New Years Resolutions – Make 2016 Your Year

As New Year rolls around many of us will use the change in the calendar year as a clean slate and make our well intended New Years resolutions but this year here are some guidelines to make those fresh promises stick.

Whether your choosing to get fitter, stronger, loose weight and tone up or if your goal isn’t at all fitness related these simple steps for success could help you achieve your goals.

First of all lets bullet point the key ingredients for this years recipe for success:

• Make realistic resolutions and write them down.
• Focus on one goal and make small changes, these add up to big results!
• Find your motivating factor and set a time frame so you have something to work towards.

Lets start with the bad news… Statistically speaking the odds are stacked against us. On average studies reveal that only 11% of the population surveyed managed to keep their New Years resolutions made in 2014 through to the close of that year, in fact one survey revealed that one third (32%) of all resolutions made in 2014 were broken by the end of January!

but do not despair…!

This blog has brought together some of the best research to provide you with a plan to help you stick to your guns and be one of the 11% winners come 2017!

Got a resolution? Now write it down!

Research suggests that writing down your goals and keeping a success diary can increase your chances of sticking to that resolution to a whopping 76%! Not only that you should hold yourself accountable by communicating both your success and failures.

Focus on one goal and make small changes to get there

One sure fire way to fall at the first hurdle is to make several larger goals that involve significant lifestyle changes in a short amount of time. As a general rule we are much more comfortable with small changes that have little impact on our day to day lifestyle. The daily routines we have such as brushing our teeth barely register as they have become habit therefore using the same principle we can remove or introduce New Years resolutions that will become lasting changes. For example if your new to exercising throwing yourself headlong into daily exercise would be resolution suicide! If your determined to be a gym bunny by the end of 2016 breaking your goal down into smaller chunks might be to start with 90 minute of exercise a week in batches of 15 minutes a day with a days rest.

Remember! Small changes in your behaviour make for big results so to keep your goal, be specific and plan how to incorporate the changes into your day-to-day routine.

Plan long term and reward your success

Once you have written your goals plan out your strategy for success with significant markers and dates to hit each and when you get there reward your success!

With all this in mind go start your 2016 plan right now before the festivities begin and from all of us at Fight & Fit Darwen all the best for the New Year!

Isotonic Sports Drinks - The Low Down




Isotonic Sports Drinks. The Low Down. 

Isotonic Sports drinks are sold as performance enhancing drinks that help the user to compete better and get better results. Often they are also sold as the perfect aid to hydration but before we discuss their effectiveness lets delve into the terminology. 

Isotonic, what does it mean?

In an isotonic solution the amount of solubles within the fluid match the concentration of the blood and the cells within. This means that where applicable the exchange or movement between the blood cell and solution happens easily. To put it into the context we refer to and in lay mans terms if the cell is deficient it will easily absorb what is needed from the solution provided the concentrations are correct (isotonic). 

The Theory

In light of the information above the theory behind isotonic sports drinks is that the right concentration of salt, sugar and other ingredients (often electrolytes flavours and preservatives) can replace what the body looses during sweating and therein aid performance by keeping the blood close to its natural state of balance. 

The Problem

Research from various sources suggests that unless an exerciser performs at a top level (to the degree of athletic performance) for no less than 1.5 and in some cases up to 4 hours there is no need to consume an isotonic sports drink and in fact evidence suggests consumption could have some of the following:

Excessive salt supplementation during exercise may lead to "gastrointestinal problems or cause further impairment of fluid balance" and may cause salt-induced cramps. ( Australian Institute of Sport )

Stretching The Truth

Now we must address the line we are sold by the drinks manufacturers.

 "[insert drink name] can help you perform better" 

Out of the majority of claims made by the drinks manufacturers most cite no evidence to back up their claim and with good reason. Studies performed on top athletes during prolonged exercise have yielded some positive results to back the claims but even then the improvement in performance has been deemed as almost irrelevant to the majority of the population due to the fact that they were performed on top flight athletes whose performance is a world apart from a normal member of the public. 

The Negative

Due to the sugary nature of isotonic sports drinks for the every day man or woman consuming isotonic sports drinks rather than the desired result which is some measure of either, increased performance, weight loss or weight control the results could actually be reduced performance or weight gain from drinking sports drinks with carbohydrates without prolonged exercise

A study presented at the Obesity Society's Obesity 2012 scientific meeting found people in their teens gained 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) over two years for every bottle of sports drink consumed per day. The leading author of the study, Alison Field of Harvard Medical School, said she was surprised to find that "Sports drinks have an even stronger relationship than sugared fizzy drinks with weight gain".

Conclusion

Avoid isotonic sports drinks unless your a marathon runner or an elite athlete competing at a national level. For the rest of us water is a much better performance aid than high doses of either salt or sugar pre, post or during training. 

Electrolytes. What, why, where, how?

Electrolytes, why do we need them?

Amongst many of the buzz words championed around the gym scene and the drinks manufacture companies is electrolytes. Also known as lytes we know we need them but the question is why do we? The simple answer is electrolyte replacement is needed as a response to strenuous athletic activity but do you know what they are or what they do?

What are they? Why do we need them?

Electrolytes are salts and minerals which are found in the blood, they aid conduction of electrical impulses in the body. Although they have their own individual functions or functions when combined here's some of the things they do:

* Conduct the electrical signals between the brain, nerves and muscles

* Help the body maintain the body's fluid balance

* Help control blood pressure

* Help with muscle contraction

Here is a brief list of electrolytes:

* Sodium (Na+)

* Potassium (K+)

* Calcium (Ca2+)

* Magnesium (Mg2+)

* Chloride (Cl−)

* Hydrogen Phosphate (HPO42−)

* HydrogenCarbonate (HCO3−).

Confused yet? Here's a breakdown. 

We need electrolytes in order to regulate the hydration of the body well as the blood pH all of which are critical for nerve and muscle function.

Both muscle tissue and neurons are considered electric tissues. Muscles and neurons are activated by electrolyte activity. Muscle contraction is dependent upon the presence of:

* Calcium (Ca2+), 

* Sodium (Na+),

* Potassium (K+). 

Without enough of these key electrolytes, muscle weakness or severe muscle cramp may occur.

There is also research that points to good pre and post electrolyte supplementation helping to alleviate the symptoms associated with DOMS! 

So all the above points to the fact that electrolyte balance is a serious consideration for the people train hard. So on to the next question...

So where do we get them?

Electrolyte solutions are available commercially for athletes (sports drinks, such as Gatorade) but these, by nature, often have a high sugar content (see isotonic sports drinks article I will post tomorrow). You can make your own by following a simple recipe (many widely available on the internet) using ingredients as basic as water, salt and sugar. My recommendation would be to utilise the widely available natural sources. Ever wondered why they give oranges at half time during a football match? Citrus fruit such as lemons and oranges are very high in electrolytes as is celery. Electrolytes are also commonly found in fruits and vegetables (and their juices), coconut water, milk, and nuts.

Look out for tomorrow's instalment on isotonic drinks!