Gaining weight but not fat!

Firstly, I want to thank everyone so much for their lovely emails and texts in relation to last week's blog. I'm so touched to have gotten so many kind messages. I really hope that if someone is really nervous about training or concerned about food to please get in touch. Honestly, I will truly try my best to help and give any advice and support that I can.

So, today, lets talk about... gaining weight! I know that most of the time my blogs are about fat loss, so today I think I should mention some pointers for girls who actually want/need to gain some weight.

Gaining weight, for anyone who is trying will agree, that it is one of the hardest things to do (I have never personally had this problem, but I've had plenty of clients who have taken my advice)! So the first thing you need to do, is discover why you want/need to gain weight? Are you just naturally really skinny and want to get toned and muscly? Have you had injuries or health problems that have caused sudden weight loss? Have you in the past or do you currently have an eating disorder? Do you struggle to gain weight even though you eat whatever you want whenever you want?

All of the above are questions you need to ask yourself and see where you personally lie. Obviously if you're reading this, you're interested in being healthy and training. So the first thing, I suggest is that you make sure you're a member of a gym (where you can go in and train on your own). Here you need to follow a program that is designed for you - not a one for all program. It's important that you're training in the right rep range, taking the correct amount of rest and following a 4 - 6 week plan, so that YOU can see your progressions!

Secondly, what I would suggest you start developing (and I suggest this to any client I meet, weight loss or gain) a food diary. This is a simple yet very effective task. Literally, write down what you eat/drink and at what time you do this. Then leave a comment 40 minutes after you've eaten saying how you feel e.g. sick, tired, bloated, happy, skinny, clean, healthy, emotional, etc. Oh, and don't lie! The only person you're cod-ding is yourself.

Food diaries are essential for the trainer who will be working with you and for yourself. You'll actually start to see what you are or what you're not eating? A food diary should be for around 10 days and make sure that you get a weekend in there.

Thirdly, just because you are trying to gain weight, doesn't mean you should go out and eat as much fast food as possible to gain a few lbs. You need to be a clever clogs about it. Up your healthy, good quality food and make sure you're having six meals a day (yes, I say six).

1. Breakfast
2. Snack
3. Lunch
4. Snack
5. Dinner
6. Snack

You need to follow all the healthy eating guidelines, trying to increase your protein, lower your empty calorie foods, avoid dairy and gluten and eat plenty of high (good) fatty foods (e.g. nuts, avocado etc.).

This is a ROUGH gist:
Breakfast: 4 poached eggs, 4-5 slices of smoked salmon, half an avocado
Snack: 2 handfuls of nuts, blue/raspberries, protein shake (good quality)
Lunch: 3 turkey/beef burgers, broccoli, spinach, green beans and sweet potato
Snack: 2 handfuls of nuts, blue/raspberries, total greek yoghurt with protein powder
Dinner: 2 salmon fillets, big plate of veg, and sweet potato
Snack: Porridge (almond milk)

Now, I know that if you're not a big eater, that'll look like a mountain, but it's important that you take it day by day, step by step and gradually build up so that you can eat bigger portions. All of those foods are good quality and you all probably recognise them as I suggest people trying to lose body fat eat them (but not as much of them... don't panic fat loss readers!)

I hope that this is a little insight an food for thought for those of you who would like to gain some weight (but not fat!). As always, please PM on facebook and I can help you out with a program for your training. Don't forget, if you would like to be in my skinny mini club (tis a facebook foodie group), please add me on facebook (www.facebook.com/ericabrennan.pt) and I'll add you to it :)

Happy Sunday,
Erica xx

Ps. As I was looking through to find some pictures, I found this....  #ilovegerard

Weights VRS Cardio

Good morning all :)

Rightio, so today I want to explain the reason why women are now into weight training more so than cardio. Now, I am NOT saying that girls who weight train don't do some cardio also, but in a general sense.

So the easiest way to explain the difference is:

Cardio:
When you leave your house and go for a walk/run... you are burning calories while you're jogging along :) However, the second that you return home and your body cools down, it stops. You stop burning calories.

Cardio = calories burned while exercising

Now, cardio has LOADS of health benefits and I'm not saying that it doesn't, but I would suggest you combine cardio and weight training together to get that toned, lean look.

Weight Training:
When you start exercising using resistance training, you are putting your body and muscles under stress (which is what we need to do to burn fat) :). However, when you get home, you're STILL burning fat.... and this can go on for 48 hours - yipee! Weight training also produces Growth Hormone (which is VITAL, because Growth Hormone (GH) is the FAT BURNING hormone!) GH will not make girls get big, it helps us burn fat!!

Weights = fat burned while exercising and post exercising + produces the fat burning hormone in our bodies

So logic would tell you that weight training has a longer post workout fat burn effect that cardio. However, all that being said... ANY exercise is better than none! So find what works for you and make sure that you're always challenging yourself. Don't let your workouts get stale, keep mixing it up, combine it with clean eating and you will be ready this summer!!

That is all....

Have  a lovely Sunday girls :)

Erica xx

Abs Without Crunches

Okay, so abs are the big thing... but my God, they take serious discipline to get! Abs are hidden under the abdominal fat (which is the hardest to get rid of).

Abs will only appear on bodies that have a low body fat percentage. To get a low body fat percentage, you have to burn body fat. To do that, you need to be disciplined with your diet BIG TIME, supplement with high quality supplements and you need to bring in full body exercises into your workouts.

Compound full body exercises are more beneficial for abs than crunches!

Why??

Because you need to get lean first!! Crunches aren't hard, but chin ups are! Abs aren't easy to get, so obviously easy training won't get you abs. You need to make sure that your workouts are challenging!!

Okay, apart from the fact that deadlifts are my favourite exercise, if you want to boost fat loss, the main objective it to get stronger. You must include full body exercises, like deadlifts, into your routine!

Compound exercises are exercises that require all of your main muscle groups to work really really hard to perform the exercise properly!

Full body exercises are deadly because they really help develop your core strength! Steady core muscles are vital for many reasons... but mainly... because you look deadly with abs! To work your core properly, you need to be making sure that there are full body compound exercises in your programmes.

Full body compound exercises include;

Deadlifts

Squats

Chins 

Cleans

If anyone needs help with programme design, you can send me an email: ericabrennan.pt@gmail.com

Enjoy the rest of the weekend,
Erica xx

Change your thinking, change your life

Good morning girls, 

Cold Autumn Sunday morning - love them :) 

So throughout the week, i'm going to be posting up all the best defences now for coming into the Winter months. We have a lots of different problems in Winter compared to Summer like;

1. Our immune system is what we need to hit to stay healthy.

2. Our skin, because it's going to react with the cold windy air. 

3. The Winter Blues can be a problem for some people (Seasonal Affected Disorder = SAD)

So i'm going to post my favourite supplements and little tips up throughout the week on that :)

For this morning though, I want to share with you this little clip. I just LOVE it. Like I want to cry every time I watch it because I feel so motivated and ambitious afterwards. I've actually started to watch it every night (for the past two weeks I have). I like going to bed feeling positive, feeling excited, feeling happy about my life and my future; this clip ticks all the boxes. 

In the past two weeks I've received LOTS of exciting news… Which i'm going to be announcing very soon. News in relation our gym #tfa The Fitness Agency. So watch this space because it IS very exciting!!!

Happy Sunday! 

And remember, the only person who is stopping you achieving ANYTHING that you want in life. Is you… So move out of your own way! 

Love Erica xx