Sleep sleep sleep!!

I would normally never even begin to associate sleep with weight loss. I always just slept for at least 10 hour a night because I liked too! But it has been suggested by studies in major academic journals that sleep loss can increase hunger and affect the body's metabolism ultimately making it more difficult to maintain or lose weight! 

They suggest that sleep loss can affect the secretion of cortisol (a hormone that helps regulate appetite) and as a result you can continue to feel hungry despite being full! Sleep loss also can increase fat storage, as it interferes with the body's ability to metabolize carbs! This can result in high levels of blood sugar which leads to the overproduction of insulin in the body and can lead to the storage of body fat.

The studies also show that the level of sleep can also affect the body's proportions of fat and muscle. Lower amounts of deep sleep has shown reduced level of growth hormones which is the hormone that helps regulate the body's fat and muscle percentage. 

So how can you improve your sleep?

• Don't eat a big meal before bedtime (approx. 2 hours before)
• Exercise during the day, not before bedtime (no more than 3 hours before), exercise helps make you feel tired, well at least for me anyway!
• Don't drink caffeine or alcohol right before bed or in the late afternoon
• Don't nap! I'm a sucker for a nana nap in the afternoon, but if you are struggling to sleep 10 hours don't do it! 
• Remove all electronics from your room, looking at a bright screen before trying to sleep wakes the brain up and makes it so much harder for you to fall asleep
• Make sure all the lights are off and it's nice and quiet
• I always read for about half an hour before I go to sleep and I find it really helps settle me down and get in the right mindset to sleep!
  
  So tonight before you go to bed, try these steps above and I promise you, you will have a much better, deeper sleep!

A killer workout - tabata style!

Tabata. Tabata. Tabata. Oh how much I love Tabata! Tabata training is a concept developed by Professor Izumi Tabata in 1996. It follows a 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 4 minutes principle. The 20 seconds 'on' is a full flat-out, maximal heart rate 20 seconds and a complete rest for 10 seconds. The 10 seconds rest allows your heart to drop a little bit, and then straight back into an all-out 20 seconds. Tabata training can be used with any type of exercise; running, bike riding, circuit exercises (such as burpees, push-ups, lunges). 

The study of tabata

Professor Tabata used two groups of people for his trials where one group cycled at a moderate pace five times a week for 60 minutes and the other did 20 seconds of flat-out work followed by 10 seconds rest for 4 minutes, five times a week. Over the six weeks, the group following the Tabata group improved their aerobic and anaerobic fitness (increased up to 28%). The group of people just cyling at a moderate pace for an hour did see some improvements in their aerobic fitness but none in their anaerobic fitness. This is where the principle of 'Tabata' was developed. 

Benefits of tabata

• Transforms your body & fitness levels fast
• Gets you fitter faster (better than an hour of steady state exercise)
• Burns more calories in a shorter time, especially because you keep on burning calories for up to 12 hours after you exercise!
•  If you are anything like me, this will keep you exercising longer as it stops you getting bored!

 Some example tabata workouts 

One of the most simple but effective forms of tabta workouts is on the treadmill. When I incorporated tabata treadmill training into my workouts, I would run at 14km/h on an incline of 2. It doesn't feel hard for the first few rounds - and then all of a sudden you can't breathe you're so exhausted!! 

Some more ideas:

 So next time you do a workout, try and incorporate some tabata into your session and tell me how it goes! I know you'll love it.

KX Pilates

Last night I did my first session of KX Pilates and oh my goodness it was amazing! I was so nervous but the instructor, her name was Rochelle, was so nice and talked me through everything! So KX Pilates is Pilates using a reformer which makes all the regular Pilates moves more advanced as well as new moves that you wouldn't be able to do any other way! It was a fully body workout, where mainly arms, shoulders, legs and core were used! 

So what is KX Pilates?

It's a high-intensity full body workout that improves balance, coordination and flexibility that gives you a lean and toned look! It works by recruiting a large number of muscle fibres in the shortest amount of time and reducing time between sets. It is based on the isolate-fatigue-stretcch principle that targets the whole body through continuous, precise, controlled movements. So basically you complete an exercise (such as lunges on the reformer), fatigue the muscle by using super-sets, and then stretch the muscle that was targeted. And boy does it burn!! 

It was such a new experience using the reformer but I've already booked 3 more sessions it was so good! 

I highly recommend Pilates (ecspecially on the reformer) if you are looking to tone muscles, build your core and balance, and overall just feel good after an intense workout! 

Benefits of one of my favourite forms of exercise - skipping!

Before I joined a gym or began personal training, I had a skipping rope at home from my childhood. When I started exercising (a few walks here and there at that stage), I decided I needed to mix it up a bit and chose to do some skipping! It was so much fun, and so much hard work! Just a few minutes skipping and I was already dripping with sweat! 

Here are just a few benefits of skipping

• Skipping for 10 minutes is equal to running 1.6km in 8 minutes
• Skipping for one hour will burn up to 1,300 calories!! 
• 10 minutes of skipping can have the same health benefits of a 45 minute run
• You are using your whole body during skipping (an ideal full body workout!)
• Skipping can help improve heart rate and blood pressure
• Once you've bought a skipping rope (usually around $15 for the cheaper ones) you don't have to spend any more money for an intense workout!
• Helps improve flexibility, coordination and balance
• Helps tone the muslces
• Can help prevent osteoporosis (weight-bearing exercise - improve bone density) 
  Source: http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/diet-fitness/fitness/12-reasons-to-do-skipping-workout-2467#ixzz2zbnmbKkh 

As you can see, there are so so many benefits of skipping! So when you plan your next workout, try and include some skipping in it! 

One of my favourite exercises involving skipping is:

100 skips followed by a 20m sprint

80 skips followed by a 20m sprint

60 skips followed by a 20m sprint

40 skips followed by a 20m sprint

20 skips followed by a 20m sprint

 It's a killer when incorporated in a circuit training session and really gets the heart rate up! Or even if you're just sitting watching T.V, get out your skipping rope and skip while you watch! 45 minutes will be up in no time and you would have just burned nearly 1,200 calories - woo hoo! 

 

Kayla Itsines: Day 1

Yesterday was the first day of Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body Guide and I can tell you now, it was hard. 

First she asks to take some 'before' photos to measure progress. Mine are below. 

As you can see, I have a very long way to go! 

Yesterday's session was 'Legs and Cardio' day and boy do I feel it! My glutes and hamstrings are so sore(man do I love that feeling)! Looking at the exercises it looked fairly easy but I was very wrong. I was sweating and exhausted in no time' there are two circuits you have to complete twice. You have 7 minutes to complete a circuit once - longest 7 minutes of my life!! 

After yesterday's session, I am thoroughly looking forward to the rest of the program!

Today is LISS (low intensity steady state) where I am trying out my first session of KX Pilates! 

Starting Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body Guide today!

Today I begin my trial of Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body guide! 

Kayla Itsines is a 23 year old female from Adelaide Australia who started her business by undertaking a personal training course at the Australian Institute of Fitness. She then decided to start her own business by undertaking clients of her own, and as her clients started raving about her techniques and methods of losing fat and weight, she began to use social media to get her business around. Now she has become a worldwide inspiration for all young women! 

You can buy her Bikini Body Guide and H.E.L.P Nutrition Guide here.

This is Kayla Itsines above, as you can see she has the perfect body and is definitely my biggest inspiration guiding my fitness journey!

Some of her clients and their transformations are shown below (they are real women, so no negative comments please!)

As you can see they are incredible transformations, and although they were beautiful before, I'm sure now they are feeling much healthier! This what I personally am aiming for - fingers crossed! Has anyone else here had any amazing transformations?

And the journey begins!

Technically I began my health/fitness journey in January 2013, but today is the day I am officially beginning a healthy life. I have been overweight since I was probably in Year 5, then lost a bit during Year 9, then put it all back on during Year 10 (2009). During 2009 I diagnosed with depression, which was one of the main reasons I re-gained all of my weight. I had no energy to even get out of bed, let alone do exercise. My diet consisted of chips, chocolate, diet coke (and when i say diet coke, I mean at least 2 a day), and no exercise whatsoever.

It wasn't until I started Year 12 and I was one of the largest in my year level and at nearly all of the 18th's I attended (if I could even be bothered...). My mum, probably 10 years ago, lost 40kgs in a short amount of time, but in a very healthy and perfect way. I decided that I wanted to begin with the personal trainer that she used, because we knew him already and he had obviously the right techniques. So I began my journey with him in January 2013. When the time came for my first session with him, I sat on my bed looking out the window (with 9000 butterflies in my stomach) just waiting for him to turn up. He did, and I swear to you I think I nearly passed out I was so nervous. 

We did a weigh-in, body fat measurements, muscle measurements, BMI, and body age. All which were extremely confronting for me.

My measurements on the 25/1/13 were:

Weight: 78.6 kgs

Body fat: 39.3 %

Muscle: 27.1 %

BMI: 27.8

Body Age: 37 years

Visceral fat: 5 

Waist (S.C.): 92.0

Waist (Navel): 98.7

Waist (Widest): 102.5

Hips: 107.5

My measurements on the 12/4/14 were:

Weight: 71 kgs

Body fat: 33 %

Muscle: 29.9 %

BMI: 25.2

Body Age: 29 years

Visceral fat: 4

Body measurements not undertaken on this day (will update when done)

I know I have lost weight, body fat, body age etc. but it is not enough for me as I am not experiencing that happy, healthy feeling I should be. As of today, I am going to begin to eat at healthy and green as I possibly can, exercise as many days as I can (preferably 6 or 5 out of 7 days). I have bought Kayla Itsine's bikini body guide after reading so many amazing reviews, so one of the main reasons I am beginning this blog is so I can track my progress of this guide and provide you all with as many helpful hints about fitness, health, nutrition etc., as we all know there are so many rumours and false programs out there! 

Follow me along my journey, and I promise I will help you begin and continue your journey, whatever it may be.