A Strong Core is Essential

All too often, we try to target our workouts to take care of problem spots. Big thighs, flabby arms, fat rear ends and other very specific areas get the bulk of our exercise attention while the core is overlooked. The truth is this is not a wise way to proceed if real results are desired. Targeting is fine, but it won’t get the job done on its own.

The core – the back and stomach muscles – are essential to include in regular workout routines for a number of reasons. The fact is that all body movement comes from the core. If your stomach and back muscles aren’t properly strengthened and toned, your entire system will suffer.

Try lifting heavy weights to tone those flabby arms, for example, and your back muscles just might protest in a very big way. If this happens, you could suffer an injury that just might sideline your weight loss and exercise efforts for a time.

So, how can you get the workout you really need?

The key to enjoying weight loss and body strengthening success is to go for a whole body workout. While focusing on the core is critical, ideally you do want to include the entire body. To make sure this happens, develop a workout plan that involves all major muscle groups. Be sure to blend both cardiovascular and strength training together, too. [Read more...]

Congratulations you’ve decided to get off the sofa and into your trainers to lose those extra pounds that have crept on over the last couple of years. You’ve probably spent hours researching the best personal trainers, classes and gyms, bought the latest fashionable Lycra number, agonized over the water bottle that best represents you as a person and spent a small fortune on the trainers that ‘work’ with your feet – your motivation is high………..but it won’t last!

Motivation is easy to come by but hard to keep. Type motivation into YouTube and I guarantee you’ll find at least one video that will get you fired up immediately. But what about tomorrow and the next day and the next? When you’re ½ a stone in and that last seven pounds won’t seem to go away, you need a plan in place to keep yourself going.

So, how can you bolster your motivation and make sure it stays on course? There are a few simple tricks that can help you retain your desire to achieve even when the going gets tough. Try these things to help yourself stay on track:

• Don’t work out alone – When you work out alone, it’s all too easy to quit in the last 10 minutes. It’s also a whole lot easier to skip a day here and there. You need a way to hold yourself accountable to overcome those dips in motivation that are very likely to occur. Instead of going it alone, workout with a friend. Keep up with personal training sessions. Join a group exercise class. Just do something that involves another human being that can help hold your feet to the fire if and when the urge to quit strikes. [Read more...]

I’ve had several interesting conversations recently with clients regarding meditation, and I’ve had a couple of goes myself. It’s mainly been what I now know of as Breathe Meditation; sitting with your eyes closed concentrating solely on your breath and clearing your mind of all other thoughts of daily life.

I have to say my mind is normally buzzing and trying to get rid of every thought has been challenging to say the least, but I think I’m starting to make some progress. So this got me thinking, what does the research say about meditation – a lot apparently and my next mission is to wade through it all and bring you the answers.

Keep an eye out on the Blog page for what I find. But for now I would say why not give this simple technique a go, at the very least it will allow you to relax your mind for a few minutes and who knows it may be the elixir to great health – we shall see.

Read more articles that our Personal Trainers in Watford recommend……

If you’re ready to get into shape and really change your life, the first place to start is within your own mind. Leading a healthy, active lifestyle often calls for taking a mind-over-matter approach. Working out, eating right and making good choices calls for positive thinking to reinforce the actions you know you need to take. When you explore your own thought processes and your “mind chatter,” you will likely find the key to unlock the positive lifestyle you’ve been dreaming of leading has always been there.

The truth is that success is often born from a positive and healthy outlook to everything in life. When you examine your thoughts and the chatter that you “speak” to yourself on a daily basis, you are likely to find you are your own worst enemy. Open your eyes and your mind to the thoughts and really hear what you tell yourself. Learn to eliminate the negative inner-speak. Stop telling yourself you can’t and start saying you can. When you do, some amazing things are going to happen.

While this sounds all well and good, you’re probably wondering how to get from Point A to Point B. There are a few tricks and tips that can help you change your mind and your life. Try:

• Spending a few days truly listening to yourself – Grab a notebook and a pen. Jot down the negative thoughts you have. Listen to what you say to yourself in your mind. Explore what you are saying and consider what triggers your own negative responses. [Read more...]

You stand on the scale and just can’t deny the fact any longer: It’s time to lose weight and get into shape. The problem is finding the best diet plan to help you reach your goals. With so many options on the table, selecting just the right diet plan can be very difficult.

The simple truth is there is no diet plan that is the best. Go on a strict diet plan to drop weight fast and you will soon find your weight bouncing up and down. The problem is most diet plans aren’t realistic for long-term use. While you might lose weight while you’re on them, that weight is likely to come back as soon as you start eating normally again. Plus, many so-called diet plans neglect proper nutrition. They cut out entire food groups for the sake of fast losses in weight.

So, what can you do to eat yourself to a healthier weight without going on a diet plan? Just use good common sense and consider these things:

• Eat whole foods – It is best to make your meals starting with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat and other healthy products. While processed foods might be easier, they often contain chemicals, sweeteners, artificial colors and who knows what else! Freshly prepared meals that start with healthy ingredients are better for weight loss and they’re better for fueling the body. [Read more...]

Simple food choices go a long way when it comes to your heart’s health. Focusing on fresh foods full of heart-healthy fats and antioxidants can decrease your risk of developing heart disease and cut your chances of a heart attack. These 10 foods will help keep your ticker in top shape.

Oatmeal
Start your day with a steaming bowl of oats, which are full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear.

Opt for coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties — the coarse and steel-cut contain more fiber — and top your bowl off with a banana for another four grams of fiber.

[Read more...]

Childhood obesity, underage drinking, smoking and failure to exercise are all concerns for parents these days. If you want your kids to adopt a healthier, wiser lifestyle, you are going to have to show them the light. Children often learn best by example. Lead and they will likely follow.

How can you set the example and get them off on the right foot if your habits aren’t that great? Consider taking these steps to put yourself and your family on the road to better health and fitness: [Read more...]

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, plus more, to taste
• 1 cup lowfat milk, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

[Read more...]

Cross training is achievable with Watford personal training. No matter who you are, what you fitness goals are, or what your top targeted result for working out is, you can benefit from cross training.  All you need to know to get you started is why cross training is a good idea for you and where you can learn more about the best cross training methods and techniques to enhance your fitness plan. </p>

Cross Training—What Is It?

Cross training is, in simplest terms, diversification of your fitness program.  Cross training happens when you mix exercises and/or types of training, or alternate training methods. Watford personal training can help, especially if you run out of ideas. This may be done in a single workout session or by the day.  Here are a couple of examples: [Read more...]

Watford personal training can help you to get over the plateau! It is well known that you reach plateaus during fitness training. Weight loss and strength training changes your metabolism, and every now and then, it seems as if you are locked in at a certain level. No matter how hard you diet and exercise, nothing happens.

What many don’t realize is that your body is an amazingly adaptable system that takes the path of least resistance to achieve stasis. It adjusts to your workout level and over time does not have to work as hard to achieve the same results. Watford personal training can be your guide off the plateau.

The Next Level

Anyone can reach a plateau – the home exerciser or the athlete in training. Finding a good Watford personal training program can take you to the next fitness level. Offering structured exercise and diet routines, the focus is on determining how to challenge your body. [Read more...]

A Watford Personal Training Expert Reports! When most people start a new exercise program, they have an idea of what they want to accomplish. People start exercising for plenty of different reasons, from wanting to improve their overall health to meeting a specific goal. Knowing what you want to accomplish through your fitness routine can help you focus on your goal and have something to work towards. A great way to focus on what you want to achieve is to work with a Watford personal training expert, who can assess your current strengths and weaknesses and help you reach your goal. In this article, we’ll take a look at three tips to remember when setting your fitness goals.

Be Realistic

“I want to lose twenty pounds before my high school reunion next month.” Unfortunately, setting a goal like this can be a recipe for failure. Sure, it can be done, but it will require a strict commitment to healthy eating and exercise every day for the next thirty days, and this could be asking too much of yourself. And then, what happens after the reunion? Will you set a new goal or go back to your bad habits? [Read more...]

Watford personal training experts understand that when you’re working fifty hour weeks, exercise is probably the last thing on your mind. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of grabbing fast food and crashing on the couch after a difficult day at work before catching a few hours of sleep and starting all over again. The truth is that exercise can help even the busiest professionals stay in top form, sleep better, reduce their stress and even complete tasks without fading at the end of the day. In this article, we’ll take a look at how busy professionals can make time for exercise.

Pencil it in

Any professional worth his salt has a calendar filled to the brim with meetings, appointments and deadlines. Why not pencil in time for exercise, too? If you’re really ready to make a commitment to improving your lifestyle, schedule exercise into your routine and treat it like an important business meeting. Once you’ve added it to your regular calendar, you’ll be surprised at how easily everything else falls into place. At the same time, don’t beat yourself up if something unavoidable comes up and you have to cancel. Just don’t use this as an excuse to cancel the rest of your exercise appointments for the week!  A Watford personal training expert can help you stay on track by holding you accountable! [Read more...]

Watford personal trainers know that being efficient at what you do can apply to anything. You get your work done faster at the office when you are efficient. You chores at home are completed earlier if done efficiently. In this article you will learn about the efficiency of cardio interval training.

There are efficiency experts, such as Watford personal trainers, that can tell you the quickest approach to achieving any goal. Exercising is no different. You can exercise the slow way, risking boredom and angst at the lack of results. Or you can be exercise efficient and use cardio interval training.

On A Schedule

Walking a treadmill day after day at the same rate isn’t just tedious. It has diminishing returns. The body is an amazing system. It is built for survival under any circumstance. When you do the same exercise for an extended period of time, your body begins to act as if it must conserve energy for the long haul.

It goes into something called ‘steady state’ and actually burns fewer calories. Another drawback to doing the same exercise all the time is that you are using the same muscles. That too will result in less and less benefit. The solution is to begin a program consisting of short periods of high intensity called cardio interval training, which Watford personal trainers  praise because it:

• Burns more calories
• Uses muscles at different effort levels
• Can apply to almost any activity – treadmill, jogging, walking, spinning
• Rapidly increases heart and lung capacity

Interval training is called such because the routine has intervals of high and low intensity. You begin at a pace where you can maintain a conversation, gradually increase to a level requiring effort and then blast the exercise for a short period of time.

This is followed by a recovery period for approximately 2 minutes. Then do high intensity for 2 minutes again, followed by low intensity. Repeat the intervals for at least 10 minutes. It is easy to see with a routine like this your body never gets complacent.

It must work to accommodate the intensity of the exercising. In this case, survival means your body must find a way to efficiently meet the demands you are making on it. You will burn more fat, increase your heart to the maximum exercise heart rate for your age group and refuse to let your muscles take a rest.  Watford personal trainers can help you with this.

Timelines

When you begin cardio interval training, begin at a level that is comfortable. You will still work your body, but it takes time to build to a level where you can do 30 minutes of high intensity cardio if that is your goal. As you progress, begin to reduce the recovery times and expand the high intensity intervals.

Vary the load intensities for steady progress. Also, don’t ever forget to warm-up and cool down before and after a routine. The best route is to use the services of Watford personal trainers to keep you on an ever-proving timeline Cardio interval training is a program that can benefit anyone!

Read more articles that our Personal Trainers in Watford recommend……

Watford personal trainers know that refocusing on fitness after your program has been interrupted by a major life event is always important.  In fact, a fitness program is the ideal way to overcome the effects of stress on your body.  The worse thing you can do is tell yourself there is no longer a need to continue a fitness program, because you had to quit exercising for a while.

Fitness Is a Life Event Too

Life can have a way of ruining our plans.  You can be on a fitness schedule you adhere too religiously, and suddenly a major life event causes you to veer off course.

These kinds of events are as varied as there are people, and they are all stressful.  Even happy events, such as having a baby, create both physical and psychological stress.  Other life happenings include losing a job, buying a new house, divorce, death in the family or even being told you are responsible for a major project at work that is due in a month.

When a major event happens in life, all too often your time schedule gets amended and your focus shifts.  One of the first things to get cut is the amount of time you spend on your fitness program.  Yet staying fit through a stressful event can make it much easier to cope both mentally and physically. Watford personal trainers can help you come up with a schedule that works for you.

The reason fitness programs are interrupted is because fitness is not seen as a life event too.  It is a matter of understanding the importance of fitness to your life.  People who are fit are better able to recover from a pregnancy, handle the stress associated with a family loss, are better able to cope with the mental anguish of losing a job, and are better able to handle physical challenges such as moving from one house to another.

L.I.F.E.

Life should actually be an acronym for fitness…Love It For Ever! Despite good intentions, you may have gotten off track when it comes to your fitness program.  Watford personal trainers can help you refocus on your fitness program so that you are able to continue staying healthy no matter what life throws your way.

For example, you can learn a series of exercises you are able to do at home if you just had a baby.  You can learn how to fit exercise into the business schedule with Watford personal trainers while insuring the time you do spend is as productive as possible.  You will also get assistance with nutritional planning so when you stop at the fast food restaurant in between moving from one house to another, you stay on your nutrition plan by making good food choices.

No matter what happens in your life, staying fit should continue to be a priority.  Being fit and healthy and supplying your body with the right nutrients is critical for being able to handle the stress you experience.

Watford personal trainers can help you Love It For Ever!

Read more articles that our Personal Trainers in Watford recommend……

Watford Personal Trainers Report! Just as some people have to come to terms with the fact that they’ll always be of short stature, a lot of us also have to come to terms with the fact that we’ll never be a size zero.  Watford personal trainers are in the same boat!  Setting unrealistic goals in our fitness or diet routines can not only set us up for failure, but also a lack of self confidence and even depression. Even before starting on the path to a healthier life, it’s helpful to get focused on what you can achieve with the body you have. In this article, we’ll explore the pitfalls of comparing yourself to others, celebrity culture, and how you can get on the right track to making the most of what you have.

Comparing Yourself to Others

It seems like it’s almost ingrained in women to compare ourselves with each other, whether it is with our friends, co-workers, and even Watford personal trainers. We can always find something to admire in other women, whether it be their hair or waist size. The problem is that we don’t often take time to sit down in front of a mirror and discover what it is we like about ourselves. Sure, we know what we want to change, but when do we ever take the time to complement ourselves?

The most important thing to remember is that every body is different. Sure, there are plenty of women that are naturally thin, and others that have to fight tooth and nail to retain their size. Don’t get caught in the trap of focusing your energies on anyone’s body but your own.  Watford personal trainers can help motivate and support you, and most importantly, help you recognize your strength and improve your health!  Nothing is more important than ones health!

Celebrity Culture

Celebrities are everywhere these days – of course we expect to see them in movies or on music channels, but now they’re on the covers of women’s magazines, starring in commercials, and don’t forget the thousands of internet pages dedicated to favorite stars. It’s hard not to admire them for what seems like a fantasy lifestyle, and on top of that, they often seem to be absolutely perfect.

Just like comparing yourself to your friends and others, comparing yourself to celebrities is a dangerous trap, and there are three reasons why. First of all, it truly takes a team to make a celebrity look good on the red carpet. Wardrobe consultants and hair and makeup assistants all work together to make the celebrity look her best. Second of all, it’s true that many celebrities work very hard to maintain their figures, but a lot more than we could ever have time for, sometimes as often as two or three hours a day. It’s a part of their job to look the best they can, so they can afford to take the time. Finally, there is a not so secret weapon that magazines use to make celebrities look their best – the air brush. This tool is used very often to manipulate pictures of celebrities for the cover of magazines to make them look perfect, when the reality is quite different. Do yourself a favor and keep these reasons in mind the next time you admire a celebrity on the cover of a magazine!

What Can You Do?

It’s all very well and good to say that we need to focus on our own bodies when setting out to achieve a fitness goal, but sometimes it’s beneficial to have a second opinion, and that’s where consulting Watford personal trainers can come in handy. A personal trainer can use his experience and training to do a full assessment of your body and help steer you towards a goal that will have you looking and feeling your best.  Remember, Watford personal trainers live in the same celebrity culture that you do!  Watford personal trainers can help motivate and support you, and most importantly, help you recognize your strength and beauty!

Read more articles that our Personal Trainers in Watford recommend……

With Watford personal trainers you can improve your life through healthier choices and fitness. Deciding where and how to begin your fitness journey are just as important as making the decision to begin in the first place. For those that have never traveled down this path before, it can be complicated and confusing. That’s why working with Watford personal trainers is a great choice for beginners and lifelong fitness devotees alike. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how the personalized attention of a trainer can help you reach your goals.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

How many times have you started a new exercise routine and followed it faithfully for three weeks before you’ve found that your enthusiasm is long gone? Be honest – it’s easy to make excuses to avoid exercise. “I had a rough day at work,” “I’m too busy today,” “I didn’t get enough sleep last night,” the list goes on and on. But how quick would you be to make excuses if you know there was someone waiting for you at the gym?

And once you get to the gym, going through the motions alone can be equally intimidating. “How long should I do this exercise?” “Am I even doing this right?” Having Watford personal trainers by your side will help ensure that you can get instant feedback whenever you have a question, not to mention that they’ll monitor your progress and make sure you are working out safely and efficiently.

Focus and Motivation

Watford personal trainers are more than safety instructors in the gym; they can be your personal cheerleader – or even your personal drill sergeant, if you prefer – to help keep you focused on your goals and motivated to make them happen. A good personal trainer will keep track of your progress, and use this information to change or accelerate your workouts accordingly.

Before setting on your fitness path with a personal trainer, make sure that this is someone that you can see motivating you in the future. Do you feel comfortable with this person? Will you feel comfortable taking directions from this person? Being sure that you can form a good relationship with your personal trainer may mean the difference between meeting your goal and getting frustrated enough to walk away from your trainer and your goal.

Tailoring to Your Personal Needs

From the first day you meet with your personal trainer, he’s working to help you realize your fitness goals. The first meeting should include a full assessment, including your present weight, body fat index, and what you’re working towards – whether it’s losing weight or preparing for a marathon. This is also the time to let the trainer know if you have any problems such as joint or muscle injuries, are suffering from diabetes or are recovering from a heart attack. Using all of this information, the trainer will create an exercise program that is tailor fitted to your needs to help you reach your goals, and not the other way around.  There is no better time than the present to hire Watford personal trainers to make your goals a reality!

Read more articles that our Personal Trainers in Watford recommend……

When you choose to work with a Watford personal trainer, the first question is often related to how often you need to meet.  The answer depends on your personal needs when it comes to training, motivation and encouragement.  The personal trainer is an instructor who teaches you how to use nutrition and exercise to reach your fitness goals and some people need more assistance than others.

Seeking Optimal Training Results

When you decide to work with a Watford personal trainer, you have some specific goals in mind.   If you are new to the fitness world, then you probably need extensive training in the beginning as the trainer works with you to develop mutually acceptable goals.  You will need to learn how to use equipment properly and how to perform exercises to get maximum results.

People who are beginning their first serious fitness program often need a lot of encouragement too.  One of the main reasons people quit their diets and exercise programs is because they get discouraged.  It’s difficult to stay energized and motivated when you don’t have anyone giving you emotional support as well as physical training guidance.

For those people who are seeking the services of a Watford personal trainer in order to get off the infamous plateau or to take their fitness program to a higher level, the meetings with the personal trainer are more concerned with developing new routines that challenge the body to achieve greater results.  In the time leading up to the sporting or athletic event, the client meets regularly with the personal trainer to insure workout time is as intense as possible without incurring injury.

For those who exercise regularly now and just need help adjusting goals and staying on track, the number of meetings with the personal trainer depends on your familiarity with the equipment choices and how much encouragement you desire.

No Rules of Thumb When It Comes to Fitness

When it comes to getting fit, there are really no set rules and that is true in terms of how often you should meet with a personal trainer.  Besides your fitness goals, other factors affecting how often you meet include the following.

• Your schedule and the availability of the personal trainer
• How much your budget allows for personal training costs
• How quickly you want to reach your new goals
• How quickly you are able to learn your fitness program

Many people meet weekly with a Watford personal trainer for a few months and then reduce the number of meetings as they get more comfortable with the program.  Some people need the ongoing support in order to stay focused on their goals.  They also need the accountability a personal trainer asks for during sessions.

A Watford personal trainer can provide the guidance and motivation you need to reach your fitness goals.  How many meetings it takes to get the results desired is something you and your personal trainer will have to work out together.

Read more articles that our Personal Trainers in Watford recommend……

A Watford Personal Trainer Reports! There’s no question about it – making the commitment to work off that extra fat is no easy task. Not only is it hard getting your new fitness program off the ground, but you’re sure to encounter pitfalls along the way. Don’t beat yourself up or quit when you meet an obstacle, jump over it! Staying motivated is the best way to ensure that you’ll meet your fitness goals. In this article, we’ll explore how you can stay motivated in all stages of your fitness journey and how a Watford personal trainer can help.

In the beginning

You may start off your fitness program with plenty of enthusiasm, but many of us start finding excuses to miss an exercise session or two as early as two weeks in. You’re sore and tired and you’d rather just stay at home. Of course you’re sore! You’re using muscles that haven’t been used in quite a long time, it’s perfectly normal. Make sure your body gets plenty of rest, but don’t fall for this well worn excuse. If imagining how amazing you’ll look and feel when you reach your goal seems too far out of your grasp at this point, give yourself a short term goal.

For example, create a goal that says that after six weeks of constant exercise, you’ll finally treat yourself to that luxury item you’ve had your eye on. Once you reach the first six weeks, make a new goal and work towards that. The time it takes to reach your final goal will be different for everyone and doesn’t have a definitive date, so create a solid goal that you can reach in the short term.  A Watford personal trainer can help you stay on track so that you not only reach your short term goals, but your lifetime goal of being fit and healthy!

Pitfalls in the middle

The most common pitfall most of us will face on the path to our goal is a fitness plateau. All of a sudden, the numbers on the scale, the measurement of your thighs, or the amount of weight you can lift all stays magically the same, well before you’ve reached your goal. Does this mean that you’ve done as much as your body can handle? No way! Our bodies are incredible machines and will work hard to achieve their maximum capacity at whatever task we give them, but eventually the body will become so efficient that it no longer needs to use as much energy or burn as many calories to perform the task at hand.

This usually happens when you do the same exercises over and over again, so the solution may be as simple as changing the intensity of the exercise or the exercise itself. A Watford personal trainer can help you make the necessary changes to push through the plateau and continue on your way.

Those last five pounds

It’s true; the less fat you have to lose, the harder it is to get rid of it. Those infamous last five pounds can be a killer to push through, but think of how excited you’ll be to know you pushed through and stuck to your commitment from the beginning until the very end. If you’re having trouble getting past those last five pounds, consider consulting a Watford personal trainer, who is helpful during all stages of reaching your fitness goals. A Watford personal trainer can help design a fitness plan for you from the beginning, give you ideas or pushing through your plateaus, and keep you motivated all the way to the end, when you’ve reached your goal.

Read more articles that our Personal Trainers in Watford recommend……

Choosing a Watford personal trainer is a little more involved than signing up with the first personal trainer that you come across. Taking the time to interview a few trainers before starting to work out can help you find a trainer that will be willing to take into consideration your special needs, which will make the difference between reaching your fitness goals and being frustrated or discouraged. Don’t be discouraged if the first couple of personal trainers you meet don’t shape up to your expectations. Here are a few things to look out for when choosing the right Watford personal trainer for you.

Your Specific Needs

Whether you are recovering from a heart attack, suffer from arthritis or diabetes, or are pregnant, your personal trainer should be able to take your medical situation into account when creating your fitness program. One way to find out if a personal trainer is trained to work with your specific medical issues is by asking about his certification. While there are any number of certifications available for personal trainers, there are a few that are accredited for helping specific issues. For example, trainers that have a certificate from the American College of Sports Medicine are trained to work with those that have suffered from a heart attack or stroke, while the International Fitness Professionals Association offers certification for working with both children and seniors.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask a potential Watford personal trainer if they have experience in training someone with your condition, and if the answer is yes, ask if you can contact their clients for a recommendation.

Your Schedule

Have you met a trainer that you feel you could help you reach your fitness goals but isn’t available during your preferred workout time? Don’t be tempted to change your schedule, unless your lifestyle is flexible enough to warrant the change. While many of us have to try to find time to exercise in our already busy schedules, thanks to work or family commitments, adding a fitness routine to the mix shouldn’t have to mean turning your whole life upside down. Consider both your schedule and how you feel at different times of the day when looking at the calendar with your personal trainer. It might be that early morning sessions are the best time in your schedule, but will you be willing to get up an hour earlier three times a week to meet your trainer? Be honest with yourself when considering your workout schedule and find a Watford personal trainer that will best work in your lifestyle.

Your Relationship with Your Trainer

Everyone needs a different level of motivation and a good personal trainer will recognize your needs to keep you coming back for more. Be wary of personal trainers that push you so hard that you’re in pain for days after (but be honest with yourself – are you sore, which is normal, or genuinely in pain?) or leave you feeling discouraged. Not every personal trainer will make you feel like you’ve just started basic army training, but if that’s what you need to keep you going, your personal trainer should be able to give that to you. Don’t be afraid to ask a potential Watford personal trainer how he plans to keep you motivated while you’re still in the interview process.

Read more articles that our Personal Trainers in Watford recommend……

If you’re considering working with an Watford personal trainer to help you meet your fitness and health goals, you may be unaware of some of the benefits that working with a personal trainer can provide. Of course, a good personal trainer will assess your current level of fitness and design a fitness program that will help you reach your goals, but what do they do beyond that? In this article, we’ll talk about a few things that make a good Watford personal trainer great – motivation, keeping the program new and interesting, safety and advice.

Motivation

Once you’ve started your fitness program, keeping you motivated is an important part of the personal trainer’s job. Anyone can go on daily walks to maintain their current fitness level, but a personal trainer wants to help improve your fitness level, and he’s going to push you to work harder than you might on your own. But while he’s pushing you, he’s encouraging you at the same time. Now, how he encourages you will depend on the relationship that you and your trainer have created. Not every personal trainer is a drill sergeant, and not every personal trainer will clap her hands and cheer, but you and your Watford personal trainer will have to find the right balance to keep you motivated to return for the next session.

Keeping the Program Fresh

Not only is working out on your own less interesting than working out with someone that is motivating you to continue, but it’s easy to get trapped in doing the same fitness routine over and over again, resulting in your getting completely bored with the whole thing. At least going through the same old routine with your personal trainer will help keep you motivated. But what makes a good personal trainer a great Watford personal trainer is when he uses his experience and imagination to keep the program fresh and new. Depending on what your needs are, he may vary between strength and aerobic training, or incorporate innovative techniques to keep you interested, or even think outside of the box and include fun obstacle courses.

Safety

A great personal trainer isn’t just there to push you forward, but also to make sure you are working out in a safe way. Not only should he be teaching you the proper way to handle weights, stretch your body before a session or use fitness machines, he should be keeping an eye on you during the course of a training session to be sure that you continue working out in a safe way. A great personal trainer will also be on the watch for your progression throughout the session and prevent you from working too hard, because too much exercise can have a detrimental effect on your body as well.

Advice

Some personal trainers may see their jobs and starting and stopping in the thirty minutes or whatever amount of time you’ve agreed on for working out, but a Watford personal trainer will be willing to sit down and talk to you before or after a session to answer questions and give their advice. Perhaps you only see your trainer once a week or once a month and want to catch up on how you feel or what you’ve done since your last session with the trainer or maybe you have some questions about your diet. The time your Watford personal trainer takes to help you improve your total body fitness is really what makes him better than a good trainer, but a great trainer.

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Personal training in Watford sets a standard for quality and success. With fitness becoming an increasingly popular aspect of health today, trainers are becoming knowledgeable in different areas. They can help you treat injuries, manage stress, become more flexible, and much more – including lose weight!

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Choosing a type of personal training in Watford requires some thought. Like any other program, such as diet, there are many factors to consider. You want to choose a program that fits your style so that you will not be tempted to quit before achieving your goal. Don’t over do it or under do it, its easy to tire yourself out or forget about your goals entirely. Maintenance is the most difficult part of a training program, and trainers are more than aware that motivating you to maintain a healthy system is a big part of their job.

So your very first decision is deciding what your overall goal is going to be. Some just need to lose weight. Others want to prepare for a professional body building competition. Decide what your goals are and come up with a schedule that will help you meet those goals.

Obviously, these are two very different goals and will require two very different programs. Fitness is serious business and no goal is too high to reach – but remember a trainer will make that goal easier to grab. Having someone to help you keep on track is invaluable, with a personal trainer appointment, its harder to skip your workout…you’ll be letting them down as well as yourself.

Can’t Keep Me Away

Personal training in Watford can be as varied as people’s fitness personalities. They include:

• Home and office training programs
• Private or group training programs
• Exercise programs that stand alone
• Exercise programs coupled with diet and health programs
• Online personal training
• Studio personal training

Mountain High

Deciding to take control of your health and fitness is like reaching the top of a mountain. From the top you can see for miles, and the future looks crystal clear. To maximize your program of personal training in Watford, choose a company that has experience and uses only certified trainers.

Certified trainers will lead you to the top! They are knowledgeable in all exercise areas, from just helping you trim up to teaching you how to train for that sport you love so much.

Their experience will equate to customized exercise programs that target your specific needs. There’s no need to stumble along. You can climb directly to your goal with the assistance of personal training in Watford.

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Personal trainers in Watford know that exercise and good nutrition can do a lot to prevent or delay diabetes onset, but that they are also key factors in controlling diabetes, preventing serious complications, and in living well with diabetes.  Fitness is recommended for all diabetics, but care must be taken to develop a safe plan given your specific situation.

Many Benefits Of Fitness For Diabetics

A 2005 study showed that people who had diabetes and who walked daily were healthier after two years.  Their medical expenses were lower as well, indicating their overall health was better.  In contrast, people with diabetes who did not exercise experienced a decline in health and increased health care costs.

Physical fitness is important to diabetes as a means of controlling blood sugar; it is also a highly effective means of maintaining heart health—a top threat to people with diabetes.  Personal trainers in Watford have seen that diabetics who exercise benefit from:

• Improved circulation—preventing lesions and tissue damage throughout the body
• Prevention of heart problems
• Increased blood flow to the heart
• Decreased cholesterol (of ‘bad’ cholesterol levels)
• Increased levels of good cholesterols
• Decreased nerve damage
• Weight loss
• Lower risk of stroke
• Decrease in blood pressure

People with diabetes who exercise enjoy many of the same benefits of people exercising without diabetes—and more.  For people with diabetes, though, exercise takes on an even greater importance as the extra boost is necessary to keep the heart, lungs, and body functioning at optimal capacity.

Exercise Considerations For People With Diabetes

Exercising with diabetes is similar to exercising without, but there are special considerations that need to be accounted for.  Since exercise causes dramatic changes to blood glucose, it is important to talk to your doctor about how to manage blood sugar before, during, and after exercise.

It is also important to know what types of exercise are beneficial and will improve your condition and what types of exercise are safe given your specific symptoms/condition. For this it is important to ask personal trainers in Watford for advice.

For example,

• Aerobic exercise and sports are recommended, but care must be taken to monitor effects on blood glucose
• Strength training helps build muscle and improves metabolism, but when complications arise strength training may need to be modified or suspended
• Patients who have lived an inactive lifestyle need to gradually break into exercise and increase intensities as fitness improves
• Blood glucose levels dictate the safety of exercise—it is generally recommended that diabetics not exercise with blood glucose below 100mg/dL or above 300mg/dL

In addition, personal trainers in Watford require that all diabetics stay well hydrated during exercise (because dehydration impacts blood sugar) and should always check for injuries (particularly of feet) following exercise.

Getting Help To Exercise Safely

Developing a plan for safe and effective fitness can be daunting if you have diabetes.  The help of qualified professionals—including the advice of your doctor and the knowledge of personal trainers in Watford—can help immensely.  Your doctor will work with you to make sure that you are exercising in a way that is beneficial and safe, and a personal trainer will build upon your doctor’s recommendations to develop a fitness plan that is right for you.

As a diabetic, exercise is one of the best ways to remain healthy at your optimal level throughout life.  Get the professional advice and assistance you need and commit to regular exercise so that you can live well for many years, despite your disease. Personal trainers in Watford can help you learn about how this is possible.

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A personal trainer in Watford understands that experiencing soreness the day after a work out isn’t uncommon. After all, you’re pushing your muscles beyond what they’ve been used to doing. But sometimes we mistake injuries and strains as sore muscles and push through the pain, which can lead to lasting damage. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at why muscles become sore, what you can do to help prevent soreness, and why working with a personal trainer in Watford can help you avoid injuries and strains.

Why do we get sore?

If you’re exercising correctly, muscle soreness should be very minimal, but those that are just beginning or have recently intensified their work outs may experience muscle soreness the day after a work out. This phenomenon is called delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, and generally occurs twelve to 36 hours after an intense work out. There are two factors that contribute to DOMS; a build up of waste products in the muscles and miniscule tears in the muscles. Not only are the muscles sore, but symptoms can also include feeling stiff, weak and tired.  A personal trainer in Watford understands DOMS and will know how to safely and effectively get you passed it without injury or strains.

Avoiding soreness

Working out shouldn’t leave you feeling tired and sore, but energized! You can help your body better recover by taking care of your body before and after your work out. Make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep, as exercise will only exacerbate the tired feeling, and take an appropriate amount of rest between work outs, so your muscles have time to recover. A personal trainer in Watford suggests always warm up your body for at least ten minutes before any kind of intense work out, because exercising “cold muscles can lead to strains and injuries.

Stretching after a work out is just as important, as it encourages the blood flow to return to the organs and discourages lactic acid from building up in the muscles, which contributes to soreness. Finally, make sure you’re getting enough fuel for your body. Food give your body the energy it needs to work out efficiently, so consider adding a small snack an hour before your workout and eating a healthy meal afterwards, to help your muscles better recover.

Getting the help you need

If you’ve already tried some of these techniques and are still experiencing soreness after your work outs, chances are that you may have strained a muscle. A muscle is considered strained when it has worker harder than its capacity and it actually tears. If you don’t notice significant improvement over a period of a few days, you may need to seek medical advice.

It is, of course, very easy to avoid injury by making sure you’re using exercise equipment safely and not pushing yourself beyond your limits by consulting a personal trainer. Working out with a personal trainer in Watford has many benefits for you, including designing a fitness regime that’s right for you, encouraging you along the way, but most importantly, making sure you’re working out safely and efficiently. A personal trainer in Watford will be able to advise you about your muscle soreness, when you should seek medical advice, and how to avoid injury all together.

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A personal trainer in Watford understands that after choosing to improve your health through better eating and exercise, many people don’t know what to do next. There are hundreds of pages on the internet dedicated to diets, exercise regimes and equipment, but how can you tell what is right for you and your body? This is why choosing to hire a personal trainer in Watford is wonderful way to take your next step on the road to better health. In this article, we’ll take a look at just a few of things you can expect to find when you hire a personal trainer.

Great Communication

A great personal trainer in Watford will be ready and able to hear what you’re saying, from the moment you meet to the day you reach your first goal. During the time of your meeting, the personal trainer has set that time aside to concentrate on you and your needs. He’s listening to your concerns, what kinds of exercise you like, what you’d prefer to avoid, and what your goals are. At the same time, he’s there to help you understand how the exercises you’re doing will help you attain your goal and to explain them safely and efficiently.

One to One Assessment

When you’re working with a personal trainer in Watford, the fitness routine he designs is for you and no one else, not a class full of fitness students, not other people in your age group, and certainly not the anonymous masses on the internet. Your personal trainer should do a full assessment of your strengths and weaknesses on your very first meeting, and will be able to help you create realistic goals. [Read more...]

A personal trainer in Watford understands that among all the excuses one can make about avoiding exercise, claiming that you’re just too busy has to be the most often heard excuse. The truth is that this excuse just doesn’t cut it anymore. Everyone can find a way to incorporate an exercise routine into their busy lives, even if their lives are scheduled down to the last minute. Here are a few tips on how even the busiest among us can bring a little fitness into our lives.

Make Exercise a Priority

It seems that we can always miraculously find time for the things we really enjoy, like meeting a friend for drinks or catching our favorite team play on television. The trick with fitting in exercise is changing your attitude about it, and making it something that is important enough to warrant taking a second glance at the schedule. Sure it means that you may have to get up an hour earlier or sacrifice an hour of your precious evening leisure time, but think about how much better you’ll feel, not to mention how much better you’ll sleep!  You may want to hire a personal trainer in Watford to ensure to stay on track!

Make a Schedule

Penciling exercise into your busy schedule is a great way to help keep you motivated and make time for fitness. Planning your fitness schedule a week in advance may be all you need to make sure you have time for all the responsibilities in your life. But sometimes even the best laid plans fail, so don’t beat yourself up if something comes up and you have to cancel one day. The most important thing is that you get back up on the horse the next day! Also, don’t forget that there are two days during the week that most of us don’t even consider when scheduling exercise – the weekend!  If you are determined to meet your fitness goals, there is no better way than to hire a personal trainer in Watford. [Read more...]

You’ve decided to improve your health and lifestyle with a personal trainer in Watford.  Congratulations! You’ve already made an important first step. The next one is to find a personal trainer that can help you achieve your goals, but where to start? Don’t make the mistake of hiring the first personal trainer you come in contact with, because he or she might not have accredited certification and make you dread showing up for exercise sessions. In this article, we’ll take a look at three important things to keep in mind when looking for a personal trainer in Watford; certification, your comfort level and how your potential personal trainer looks.

Certification

Thanks to the rise in popularity of personal trainers, more and more inexperienced fitness enthusiasts are seeking out certification from unlikely sources, such as the internet. Don’t be fooled by a fancy looking certificate or an impressive sounding certification body. There are a handful of accredited certification bodies that offer personal fitness certification and it is worth the time to learn about them before your search – not only because you’ll be able to separate the good from the bad, but because each certification has a different focus on fitness.

Any personal trainer in Watford worth his salt will also be certified in first aid and CPR, so be sure to ask about these issues as well. [Read more...]

Personal trainers in Watford advise that you should learn about managing diet and metabolism in order to lose weight and keep it off.  The metabolism is the process of burning the calories you consume.  Your metabolic rate is impacted by the food you eat and the amount of exercise you get on a regular basis.

Managing Your Energy

Your body has to burn calories in order for them to become usable.  This is just another way of saying your metabolism is how your body makes use of the nutrients you consume through diet.  The metabolic rate is the speed at which you burn the calories and has a direct impact on your weight.

The three primary nutrients the body needs to survive are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.  Your diet is composed of a variety of foods which supply these nutrients in a certain quantity.  As you live and breathe, the body uses the nutrients to create energy needed to continue functioning.

You can impact your metabolic rate by eating foods supplying the right balance of nutrients.  Your physical weight is the result of a number of factors and one of those is the metabolic process which burns calories.  When you eat too many calories, and you don’t expend them through physical activity and the metabolic process, you will gain weight. [Read more...]

Personal trainers in Watford know that you’ve seen dozens of commercials on televisions or in magazines for diet pills or exercise equipment that promise to help you lose fat in your thighs, hips, and even the part of the body that plagues millions of women, the belly…heck, they’ve seen them too! But before you pick up the phone and order, you may well want to reconsider. Personal trainers in Watford have shown time and time again that spot reduction is nothing more than a myth. In this article, we’ll learn what spot reduction promises to do for you, why it doesn’t work, and how personal trainers in Watford can help you fight fat in all areas of your body.

What is Spot Reduction?

Spot reduction is any program or equipment that promises to help you get rid of fat in one particular area of the body. The most popular devices promise to eliminate excess fat from the thighs or stomach region simply by working on the muscles in that particular area. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work for one simple reason – the fat in a particular area isn’t governed by the muscles in the same area. [Read more...]

News From Personal Trainers in Watford! You’ve managed to make time in your busy schedule for a workout session, but even so, you’re running late. In order to make up time, you’ve decided to skip over your stretching exercises and skip to the meat of the workout. After all, stretching is just a small part of the warm up anyway, right?

Personal trainers in Watford say…Wrong! Skipping over the stretching part of your warm up exercises or even during your cool down is not only a bad habit to start, but could also be dangerous to your body and lead to injury. Stretching is a very important part of your work out routine, whether you’re walking or preparing to lift weights. In this article, we’ll take a look at why stretching is such an important part of your workout routine and why you should always stretch both before and after a workout.

Why Stretching is Good For You

There are a whole host of reasons that stretching is good for you. Muscles that are tired are have not be in use are usually tight and constricted. Stretching helps keep the muscles flexible, not just for work out routines, but for everyday tasks. Stretching promotes good posture, helps protect your joints, and leaves you feeling relaxed and free of tension. In fact, stretching has so much going for it that even those that stretch on days that they do not work out can reap the benefits. [Read more...]

Getting regular exercise with personal training in Watford is critical for maintaining weight and reducing the chances of developing many diseases.  Exercise is almost like the proverbial elixir which restores youthfulness and vitality.  An exercise program is an important component of a total fitness program that also include dietary control.

Fitness Elixer

Exercise is one of those things that almost sounds like it is too good to be true.  The list of benefits you can get when you exercise regularly is astonishing.  This list begins with an improvement in the overall conditioning of the body to lowering your chances of developing debilitating diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
The additional benefits of exercise you may experience include the following.

• Strengthens the muscles and bones
• Enhances the immune system
• Lowers risk of developing Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis or stroke
• Increases energy
• Improves brain functioning
• Slows the aging process
• Burns fat [Read more...]

With personal training in Watford you receive cutting-edge exercise routines with variety, and as they say, variety is the spice of life. Adding variety to your cardio routine not only helps you achieve a fuller workout but helps keep the routine from becoming boring. While some of us thrive on having consistency in our fitness programs, many of us are in danger of quitting because doing the same exercises over and over again quickly loses interest. In this article, we’ll take a look at why variety in your cardio routine can help you reach your goals, some easy ideas for incorporating variety in your fitness program, and how personal training in Watford can help you to find the variety you need.

Why we need variety

There are several reasons why variety is important in our fitness routines. It’s important to remember that there are over 600 muscles in the body, so it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be using every one of them in one single cardio exercise. With personal training in Watford the main purpose of cardio training is to raise the heart rate and improve energy and stamina, but cardio can also work on different muscles groups at the same time. [Read more...]

An important part of personal training in Watford and starting on the path to better health is having goals to reach along the way. The reasons we choose to improve our lifestyles are as varied as the ways to improve our health, whether they are as simple as wanting to wear a favorite pair of jeans again to less concrete goals of living a longer, healthier life. Knowing what you’re working towards can not only help you reach goals along the way, but can also help your personal training in Watford goals. In this article, we’ll take a look at just a few of the motivating factors you can adopt to lead you along the path of better health.

Simple Goals

Are you still hanging on to a favorite pair of jeans that no longer fit, but are loath to give away because you have the vague idea that you’ll be able to wear them again someday? Why not make this your fitness goal? Your goals don’t have to be huge elaborate plans, but simple goals such as fitting in your favorite jeans or a dress you love that’s been hanging in the back of the closet for years. [Read more...]