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Beginner's guide to getting fit.

25/5/2018

Getting fit from zero cardiovascular and strength fitness can be a pretty daunting task.

Based on my own experience and speaking to others about how they got to the level of fitness they're at the hardest bit is starting however once you have made a new habit of exercising your body will take over because of the release of feel good hormones and chemicals we get from regular exercise is a real incentive.

Endorphins

'Runner's high' is attributable to the release of endorphins that your brain experiences when you physically exert yourself. They help relieve pain and stress and if you've never had this feeling from exercise I highly recommend you get on it, it's a fab feeling!

Physical activity also stimulates the release of dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin, all of which play an important role in regulating your mood.

In the last blog post I talked about Human Growth Hormone (HGH) aka the fitness hormone which is released in response to vigorous/exhaustive exercise. From what the research is telling us it's what we want to tap into if you want to maintain a fit and strong body and improve your quality of life at any age. In a nutshell, the fitness hormone will help you lose weight, tone up not just your muscles but your skin too, fend off middle aged spread and feel more energetic.

Researchers have found the best way to maximise the release of this hormone with cardiovascular exercise and that's to do 30 second sprints with rest intervals of 90 seconds and repeat this 8 times. This is a seriously strenuous workout and getting yourself to the point of exercising like this takes time. The thought of it can be massively overwhelming too, so here's how to start from scratch and gradually build up fitness in a super easy way.

3 new habits...

...which take very little effort and by the end of just one week you'll feel even better about yourself, motivated and may possibly have dropped a couple of lbs.

Delay breakfast till noon

Eat in an 8 hour 'window', this is an easy way to do intermittent fasting. We've all been told breakfast is the most important meal of the day however it's not strictly true if you read the research.

By delaying breakfast your body becomes much better at handling blood sugar levels. Plus for many of us it breaks that cycle of just-keeping-eating all day.

Give this a good go, no cheating. You may feel super hungry in the morning as your body is used to a routine. It's also possible that your body hasn't been regulating blood sugar levels as well as it can do.

If you're starting from 'really unfit' keep it simple...

Get up 30 mins earlier

This is so you can get outside and begin with walking in arguably the best time of the day. There's something really special about feeling like you're the only person up and awake in the quiet and cool morning sunshine.

If you're starting from 'really unfit' keep it simple with an easy walk for 10-15 minutes. The feel good factor that this new habit will create is so powerful for starting your day. You'll be a lot less likely to eat rubbish and pick at snacks that you know you shouldn't.

Fit in an evening walk. You don't have to go far, even if it's a stroll around the block, summer is a great time to start this with the long, light evenings. It's also really good for your digestion, plus if you have a habit of overeating in the evening or picking at snacks you don't really need you'll be much less likely to do so when you've got a walk planned after dinner.

Aim to cover between 1-1.5 miles with walk/jog/walk... intervals.

Work smart not hard

After 1-2 weeks of making time to walk each day you may want to up your game by jogging/running in intervals. A great way to do this is pick landmarks on your route roughly 50 meters apart and run/walk/run/walk. How far? At this stage you could aim to cover 1-1.5 miles. Jog at a pace that increases your breathing rate a little, so that you can still hold a conversation.

This sets you up for running intervals at a harder pace later in your new healthy routine (if you want to get your dose of Human Growth Hormone that is!).

Trouble shooting

The above example of starting to get your fitness up is assuming that you don't have any conditions or problems with your body that would prevent you from walking or trying out intermittent fasting. If you're at all unsure as to whether this is good advice for you or not you're welcome to get in touch with me or seek advice from another healthcare professional.

Good luck and let us know how you got on!

Best, Sarah :o)

Human Growth Hormone 101

17/5/2018

At around the age of 25-30 years old our bodies commonly enter a phase called 'Somatopause'. It is hallmarked by declining levels of human growth hormone (hGH) in our blood stream which continues to decrease with each passing year.

Researches have noticed that this decrease in hGH in the blood stream coincided with the onset of many symptoms of aging, including:

Loss of muscle mass and muscle tone
Difficulty losing and controlling weight
Lowered energy levels
Reduced elasticity in the skin, a contributing factor in the formation of wrinkles
Loss of sex drive and an increase in related disorders, including erectile dysfunction
Loss of bone mass and the beginning of age related joint problems
Decrease in the effectiveness of the immune system

This decline is part of what drives the aging process. The great news is that there are several simple body 'hacks' you can start to practice that will keep your levels of hGH high and by doing so you'll enjoy lifelong, robust health.

Regardless of what stage of life and health you start from you will make noticeable positive changes to these typical signs of ageing. 'Age reversal' and looking youthful is big business, creams, makeup, antioxidants & super foods etc etc. In this blog series I will share with you the ways of exercising to 'hack' your brain to boost your release of hGH.

What is HGH?

Human Growth Hormone (hGH) is naturally produced in the pituitary gland which is located at the base of your brain. It plays a vital role in cell regeneration, growth and maintaining healthy human tissue, including that of the brain and various vital organs.

It is necessary for a child's normal growth and once we become adults, it is necessary to maintain the correct amounts of muscle, bone and fat.

hGH stimulates the liver to convert it into growth factors, the most crucial being insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which has growth-promoting properties on every cell in the body. It stimulates the production of cartilage cells, which cause bones to grow and muscle mass to develop.

The main hGH functions include:

Bone density
Reproduction of cells
Lean muscle mass
Maintains muscles, organs, and body fat
Metabolic regulation

Benefits of improving your hGH levels

An 8 week study by Phil Campbell put a cohort of middle aged workers through his 'Sprint 8' program of cardiovascular exercise. The people in the study had an average body fat loss of 31% and 71% increase in hGH levels.

It helps you burn away belly fat. Each of your body's fat cells has its own growth hormone receptor. The HGH will bind to the receptors, and when it does it will trigger a series of enzymatic reactions within the cell that lead to the breakdown of fat. This is called lipolysis. hGH also supports fat loss by the way it affects insulin.

hGH is released in waves, the highest level being released at night, about an hour after you fall asleep. It occurs during one of the deepest levels of your sleep, between rapid eye movement (REM) phases. The amount of sleep that you get and how well you sleep determines how much hGH is generated and secreted every night. If you lack sleep, you will not experience any surge of hormone at all.

Vigorous exercise, fasting and restricting carbs and sugar after exercise are all ways of naturally getting your body to produce more of this fitness hormone. In my next blog I'll talk about working smart not hard with regards to cardiovascular training to maximise your levels of this amazingly important hormone.