You have probably heard  that water with lemon or lime chopped in it is very good for your health but Cucumber ? Well you just may be missing out on one of the most refreshing drinks on the planet by not trying Water with Cucumber. This used to be one of those drinks that was reserved for people who went to high end spas but now it’s becoming ever more popular and not just for it’s health benefits but for how great it tastes. 

 

 

We first tried this on a personal training seminar in America and the Poliquin Strength Institute. We were amazed at how good it tasted so I decided to some more research into it and its health benefits are numerous including

 

1. Provides Necessary Vitamin K – Great for promoting health blood flow and helps bone health. 

 

2. Provides Vitamin C – I’m sure you all know vitamin c is great for the immune system but also for many other things including reducing stress.

 

3. Supplies Potassium – Potassium does many things including helping regulate your blood pressure. 

 

4. Cleanses – Great for detox as it helps prevent water retention due to it’s anti inflammatory properties.

 

5. Helps You Drink More Water – Many people find it hard to get enough water in as they often don’t like it or its tasteless – try adding cucumber to yours and watch your water intake shoot up!

 

So there is something new for you to try and enjoy and get loads of health benefits – it tastes even nicer with ice cold water! 

 

Thanks for reading

 

Adrian

You all know that sugar, bad fats and processed carbs are not good for you. But did you know that all this junk food can also cause physical symptoms and conditions that make you feel like crap? At ProFitness we firmly believe you are what you eat. And eating crap food does more than making you fatter.

 

1. Bloating –  I’m sure you have all suffered from bloating at some stage and usually after a crappy meal. A lot of times this can be down to sodium levels. There is loads of sodium in junk food and sodium pulls water from your cells which means your bodies way of reacting is to hold onto more water. Cut the sodium and you will lose that unwanted bloated look

 

2. You age quicker – Every woman’s worst nightmare, aging!! Sugars, trans fats  and starches can cause insulin to surge and trigger an inflammatory response in your body. When this happens we get what is known as glycation which is when you have plenty of sugar in your system it bombards the body’s cells by gripping onto fats and proteins in a process known as glycation. This speeds up the aging process by switching of the age fighting anti oxidants!

Avoiding white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup—which studies have shown increases the rate of glycation by 10 times, compared with glucose—and simple carbs is a definitely a no-brainer!!
 

 

3. Constipation – Processed foods often things like white breads, pastas, rice etc can cause constipation. The main reason for this is that they contain very little fibre. This lack of fibre make it hard to move everything through your body. Add lack of water (dehydration) into the mix with this junk food and you will make things even worse. What to do – cut out the above foods, add more fibre (proper fibre) and make sure you are well hydrated with water.  

 

4. Heartburn – Many people suffer from heartburn in Ireland and the usual thing to do is to reach for the Rennies!! But what if you knew that certain foods were contributing to this heartburn, often foods high in bad fats. These crappy fats take longer to digest; and when you haven’t fully digested last night’s pizza the things going on inside your body the next time you eat, can be a big reason for heartburn.

5. Depression – There have been many studies done to show that people who eat a lot of junk food are more likely to suffer from depression. Think back to times when you have felt really low, what foods did you eat at that time? My guess would be junk food. It’s at times like this, although hard to do that we must understand what we are putting into our bodies is making things a lot worse. 

 

So I guess the take home point is – Give up the junk food!!

Interval training is something we use with our clients every day and have done so for quite a while. But what is it and how does it work? The days of doing endless amounts of cardio to get in shape are gradually fading. The skinny look is out and in is the healthy, strong and lean look which cannot be achieved without weight training. We are not saying there is no place for steady state cardio but what works best for us and our clients is to combine weight training with interval training and a small amount of steady state cardio.

                                                                                                                  

What exactly is interval training? In very very simple terms it is workouts in which you alternate periods of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery periods. Research shows us that this increases fitness levels and burns more calories over a short period of time than steady-state cardio (Steady state cardio is doing cardio at a slow pace for a set length of time – 30-60 mins is generally what people do)

 

Often steady state cardio seems to encourage muscle loss giving people the skinny fat look. In my opinion this is not nice or healthy looking. On the site, Urban Dictionary, they state ‘skinny fat’ means “to look slim, even with revealing clothes, but when touched, the touching hand sinks into fat before reaching the muscle.”  

                                                                    

When you are following a properly designed nutrition and training plan studies show us that both weight training and HIIT workouts allow us to preserve the hard-earned muscles while ensuring most of the weight lost comes from fat stores. Most people aren’t used to pushing into the anaerobic zone – when your heart feels like its going to come out of your chest. But this produces amazing fat loss results and increases fitness levels quite dramatically.

 

Not only do you burn more calories during a HIIT workout, but the effect of all that intense exertion kicks your body’s repair cycle into hyperdrive. When you do a high intensity workout you burn calories while you are doing it but the magic really happens  in the 24 hours after the workout. This is when a lot of the fat loss occurs. That means you burn more fat and calories in the 24 hours after a HIIT workout than you do after a steady-pace run.

 

                                                                     

Some of the interval training methods we use with our clients are those below which can be used as finishers (at the end of your weights training session) or on a day on its own. 

 

1. Bodyweight – Work for 20 seconds as fast as possible then 20 seconds complete rest 8 times for a period of 5 minutes. You can do this with a number of exercises including – Mountain Climbers, Thrusters, Burpees, Squat Jumps etc etc

 

2. Running – 1 minute as fast as possible then 3 minutes light jog. 32 minutes total work

 

3. Sprinting on a football pitch – Jog the full side of the pitch then sprint as fast as possible across the end line (behind the goal from corner flag to corner flag) Do 12 -16 Sprints.

 

4. Boxing – 30 seconds as fast as possible the 30 seconds complete rest. Do 6-10 minutes depending on fitness levels.

 

5. Rower – Do 30 seconds slow then 30 seconds as fast as possible. Do 8-10 of these!

 

We have an unbelievable amount of these drills that we use to good effect with our clients but these 5 will see you get quick changes in your body shape if you use them correctly. Changing them up is essential for optimal fat loss. If you have any heart/medical complaints etc I would seek clarity from a doctor before you attempt these drills as they are quite tough on the body, tough but quick to do! 

 

Enjoy and be sure to like and share this or tweet it if you think it might help your friends or family!

 

Thanks for reading!

Finding snacks that taste nice and are healthy is not as difficult as it may seem. You may be on week 1 or 2 of our 14 Day Detox or the Online 6 Week Body Transformation and this won’t apply to you just now but in week 3 and future weeks these healthy snacks will benefit you greatly. Our goal is to help at least 2000 people transform their bodies during 2014 and to say that we have helped them.

 

We are big against fake health foods that are laden with artificial sweeteners that trick people into buying them because they are “sugar free”. Gluten free products often lead people down the wrong path also as people automatically think anything that is gluten free is good. 

 

Picking at things during the day is pretty common but if what your picking on is making you fatter and unhealthier then these will help! Everybody wants something quick and easy they can have from time to time between their meals and we are no different. If you have food intolerances to any of the foods below, don’t eat them or if they make you feel like crap and bloated then don’t eat them, pretty simple right? 

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1. Quest Bars – Very tasty and full of natural goodness. Would recommend 2 per week as a snack!

 

2. Berries, Almonds & Organic Greek Yoghurt – Great tasting snack full of goodness. 100ml of yoghurt is loads!

 

3. Rice Cakes with Almond Butter/Peanut Butter – We buy the Kallo brand rice cakes which when combined with nut butter taste great and will satisfy your hunger during the day!

 

4. Protein Banana Pancake – These are really tasty and something we would have regularly. Mix 3-4 eggs with a mashed banana  in a bowl. Fry with coconut oil, turn half way through and serve when cooked fully on both sides! 

 

5. Organic Dark Chocolate and Nuts – Melt 30g of the chocolate,  place a teaspoon of it on greaseproof and make into a round disc. Sprinkle with very finely chopped nuts and a tiny bit rock salt. Put in fridge and when it hardens it’s a lovely snack!

 

 These recipes will help you add a few new basic but tasty snacks to your list. We will be combining a list of 50 great tasting snacks for you soon! For any further information on our online training please email us at info@profitness.ie.

 

 

Enjoy the snacks!!

January has arrived again and people are beginning their new years resolutions like there is no tomorrow. If you didn’t read my last blog post then you will be better off reading that first then come back to this. If you really want to change and are willing to do what it takes to change the this information will do wonders for you. It is designed for those of you who want to drop a jeans size in January but also for those of you who want to improve your health.

 

You may have read some of these 7 Steps to Dropping A Jeans Size in my previous blogs but here it is in one very easy to follow article. I won’t go into massive detail on each point as I have blogged about them all individually before so scrolling back on my blogs will give you a lot of in depth reading. 

 

Step 1 : Sleep –

You could make minor changes this January and combine it with more better quality sleep and you will drop bodyfat and lose bodyfat. Going to bed late and waking up early is a typical Irish thing to do and I am guilty of this myself at times. Getting 7-8 hours of unbroken sleep WILL 100% help you lose belly fat. This has to do with cortisol and you can read my blog about it here. Turn off your computer and telly an hour before bed and read. If you don’t read then do any relaxation technique you can to wind down. If you still find it hard to wind down then supplements like liquorice root may help but I would rather you tried to fall asleep by yourself before you start taking supplements.

 

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Drinking an adequate water intake will do wonders for you. Everything will improve. Staying hydrated with clean filtered water is extremely important for fat loss and health. There are different recommendations but I would rather you got to a place where it was natural to you to know water is essential and you need plenty of it EVERY day. 2 Litres is the minimum we recommend with most of our clients closer t0 4.

 

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When the gut is functioning correctly it allows the foods and water we eat to enter the body and will stop toxins etc from getting in but when it is not working optimally the opposite will happen.  You will also not be able to fully absorb the nutrients your body wants and needs.

Probiotics are organisms like bacteria that are believed to improve health.The digestive system is home to more than 500 different types of bacteria. They help keep the and assist in digesting food. They are also believed to help the immune system. We take them and find they help us a lot.Take probiotic supplements first thing in the morning or before going to bed, always on an empty stomach

 

Step 4 :Protein Goal 

I have spoken a lot about how important protein is for health and for fat loss. You are probably far off what your protein intake should be and getting closer to this is so important if you are to see changes in your body and improve your health. I talked about it a lot in previous blogs. The bare minimum protein intake I would expect from fat loss clients would be – ladies 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day per day. So if you are 70kg you would be looking for a minimum of 105 grams of protein per day, not too hard!

 

Step 5 : Fibre Goal

Fibre is essential for fat loss – Men are said to need at least 38 grams per day and women are said to need at least 25 grams per day. And I don’t mean fibre from weetabix or other processed crap. Fibre from real food and/or high quality supplements. Grains don’t have as much fibre as you think and you will get more from certain other foods which also contain more nutrients. Food intolerances to a lot of fibre supplements develop fairly quickly so its best to rotate fibre sources regularly.

 

Step 6 : Healthy Fats

Fat won’t make you fat – well especially not good healthy fats which are very important to our health and for fat loss. We use many different fats including Avocado oil, Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fish Oil and good quality meats also contain good amounts of healthy fats. To get a greater understanding you can read previous blogs I did on fats here. 

 

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Training with weights is extremely important for LOADS of reasons including decreased bodyfat, less disease risk including diabetes and even cancer, improved posture, longevity to name but a few. Following a properly designed exercise programme like ours will teach you how to train correctly with weights. Here is our programme – https://www.profitness.ie/members/

 

We do not preach about quick fad diets. It’s all about lifestyle changes and finding what works for you. If you have a bad day or you feel like you hit a wall at times I want you to always come back to the above 7 points and not go back to your old ways. Going back to the low fat food, late night in front of the t.v, cereal for breakfast, ready made meal way of life WILL make you fatter and unhealthier.

 

Sorry to put that so bluntly but we are living in a generation that is being mislead with fake health foods and a money driven food industry. I will leave you with a great quote from The Book of Survival by Anthony Greenbacker 

 

“To live through an impossible situation, you don’t need the reflexes of a Grand Prix driver, the muscles of a Hercules, the mind of an Einstein. You simply need to know what to do,”

 

The 7 points above are a simple what to do to drop a jeans size and improve your health this January! Now get started!!

 

Thanks For Reading

 

Adrian

I had wrote this on Christmas eve but held it back til today as I knew the number of readers would have been down on xmas eve.  So il start by wishing you a very happy new year. Today is going to be a short blog about why being average just wont work.  Being and accepting average is an Irish thing, to just blend in and not accept being the best you can be. Getting into shape can be so easy if you want it enough and are prepared to F**K Being Average.

You will see all the January this and that soon and yes it is great to set yourself goals and write them down. But when you are just setting goals to please other people then you will never get to where you want to be. Writing it down is not enough, you need to want it, you have to really want to make changes.

If you have seen our Facebook page this week you will see the results our clients have been getting. Why are they so good? Because the culture in our gym is not to be average. It’s like a domino effect really – everybody wants to go that one step further and keep getting better and better and it pushes everybody, like a pack. Fuck maintaining, we are always progressing. If you just want to come in and go through the motions then you are accepting being average. A gym is a place to train and get results.

 

[video_player type=”youtube” width=”560″ height=”315″ align=”center” margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”20″ border_size=”10″ border_color=”#080707″]aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g/dj1ucFFwSE9MX0g1NA==[/video_player]

      Eric Thomas Motivational Video

Your body is an amazing machine and will go to great lengths for you BUT you need to want it enough. Don’t waste money this January chasing fitness related things if deep down you don’t want it enough. Find what you really want, have a WHY – why do you want it ? – wedding, special occasion, your after having a baby, holiday, health reasons, you want to progress in sports etc etc. There are a million and one reasons why you should be achieving results but if you don’t have that why deep down then keep searching for it and then start but until you have that why then don’t begin something you wont stick to.

 

I have my whys, why I get up at 4.45am everyday – If i get up later I won’t do what needs to be done to get closer to where I want to be. I didn’t always have a why and that’s maybe why my career as a professional footballer didn’t work out as well as it could have for me. But I do now and thats what drives me to succeed.  Yes there will be ups and downs and you will have to overcome adversity but if your why is strong enough I promise you you will reach your goals – no you’l smash them and then set new ones.

 

 So as Eric Thomas says “Be Phenomenal or be Forgotten” – or in my words be the best you can be and average is not the best you can be.

 

Happy New Year Guys