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When embarking on a new fitness journey we can often be left with more questions than answers.  Not only are we looking for the right exercise programme, but we know that if we want to improve our overall health and wellbeing, nutrition comes hand in hand with movement.  We start paying attention to our macros, and if other gym-goers are drinking protein shakes or eating protein bars it’s natural to wonder if we should be too.  

So, we thought we’d share our thoughts. 

What Are Protein Bars?

Protein bars are everywhere – you’ll find them in gym cafes, supermarkets and even petrol stations.  There are a number of brands and recipes on the market, and many argue that protein bars are the healthiest version of a sweet “fix.”

Some brands suggest the bars can be used as a meal replacement, or a great snack between meals.  

The very premise of protein bars is noble – it provides a way to increase your protein intake, but are they a necessary addition to your diet?

The Importance of Protein 

Protein provides the building blocks for the body.  When we ingest a type of protein, we break it down and then our livers rearrange it into new proteins and send them off throughout our body to carry out new jobs.  We have skin proteins, ligament proteins, immune cell proteins and of course, the ones we are more familiar with, muscle proteins.  Without sufficient protein, cells in our body can’t function effectively.  This is why low protein intake is associated with muscle wastage, poor immune function, brittle nails, hair breakage and more!  

We all need to prioritise protein intake, and how much depends on our activity or body demands.  

If we are sedentary, around 0.8-1g of protein per kilogram of body weight is sufficient, but for active individuals, the sweet spot is around 1.2-1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight.

So, if you weigh 65kg and we work it on the baseline of 1.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, you would be looking to eat around 78g of protein per day. 

A daily protein intake may look like this:

Chicken breast – 31g 

Turkey steak – 29g

2 eggs – 12g 

50g greek yoghurt – 5g 

This would total 77g protein.

How Do I Know If I’m Eating Enough Protein?

You will start to notice things like poor skin and hair condition.  You may feel hungry between meals and snack regularly. You may feel tired or lethargic or you may not recover or heal well.  You may also find you struggle with your mood.  As you can see there are many functions in the body that protein is crucial for, not just building muscle!

If you don’t think you are eating enough protein, we would advocate a wholefood approach first – so look at how you can increase protein at mealtimes or opt for high protein snacks.

But, if protein needs are high and you are struggling to hit your target, then protein bars (and shakes) can be a way to increase overall intake.  

Things to Consider

Not all protein bars are equal.  You may find that some contain colossal levels of sugar and salt.  They may also contain high levels of saturated fat.  Whilst they may increase your protein intake, these products could be hampering your attempts at improved health due to the other ingredients they contain.

You may decide that making your own protein snacks is more cost effective, tastier and you’ll also know exactly what’s going in.

Check out one of our recipes below:

Chocolate Coconut Protein Balls

We can’t deny that prioritising protein intake is important for overall health, but we would advocate a food-first approach.  If you are still struggling to hit your protein target, protein shakes or bars can be a beneficial way to increase your intake, but be mindful of the other ingredients contained and whether they may be hampering your health goals.  

How we think of ourselves can have a huge impact on our lives and whether we like or value ourselves, it affects our decision making and whether we can try new or difficult things.  This puts us in a bit of a catch-22 because we want to improve how we feel about ourselves but lose faith in our ability to do so. 

In our latest blog we look at how attending a Pilates class can improve how we perceive ourselves, and ultimately boost self-esteem.

What is Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves, in short, its everything we think and feel about ourselves. 

We often think that self-esteem comes from relationships with others, we like to know what others think of us, but the reality is that our experiences, both positive and negative play the biggest role. 

When we have low self-esteem, we can have feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, we can blame ourselves unfairly, we can dislike ourselves and we can worry about being unable to do things.  All of these factors mean that we are reluctant to try new things, and that can include exercise or other strategies to improve our health.  But, when we do try these new things (like a Pilates class), and succeed, it can really boost how we feel about ourselves. 

Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Albert Bandura was a Canadian American Psychologist and is known for his role in developing social learning theory.  In short, he explored how and why people learn. 

Bandura devised this concept of self-efficacy which is people’s beliefs in their own capabilities to achieve a task. 

But what is particularly interesting is the relationship between self-efficacy and self-esteem.  What we often find is that those with high self-efficacy tend to have high self-esteem, and those with low self-efficacy, have low self-esteem. 

So, before we start looking at ways to boost self-esteem, let’s see how we build self-efficacy.

Bandura believed that our beliefs in our capabilities come from four main sources.

1) Mastery experiences – when you try something and succeed at it.

 

2) Vicarious experiences – observing others succeed at the task.

 

3) Social persuasion – receiving positive feedback whilst attempting said task.

 

4) Emotional and physiological states – state of mind can significantly influence how we feel about our abilities.

What Does This All Mean?

If

we look at the mastery experience, we first must try something if we are to succeed at it.  This is why, here at Instructor Live you will find a variety of classes to choose from, and all at different levels.  We want you to succeed. 

You can start with the introduction to Pilates; start with the basics and work your way up!

Introduction To Pilates (£4.99 p/m)

If we consider vicarious experience, this is where being around others is key! 

In our Instructor Live Pilates classes you will see an instructor demonstrate all activities.  If you join our communities, you will experience the success of other clients.  Sometimes we just like to know that others, just like us, can do it!

Finally, our emotional and physiological state can significantly influence whether we think we can achieve something.  Some days we just don’t have the energy to try!  To this end, a great place to start is to acknowledge the impact that sleep, nutrition, and hydration all has on our emotional health.

Sleep

Study after study have shown us that if we are sleep deprived, we believe in ourselves less.  Even just a short sleep duration of consistently less than 6 hours per night has been associated with low self-belief (and optimism). 

Getting a good night’s sleep can be a challenge for some but getting natural light as close to sunrise and sunset helps to reorganise and structure the body’s natural sleep and wake cycle.  Melatonin is the main hormone we are interested here; it regulates night and day cycles or sleep-wake cycles.  Melatonin signals the body for sleep, and it is produced when it’s dark.  Light decreases melatonin production which signals the body for wakefulness. 

If we’re exposed to false light at night, melatonin production is reduced, meaning we stay awake for longer.  So, try to keep your light exposure as close to the normal sleep-wake cycle as possible. 

On the subject of light, blue light from computers, tablets or televisions is the number one enemy when it comes to sleep.  As we mentioned, artificial light suppresses melatonin production.  Not only that but engaging in that heated discu

ssion on social media just before bed results in your body amping up, not calming down.

Consider looking at blue blockers for screen time and try to disconnect from technology completely for a couple of hours before bed. 

Nutrition

There is a nifty highway between the gut and brain, meaning what we eat can affect how we feel and behave. 

Top tips to support the gut-brain axis:

– eat fibrous foods,

– include prebiotic foods like garlic and onions in your dishes.

– try ferments like kombucha, sauerkraut and kefir,

– ensure adequate omega-3 fatty acid intake (oily fish or supplement)

– eat polyphenols (fruits, veggies, herbs, and spices),

– get sufficient sleep,

– modulate stress.

Hydration

There are clear links between cognitive

function and dehydration.  Dehydration has been linked to a reduced blood flow to the brain, and we appear more tired and less alert.  In states of 2% water loss, there is a decrease in both speed and efficiency in psychomotor tasks.

What’s super interesting is that some researchers simply wanted to score levels of anxiety in properly

hydrated individuals.  They found that correct hydration is associated with lower prevalence of both anxious and depressive symptoms.

Top Tips for Staying Hydrated:

–    Glow up your water – add a slice of cucumber, lemon, lime or sprig of mint!

– Grab your gin glass, pop in some frozen berries and pour sparkling water over the top!

– Keep a bottle of water at your desk!

– Always order some table water if you are out for a meal!

–    Get into a routine – if there is something you do every day, add drinking a glass of water to the start or end of the task.  Habit stacking is a great way to make changes!

It is clear that our experiences inform how we feel about ourselves, both positively and negatively but trying new things, and succeeding at them can be a great way to boost our self-esteem.  This goes for any new thing, whether it’s Pilates, yoga, HIIT or dance! 

Luckily, we’ve got you covered, feel free to check out our library of programmes.

We’ve all been there, planned to workout but then decided to do it tomorrow instead.  Tomorrow comes and there are just too many jobs that need to be done.  We may set our alarm for 5am, so we can get a workout in before work, but as soon as we hear that buzzer, we snooze and decide the hour is better used catching up with sleep.  We then feel guilty for missing our workout, or get agitated that we’re running out of time to fit it in; is it our motivation that is letting us down?

Let’s explore motivation in a little more detail. 

What is Motivation?

On a simple level, motivation is a reason, or the reasons why we do something.  

Many researchers and psychologists have suggested that we have two types of motivation. 

Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation refers to our behaviour in response to gaining external rewards – there is something outside influencing us.  For example, we may only go to the job we do because it pays well, or we may volunteer simply because we need to add some qualities to our CV.  

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation on the other hand refers to our behaviour without any obvious rewards – we do it simply because it makes us feel good.  So we may stay late at work one day because we are enjoying the current project we are working on, or we may volunteer because we feel the work makes a difference to someone. Essentially the behaviour itself is the reward. 

Intrinsic motivation is more about personal growth, a sense of duty, and the recognition of purpose, while extrinsic motivation is more about financial incentives, status, and public recognition.

This issue arises when the reward no longer meets our expectation, or even exists.  For example, if you always pay your child to tidy their room, they will likely tidy it for as long as the incentive exists, but unless they enjoy tidying and cleaning (and which teenager does?), as soon as the money disappears, so will their pristine bedroom. 

What The Science Says…

Many studies have explored motivation and they have found exactly this.  When participants have been paid to carry out a task; they will complete the task as per the payment schedule.  Whereas other participants who weren’t paid, when given a break in between tasks, they continued working on the task, simply because they enjoyed doing so.  

Other studies have found that participants’ attention is generally stronger when simply asked to participate in a study, as opposed to getting paid for it.  

In Real Life…

Now this can’t be applied to everything, we probably wouldn’t go to work if we weren’t getting paid for it and so the general school of thought is that extrinsic motivation is great for run of the mill, or more mundane tasks, or something that you have to do regularly anyway.  So, some business gurus have suggested that bonuses are a great way to motivate employees if you need a task completing, by hook or by crook.  

Take A Note Out Of Google’s Book

However, when more creative work is needed, there needs to be an element of intrinsic motivation.  Many companies are starting with the 20% rule – for 20% of the working week, companies are allowing their employees to work on their own projects to spark creativity. The idea is that by allowing employees to do something they enjoy, they will increase their overall motivation and therefore productivity.  

There have been great results, with Gmail being one of the projects borne out of this 20% rule!

But how does this apply to our fitness motivation?

Well, we need to ask ourselves why we want to workout?  

Are we extrinsically or intrinsically motivated?

Are we working out because we want to gain praise or recognition from others?  

Are we working out because we want to look good to others? 

Are we exercising because we want to avoid future health issues? 

These are all extrinsic motivators. 

However, problems arise if these motivators aren’t met.  If we don’t receive praise or recognition from others, if we don’t get feedback on how we look from others, or if we suffer a health challenge, we start to think, what’s the point? 

On the other hand, do we workout to get that rush of endorphins which make us feel good?  

Do we enjoy the time out from our day?

Do we like learning new skills or finding out new things about ourselves?

These are all intrinsic motivators and make fitness and exercise something that brings us internal rewards.  

If we focus on extrinsic motivators, when they aren’t met, there will be a natural decline in motivation. 

If however, we focus on those internal motivators, motivation often remains.

There may be some that say we can’t do things that make us happy 100% of the time, and of course there will always be something in work, or in our routine that we are less than excited about; perhaps here is where we need some extrinsic motivators.  But when working out can be a significant change to our routine, and needs some planning, we need to find those internal motivators to enhance longevity.   

Find Something You Enjoy

It starts with finding something you enjoy doing – something that gets those endorphins flowing, something that makes you want to spend time doing, something that teaches you new skills, something that promotes your personal growth.  The health benefits are just a great side effect. 

Motivation is widely studied by psychologists for good reason – we often just need to change how we think about something.  You probably don’t have low motivation – you probably just haven’t found the right thing to be motivated about yet.

Let us help.

Check out the range of programmes we have available, and we’re always available to chat if you need any help.

Unlimited Access To All Programmes (£9.99 p/m)

If you are interested in health and well-being, you’ve likely been told that resistance training is the one thing to include in your routine.  But what is it, and why should we be doing it?

Let’s take a look. 

What is Resistance Training?

Resistance training is a form of physical activity that is designed to improve muscular fitness.  It’s any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, power, growth and endurance. The external resistance can be dumbbells, bands, your own body weight or realistically any other object that places a load on your muscles.  It’s based on the basic premise that when you load a muscle, trauma occurs, and it grows back bigger and stronger.  

Many people worry that lifting weights, or doing resistance training will make them big and bulky, but for anyone who has attempted to build muscle, you’ll know how difficult this actually is! 

Resistance training should be included in everyone’s routine, for a number of reasons. 

• Reversing Muscle Loss

Numerous studies have demonstrated that relatively brief sessions (e.g., 12 to 20 total exercise sets) of regular resistance training (two or three nonconsecutive days per week) can increase muscle mass in adults of all ages through the 10th decade of life. 

• Contributes to Energy Balance Management

Resistance training causes tissue microtrauma that requires relatively large amounts of energy for muscle remodelling processes that may persist for 72 h after the training session.  What this means is that calories are still used even after your workout which can help you manage your energy balance.  

• Helps Tackle Body Fat!

Research has revealed significant reductions in intra-abdominal fat in older men and women who have carried out resistance training.  It’s believed that resistance training results in an increased resting metabolic rate and improved insulin sensitivity which may reduce fat stores!

• Slows Down Ageing!

In one study, nursing home residents (mean age = 89 years) performed one set of six resistance machine exercises, twice a week, for 14 weeks. At the end of the training period, the participants increased their overall strength by 60%, added 1.7 kg of lean weight, and improved their functional independence measure by 14%.

In addition, another study found that standard resistance training showed a reversal in mitochondrial deterioration that typically occurs with ageing.

• Prevent the onset of Diabetes!

Researchers have concluded that resistance training may be an effective intervention approach for middle-aged and older adults to counteract age-associated declines in insulin sensitivity and to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

• Support Cardiovascular Health 

Researchers have suggested that resistance training is as effective as aerobic endurance training in reducing major cardiovascular disease risk factors.

• Lowers Blood Pressure 

One study demonstrated that individuals who resistance trained twice a week significantly reduced blood pressure readings.

• Enhance Cholesterol Profiles

In a study with elderly women (70 to 87 years of age), resistance training significantly improved triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol profiles.

• Improved Bone Density

A 2-year study indicated that resistance training resulted in a 3.2% improvement in bone mineral density compared with the control group. However, studies show that termination of the resistance training program leads to reversal of BMD gains.

•  Supports Mental Health 

The mental health benefits of resistance training for adults include:

• reduction of symptoms in people with fatigue, anxiety, and depression,
• pain alleviation in people with osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and low back issues,
• improvements in cognitive abilities in older adults,
• improvements in self-esteem. 

One study demonstrated that 10 weeks of combined resistance training and aerobic activity significantly improved physical self-concept, mood, depression, fatigue, feelings of tranquillity, and tension.  

How Much Resistance Training Should I Do?

• ​​Non-consecutive days/weekly
• One set of 8-12 reps for healthy adults
• 8-10 major exercises targeting major muscle groups
• Frequency:
  • novice 2-3 days/ week,
  • intermediate 3 days/week;
  • advanced 4-6 days/week

It’s clear that resistance training boasts a range of benefits.  If you would like to include any resistance training in your routine, check out the range of programmes we have on offer and don’t forget to reach out if you have any questions on getting started. 

Quite often, the reason we like fitness classes lead by an instructor is because we don’t have to plan our own exercise routine.  We can turn up, do the work and reap the benefits.  When we make hundreds of decisions a day, this can be a welcome break.  For many of us, the reason we often fall foul to less than optimal eating habits is because our decision-making cup has nearly emptied by the time we come to make food choices.

We’ve compiled 5 of our favourite healthy lunch ideas to help you make a few less decisions this week.

Healthy Lunch Idea 1: Sweet Chilli Chicken Wraps

Whipped up in 10 minutes, this recipe serves 2 people.  It also includes 2 of your 5 per day.

Ingredients

2 wholemeal tortilla wraps

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 large cooked, chicken breast, thinly sliced

2 handfuls baby spinach or lettuce leaves

2 stalks spring onions, chopped

1 tomato, thinly sliced

Black pepper to taste

Coriander to taste (optional)

Recipe

1. Spread chilli sauce onto one side of each wrap
2. Place the chicken and spinach, tomato, spring onions & coriander on top 3. Add black pepper to taste
3. Wrap and cut into 3 pieces

Nutritional information per portion

Energy 332.5kcal, Carbohydrates 35g, Protein 32g, Fat 7.4g, Fibre 4g, Sodium 386.5mg

Healthy Lunch Idea 2: Mexican Chicken & Salsa Taco

A speedy 20 minute recipe, there’s enough to serve 1 person.  It also includes 2-3 portions of your 5 fruit and veg per day.

Ingredients

1 x taco shell

1 & ½ tsp garlic & paprika taco seasoning

½ chicken breast

1 tsp oil (olive, rapeseed, hemp seed or

spray oil)

¼ red pepper, sliced

¼ green pepper, sliced

¼ onion, diced

¼ cucumber, diced

A squeeze of lime

½ small chilli pepper, deseeded & finely

chopped

3 baby plum tomatoes, diced

Small handful of lettuce

I tbsp sweetcorn

Recipe

1. In a bowl mix together the onion, chilli, lime & salt
2. Into the bowl add tomato, cucumber, and peppers and ½ tsp taco seasoning mix altogether
3. Cover the bowl with cling film and put in the fridge for 15 minutes to 1 hour. (Tastes best left overnight   and can keep up to 4 days
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4. Meanwhile mix together 1 tsp taco seasoning & the oil.
5. Rub this mixture all over the chicken
6. If possible, leave the chicken to season in the fridge for an hour
7. If chicken was put in the fridge, take it out and leave out for 30 minutes to get to room temperature 8. Grill the chicken under a hot grill until brown and cooked through for 10 minutes, turning halfway 9. Mix the chicken with the salsa mixture in the fridge
8. Layer the taco with the lettuce, then add the chicken salsa mix, then top with sweetcorn & more salsa

Nutritional information per taco

Energy 252kcal, Carbohydrates 23g, Protein 19g, Fat 9g, Fibre 5g, Sodium 347mg

Healthy Lunch Idea 3: Smoked Haddock & Red Kidney Bean Fish Cakes with Light Lemon Mayo

This one is a little longer, so perhaps best saved for the weekend.  It takes around 1 hour & 25 minutes (includes 1 hour marinade time), serves 2 people and includes 1 of your 5 per day.

Ingredients

2 spring onion stalks (50g total weight), chopped

200g smoked haddock fillets (skinned) (boneless)

100g tinned red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 tbsp chopped fresh or dried parsley

Grated zest of ½ lemon

1 small egg yolk

25g dried wholemeal breadcrumbs or 1 slice of bread

1 tsp ground flaxseeds

1 tsp chia seeds

2 tbsp oil (olive, rapeseed, hemp seed or spray oil)

1 tbsp 0% fat Greek yoghurt

4 tbsp light mayonnaise

2 tsp lemon juice to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

Recipe

1.Fry the spring onions in frying pan with a little oil for 3–4 minutes until soft and golden. Leave to cool.

2.Meanwhile, boil a pan of water on a high heat, add the smoked haddock to it and keep it boiling with the  lid off the pan for 5 minutes. This is to remove some of the salt from the haddock

3. Af

ter 5 minutes remove the smoked haddock and rinse it under cold water.

4. Roughly flake the smoked haddock

5. Mash the kidney beans to a thick purée with a fork. Mix in the fish, parsley & lemon zest with the cooled  leeks. Season with cayenne pepper

6. Stir in the egg yolk and shape the mixture into 2 burgers. Chill in fridge for one hour

7. Meanwhile put the breadcrumbs or slice of bread into a blender with the chia seeds & flaxseeds, blend up  until all combined

8.Pour the breadcrumb mix onto a dry plate, and press in the fishcakes, once they have finished chilling

9.Add 2 tbsp oil to the pan, fishcakes are soft, so use a spatula to add them to the pan and to turn them

10. Fry fishcakes on a medium heat for 3–4 minutes on each side until cooked through, golden and crispy

11. Mix the yoghurt, mayo & lemon juice together for the lemon mayo

12. Serve with salad and the lemon mayonnaise

Nutritional information per portion

Energy 486kcal, Carbohydrates 20g, Protein 31g, Fat 32g, Fibre 6g, Sodium 809mg

Healthy Lunch Idea 4: Bruschetta with Olive Tapenade, Avocado, Red Onion & Basil

A firm favourite here at InstructorLive, this is whipped up in a speedy 10 minutes, serves 2 people and includes 1 of your 5 per day.

Ingredients

4 x slices of ciabatta bread or 2 x wholemeal ciabatta rolls cut in half making 4 pieces in total

2 tbsp olive & sundried tomato tapenade

½ avocado, sliced thinly lengthwise

2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped

1 handful of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

½ clove garlic, chopped small

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

* For an extra 6g protein per portion add 1 slice smoked or basil flavoured tofu per bruschetta

(optional)

Recipe

1. Mix 1 tbsp olive oil & the garlic together in a bowl, and brush onto each of the 4 ciabatta slices 2. Place under a hot grill and toast until golden
2. In another bowl combine the chopped basil & red onion with ½ tbsp olive oil 4. Spread the tapenade on to the toasted rolls
3. Top with the sliced avocado, then layer on the basil & red onion mixture

Nutritional information per portion (2 bruschetta slices) excluding optional ingredients  Energy 492kcal, Carbohydrates 46g, Protein 11.5g, Fat 30g, Fibre 6g, Sodium 386mg

Healthy Lunch Idea 5: Pitta slices with Homemade Hummus &  Vegetables

A quick recipe, prepared in 10 minutes, this serves 1 person and includes 2 of your 5 per day.

Ingredients

2 heaped tsp tinned, drained chickpeas

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tbsp low fat Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp paprika

½ tsp cumin

1 peeled clove garlic

1 wholemeal pitta bread, cut into mini slices

1 tomato, sliced

5cm cucumber, sliced

Another vegetable of your choice – we’re a fan of carrot or celery sticks!

Recipe

1. Blend the chickpeas, lemon, yoghurt, oil, spices, & garlic until smooth
2. Serve with the pitta & vegetables

Nutritional information per portion

Energy 371kcal, Carbohydrates 45g, Protein 13.9g, Fat 15g, Fibre 7.5g, Sodium 334mg

Don’t forget to check out our recipe page for even more healthy lunch ideas!

When we talk about health, we often get hung up thinking about our physical health.  We may want to look a certain way, be able to walk a certain distance, or complete a particular challenge.  But there is an elephant in the room.  Alongside optimising our physical health, we also need to give our mental health a little MOT.

When we’re thinking about mental health, we want to consider how we regulate our behaviour, feelings and thoughts.

To this end, there are some warning signs we can keep an eye out for, and they include:

• Disrupted sleep,
• Irritability,
• Feeling less happiness or joy from normally happy or joyful things for you,
• Changes in appetite,
• Feelings of fatigue,
• Low energy.

You should always seek the advice of a qualified professional if you are struggling with your mental health, but we have compiled some things to consider alongside any professional support you may need.

• Mixing up your meds!

We’re not talking medication; we’re talking about the Mediterranean Diet. By far, this diet has the most to offer for optimal health, but when we mix it up with the DASH diet, it results in the MIND diet which stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.

A 2021 systematic review pulled together 13 studies and highlighted that certain nutrient patterns (eating more fruit, vegetables, legumes, olive and seed oils, fish and lean meat/poultry – and eating lower amounts of highly processed foods) could lead to better brain integrity and function.

So, ensure you are eating plenty of:

• Green leafy vegetables,
• Berries,
• Nuts,
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil,
• Wholegrains like oats, quinoa, and brown rice,
• Oily fish like salmon,
• Beans including lentils.

• Give mindfulness a bash!

Give a mindfulness or meditation app a whirl for 10-15 mins a day and see how you feel.

• Get a good night’s sleep!

Good sleep is so important to our health, especially our mental health.  There is certainly some truth in the saying, “got up on the wrong side of the bed!”

Poor sleep is regularly linked to depression anxiety and other mental health challenges.  Not only that but these mental health challenges also make it harder to sleep well which means we often find ourselves in a vicious cycle.  The important thing is that sufficient REM sleep facilitates the processing of emotional information.

Depending on the time of year, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a subtype of depression which affects people during reduced daylight hours.  It is closely related to the disruption of internal biological clocks and therefore sleeping patterns.

Try our beditation programme to support your sleep.

• Stay connected!

Ongoing feelings of loneliness can significantly affect how we feel, so staying in touch with friends and family is so important.  It’s also about quality and not quantity – we don’t need 100 friends, just a couple of really good ones.

Sometimes, having a common interest or goal can help us meet new friends or give us a reason to keep in touch with existing friends.  Don’t forget we have a refer a friend option on InstructorLive.  Just head into your account information and click “refer a friend” to give 50% discount and get 50% on your next payment.

• Get out in nature!

Did you know that being in nature reduces scores of anxiety and depression?

Our species has existed for thousands upon thousands of years – but even the oldest cities have only been around a fraction of that!  What this means is that we largely evolved in nature, and this environment therefore shaped our brains – for want of a better phrase, going back to nature almost takes us back to our roots.

What the data says:

• Being in nature is seen to improve sleep scores,

• Spending time in green spaces simply makes us happier,

• Mental stress scores significantly reduce when we live in urban areas with increased green spaces,

• Time in nature improves our relationships with others and also cognitive functioning,

Try to head outside at least once a day.  And see how you feel.

• Move More!

Regular exercise can have a profound impact on mental health.  It can relieve stress, improve anxiety symptoms, enhance brain function, and help us sleep better!

Not only that but exercise can also improve levels of self-esteem and confidence, which means we have more positive thoughts.

Overall, most people, when engaging in regular exercise, report enhanced mood, increased motivation and a greater sense of control over well-being.

The trick is to find exercise that you enjoy, so take a look around and see if you can find something that ticks your box!

Optimising our mental health is crucial, we hope these tips have given you some food for thought, but please feel free to share any strategies or tips you find help you.

Whilst we all know how important regular exercise is to our overall health, if we’re honest, most of us will have in the past, or will continue to engage in certain exercise plans to help manage our weight.

So, the question on everyone’s tongue, what is the best fat burning workout or does one even exist?

Let’s take a closer look.

What is Fat? How Do We Burn It?

If we want to know how to burn through fat, we need to know what it is.

When we eat, let’s take carbohydrates for this example, they make their way through the digestive system and are broken down into sugars and released into the bloodstream.  The sugar (glucose) is then converted into energy, and used by parts of our body.  Our body has many inbuilt mechanisms to keep compounds at certain levels, and in this example, insulin helps glucose get out of the blood stream to keep levels within safe limits.  If our energy needs are met, but there is leftover glucose, it can be stored in muscle and liver tissue.  If there is still some left, it is converted to sit in fatty tissue.  These are our stores for later.

In between meals, when our blood-sugar drops, glucose is pulled from storage – and if necessary, this process can include using triglyceride storage.

This clever system ensures that we always have energy available –

even between meals.

Can Exercise Increase How Much Fat We Use?

When we are physically active, our energy needs increase.  But the exercise we carry out will largely influence which source of energy we use.

We have three energy systems.

ATP-PC – this system uses the energy we already have stored in the muscle.  This system runs without oxygen and is responsible for the first 6-10 seconds of activity, give or take.  This system is like the sprint system.

Glycolytic System – this system also runs without oxygen and provides energy during high-intensities.  The preferred fuel source for this system is carbohydrates.

Oxidative System – as the name suggests, this system needs oxygen to run and can

use both carbohydrates and fats as fuel.  This system kicks in after around 90 seconds to 2 minutes and we like to think of it as the long and slow system.  If you are a distance runner who has a steady pace, this is the system you will primarily run on.

When we are active, we clearly use energy, but what’s also interesting is that certain forms of exercise can result in increased energy demand even when the workout is over.  Studies have shown us that over a 24-hour period, after a HIIT training session, there was still an increased oxygen consumption.  This suggested that the oxidative system was kicking in even post-workout, utilising fat (and carbs).

So What Is The Best Exercise for Fat Burning?

Whenever we are active, we use energy.  In the first instance, we will utilise the energy easily available – that stored in muscle and in the liver, but if energy needs increase, we will swap to our storage.  On a simplistic level, any activity helps with our energy balance.

To this end, any exercise that we can do consistently will support our health goals. 

Time and time again we find that regular movement, no matter the intensity, is better for overall health than the one-off class that leaves us in a heap on the floor.

But, if weight loss is your aim, we need to pair consistent movement with an appropriate dietary intake, whilst supporting gut and hormonal health.

Top Tips for Supporting Gut and Hormonal Health:

• Ensure you are eating plenty of fibre – aim for 30g per day.

• Drink around 2L water per day – filt

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  ered if possible.

• Limit processed foods,

• Eat wholefoods,

• Ensure you hit your protein target (1-1.6g protein per kg of bodyweight – activity dependent).

• Don’t fear fat – opt for beneficial fats like nuts, seeds, avocado etc.

• Eat regular meals – ensure you have protein, fat, and carbs at every meal.

• Prioritise sleep,

• Manage stress.

If you are struggling to move consistently, check out the range of programmes we have available.  The key is to find what you enjoy.  We’re sure you’ll find something.

If we can help in any way, please reach out.

Instructor Live Team

If you are interested in your health and wellbeing, chances are you’ve looked into  “the best diet for (place your requirement here!)”

You’ve also likely returned thousands of search results and are left with even more questions than you started with.  Well to make your life easier, we’ve compiled the long and the short of some of the most popular diets.

Lets get cracking.

Low-Sugar Diet

Most low-sugar diets focus on reducing added sugar from your meals.  This isn’t a bad idea at all as most of us over-consume sugar.  This is because sugar is one of the three things manufacturers use to keep us coming back for more and so it’s added to beverages and even protein powder.

Sugar is used as energy in the body, so we need it, but when we ingest too much, sugar is floating around without a party to go to.  Insulin comes in to ship it away and it has no choice but to send it to adipose tissue.  This is where the insulin model of obesity comes in, and the reality is that an excess of any nutrient can start to cause issues; the dose really is the poison.

The take home is to reduce added sugar largely because sugar is also found in its naturally occurring form in wholefoods like fruit.  But in fruit you will also find fibre, which is beneficial to gut health. You will also find a range of phytonutrients and antioxidant compounds!

Plant-Based Diet

This approach to eating focuses mostly on foods from plant sources. It often calls for eating less meat, dairy and packaged products.

Plant based diets are rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants, which means your body is getting a range of compounds beneficial to health.  But, it must be considered that there are nutrients that are only found in animal sources, and so, if not carefully considered, deficiencies in vitamins like B12 may appear.

The take home is that you can be plant-based, meaning you get as many plant sources in your diet as possible but it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be vegetarian or vegan. Aim for 30 plant points per week.  This includes fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices!

Some plant-based foods are also heavily processed, and it must be remembered, that one of the aims of the plant-based diet is simply to eat less processed foods.

Low-Carb or Keto

The ketogenic diet (or keto diet, for short) is a low carb, high fat diet.  With just 5% to 10% of calories coming from carbohydrate food sources, lots of people assume keto is a high-protein diet, but it’s actually much higher in fat.

Ketogenic diets are touted as having benefits against cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease but there’s another aspect of a low carb diet that should be considered.

We tend to demonise simple carbohydrates or those sugars. But fibre is also a carbohydrate.

Fibre is the indigestible parts or compounds of plants and is essential to gut health. Not only to aid motility (keep things moving as they should) but it is what gut bacteria feed on.  During this process, metabolites are produced, which includes short chain fatty acids.  These metabolites are known to significantly affect mood, for example, increased levels of the short chain fatty acid butyrate are linked with reduced depressive symptoms and a reversal in behavioural hyperactivity.

Fibre, which does come under the umbrella of carbohydrates significantly influences mood and well-being – so removing this huge food group from your diet could have more impact on your mental health than you think.

In addition, research has linked long-term adherence to the keto diet (for the treatment of seizure disorders) to long-term complications, including bone loss, organ-function abnormalities, micronutrient deficiencies, and gastrointestinal problems.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting—or IF—is an approach to eating that requires you to partially or fully abstain from food and caloric beverages for a given period of time.  The basic premise is that it reduces calorie intake by removing the time available to eat.

The most popular method is to consume foods during an 8 hour window.

It has been associated with weight loss, but it is considered that intermittent fasting is a possible way to induce autophagy.  This process degrades damaged components of body cells – so it’s like having a body clear out – getting rid of anything that may start to cause problems.  That said, it’s generally thought that this only occurs after somewhere between 16-24 hours of fasting so the general approach of eating in an 8 hour window, won’t appear to induce autophagy.

The take home?  Intermittent fasting reduces the available time for you to eat – so if you are terrible for late night snacking, it could be a good approach to reign those unnecessary calories in.

The diets we have covered so far are just a few of the hundreds being touted across the internet.  But we can take some helpful lessons from them.

Tips for Optimal Health:

• Eat as many fruit and vegetables as possible,
• Reduce your consumption of added sugars,
• Fibre is your friend,
• Limit snacking!