Christmas is fast approaching and there are only a few weeks left for that big push to get in great shape before party season begins. This week we will be talking about the importance of flexibility as a part of your training and on the nutritional side we will be chatting about eating in the evenings as this is where most people make their biggest mistakes, around dinner time.
The Importance of Flexibility.
When you start to weight train or exercise regularly there is a danger of certain area’s of your body tightening up leaving you at a bigger risk of injury as time goes by. This is why it is as important to work on your flexibility after each training session and if possible dedicate a seperate 30 to 60 minutes once a week solely on making sure you are keeping a full range of motion in all of your joints and muscle groups.
Below you will find a few great ways to work on your flexibilty:
Yoga: One of the best ways to work on your flexibilty is through the physical postures of yoga. The physical part of yoga is aimed at making sure the joints and muslces can flow through their full range of motion in a healthy and natural way. It will also release and relieve any tension being held in the muslces as your muscles will be brought back to their original length through regular practice. There are may ways to enjoy and take part in yoga either in classes, DVD’s or book form.
Pilates: Pilates is an exercise form which concentrates on flexibility, balance, posture, and core strength. There are around 11 million people practicing pilates worldwide and it is regarded as one of the best forms of exercise for flexility and core stability which are so important in all other area’s of training. Again there are a huge amount of classes throughout Dublin along with extensive books and DVD’s available for beginners.
Foam Rolling: Foam rolling is a brilliant myofascial release method (Like getting a massage) with similar results but which you can do in the comfort of your own home or in the gym after your workout. In essence you use a foam roller under each muscle group to find any tender or sore spots in that muslce. Once you find a sore spot (known as a trigger point) you then spending 30 to 60 seconds maintaining pressure on that point until you feel release. This can be achieved by slowly rolling back and fourth on the trigger point. This form of stretching has been widely used by professional athletes for years but has really only hit the mainstream over the past couple of years. A good foam roller will cost you around €50 and last you for years to come.
All of the above have a huge amount of free material online and cost little or nothing to get started except your time. Like your training, get into a regular routine of spending 10-15 minutes at the end of each session working on flexibility and schedule one 30 minute period once per week to work on any area’s that feel particularly stiff or sore.
Eating in the Evening:
The one time I find people always seem to fall down on when they are trying to achieve weight loss results is around dinner time. You can have perfect nutrition all day and then easily sabotage your good day by the wrong choices for evening meals especially this time of year with the colder weather making us all want a bit of comfort food.
Below you will find some tips to help you make the right choices at dinner:
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Always have a healthy meal ready to go as a back up in the freezer in case you get home late and are too tired to cook.
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Plan your dinners on a Sunday for the week and cook them in bulk or prepare as much as you can in advance to reduce evening cooking time.
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Cook some hearty and healthy curries, chilli con carnes, stews and casseroles if you feel you need some comfort food in the colder weather. This will give you that comfort meal in the evening you crave without the guilt of it being unhealthy.
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Limit your evening starch Carbohydrates which include rice, pasta, bread, quinoa, couscous, potato, sweet potato and root vegetables. 1 portion is 100g cooked and no more. This is the most common mistake made by people trying to lose weight. You do not need large amounts of these in the evening time. You can eat lots of green vegetables to fill you up instead.
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If you have dinner early, plan a healthy snack 1hr before bed containing protein and fat (No Carbs): My favourite is 100g of low fat greek yoghurt with a scoop of chocolate whey protein and a teaspoon of hazelnut butter. Freeze for 30 mins and enjoy.
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Eat dinner at the table and no eating on the couch. It is proven we eat more when wathcing TV. Eat Dinner and your planned pre bedtime snack and nothing else.
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Drink water with dinner and throughout the evening, most people mistake dehydration for hunger. If you are hungry 1 hour after eating it is not hunger, it is thirst.
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Lastly, Go to bed on time. Staying up later then you should is just asking for hunger pangs to strike.