Cross Fit... Yay or Nay?

Hellooooo,

Ok so CrossFit has gotten HUGE lately, and I felt it fitting to write my blog this week on CrossFit as we have just purchased an AWESOME 4 bay double sided crossfit rig for The Gym Howth!

CrossFit has some really brilliant ideas. It is a really social and team based form of training, and CrossFit athletes seem to have a great team mentality. They push each other hard…. Maybe sometimes a bit too hard. A major strength of CrossFit is that it helps people in the gym who might not like training alone.

Things I like about CrossFit:

1. They work their asses off!

2. They use the big lifts. Squats, Deads, Chins, Olympic lifts.

3. They eat well.

4. They don’t make excuses.

5. They have a huge focus on mobility work, stretching and foam rolling.

Some things that might be a problem for people doing CrossFit:

1. Technique can be quite bad. (This is not exclusive to CrossFit, there are bad coaches in every sport)

2. Exercises can be too advanced for the “athlete”.

3. Program design can be pretty bad also. I’ve seen videos online of people testing their 1RM Deadlift before moving onto 1RM Snatches. That’s just bad. Again, this is not exclusive to CrossFit.

Overall I think it is great. It has gotten a massive number of people up off their asses and taking an interest in their health. As with any sport, there is a likelihood of injury. But I do think that it suits the more advanced trainee.

I feel most people would find it far more beneficial to get Personal Training and proper coaching focusing on structural balance, good technique and workouts that are unique for what each individual is looking for. A good Personal Trainer will design a program that are tailored for YOU – this is the difference between people who train and get results and people who train and don’t get results.

Happy Training,
Erica xx

6 simple steps... lose fat instantly

Right,

Are you ready? Five things - food related - to do and you are guaranteed to start losing fat instantly...

1. Back away from the booze
I am aware that this can be a hard pill to swallow...

If you want to get shredded... you CANNOT drink alcohol.

However if you don't want to get shredded, but you do want to lose a bit of weight or body fat, then you still have to give it up. Drink destroys your ability to burn fat by inhibiting your growth hormone production. It really messes up your liver, which means you will struggle to detoxify your body. Therefore if alcohol is a big part of your life, you're destroying your ability to burn fat... which isn't a great situation to be in really, is it?!

So bye bye wine... And no, it doesn't matter if it is gin and slimline tonic... all types of alcohol will inhibit your fat burning fun. It's nothing to do with calories or "low fat" mixers.... it is all down to the disastrous effect it has on hormones in the body.


2. Stop eating margarines
All those tubs of margarine are a no-go. It's a simple change - move to real butter, organic butter or unsalted butter (ghee). Margarines are full of transfats which are highly highly dangerous!

So as a general rule... let's not put trans fats (everything that is processed) into your body, they're not good for you.

3. Stop eating processed food
Processed foods have been made in a factory and get transported to the supermarkets in boxes... really do you want to eat from dirty boxes.

Factory made food... well you don't need me to tell you that they're not good for you. Plus, MSG and chemicals don't help fat loss either... actually they inhibit it (plus MSG is awful for your body... you're body is a temple, don't put that crap in it!) MSG and Aspartame are some of our generations biggest, most dangerous inventions, and they are literally killing millions of people a year. A bit bleak, I know, but unfortunately that is the reality!


4. Start eating vegetables

You know they're good for you. Just eat them. Preferably steamed, not boiled, and as much orange and green veg as you can!

5. Stop eating the bold carbs
Bread, Pizza, Pasta, Rice (brown, occasionally)
You know they're bad for you... So stop eating them.
Better types of carbs would be Quinoa and Sweet Potato, but the timing is as important, preferably post workout when you're more insulin sensitive.

6. No more low-fat
Remember this: Low Fat = High Sugar

Sugar stores as fat in body and it sits on your hips! Avoid all the foods that say "low fat" on the label. They still taste delicious which means that lots of sugar and chemicals have been added to them so they still taste good. Ditch them. Eat less of the regular product.

Think about this: 
Our bodies are machines, they perform millions and millions of actions every second in our bodies. Now your body doesn't really care about those two kilos that you'd love to lose... if you consume a load of chemically processed foods with ridiculously high sugar. Your main priority is to excrete them. Therefore your body is not focusing on your weight loss regime. If you want to lose weight, help your body function properly so it can burn fat effectively, don't hinder it by eating the above foods.

Hope this helped, Erica xx

#healthieselfie

Hi,

So I spotted this idea on Instagram from Sweaty Betty (a fantastic company with a brilliant gym gear collection) and I thought it was pretty awesome!

#healthieselfie
So as you know "selfies" are everywhere (if you don't know, a "selfie" is a picture of you taking a photo of yourself) BUT I think that #healthieselfie is a much better idea!!

Here are some of mine (obviously if you're doing something revolved with fitness, you may need to get someone else to take your picture):

Why not Instagram me your #healthieselfie @ericabrennanblog

Chat soon,
Erica xx

Weight Training While Pregnant

Morning girls, ok one thing I need to get straight before I start, this blog is about women who are ALREADY FIT and who have ALREADY been weight training BEFORE they got pregnant :)

So, you're pregnant, you are a gym bunny and your worried about continuing your training regime in the gym? Well the first this to do is;

- Talk to your doctor (if it's a-ok to continue what you've been doing) then
- Talk to your personal trainer

There are two things that are going to have to hit home (they sound obvious, but most women need gentle reminders about it throughout their pregnancy)

1. You body IS going to change
2. Your training goals CANNOT BE about achieving your fastest time or heaviest lifts aka you training goals HAVE to be about maintaining your existing fitness level, keep strength and having fun!

"combining regular exercise and pregnancy appears to benefit both mother and baby in many ways" American College of Sports Medicine

Training throughout the 9-months

Within the first twelve weeks, I seem to find that most mothers are too nauseous to train, if thats the case then that's ok! If it's not the case then you can continue to train. You need to make sure that you listen to your body when you're training and that you're taking much longer rests (where you used to take 45 seconds change to 90 or 120 seconds).

You do need to be careful that you're not doing a serious about of impact as you are now heavier and this is going to have an impact on your joints.

In general I would just recommend basic programs which allows you to release all your endorphins, keep you happy, keep you strong and keep you lean so that you're weight gain is baby weight gain which is awesome!

An example of a pre-natal program;  

a1. Stiff Leg Deadlift x 10 reps
a2. Incline Chest Press x 12reps
120sec rest, 4 sets

b1. Step Ups x 12reps/leg
b2. Lat Raises x 15 reps
120sec rest, 4 sets

Please remember that you should be sticking to very healthy diet, just because you're pregnant doesn't mean that you're eating for two!! You should be adding about 300kcal onto your diet and more if you're training hard. Make sure that all your food is rich in vitamins and minerals, avoid processed food and continue drinking lots and lots of water!

"A physically active expectant mother would therefore have a higher caloric need, in order to compensate for calories burned off during strenuous exercise...  

well hydrated, fit pregnant women regulate their core body temperatures more efficiently than sedentary people, and undergo less temperature variation during exercise. " American College of Sports Medicine

Classes & Pre-Natal Classes


To be honest, I don't really recommend a pregnant lady attending a general class unless your trainer know's exactly how to adapt the class to tailor your. You should really be doing one-to-one training.

However, in terms of pre-natal classes - go for them!! Pre-natal Yoga and Pilates are amazing for helping mums to be become aware of their body, their breathing and their pelvic floor!! Plus they're generally relaxing and when you're pregnant YOU DO need to do relax and chill!!

TIP for your PF:

Pull your PF up as high as you can at every red light!!

" participation in regular weight-bearing exercise has been shown to improve maternal fitness, restrict weight gain without compromising fetal growth, and hasten postpartum recovery. In addition, the psychological benefits of exercise are undeniable, and should be nurtured by all who care for pregnant women. " American College of Sports Medicine

Ps. Thank you to our model above (isn't she awesome training hard!) who is 7 months pregnant and looking, training and eating great! 

How to lose fat??

So the big question is; How do we lose fat? 

There are two very simple rules that you'll have to follow:

1. STOP EATING CRAP! 

So that includes, ANY food with a high sugar content (sweets, chocolate, alcohol). Transfatty foods (spreads), gluten, yeast, high carb things (pizza, rolls, soft drinks, etc) and really anything that is processed..... If you're unsure what foods to eat, live by this rule:

IF IT LIVES IN A BOX. IT'S NOT FOOD. 

Meat, veg, fruit and even dairy (but that's another day) all go off - which means they are food. Things that have a shelf life of three years, are not food. They have been processed in a factory. So anything that lives in a box is a no-no!   

We all know it. But why do we still not do it??? Because sweets & chocolate taste go good...  

But do you know what else is good? 

So keep your cheat meals to something that you really love, a pizza or whatever, to encourage you to be good during the week and enjoy your well deserved cheat meal then :)

My top tip is this: if you are having your cheat meal, make sure to take Omega 3 fish oils during, or after your meal. This will help lower the glycemic load of the food, this means the sugar won't affect you as much!

For rule number two, stay tuned :)

Happy Halloween!!

Erica xx

Home-made Protein Balls

One thing I'd like to point out. I really love baking BUT if I bake, I eat everything... SO I don't bake.

So during the week, I did a little baking experiment which turned out GREAT :)

So I made little yummy protein balls.

Ingredients:
Forever Ultra Lite Aminotean Protein Shake (1.5 scoops)
Organic Peanut Butter (1 tablespoon)
Almond Milk (30 mls)
Organic Porridge Oats (1/2 mug)
Mixed Seeds (half a mug)
Dried fruit (small handful)
Flaked almonds (2-3 tablespoons)

 Method:
Put all the ingredients into a bowl
Mix together with a wooden spoon!
Make small little balls
Pop onto a tray and into the oven (Gas 4 (160 degrees))
Turn after 5 minutes and leave in the oven for another 5

They taste awesome and are a superb snack or breaki!!! Absolutely delish with a cup of herbal tea :)

Spinning makes you sweat!

Spinning is awesome. 

Spinning is just an excellent workout! I would recommend spinning once or twice a week, it's great cardio workout and it'll leave you looking like a smiling tomato. Spinning is a sweaty session that you just feel amazing after! The music is pumping, your legs are moving so fast and every stress in your life just flies out the window!

Don't forget water and a sweat towel!

My fav aspects of spinning:

• A 45 minute spinning class burns around 500kcal - woo hoo
• If you keep good posture when spinning you'll give your abs a good session
• Spinning is low impact, which means no pressure on your knee's or joints!
• You can spin in Winter! 

Other joy of it: 

• When you pedal fast = you burn fat 
• When you pedal slow = you isolate your muscle group 
• Spinning focus' on your core muscles, thighs & bums!
• Reduced risk of injury when you spin in comparison to other cardio workouts
• You can adjust your resistance! 

If you like cycling, you'll love spinning! It's an indoor version. 

The best thing about cycling is the view, the best about spinning is the music! 

I'm a nervous pervous cycling on the road... only my mother can make me do it! 

Check out some of my spinning classes here 

See what makes you smile!

Mindset makes a difference. This is true. 

Scenario: You wake up, the sun is shining, the dogs didn't pee in the kitchen & the countertop is clean from last nights dinner - yippee - it's going to be a great day! You go up & get dressed, check yourself out in the mirror, you're looking good!

The the next thing, your boss rings & that's never a good sign... You put down the phone & you're annoyed now!

You go back to brush your teeth & you now "look like s**t".
(If this has never happened to - you're a lucky duck!)

The ONLY thing that has happened is that your good mood turned bad... BECAUSE YOU LET IT! You feeling upset/bad/annoyed whatever the circumstance may be, makes no difference to the existing problem, it only makes a difference to you!

You look EXACTLY the same as you did ten minutes earlier, you just FEEL different. However, the only difference was your mindset! So find a solution to stop this happening.

Soooo pick something you like, something that you love (I love flowers) and when you see it - feel grateful & happy. I keep flowers in my kitchen, in the garden, when I drive, there in other people's gardens, they're outside shops, they're everywhere - they're my constant reminder of everything I have to be grateful for.

Choose whatever you love and let it be a trigger to remind you of all the things in life that your love!

This is a long topic which ill tap in & out of over time!

Have a happy evening girls :)