Strong Nutrients

Love your heart ❤️

If you’ve been at the gym this January or on the treadmill, in a bid to shed the extra belly fat, it’s worth considering the true benefit of this endeavour. Beyond the obvious sense of well being and confidence that comes with a svelte shape and flat stomach, there is a far greater reason to wish to lose the spare tyre.

All fat around the belly is a sign of insulin resistance, where your body releases more insulin than it should. Insulin resistance is a multifaceted syndrome that significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. It raises blood sugar levels, and high blood sugar leads to inflammation which damages the lining inside arteries.

In addition, people with insulin resistance could be more likely to develop abnormal heart rhythms, increasing the risk of sudden cardiac death, where the heart suddenly stops beating.

So when you hit the gym this January, just remember, gaining a small waist and flat stomach may make you feel really good: losing belly fat is also indicative of stabilising insulin and increasing insulin sensitivity. And that’s very good news for your heart.

Amazing! Thank you to all of you 💪

Hack 3

Has to be of course related….

So…if you have a physical job, or you train and just want to keep going for longer and recover faster, or feel that age is catching up with you and your muscle strength isn’t what it used to be… then Pure Creatine is a must. A protein-based supplement that occurs naturally in fish and meat, it impacts both your power and stamina when training as well as your memory and brain function.

Your body uses Creatine to create your energy molecules , called ATP. Your body uses these ATP energy molecules when you’re doing any form HIIT, whether in a gym or simply running for a bus. As oestrogen levels drop during peri-menopause and menopause, our brain relies more on ATP, making Creatine more important for memory and brain function. In fact research shows this benefit in all older adults as well as vegans and vegetarians.

So what to do? Just add a teaspoon of the powder in any drink, yoghurt, protein shake/smoothie. If adding to tea or coffee just make sure it’s warm rather than hot. If you want a more emphatic boost, then simply take a teaspoon twice a day for about 5 days, which will build it up in your cells. After day 5 reduce back to just 1/day - ample for increasing both daily endurance and stamina.

Hack 2 …some of you will have heard me say this before, or even a lot!!

Do 60 seconds of squats, as many as you can, in one minute. My favourite is this around 3PM-4PM every day because that’s when energy slumps occur.

Stand in one position, go as low as you can – or simply sit down & stand up from your chair or sofa, repeatedly for the minute! Do as many as you can, building up over time. It will get your heart rate going, your circulation pumping, help release your natural growth hormone which in turn can help stabilise insulin, and most important of all for your energy levels - your oxygen uptake will increase. Your mental and physical energy will improve immediately carrying you through into the evening, while your stamina & endurance will improve generally.

Why not have a try now 😉

Hack 1

Train your body into metabolic flexibility. I’ve talked about it before on lives but if you’ve missed it here are some notes!

Firstly, this is not the easiest hack – but it’s the most transformative.

I find that if clients can train their bodies to switch from burning sugar as a fuel to burning fat as a fuel, energy levels move to a whole new level. In fact you may find that you have twice the energy than what you would have had when burning sugar as your fuel. (And it’s a superb way to get into shape, too.)

This is because each gram of fat contains 9 calories, aka energy that your body can use. Compare this to a gram of sugar which contains a mere 4 calories. When your body switches into burning fat, sleep patterns tend to improve and you wake up brighter in the morning. It also trains your body in the long term to be able to switch more readily from sugar to fat burning “at will”. It might not be an easy switch the first time around, but over time it gets much easier, with the switch happening faster…this is what we call metabolic flexibility.

So to do it…Focus on a good, strict, high fat diet for 8-10 days. (The High Fat Diet). Following that, you can move into more of a medium fat/low-GI way of eating and consider intermittent fasting. It’s that initial high fat diet stint gets your body into burning fat as a fuel. From there, moving off it and onto a more “normal” way of eating, most will find they can switch more readily from burning sugar to burning fat as a fuel. What this means in real life is steady energy without the highs and lows, especially if you haven’t eaten, energy stays steady through the afternoon in the afternoon and is also higher in the morning on waking. It also becomes much easier to fast, with energy staying steady and no feeling of hunger.

Good luck!! Z x

Coming soon…..more quick hacks to boost your energy and stamina (without the use caffeine…..)

Going to share three of my favourite hacks to rapidly boost sustainable energy for almost everyone!

If you missed it look out for my blog on how to experience a calmer and stronger Christmas! If you subscribe to newsletter it’s in there. But in summary…..
simply get the protein foods in, and if you feel like eating food high in carbohydrates or sugar – be that mince pies to chocolate or a glass of wine - do that at mealtimes or at least around a small amount of protein food. And above all, enjoy yourselves!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone x

🎄

Today at 12.30 - join me for a 10 minute round-up!

Did you know….from the age of 30 we lose up to ½ bs of muscle and lean body mass each year. Not a lot? By the time we are 50, this could be a whopping 10lbs, not only from our limbs, but also from our organs, including skin, heart and brain, and even those that produce our hormones may be shrinking…

This is something I talk about all the time! And there are things you can do 🙏😊- follow for more (and my supplement brand too - lots of information there - do subscribe to our newsletter, thank you)

This week’s top tip!

Remember to keep your focus towards strengthening each and every muscle - this is exactly what we do in weight training, it helps to ensure each is working synergistically, supporting posture and keeping pressure away from the joints and ligaments.

For example, training the muscles of the back will help keep shoulder & neck issues at bay, while strong glutes and hamstrings are vital for healthy, supple knees and hips.