Sports and Fitness Vblog

In the video below our team member (Kevin and David) engage in physical activity which promotes their fitness and wellbeing. The team members are playing two sports that being basketball and soccer. With also some general fitness activities being push ups, sprints and barbell curls. The video encapsulates the fundamental ideologies behind fitness and sport which is to have fun and be happy. 

           

Published by Kevin and David

WHen You Have ACHIEVED Your Fitness Goals

ENJOY life. 

So its been a 12 week roller coaster but you've made it. You're in the best shape of your life. You've acquired a new sense of happiness and confidence. You wake up with a big smile every morning and it feels like nothing is impossible. So what now?

This part of your life is called happiness. Go on Vacation. Do things that you wouldn’t usually do, appreciate your new confidence and happy feeling about yourself. Ask that special someone out on a date. YOU deserve it. You worked for it.

But always remember after momentarily enjoying life. Make sure you dont let go of the work ethic you have learnt and crafted to ensure that you maintain your happiness.  

Published by Kevin 

References:

Image: http://oi50.tinypic.com/332b6z6.jpg

Fitness Motivators and Role Models

We look up to those who have what we want. We envision our lifestyle if we had the riches and privileges of certain individuals. This is what drives us to push beyond our usual boundaries and strive for greatness. It is important that you set yourself a goal physique. It is important that you envision that physique and strive for it everyday in your fitness pursuit. Looking at individuals who have achieved greatness in fitness will motivate and inspire; it is the hope that you can and will one day live the riches their life infuses.

Some fitness motivators and role models include:

• Greg Plitt
• Josef Rakich
• Rob Riches
• Zyzz
• Jeff seid

In the Youtube clip below, most of the fitness role models I have mentioned above make an appearance:

              

Published by Kevin

References:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jM_bHLno9s

Image: https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t31.0-8/1397322_448729295232507_2080113128_o.jpg

The Importance of Re-Feed Days

What is a Re-Feed day?

A Re-Feed day is a day where you increase your carbohydrate intake by 100% or more, increasing your calories up to maintenance level or slightly above. 

Who Needs a Re-Feed Day?

A re-feed day is only needed to be included in your diet if you are cutting and in a calorie deficit which means consuming less calories than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). 

The importance of including re-feeds in your diet is a factor of a few things such as:

- Leanness (the leaner you are, the more important)

- Calorie deficit (the greater deficit you are in, the more important)

- Length or dieting (the longer you have been dieting the more important)

- Carbohydrate intake (the lower, the more important)

- Exercise (type/amount/etc.. The more aerobic in nature, the more important)

- Genetics

What is the purpose of a Re-Feed Day?

The purpose of a re-feed day his is to help boost your metabolism and help restore your Leptin hormone levels. When dieting and on a low calorie diet, your metabolism will drop (meaning you will be burning less calories) plus your leptin hormone levels will drop in attempt by the body to spare body fat. (safety mechanism for the human body). 

So What are Some Carbs to Have On a Re-Feed Day?

Any carbs of your choice are fine, low G.I complex carbohydrates and also high G.I simple carbohydrates it does not matter, just consume carbs. 

This includes:

- Rice

- Oats

- Sorbet ice-cream

- Weetbix bites

- Cerials

- Pancakes

- Bananas

- Pasta

- Popcorn

The Youtube clip below, talks about Re-Feed and High Carb days:

             

Published by Kevin

References:

Image: http://www.med-health.net/images/10437344/image001.jpg

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yDPpc1Yazs

Should you use Creatine when 'Cutting' ?

The fitness jargon 'cutting' refers to when your trying to drop bodyfat by reducing or cutting your calorie intake. In most cases you will be cutting your carbohydrates, fats and sugars to make your body become calorie deficient. 

Creatine is a natural compound made in the body and is derived from the diet through meat products. In the body, creatine is changed into a molecule called phosphocreatine which serves as a storage reservoir for regenerating ATP. ATP is the chemical source of energy for muscle contraction and quick energy. Phosphocreatine is an important source of ATP energy in muscle tissue and there is many studies that can prove that creatine can increase the performance in athletes in activities that require quick bursts of energy. (sprinting and weight lifting). Creatine supplementation combined with lifting weights will result in improvements in muscle hypertrophy (increase in muscle size) and strength through cell volumization and increased protein synthesis.

Creatine will not hinder fat loss in any way, creatine will also not cause water retention if you are on a maintenance dose. (3-5g per day) Creatine holds water intracellular, NOT extracellular, so if anything it should make you appear more ripped due to muscle fullness. However it may cause slight bloating in some people, (dose dependent) but it wont cause extracellular water retention. Water retention from creatine is a common bodybuilding myth as an excuse as to why they are still holding a bit of fat.

So should you use creatine when cutting? YES!

The video below, goes in more detail about how creatine works:

                         

Published by Kevin

References:

Image: http://www.criticalbench.com/images/best-creatine1.jpg

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR3dDO1Sz0E

Cheat Meals

A Cheat meal is the fitness jargon for a meal which usually wouldn’t be apart of your regular diet. It will be in most times something you buy out and high in fats/carbs/sugars.

So should you have a cheat meal during your fitness endeavour? YES.

There are benefits of having a cheat meal every so often as it will help increase your metabolism. It will also symbolise that you are enjoying the pleasures life has to offer in terms of food. Sometimes during our busy lifestyles we can’t predict what may turn up in the future and it is always important that you eat something slightly beneficial then eat nothing at all. You should be aiming to have at most 3 cheat meals every month; roughly one cheat meal a week. However, this also depends on your body fat levels, a good guide for how many cheat meals you can have is:

- If you are above 20% body fat - once every month.

- If you are between 15% and 20% body fat - once every 2 weeks.

- If you are between 8% and %15 body fat - once every week.

- If you are below 8% body fat – twice per week.

*The leaner you are the lower your leptin levels will be so the more frequent you can include cheat meals into your diet.

The science behind why cheat meals can benefit your metabolism:

When you are dieting and on a low calorie/low carb diet, your leptin hormone levels will drop dramatically in attempt by the body to spare body fat. It is a safety mechanism for the human body. With low leptin levels it becomes much harder to burn body fat. So including cheat meals or ‘cheat meal day’ into your cutting diet will be really beneficial and allow you to continue to burn body fat at an optimal rate.

In the Youtube clip below, RZfitness shows an example of a cheat meal:

               

Published by Kevin

References:

Image: http://darband.com.au/images/food/high/shahi.jpg

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrdhF-_rzY0

Hydration is Essential

Hydration is the most essential part of your fitness endeavour. YOU must always make sure that you are hydrated that means atleast 2L’s of water everyday. As a general rule the more you sweat the more you should drink, so 2L’s is just a rough estimate you may need to even drink 3-4L’s if you are training intensely. The importance of staying hydrated is that it replenishes and revitalises the body, removes toxins and stops dehydration. Drinking water also maintains your body’s organ function as dehydration can cause some organs to shut off and you may get a feeling of dizziness or more aggressively fall unconscious. A common sign of dehydration is dry mouth. Other signs of dehydration include light-headedness, nausea, seeing stars in your eyes and chronic fatigue. So make sure you are always hydrated to maintain your well-being and prevent dehydration causing you to end up in the hospital. 

In the Youtube clip below, Scott Welle talks about the importance of staying hydrated:

            

Published by Kevin

References: 
image:http://www.naturalhydrationcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/NHC_Hydration_main.jpg

video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGoWbNbAQDQ