With Christmas over and most of us looking ahead to the beach filled horizon, we notice an influx of questions hitting us from all angles. We’ve decided to compile a few of those that crop up most often for you to benefit from what others have already asked.
With Christmas over and most of us looking ahead to the beach filled horizon, we notice an influx of questions hitting us from all angles. We’ve decided to compile a few of those that crop up most often for you to benefit from what others have already asked.
You can start your diet and fitness education right here by reading the answers to questions I typically get asked by my clients!
1. How many days per week should I work out?
Like many questions related to getting in shape, there isn’t one set answer for everyone! This depends on your health and fitness goal, but its advisable that most people should exercise 3 days per week in order to see results. Now this might sound daunting, but its less than half the week!
2. Can I just do cardio?
Unfortunately, the answer is no (sigh). While cardio is brilliant for burning fat and creating a stronger heart and lungs, it doesn’t help the body in building stronger muscles and bones. Strength training uses different muscles to cardiovascular exercise, meaning you really do get a full body work out by combining the two.
3. What should I eat before exercise?
Ideally you should eat before you work out, after all, food is fuel! Fasted cardio became a trend in the fitness world recently, however its VERY difficult to exercise on an empty fuel tank.
Typically, you should eat one hour before exercising to prevent indigestion. Easily digestible carbohydrates are great pre-workout energising food, such as peanut butter on toast.
4. What do I eat after exercise?
Eating after a work out is essential as it replenishes your glycogen stores which feeds your muscles and allows them to grow. A small protein based snack is the most advisable thing to eat after exercise, overeating can be tempting, but you don’t want to undo all of your hard work!
5. What are the best exercises for weight loss?
If you’re wanting to burn fat and slim down, HIIT, or high-intensity interval training (as its properly known) involves short bursts of intense anaerobic exercise, followed by even shorter rest periods. HIIT is great for loosing weight as it blasts fat quickly and improves your metabolic rate. Your metabolic rate is the speed at which you burn calories when resting, improving this can make all the difference to your waist-line.
If you have any questions about the best ways to shape up this year, feel free to drop us a line, or ask away at your next personal training or boot camp session. If you’re not already part of the 360 crew, check out some more information about what our bootcamps are, or how our personal training sessions work.