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Fitpro Magazine asked for my opinion on how, when and why fitness testing should be used to maximise the success of personal training clients. I was only too happy to help, see what I said….

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.

If you’re unsure of how to develop a true full body workout routine, enlist a personal trainer or the professionals at a local gym. The pros can help you out by:

• Tailoring a program to suit your needs – Not everyone can follow exactly the same workout routine. What works for your best friend, for example, might actually be too rigorous for you. Consulting with a pro will result in a routine that takes your strengths and weaknesses into account. Your tailored routine will also be designed to offer the right level of challenge without taxing your body too much.
• Making sure you avoid injury – Beginners often strive too hard to see results. When they do, injuries often happen. At the very least, a workout that is too hard can kill motivation very quickly. When you involve the pros, you’ll end up with a plan that’s been developed to help you reach personal goals while motivating you to succeed.
• Offering moral support – The professionals are there to help you reach your goals. They do this not only by offering their expertise, but also by cheering you on along the way.

A targeted workout won’t provide the overall results you’re after. If you want to see real changes in your body, you need to focus on the whole.

See other articles our Personal Trainers recommend.

So, why does stress affect weight loss?

First of all we need to understand that stress is a perfectly natural reaction to the demands of daily life and we need some stress to get things done. But when stress becomes overwhelming we can get into trouble. When we’re stressed we release 40 plus hormones including Adrenaline and Cortisol and we’re more likely to binge eat, drink and smoke and have difficulty sleeping. Left unchecked stress can cause serious physical and mental problems.

All is not lost though as there are a few simple things you can do to reduce stress naturally and help your weight loss efforts in the process. Reducing stress will improve your mood, energy levels and even your weigh in results.

Try these simple, but very effective measures:

• Get active – Exercise is one of the most effective ways to reduce the toll stress can take on the body. Exercise helps you remove the circulating stress hormones from your blood and release muscular tension. Not only will you help yourself lessen stress, but exercise will also aid with weight loss. Work with a personal trainer or talk to the guys at your local gym for assistance in creating an exercise program that fights stress and promotes weight loss.
• Get some sleep – Making sure the body is properly rested is an essential key in the fight against stress. When people are stressed out, they tend to sleep less. This, in turn, can lead to irritability and even more stress. Work on getting at least seven to eight hours a night. Exercising can help make this goal reality but make sure you don’t exercise to close to bedtime, leave at least 3 hours to ‘cool off’ physically and mentally from your workout.
• Meditate – You don’t have to go to a yoga class or read tomes of books to gain the basic benefits of meditation. Just learn some very simple deep-breathing techniques and give yourself a few minutes a day to practice them. Clear your mind, breathe in deeply, relax and let go of the tension you’re holding. When this is combined with other efforts – exercise and rest – the positive impacts can really shine.
• Eat right – Proper nutrition is also important not only for weight loss, but also stress reduction. Steer clear of caffeine. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Avoid fried foods. All the stuff you should be doing anyway, but it will really help

Stress has been linked to heart disease, digestive problems and mental illness. Most people don’t realize that their level of stress is damaging their health. Although the causes of stress cannot be changed by implementing the recommendations above, they will feel a lot easier to deal with and you’ll feel a lot better. Good luck!

See other articles our Watford Personal Trainers recommend

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.
• Keep a diary – The journey to get into better shape can be long and arduous. It is often fraught with ups and downs, too. Write down everything that happens in a diary. Record your successes and lament about your struggles. Releasing your doubts can help you gain focus. Recording your successes might give you the strength to draw on when you need it the most.
• Set goals – Saying you want to lose 100 pounds is great, but it’s a pretty big number to shoot for. While it’s a great idea to have an end goal, try setting smaller ones along the way. Use milestone goals to help keep yourself going. Give yourself rewards when you attain these milestones, too. Little things like a massage or a new piece of clothing for losing 10 pounds can motivate you to keep reaching for your goals.

Motivation is fleeting and needs to be nurtured if you’re to work through all the ups and downs and achieve your goals. Use the tips above and you’ll be much more likely to stick to your new healthier (and happier I hope) lifestyle, good luck!

Read more articles that our Watford Personal Trainers recommend.

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Runners World asked my opinion on how to maintain training over the tricky Christmas period, see what I said……..