs” “I want to get in shape” “I want to fit into my clothes better” “I want to reduce dress size/ waist size” “I want to be fitter” “I want to have more energy to be able to play with my kids” “I want to feel better” Some people have more than one goal, it maybe a combination of the above. Whatever your fitness goal(s), a personal trainer can help you achieve it faster, help you be consistent, and help you maintain it, while all the time doing it in a safe and supportive manner, and with a bit of fun along the way. 30/9/2020 1 Comment Leading by exampleIf you have children, you want them to be healthy and happy. You will do whatever you can to make sure they are enjoying life. If they are feeling unwell you will look after them, and you will take them to a doctor if you think they need it. If they have an interest in sports or activities, you will pay for it, drive them to it and stay and watch them. You will encourage them to eat well and be active. But what about yourself? Do you look after your own health, fitness and wellbeing? Do you exercise, weight train or workout on a consistent basis? Instead of just telling your kids how to be healthy and happy, why not show them by leading by example. Take care of yourself so that you will be strong and there to take care of others when they need you. 18/8/2020 0 Comments Weight loss trifectaIf you want to lose weight, the best combination to make consistent progress is focus on:
Calorie deficit is important as you need to be using up more calories than you are taking in. In order to accomplish this prioritize three things: amount calories you are taking in, control your portion size and increase your steps (e.g. amount of walking you are doing). Strength training is very important to retain muscle mass and tone. Using a personal trainer 2-3 times a week could really help you. They will show you the right weight exercises to do in a safe and consistent manner, and enable you to progress over time. The third critical component that is often overlooked is Lifestyle. A key element here is sleep/ rest. You should be aiming for 7–9 quality hours per night. Keeping stress and alcohol low is also vital to accomplishing your weight loss goal. Normally if we are under more stress, or drinking more, we eat more, and often tend to snack more too. Focusing on the trifecta of calorie deficit, strength training and lifestyle will enable you to make the most progress and sustain the improvements over time. A Personal Trainer will help you accomplish all of this. Often people think of what types of food they consume (like protein, carbs or fat), but sometimes the portion size is overlooked, or they are not aware the critical impact portion size has on their weight. A very simply way to measure portion size is to use your hand. Precision Nutrition (https://www.precisionnutrition.com) came up with this very easy guide for determining how much of each type of food we should consume: For protein, use the palm of the hand to determine right amount of food. Some protein options include:
For vegetables, use the fist of the hand to judge the minimium amount of food. For Carbohydrate, use the cup of the hand to determine right amount of food. Some Carbohydrate options include:
For fats, use the thumb as a guide Some Fat options include:
Getting the portion size right, with the right types of food resulting in a calorie deficit, as well as Personal Training will ensure you are in great shape and feeling great. n light of the corona virus, there is a lot of discussion about what can be done to improve the body’s immune system. One definite thing that helps is to exercise on a regular basis. Being fit helps boost the immune systems and working out can improve our ability to fight off germs. What Research has shown: There is a wealth of science that suggests being fit boosts our immune systems, and that even a single workout can amplify and improve our ability to fight off germs. For example, a 2017 study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity monitored the effects of one 20-minute session of moderate treadmill exercise for 47 participants. These 47 people first gave a blood sample before exercising and then provided another blood sample immediately after exercising. The study found this one singular stint of exercise to have anti-inflammatory effects that boosted the immune system. Regular physical exercise is a pillar of healthy living. It can boost your immune system in a variety of ways. For example, a regular exercise regime will increase your body's production of antibodies and White Blood Cells; this increased production allows the immune system to detect illnesses earlier than it would have otherwise. Simultaneously, exercising will help to expel toxins from your body. This in turn will energise your cells and metabolism. In plain and simple terms, this will mean a strengthening of your immune system in fighting off a myriad of germs. It is widely recognised that being fit and active will improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and protect against diabetes. Exercise also promotes good circulation which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and therefore do their job efficiently. Think of it as servicing your car and ensuring its proper upkeep - it is essential to keep it in running order. There is no mandatory level of exercise required in this sense, a brisk walk, a light jog or a bodyweight workout all have well-documented benefits. It should be noted that in addition to boosting your immune system's potential response to COVID-19, regular exercise can enhance vaccination response too. Exercise will boost function of the natural killer cells in the immune system in a process known as mobilisation. Through exercise, billions of immune cells are recruited and re-circulated in the blood. These immune cells are primed to recognise and kill virus infected cells. This process stems back to your strengthened immune system having a quicker response to fighting germs and adapting to any vaccine. Stress, Exercise & The Immune System Stress and the immune system go hand-in-hand. Research dating back over 25 years has revealed that psychological stress increases susceptibility to illness. Prolonged or chronic stress can negatively impact the immune system by reducing the body's ability to defend against viruses and bacteria. Additionally, when under stress, it's not uncommon for people to engage in coping strategies such as drinking excessive alcohol, smoking cigarettes, eating a poor diet, or not getting enough sleep, which can also negatively impact the immune system. These factors combined with the current pandemic could result in a serious threat to health. Engaging in regular physical activity is a great way to help manage stress and strengthen your immune system. In fact, research shows, that "fit individuals" (defined as those who partake in regular physical activity), have a lower incidence of infection compared to inactive and sedentary individuals. Exercise is also known to stimulate the production of endorphins which are chemicals in the brain that act as the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators. Conclusion & Recommendations By keeping active it will boost your immune system and help to minimise the potential effects of the virus. Furthermore if you exercise regularly, it can reduce stress and improve your mental health. Here are a few examples of what you can do on a regular basis:
Stay safe and stay strong |