New Year – New Regime ?

Well, Happy New Year to you all !!

I know, you are going to say that I have already posted an article this year – well yes, you are right, however, I didn’t wish you a happy new year !

So, who ate too many mince pies or drank too much over the festive period ?  Well, I guess that would be most of us.  I certainly ate a lot more and wasn’t watching my portion sizes like normal, plus I was washing the food down with a good glass or wine, champagne, beer or port !  Although I did make sure that I carried on swimming and played the odd game of squash, so my exercise regime suffered, however, I did manage to keep up to a certain extent !

What, was amazing was that my weight stayed exactly the same, despite me eating more and drinking more than normal – so why is that ?!  Well, I can only put it down to the fact that my metabolism, has increased prior to Christmas, due to the level of exercise – swimming once a week and playing squash twice a week.  Plus that fact that I did swim a number of times over the festive period !

So, New Year New Regime.  Well for me, the plan is to stick with pretty much the same exercise plan, as I was carrying out prior to Xmas, with a few minor adjustments.  I am also watching what I eat in respect of carbohydrates, particularly making an effort around finding alternatives for potatoes.  As I have written before, Sweet Potatoes are a good alternative to the standard white potatoe, such as your Maris Piper etc.

I’ve written up my latest exercise regime before and please contact me if you want any tips in carrying out any of the exercises – after all this is a learning exercise for me.  So here goes:

1. Knees to Chest / Reverse Crunch

For this exercise you lie on your back on the floor and place your arms at your sides, wih your plms facing the floor.  Rest your head on the mat and tighten your abdominal muscles.

Position your legs together with your knees bent at 90 degree angles.  Lift up your legs until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.

Keeping your lower back on the floor, slowly lift your buttocks a few inches off the floor so your legs lift up and lift slightly back towards your head.

Pause for a moment and then slowly lower your buttocks back to the starting position.

2. Bridge

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent.  Position your feet flat on the floor, roughly shoulder width apart.

Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.  Tighten your abdominal muscles.

Slowly lift your buttocks off the mat by pushing through your heels until your body and thighs form a straight line.

Hold the position for about 10 seconds and then slowly lower your buttocks back to the mat.

3. Oblique exercise

This exercise is similar to a form of oblique sit ups, however this is the back friendly version, since as I pointed out in a previous post, I have suffered from lower back problems in the past.

4. Bicycle Legs

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent.  Position your feet flat on the floor, roughly shoulder width apart.

Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.  Tighten your abdominal muscles so you feel your back being pushed in to the floor. 

Slowly lift raise both of your legs off the floor and get them in to a position as if you were riding a bike.  You should then effectively ride the bike, the slower you do this exercise the more effective it is in terms of developing your six pack.

Here are my current reps for each of the exercises:

1. Knees to Chest / Reverse Crunch – 120 reps

2. Bridge – 70 reps

3. Oblique exercise – 120 reps

4. Bicycle Legs – 120 reps

6. Back Stretches – 70 reps

I’d love to hear from any one else who carries out these exercises and hope that you too start to see the benefit !

Enjoy and keep in contact.

Use your iphone to track your fitness !

Well after being a recent convert to the iphone and all the functionality available from this amazing smart phone, I started to wonder whether I could use my phone as a means of tracking my journey / fitness regime.

I looked at many applications, both free and paid, all available from the apps store and came across the following app:

• SparkPeople – this is an application which tracks all of your fitness, giving you an accurate calories burned, based on duration of certain types of exercise.  For example, I know through this application that I burn around 500 calories by playing squash for 40 mins.  The application, also gives you the ability to track the amount of calories that you are eating per day – although, this part of the application is very much set up for the American market, based on the foods that are included in the database as standard.  It is possible to add your own foods, including the calories for that food, however I have not bothered with this part of the application.  I tend to simply use the application for tracking my fitness in the form of the exercises that I partake in as part of my exercise regime and the application also tracks your weight, so I tend to weigh myself at least once a week.  Since you require to setup a username and password for this application, due to the application connecting to the backend system, which is via the internet, it is possible to log on to the website and gain a huge amount of information regarding different exercises, as well as finding a whole host of reporting that you can pull off !  This truly is a great application and to top it all off, this application is free and can be downloaded from the apps store by clicking on the following link – http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=305430463&mt=8

I’m now after a really good pedometer application, which doesn’t require your phone’s screen to be switched on, so conserving battery life and meaning that it is always running in the background.  This would be great to see how many calories I burn during the day, just by simply walking around. 

So, if anyone has any recommendations in terms of a good pedometer app then please post a comment.  I’d also like to hear of any other good fitness related applications on the iphone !

Really Chuffed !

Couldn’t contain myself, just had to write about the fact that I swam for a whole hour yesterday.

This is a major achievement, considering that only a matter of weeks ago I could only manage a couple of lengths. It seems amazing that I am now able to swim 84 lengths of a 25 metre pool, non stop !!

It just shows what can be achieved, if you have the determination. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Anyway really chuffed and plan to do lots more swimming over the festive period, as suspect squash partners will be busy eating mince pies with family and friends

Talking of swimming, I’m off again this morning, I wonder how many lengths I will complete today ?!

Alternatives to Potatoes ?

Potatoes are a healthy part of any diet, so long as you don’t use them to bulk up your meal.  As I have said before, I am not following a specific diet, it’s a case of reducing your portion sizes and this goes for the amount of potatoes you eat.  So for example, instead of eating potatoes with every meal, I have been eating alternatives, such as cous cous, rice, noodles, pasta and spaghetti.  I’ve also eaten sweet potatoes, which are less of a carbohydrate than normal potatoes, such as maris pipers and they also taste absolutely amazing. 

Other alternatives to potatoes that I haven’t yet tried are butternut squash and turnip.  Although I must admit to enjoying butternut squash soup and roasted butternut squash with a good roast dinner.  I can’t say that I have specifically thought of replacing potatoes with butternut squash, although I am happy to give it a go. 

I’ll look to try over the next few weeks and report back on my opinion.

To summarise, potatoes are a healthy part of any diet, so long as you eat a balanced meal.  Don’t fill your plate with potatoes.  Make sure that you have enough vegetables and meat.  After all it is about portion size and this is where you should concentrate your effort.  You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to cut down on the amount you eat and if you still crave a snack in the evening then cut up a raw carrott or eat a piece of fruit – these are far better alternatives to a packet of crisps or chocolate !

New exercise

Yesterday, I decided that I needed to concentrate some more effort on my obliques to tone up the muscles to the side of the developing six pack.  Since it will help to display the ultimate six pack – my end goal on this journey that I began a matter of weeks ago.

So here are the details of the new exercise, I don’t know what the official name is for this exercise, however I am simply going to call it:

Oblique’s exercise

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent.  Position your feet flat on the floor, so that they are directly next to each other.

Raise your back off the mat and then stetch forward, so that your left hand reaches to touch the front of your left calf.  repeat this stretch, so that your right hand reaches the right calf in the same way.

This exercise is similar to a form of oblique sit ups, however this is the back friendly version, since as I pointed out in a previous post, I have suffered from lower back problems in the past.

Reps increased

I’ve also increased the number of reps that I do for each of my exercises, as part of my routine, as well as incorporating the new exercise detailed above.  The new reps are as follows:

So here is my current reps:

1. Knees to Chest / Reverse Crunch – 120 reps

2. Bridge – 70 reps

3. Knees side to side / oblique exercise – 120 reps

4. Bicycle Legs – 120 reps

5. Obliques exercises / oblique sit ups - 100 reps

6. Back Stretches – 100 reps

Exercise update

Ok, this is a real quick update to let you all know how many reps of each exercise I am completing when I carry out my six pack exercise routine.  Remember you should do this routine every other day, since the muscle that was broken down when you last performed the exercises can then reknit together during the rest day and therefore the muscle becomes stronger.

So here is my current reps:

1. Knees to Chest / Reverse Crunch – 100 reps

2. Bridge – 70 reps

3. Knees side to side / oblique exercise – 100 reps

4. Bicycle Legs – 100 reps

I also carry out some back stretches at the end which are similar to press ups, however you keep your legs on the floor and just use your arms to lift your upper body of the floor in to a form of arc.  I carry out 100 reps of these stretches.

Since I suffer with lower back problems, I can confirm that the routine I follow does not cause any problems to the lower back.  It’s worth remembering also that the work you are doing on building up your six pack, will not only give you a great six pack, it will also cause your core to be extremely strong and therefore reduce the risk of injuries, for example to your lower back.

Journey so far !

Well my journey started on the 30th September 2009, with my first game of squash for over six months and previous to that I hadn’t played squash for over 6 years.  This is what happens when your busy at work and have a young family.  Well it is what you use as an excuse.  In fact there is no real excuse, since if I had really wanted to play squash, go swimming and generally keep fit, I am sure that I could have found the time.

Anyway, I kicked myself up the backside on 30th Sept and decided to take the plunge to play squash with my new found squash partner – thank you www.gumtree.com.  So this was the start of my journey back in to the world of fitness and as ever, once I start this journey I get really engrossed and then look at what I can do to improve and positively look forward to every element of my fitness regime.

So, after a few games of squash, I decided that I shouldn’t really be solely using this as a mechanism to fit.  So this is where the swimming comes in.  Initially I could only manage a couple of lengths, however, I have built up over the weeks to 20 lengths then 30 lengths and finally 40 lengths.  I then jumped from 40 lengths to 64 lengths, since I was keen to be able to swim a mile.  So I am now able to swim a mile of the pool in around 45 minutes.  Not bad considering that I only started swimming on 2nd November and only swim once a week.

I also only started to concentrate on the ABS / CORE muscles or indeed Six Pack around the end of October.  So not long really and I am already starting to develop the six pack.

As I posted on twitter the other day, I have lost over a stone in weight since I started out on my fitness / six pack journey – not bad for such a short space of time.

I put it down to making sure that I exercise when I plan, carry out cardiovascular work, ensure I have a rest day between six pack exercises.  Eat sensibly, healthily and don’t pig out on snacks in an evening.  Rather than reaching for the packet of crisps, do what I did only last night and eat raw carrott instead.  I’m also eating a lot more fruit, drinking plenty water and have considerably cut down on my portion sizes.

So I wonder what my “Journey so far !” update will be in another 9 weeks time.  What will I weigh, how will my six pack have developed and how many lengths will I be swimming ??!!

Specific Six Pack exercises

I’ve built up slowly to the number of repetitions of these exercises that I now do every other day.  It is important that you carry out these exercises every other day, since by taking a days break in between it allows the muscles that you’ve broken down to rebuild, only this time they will rebuild stronger.

Ok, so there are currently 5 different exercises that perform and based on my current number of reps, they take me between 20 and 25 minutes.

1. Knees to Chest / Reverse Crunch

For this exercise you lie on your back on the floor and place your arms at your sides, wih your plms facing the floor.  Rest your head on the mat and tighten your abdominal muscles.

Position your legs together with your knees bent at 90 degree angles.  Lift up your legs until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.

Keeping your lower back on the floor, slowly lift your buttocks a few inches off the floor so your legs lift up and lift slightly back towards your head.

Pause for a moment and then slowly lower your buttocks back to the starting position.

2. Bridge

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent.  Position your feet flat on the floor, roughly shoulder width apart.

Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.  Tighten your abdominal muscles.

Slowly lift your buttocks off the mat by pushing through your heels until your body and thighs form a straight line.

Hold the position for about 10 seconds and then slowly lower your buttocks back to the mat.

3. Knees side to side / oblique exercise

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent.  Position your feet flat on the floor, next to each other.

Place your arms on your chest.  Tighten your abdominal muscles.

Slowly lower your legs to the left and then back to the center and then down to the right.  Make sure that you are using your abdominals to raise your legs back up to the center from either side.  Your arms should remain on your chest, so that you cannot use your arms or your shoulders to assist you.

4. Bicycle Legs

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent.  Position your feet flat on the floor, roughly shoulder width apart.

Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing down.  Tighten your abdominal muscles so you feel your back being pushed in to the floor. 

Slowly lift raise both of your legs off the floor and get them in to a position as if you were riding a bike.  You should then effectively ride the bike, the slower you do this exercise the more effective it is in terms of developing your six pack.

Ok, so that’s it.  These are the only specific exercises that I perform which are aimed at developing my abdominal muscles and that elusive six pack.  So not too difficult to perform and you should start to see the benefit within a matter of weeks.

Remember, you have to also perform some cardiovascular exercise along with these exercises, since this will help to burn the fat surrounding your abdominals.  The more the better !  I swim once a week and play squash twice a week.  I also walk as often as I can !

If you need any help with the exercises then let me know and I will be happy to help.

Special diet ?

I’ve decided not to follow a special diet, since I know that a lot of people tend to cut out all carbohydrates, such as potatoes, bread etc.  In fact a number of people start the Atkins Diet – although this is not for me !

In terms of diet, I have made a real effort in terms of making sure that I start the day with a good breakfast.  There used to be a time when I would not eat breakfast at all.  Although I now understand that it is better to start the day with breakfast, ideally something that is a slow release food – such as porridge.  By having breakfast you are making sure that your metabolism gets a good kick start in the morning and the slow release food makes sure that you don’t get hungry until lunchtime.  So my regular breakfast these days is a good bowl of porridge.

As for lunch I tend to have a sandwich on brown bread, with a good amount of salad and mayonnaise on the bread instead of butter.  I have swapped the packet of crisps for some fruit, such as a pear an apple or a banana.  Depending on whether I still feel hungry or not, i’ll then have a low fat yoghurt.

As for my evening meal, i’ve cut down on the amount of potatoes I eat and started to eat alternates, such as rice, noodles or cous cous.  Oh and i’ve substituted the potatoes for more vegetables.  No longer have a pudding unless I feel particularly hungry, in which case I tend to have some fruit.

Finally, I no longer eat when I feel hungry.  I will get myself a glass of water instead, since i’ve tended to find that I am generally thirsty rather than hungry.  It’s also amazing how much better you feel by drinking more water.

So, as you can see I have made minor changes to my diet, as well as cutting down on the portion sizes / amount I eat.  That’s about it, no special diets and no help from Dr Atkins !!

Journey begins !

Ok, so my journey began around mid September, since my last IT contract concluded and I saw this as a good time to use this renewed freedom to set myself a new challenge and to regain that six pack, whilst looking for my next contract opportunity.

Since, mid September I have restarted playing squash and taken up swimming.  As one of the keys for me is to increase my level of fitness, however, you also need to ensure that you partake in cardiovascular activity, as this is one of the quickest ways to reduce that level of fat that’s hiding the six pack !

So, I started off by going swimming to my local pool.  I remember my first attempt was really poor, as I could only swim two lengths of the pool doing breast stroke, without the need to stop and catch my breath.  This was a real shock to me and showed how slow this journey was going to be !  I always have a view that anything is possible and see being able to swim more lengths as being achievable – however, I had a much higher expectation in terms of how many lengths I would be able to swim.  I have to say that I was extremely shell shocked when I realised that I was only able to swim two lengths without having to stop for a breather !!

Squash was something that I used to play a number of years ago and is an extremely energetic and challenging sport.  My first challenge was to locate players within my local area and after a number of searches on google, I came across gumtree, which had a couple of entries for individuals looking for squash players within my area – what a result !!!  I immediately contacted them and looked forward to my first games of squash for quite some time.  My first game was exhilerating and extremely tiring at the same time, however, I was immediately hooked !!

So, I now swim once a week and play squash twice a week.  Oh and have also increased my social life through the playing of squash.  Who said that exercise can’t be fun !