Of all the types of cardiovascular exercise I have tried with clients over the last dozen years or so the most effective for weight loss has been rowing. There are three vital components of this; intensity, duration and frequency. Rowing uses almost every muscle in the body during the course of one full stroke. To utilise fat as an energy source the body needs time to process it, hence suggestions that fat is burned more readily during exercise at medium to lower intensity. On the commonly used concept 2 rowing machine that would …

The wedding season is upon us and the call are coming in for personal training sessions to make sure both brides and grooms are fit for their weddings. Nothing is more motivational than weddings to get people fit and toned. Statements like ‘I’ve been measured for my wedding dress and can’t put on any weight now, help’, ‘I must remove my beer belly by the big day’ and ‘my arms must be toned because I’ve bought a sleeveless and strapless wedding dress’. These have all been mentioned in the past …

Summer appears to be here and is slightly early and hopefully not too short. Time to reveal those bits of your body that have been hiding all winter. But first, we had best tone them up a bit. So tip 1: Try to create the maximum amount of work for your muscles for each exercise repetition, for example, press-ups, which tone your triceps, pecs, bit of biceps and upper back, also add in a foot lift per repetition for your deep tummy muscles/core and gluts/bum. Tip 2: Exercise your tummy …

Food is an essential part of our lives, the quantity we eat though tends to be in addition to what we actually require. In conjunction with the other tips for guaranteed weight loss food portion sizes need to be addressed. We should aim to eat smaller portions but with more frequency. Add in a mid morning yogurt snack and a mid afternoon fruit or cereal bar snack. This should reduce the feeling, when lunch and dinner time comes along, of feeling really hungry and eating too fast and too much. …

Reduce your daily fat intake to 40-50 grams. The government recommended daily intake is 90 grams for men and 70 grams for women. This is OK but if we’re looking for body fat loss without radical dieting then the best way (when combined with daily exercise) is to reduce fats in the diet. Look closely at food labels, consider carefully what you consume. Generally make an effort to have fruit snacks and eat a healthy balanced diet for a period of time. It is vital that your more healthy diet is sustainable. …