Celebrity trainer James King's top tips
Monday 08 December 2008
Earlier this year, personal trainer James King whipped Big Brother 7 beauty Imogen Thomas into shape - and the feedback was amazing!
Loads of you wrote in to tell us how fantastic you thought Imogen looked, so Closer decided to get James to share his top tips for slimming and fitness with you!
In this exclusive series the personal trainer will tell you everything you need to know to shed a few pounds until Christmas and to keep you going into the new year!
James' top ten fitness tips
Create the vison!
Every great achievement begins with a vision. Why do you want to get into shape? What will it do for you? Let your mind wander to all that you wish and envision as accurately as possible the type of body and person you want to become. Without a clear picture of who you want to become you will find it harder to achieve your goal. Once you have this vision it is time to take inspired action.
Prepare for the challenge and enjoy it
Loving your new, sexy, slim figure is a given. Loving the process that gets you there moves you to a whole new level. Learn to enjoy the effort you will have to put in, the knowledge you will gain, new skills you will learn and the occasional struggles you may have keeping on track. It is all part of the journey to a new, healthier you!
Lift weights
The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn - muscle is live tissue that needs energy to survive and it feeds on your fat stores. The more lean muscle you have the more fat your body will burn. Weight training quite literally increases your muscles appetite for fat. Try seeing a trainer at your local gym or leisure centre and ask them to teach you a 30 minute resistance work out. Three key exercises are the squat, bench press and lateral pull downs. Three 30 minute resistance work outs a week will blast the fat from your body.
Record a food diary
This is a huge asset in weight loss. Each day record what you have eaten, how much, who with, the time and your mood. The aim here is to develop some self awareness of your eating habits and can identify what emotion trigger you to over eat, see if any patterns emerge and try to identify were you may be able to make more healthy changes. It is harder to kid yourself about what you are eating and why when it’s in front of you in black and white.
Eat breakfast
Eating in the morning kick starts your body’s metabolism. Energy consumed in the morning has more time to be burned off through the day. Energy consumed late in the evening is followed by a long period of inactivity and is therefore converted to fat and stored, the process of which will reduce the quality of your sleep.
Friend culls
Differentiate between saboteurs and supporters. Social support is paramount in achieving any form of success. Reduce your involvement with people who do not support or encourage you in pursuit. Supportive people will cheer you on and keep you on track when you are challenged.
Portion control
Reduce your portion size. Increasingly huge portions at restaurants mean normal serving sizes have got out of the window. Don’t be a plate cleaner. If you’re full don’t gorge yourself in a gluttonous manner. Stop eating when you feel full not when you feel like your going to explode.
Move
Movement requires energy and burns fat. Get a pedometer and try and move at least 15,000 steps a day in order to achieve weight loss. Walking is the easiest activity to incorporate into your lifestyle. Instead of having lunch at work walk to a local park ten minutes away, have lunch there and then walk back. A ten minute walk each way adds up to 100 minutes of walking through a week.
Plan and Prepare
Prepare meals when you have time, over the weekend or the night before. Last minute choices due to inadequate preparation is the number one reason people gorge on high calorie unhealthy meals. When you are hungry and pushed for time you are more likely to behave impulsively. Try and carry some healthy snacks with you if you anticipate long periods between meals. Fruit, nut and cereal mixes are a sensible option.
Clear out your fridge
If its not there you cant eat it! Temptation is a lot easier to overcome when you are not bombarded with that which tempts you. If you have unhealthy foods around you get rid of them and replace with healthy alternatives. Better to waste some food than wear it.
For more information about James King and his work visit www.jameskingperformance.com
For more information on a healthy diet that supports an active life style, go to www.closerdiets.com to get your personalised meal plan full of healthy, delicious options!