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Davidson Fitness Blog

- Cat-skinning for fat-loss?

Wednesday, 02 November 2011 13:03 | E-mail

Cat-Skinning and Getting in Shape

I am not a fan of cats. I'm allergic to them and start sneezing and my eyes go puffy when they are around. Gits. And they only like you when they want attention or fed. Now, in terms of how skinning cats can lead to you getting in better shape, I'm talking figuratively - aside from the minor point about animal cruelty, etc, you wouldn't really be able to burn that many calories skinning them anyway. Unless you sprinted after them first.

No, it occurred to me the other day while driving (when I have most of my 'insightful' thoughts) that when people talk about there being more than one way to skin a cat, that at some point in history cats were skinned on a regular basis. And there was some debate about the best way to skin a cat, and some chilled-out fella at some point waded into the debate, all smooth, and said "Calm your jets folks, all these techniques will work - there's more than one way to skin a cat".

People probably found the guy annoying at the time, as they were enjoying getting their knickers in a twist about whether you start with the face or the tail or something, but they probably grudgingly accepted he was right. Otherwise we'd have a saying "Remember, you ONLY skin a cat face first".

Pesky Media messing with our heads

The media bombards us with so many messages about the 'best' way to get in shape, lose weight, build muscle, etc. Every week there's a new fad that supercedes last week's 'best' way. Whether it's a new-fangled diet, new piece of equipment, new class - we are told that THIS TIME this one is the best, and henceforth, only way to achieve your goal, and if you choose a different way, you are, to quote my wife, a DUMBASS.

Internet forums are devoted to a specific diet, as if they are religions, where they all pat each other on the back for choosing a low-carb diet for example, then scream obscentities at anyone who dares to say that a bit of white bread is ok sometimes - Heathen!

But, much as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is also more than one way to lose weight, build muscle, increase stamina, improve fitness, or whatever your goal is.

However, as we are bombarded with all these conflicting messages in magazines, on websites and TV, we tend to get confused and convince ourselves that maybe there IS only one way to reach our goal, because the ads and messages are so convincing and make the 'new best thing' sound so much better than the way we're doing things now.

Chasing the 'new best thing' gets you nowhere

So there is this tendency for us to leap from one 'new best thing' to the next one, without giving the first one a chance. So one week you're on Diet X, then you read that Diet Y is actually better, and Diet X is stupid, so it's Diet Y this week - you're constantly chopping and changing, and never achieve your goal.

Once we accept that in diet and fitness there is indeed more than one way to skin a cat, we need to then do our research and choose the one that suits our lifestyle best. You need to stick with your chosen strategy for long enough for you to achieve results. "The South Beach diet didn't work for me, it's cr-p", means you either didn't get the diet protocol right and ate too much, or you didn't stick with the diet for long enough. The diet itself is sound and works.

Case-Study

So, imagine I had to skin a cat, and I first decided I'd do it tail first, but after 5 minutes someone said "The best way is face first mate", so I try that, but then 5 minutes later someone says "I can't believe you've forgotten to deal with the paws - always deal with the paws first!", so I do that. I've been at this 15 minutes now and still haven't skinned the cat. If I'd focused on one strategy, stuck to it, I could have been enjoying a cup of tea 5 minutes ago with a skinned cat beside me, job done. There is more than one way to skin a cat, but it'll still have it's skin on unless you pick ONE way and go with it.

To sum up:

recognise there is more than one way to achieve your goal.

pick a strategy based on actual proof and not snazzy ads.

Make sure you can implement your plan into your weekly schedule without turning your life upside down.

Stick with it for at least a month and you will see results.

Chop and change, jump from one 'latest thing' to the other,

never sticking to any plan, and you will end up disappointed.

Take care,
Chris

p.s.**No cats were harmed during this blogpost**

Bio

Chris Davidson is a Personal Trainer in Belfast & owner of 'Ladies Home Fitcamp' womens fitness programmes Belfast

- Tequila is like Fat

Sunday, 09 October 2011 15:09 | E-mail

Tequila: troublemaker or misunderstood?

If there were a Drinks High School, tequila would be the fella nobody wanted to mess with, as everyone had heard the rumours about his ability to "mess you up real bad" or lead you astray - "I got into a load of trouble the other night - Tequila made me do it!", as if he has magical Act-Daft powers.

However, on a night out, if you had one tequila, and that was it, no more booze, you'd be right as rain wouldn't you? Unless you're an oul' lightweight like me... anyway, tequila gets us into trouble due to what comes before or after it, i.e. even more booze. Tequila is much stronger in alcohol than your slow-burner drinks like beer and cider, so it gets in your bloodstream faster. But to get drunk you still need to have had more to drink than a wee bit of it. Drinking lots of tequila in a short space of time is asking for trouble - the body can't cope and trouble ensues.

So, tequila is not inherently evil in small doses - but when added to lots more booze, tequila has an undesired effect. Poor tequila, so misunderstood.

Fat deserves our sympathy too

Now, where am I going with this I hear you ask/yawn? Well, fat also has the same bad reputation when we think about our diet. "I have put on weight because I have butter on my baked potatoes", "This has 20% fat!! I can't eat that!".

Just as with our solitary tequila example earlier though, if you ONLY had a spoonful of lard to eat today (it's an extreme example, but let's just run with it...), which is mostly fat, would that magically turn to body fat and make you put on weight? Of course it wouldn't, your body would have nothing else to use as fuel and would just accept the fat as its fuel source. Fat, like tequila, isn't inherently evil either - it only gets you into trouble (i.e. increases body fat) when combined with more calories than your body requires to function, and that's when trouble ensues.

But why does Fat have this bad reputation in the first place? Well, just as tequila is much higher in alcohol than beer, so fat is over twice as high in calories as carbs and protein - there are 4 kcals per gram of protein/carbs, and 9 kcals per gram of fat. It takes fewer grams of fat to take you over your daily calorific needs than with protein or carbs. So if you like big portions of food, you're best limiting your fat intake. An example would be 100g of cheese with 350 kcalories due to its high fat content, compared with 100g of chicken breast with about 150 kcals as it's mostly protein. Same weight of food, big difference in calorie content. But cheese and similarly high-fat foods like butter, mayo, bacon, occasional junk food aren't necessarily evil, we just need to watch that we don't overdo things with these foods.

Skinny Frogs

There is a cheesy book called "French women don't get fat", or something similar, but the pretence of the book is entirely correct - French women can eat rich foods (pastries, butter croissants, brie, camembert, creamy sauces) all washed down with red wine and still stay slim. How? Portion control. If you like cheese, eat it, just not a bloody brick of it. If you like pastries, have one now and again without feeling guilty, but you're going to need to limit the rest of your calorie intake that day.

What this all means for the average person aiming to either maintain their weight or lose weight is that we can ignore this dogma of FAT IS EVIL, and absolutes like having to avoid an entire macronutrient like fat, but we need to become more conscious of portion sizes of high-fat foods and calorie intake before and after the high-fat food. For fat-loss, total calorie intake during the day is more important than what % protein, carbs and fat makes up those calories.

Embrace the fat, up to you on the tequila though!

So think about this the next time you are forcing yourself to eat tasteless low-fat foods "cos they're healthy", like rice cakes, low-fat mayo and Weightwatchers cheese, Slim-a-Soups, Snack-a-Jacks, etc (the food industry loves our fixation on low-fat, hence the massive choice out there now). Ask yourself, "would it not be better to actually enjoy what I am eating, but have less of it, rather than a big portion of tasteless guff?".

Bio

Chris Davidson is a Personal Trainer in Belfast & owner of 'Ladies Home Fitcamp' womens fitness programmes Belfast

- Best Diet Ever!

Wednesday, 16 March 2011 16:25 | E-mail

It's easy to get sucked into articles with that subject line isn't it? For those looking to lose weight and not succeeding, we want to believe that our failure to do so thus far is because we chose the wrong diet, not for any other reason. The truth is, if any diet you choose limits your calorie intake to the point that your body burns more calories on a regular basis than you eat/drink, that diet will 'work' and you will lose weight.

We all have a 'RMR' - Resting Metabolic Rate, the number of calories your body needs to function on a daily basis. Your job will affect your RMR - a builder will burn more calories than an office worker for example. So, regardless of any extra exercise you may do, if you fail to eat/drink enough calories to cover your RMR, your body dips into fat stores and muscle to make up the deficit, so you lose 'weight' - some body fat, some lean muscle.

Why does the 'Special K Diet' work? "Eat 2 bowls of Special K a day and one other calorie-controlled meal and you'll drop a dress-size in 4 weeks!", or something like that. Does Special K have a secret ingredient that melts fat away, that other cereals don't contain? Nope. I was joking about this with a client the other day, because in theory this diet could be tweaked and called the White Bread Diet, 8 Jelly Babies Diet, Half a Mars Bar Diet, or Packet of Quavers Diet. If you eat those things for 2 of your meals per day, then have a small meal for the other main meal, you'll lose weight too. Weight loss is just about restricting your calories.

So if every diet 'works' in theory, why does it not 'work' in practice? Why doesn't everyone who goes on a perfectly well-researched and proven diet lose weight? Well, there are two factors that lead to failure:

1. Lack of Discipline
2. Diet food choices make it unworkable

A lack of discipline and ability to stick with the diet is by far the most common reason for failure. Knowing what you SHOULD eat, and actually choosing to eat that when push comes to shove are two very different things. You KNOW you are supposed to be sticking with soup or salad for lunch, but then all your friends are having big greasy burgers... the diet says to limit carbs at dinner-time, but those garlic spuds look wild tasty... you're supposed to be restricting calories and sticking with nutritious foods during the week but there was a family get-together and all they had were fatty finger foods.... the list goes on. There will always be instances where you have to make a choice to stick with the diet or give in because circumstances aren't ideal. Each time you give in you are basically shooting yourself in the foot in terms of reaching the weight loss goal you are agonising about.

Some diets are also just unworkable. Not a week goes by without a magazine talking about a new amazing celeb diet, normally called something involving violence and fat - Fat Smash! Blast The Fat! Fat-Flush!, or centred on one foodstuff - Apple Diet, Special K diet (see earlier for other options!). These diets normally involve eating in a way that is maybe workable for a week or two but any longer and you start feeling like cr-p, your hair, nails and skin look awful, and other side effects rear their heads. You fall off the wagon because you were destined to fail before you started by aiming to eat in a way that is just unrealistic.

So what do we need to do? Five Cornerstones of Davidson Fitness Nutrition Plans:

- Eat foods you like. Just don't stuff your face with them.
- If losing weight and not giving into temptation were easy we'd all be in phenomenal shape.
- If anyone gives you a hard time for trying to stick with a diet, because you're making them feel guilty for indulging, swear loudly at them.
- Dinner can be your 'main' meal of the day in terms of fanciness (is that a word?) of food, that doesn't mean it's your biggest portion of the day
- 6/1 Protocol - eat according to the plan 6 days per week, and eat/drink guilt-free the other day, whatever you want, just get back on the plan the next day.

That really is a diet guaranteed to work, as it doesn't involve turning your life upside down and learning recipes and eating the new 'superfood' - it's just a case of cutting out the rubbish between meals, focusing on good foods you like, and controlling portions. This way the weight comes off slowly but surely, no miracle weight-loss, just continuously until you're the weight you want to be. Now, you may then be the weight you want to be, but will you be the shape you want to be? That pesky exercise component - that's another article for a different day. Give me a shout if you want to discuss as ever. Look after yourselves, and don't go nicking my Jelly Babies Diet idea!

Bio

Chris Davidson is a Personal Trainer in Belfast & owner of 'Ladies Home Fitcamp' womens fitness programmes Belfast

- No to Slow-Go Cardio!

Thursday, 03 March 2011 10:22 | E-mail

For many people the prospect of spending an hour on the treadmill is not a pleasant one. Maybe you can force yourself to sit on an exercise bike for an hour, but you'll no doubt be bored to tears before too long. What we need is a different approach to cardiovascular exercise —something that keeps us interested, takes only a fraction of the time, and reduces body fat levels more efficiently than low-intensity endurance training...
Welcome to the world of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The premise is simple: rather than waste time exercising at a slow pace, hoping the fat melts off before you die of boredom, you alternate intervals of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (50% effort) with periods of near-maximum (90%) effort. Each session takes no longer than 15 minutes.

Numerous studies have shown that HIIT burns adipose tissue (fat) more effectively than low-intensity exercise. HIIT speeds up your metabolism and keeps it revved up for some time after your workout. The main point is that HIIT burns a greater number of total calories than low-intensity training, and more calories burned equals more fat lost. So let's forget about the "calories burned" readout on the Stepper or Cross Trainer; if you practice HIIT training, the majority of calories burned will come after your workout.

Three or four HIIT sessions a week should produce significant fat-burning effects. And remember these 3-4 sessions are only lasting 15 minutes, so you're not investing that much time - just a lot of effort! So, let's assume you're going to apply HIIT training to running sprints either outdoors or on a treadmill (though remember the HIIT concept can be applied to the exercise bike, cross trainer, rowing machine, running up your stairs...). So we'll jog for a set amount of time, sprint for a set amount of time, followed by more jogging, more sprinting, and so on, until we've trained for a certain amount of time. We'll start with eight minute sessions and gradually increase this over the course of a few weeks. Every other workout, you'll add another minute to your HIIT session. For instance, your first two HIIT sessions during week one will each take only eight minutes. On the third workout of week 1, you'll add another 30-second sprint followed by a 30-second jog. Every other workout thereafter, you'll add another minute's worth of HIIT training until finally you'll be doing a 15-minute HIIT session.

So if your current cardio training regime is boring you senseless, why not give HIIT a crack? Depending on the fitness level of the individual, the speeds involved with 90% and 50% effort will differ greatly. Certainly HIIT is not easy, and for the first few sessions you'll feel like your lungs are going to explode, but it's challenging, time-saving and effective, and when combined with the right nutrition plan (more to come in future posts on that score) can really help you shed unwanted body fat and increase your fitness level at the same time. Feel free to let me know what you think and report back on how your sessions are going!

Bio
Chris Davidson is a Personal Trainer in Belfast & owner of 'Ladies Home Fitcamp' womens fitness programmes Belfast

- Alcohol & Fitness

Monday, 24 January 2011 13:41 | E-mail

Remember back in your late teens/early 20s, when you could seemingly eat and drink whatever you wanted, in whatever quantities you wanted, and still stay in good shape? Those were great days. I miss them. Am I the only one who remembers it being sunnier then too?

Fast forward a few years and these same eating & drinking habits may remain, but it's a fair bet you've found it tougher to stay in shape. As we get older our metabolism starts to slow down, and our bodies can no longer deal with whatever we throw at them as effectively, without storing excess calories as body fat.

So just start eating sensibly all the time and never drink alcohol again - problem solved....

Well maybe for some – but the issue is that for many, ruling out drinking and socialising entirely is unrealistic just to get in shape. So how can you still enjoy a few drinks from time to time, yet stay on track with your goal to shift body fat and improve your body shape?

Let's look at the average person trying to keep up a healthy lifestyle and lose some weight:

• You put in a lot of effort and exercise, eat sensibly for most of the week, and potentially lose a couple of pounds of body fat.
• Then the weekend starts, and things get lax, with take-aways, drink and lethargy taking over.
• It takes until Monday to get over the effects of the weekend and get diet and exercise regimes on track again.
• You weigh yourself and the scales show the same number as last week, despite all the hard, diligent work the previous week.
• Demotivation ensues. Going to the gym and watching what you eat seems pointless for such little return. ..

So what went wrong? First let's look at the calorie content of a few types of drinks:

Pint of Beer: 220 kcals
Pint of Cider: 240 kcals
Large Glass Wine: 180 kcals
Alcopops: 200 kcals
Pina Colada: 280 kcals
Margarita: 150 kcals
Spirit + Soft Drink Mixer: 140 kcals
Spirit + Diet Mixer: 80 kcals

The total calories consumed on an average night out can add up rapidly. If drinking is combined with a restaurant meal, with studies showing you eat more when you're drinking, then a night out can easily take you 1000s of calories over your daily requirements. In addition, the alcohol consumed is converted into acetate. While acetate is in your system, your body prioritises this as fuel, and until this is processed, no longer uses the food you consume or existing body fat as fuel.

This means the 1000s of excess calories are immediately stored as body fat. Any acetate that isn’t used is also converted and then stored as body fat. Basically, you can consume so many calories through junk food and alcohol on the weekend that you gain back the weight you had lost Mon-Fri. It's that easily done.

Discipline is needed. If it wasn't we'd all be in fantastic shape. But by following a few steps you can still enjoy the occasional night out and minimise its effects on your fitness and weight-loss goals:

1. If you're going out on a Saturday night, then start indulging with your first drink on Saturday night, not with a Friday night takeaway or a greasy fry-up on Saturday morning. Eat light, healthy meals, slightly smaller than usual, with plenty of water, all day Saturday until you go out. This allows your body to deal with the calories from your meals, so you don’t have excess calories in your system before you go out.

2. Stick to the same drink all night - this will lessen the after-effects the next day and allow you to...

3. .... get back on track the next morning, with light, healthy, high protein meals, and plenty of water – starting with breakfast.

4. Fit in a brisk walk before lunchtime the day after - go and buy the Sunday papers at a shop further away than your local one for example. By increasing your metabolism this early, you speed up the process of using the acetate in your system, and get back on track with fat burning sooner.

Bio
Chris Davidson is a Personal Trainer in Belfast & owner of 'Ladies Home Fitcamp' womens fitness programmes Belfast

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Nicola, 38

Thanks to Chris, I've not only lost 9 inches off my waist and hips, but I feel healthier, genuinely more energetic, and my family, friends and colleagues can't believe the progress I've made

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Davidson Fitness Blog

- Cat-skinning for fat-loss?

- Tequila is like Fat

- Best Diet Ever!

- No to Slow-Go Cardio!

- Alcohol & Fitness

Remember back in your late teens/early 20s, when you could seemingly eat and drink whatever you wanted, in whatever quantities you wanted, and still stay in good shape? Those were great days. I miss them. Am I the only one who remembers it being sunnier then too?

So just start eating sensibly all the time and never drink alcohol again - problem solved....

Well maybe for some – but the issue is that for many, ruling out drinking and socialising entirely is unrealistic just to get in shape. So how can you still enjoy a few drinks from time to time, yet stay on track with your goal to shift body fat and improve your body shape?

Bio Chris Davidson is a Personal Trainer in Belfast & owner of 'Ladies Home Fitcamp' womens fitness programmes Belfast

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Cliff & Oonagh, 42

Nicola, 38

Louise, 24

Sarah, 40

Jamie (f), 28 & Paul, 37

Bio
Chris Davidson is a Personal Trainer in Belfast & owner of 'Ladies Home Fitcamp' womens fitness programmes Belfast