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23rd Feb, 2010
Dynamic clothing and equipment!!
brand new sports clothing and equipment website
28th Feb, 2010
PSPT trains Speedway star!
PSPT trains professional speedway star Olly Allen
Testimonial:
"Paul is very effective. He instills good discipline and at the same time has a sense of humour. I would recommend him to anybody trying to improve their physical shape and general wellbeing. " - DN
"I trained with Paul for 10 sessions spread out over about an 11 week period. Before working with Paul I had done quite a bit of gym work and was in fairly decent shape with a fairly good knowledge. But working with Paul has progressed me so far in a short time. My aims at the beginning of the personal training were; to reduce my body-fat, maintain muscle size and improve general fitness. I have seen great gains in all three areas in the 11 weeks. My body-fat dropped by a third, I now feel stronger and my fitness has improved greatly, as shown in the 30% reduction in my resting heart rate. I generally feel a lot fitter and healthier with the advice from Paul, especially the dietary advice, which was very in depth and helpful. I think the most impressive thing with the training was the techniques that Paul showed me with my weight training. I now feel that my exercises are performed spot on which helps me keep injury free. I would recommend Paul to anyone that is keen to become fitter, healthier and generally happy with their life. " - Ash Briggs
Nutrition
All your nutritional needs are covered by PSPT who will provide a specific personalised dietary plan to complement your exercise to ensure the most effective outcome from your training.
Nutrition is absolutely crucial in regards to health and fitness. Not only does good nutrition fuel our workouts, it is the main deciding factor if we get the body we want or not. You can train the best programme with the best trainer, but if your nutrition needs are some what depleted, you will not get to where you want to be.
Please see below for some general yet specific nutritional advice.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrate (CHO) is our primary source of energy and is stored, ready to fuel movement. It is the only fuel that can be used for anaerobic energy production and it is the most efficient fuel for the aerobic metabolism. Carbohydrate is able to produce energy for muscle contraction up to three times as rapidly as fat, which explains when glycogen stores are depleted, endurance performance starts to deteriorate and work levels fall. Fatigue in long cardio sessions is closely linked to the depletion of our energy reserves (glycogen).
Carbohydrates can be broken down into simple carbohydrates or sugars (fruit, table sugar, refined foods) and these can be further subdivided into monosaccharides or single sugars (glucose, fructose and galactose) and disaccharides or double sugars (maltose, lactose and sucrose).
Complex carbohydrates or starches (potatoes, beans, breads, cereals, pasta, and rice) are polysaccharides, which are molecules made up of three or more glucose molecules. Starches should meet 40-50% of your dietary calorie intake and sugars only 10%. Whether a carbohydrate is complex or simple profoundly affects how fast they are broken down and digested, which also affects their conversion to energy.
Which type should I eat?
As most carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, one type is not necessarily any healthier than the next. When we're exercising, what's important is how quickly the carbohydrate is converted to glucose - that's where the glycaemic index (GI) comes in.
The GI is a measure of a food's effect on blood glucose levels. It's worked out by comparing the rise in blood glucose after eating a food containing 50g of carbohydrate with the rise after eating 50g of a reference food (glucose or white bread). The faster the rise, the higher the GI.
Generally, foods are divided into three categories:
High GI above 70 Medium GI of 50-70 Low GI below 50 Glucose Sucrose Fructose Honey Muesli bar Chocolate Jelly beans Crisps Sponge cake Sports drink Squash Milk Bagel Bread Fruit cake Wheat cereals Muesli Bran cereals White rice Brown rice Pasta Baked potato Boiled potato Baked beans Watermelon Banana Apple *best varieties highlighted Normally it is best to focus on the lower GI foods; these have a slower rate of which they are digested. Therefore less chance of storing as fat, it also provides the body with a slow releasing source of energy. When training, nutrition is critical with regards to your goals. PSPT can offer the specific guidance needed.
Fat
Fat is the primary storage medium for the body’s excess calories. Whenever we over-consume calories, wherever they come from, they will be converted into fat and stored in adipose tissue (fat cells). Fat is perfect for this role. It is calorie-dense, containing 9 calories per gram compared with carbohydrate and protein, which only have 4 calories per gram.
You are more likely to over overeat fatty foods because they do not remove feelings of huger as quickly as protein or carbohydrate. This is why we can easily consume large quantities of crisps or nuts without ever feeling full. Also if we eat too much fat, the calories are more likely to be stored than if we eat too much carbohydrate or protein. Because fats are so calorie-dense they can have a negative impact when consumed in our diet, contributing to weight gain. Overconsumption of some fats also stimulates raised cholesterol in the blood. For these reasons fats have a bad reputation and are classically associated with weight gain and cardiovascular heart disease
Below are some classic examples of how we can watch our fat intake:
- Use lower fat versions of dairy products, e.g. semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, reduced fat cheese, or use less of the full fat products, and keep the intake moderate.
- Use meats low in fat, e.g. chicken (without skin), turkey and lean cuts of meat. Remove visible fat and skin where possible.
- Use less fat in cooking and use low fat spreads for bread.
- Grill, steam and bake foods instead of frying and roasting.
- To reduce the amount of saturates in the diet, lower fat options should be chosen and fats/oils richer in monounsaturates (e.g. olive oil, rapeseed oil) or polyunsaturates (e.g. sunflower oil, corn oil) should be used sparingly as substitutes.
- Consume omega 3 and omega 6 oils as these are essential fats for the body. The ratio should be 1:1 or (1:2. Double as much omega 6).
- Reduce processed foods.
- Do not add fat when cooking.
- Reducing consumption of fat-filled snacks such as crisps, cake and chocolate.
Please remember not all fat is bad, and is a crucial part of our diet. Fat is our major source of fuel for exercise, especially at lower intensities. Fat insulates our bodies from cold, helps vitamin storage and transport and is required for the formation of hormones and bile acids. The right forms of fat in our diet may actually reduce depression and reduce the risk of some cancers and cardiovascular heart disease.
Protein
Protein makes up part of the structure of every cell and tissue in your body, including your muscle tissue, internal organs, tendons, skin, hair and nails. On average, it comprises about 20% of your total body weight. Protein is needed for the growth and formation of new tissue, for tissue repair and for regulating metabolic pathways, and can also be used as a fuel for energy production. It is also needed to make almost all of the body enzymes as well as various hormones. Protein has a role of transporting nutrients in and out of cells, carrying oxygen, regulating blood clotting and maintaining optimal fluid balance in tissues.
Protein is made up of amino acids, there are 20 amino acids which are the result of protein being digested and broken down. 12 of these amino acids can be made in the body; these are called non-essential amino acids. The other 8 are called essential amino acids as we need to get these amino acids form an outside source i.e.: meat or poultry.
Essential and non-essential amino acids Essential amino acids (EAAs) Non essential amino acids (NEAAs) Isoleucine Alanine Leucine Arganine Lysine Aspargine Methionine Aspartic Acid Phenylalanine Cysteine Threonine Glutamic Acid Tryptophan Glutamine Valine Glycine Histidine Proline Serine Tyrosine Protein needs in regards to training goals:
1.2-1.4 grams per kg of bodyweight per day for endurance athletes
1.4-1.8 grams per kg of body weight per day for strength and power athletes
1.6-2.0 grams per kg of body weight for athletes on fat loss programme
1.8-2.0 grams per kg of body weight for athletes on weight gain programmeUsing the table above you will be able to see the necessary proteins required not just for muscle needs but also for day to day living. When shopping, you can keep a look out for the essential proteins listed here in the left side of the table. Some will be hard to come across if not listed on the packet of foods but will generally be in the food anyway. Listed later will be a table of very good protein sources which will contain all the essential aminos.
In practice, providing you're eating enough food to meet your energy and carbohydrate requirements, achieving these levels of protein intake is easy. If you're not convinced, take look at the list below to see the protein content of some common foods.
Good Sources of Protein Food Portion size Protein (g) Kcal Meat and Fish Beef-fillet steak, grilled, lean 2 slices 105g 31 197 Chicken breast-(grilled meat only) 1 breast 130g 39 191 Turkey-light meat, roasted 2 slices 140g 47 214 Cod-poached 1 fillet 120g 25 113 Mackerel-grilled 1 fillet 150g 31 359 Tuna-canned in brine 1 small tin 100g 24 99 Dairy products and eggs Cheese-cheddar 1 thick slice 40g 10 165 Cottage cheese 1 small carton 112g 15 110 Skimmed milk 1 glass 200ml 7 66 Low-fat yoghurt plain 1 carton 150g 8 84 Low-fat yoghurt fruit 1 carton 150g 6 135 Fromage frais fruit 1 small carton 100g 7 131 Eggs 1 size 2 8 90 Nuts and seeds Peanuts-roasted and salted 1 handful 50g 12 301 Peanut butter On 1 slice bread 20g 5 125 Cashew nuts-roasted and salted 1 handful 50g 10 306 Walnuts 1 handful 50g 7 344 Sunflower seeds 2 tbsp 32g 6 186 Sesame seeds 2 tbsp 24g 4 144 Pulses Baked beans 1 small tin 205g 10 166 Red lentils-boiled 3 tbsp 120g 9 120 Red kidney beans-boiled 3 tbsp 120g 10 124 Chick peas-boiled 3 tbsp 120g 12 169 Soya products Soya milk-plain 1 glass 200ml 6 64 Soya mince 2 tbsp dry weight 30g 13 79 Tofu Half a pack 100g 8 73 Tofu burger 1 burger 60g 5 71 Quorn products Quorn mince 4 tbsp 100g 12 86 Quorn chilli 1 bowl 200g 9 163 Quorn korma 1 bowl 200g 8 280 Grains and cereals Wholemeal bread 2 slices 76g 6 164 White bread 2 slices 72g 6 156 Pasta-boiled 1 bowl 230g 7 198 Brown rice-boiled 1 bowl 180g 5 254 White rice-boiled 1 bowl 180g 5 248 Protein is most essential for the body around training. Muscles fibres are being very minutely broken down and need to be rebuilt. Having a good source of protein in the system before training is a great way to start. (Pre-workout snack) and the most effective time to consume is immediately after a workout.
You have a window for how the body utilises the protein.
0-15 minutes Most effective 15-30 minutes Effective utilisation 30-45 minutes Good utilisation 45+ minutes Okay Anything over 45 minutes the protein will still have an effect but nothing like under 15 minutes where the body can take the food, begin digestion and transport essential nutrients to start re-build the muscles. The body also rebuilds mostly when we are asleep, so those 8 hours of good quality sleep are also crucial. Milk is an excellent choice of drink before bedtime. Milk contains casein, which is a slow releasing enzyme that slowly rebuilds protein over time, just what your muscles need – that soreness feeling in the morning can be due to insufficient protein (and cool down & stretching) not being available to help to rebuild the muscles.
Fibre
Fibre is also a vital ingredient needed in our daily diet. Fibre does not contain any nutrients, yet it is vital to a healthy body since it usually comes wrapped around valuable foods that are rich in nutrients as well as being important in its own right by helping to protect the digestive system. Fibre helps provide bulk to the food, helps foods pass easily along the gut (intestines) and helps regulate the absorption if some nutrients.
There are two main types of fibre – insoluble and soluble. Insoluble as mentioned earlier is high in fibre. This kind of fibre helps to protect the colon speeds the passage of food and delays glucose absorption into the blood. (Very important with regards to weight watching)
Soluble fibre also needed and proven to exert a positive effect on health is important for delaying gastric emptying, lowers blood cholesterol, reduces the absorption of fats and also delays glucose absorption into the blood.
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins and minerals form the micronutrients in the diet. Although we need these substances in much smaller amounts then the macronutrients (carbs, fat and protein) they remain a vital part of our diet if we are to maintain our health.
Minerals are necessary for structure and for the normal regulation of metabolism, hormonal and nervous interactions within the body. In simple terms, they enable our bodies to function correctly on a daily basis.
Minerals do not contain energy themselves but they do ‘unlock’ the energy contained within our diet. Plants extract the minerals form the soil, which enables us in tern to ingest them.
Vitamins consist of a group of organic compounds which are required for normal growth and metabolism. As there are different types of vitamins, they all perform certain roles. Main functions are to protect tour cell membranes; these membranes enable the cell to ‘breathe’ to allow nutrients to be absorbed. Not enough vitamin content in our diet will lead to ill health and dis-functioning cells.
Vitamins and minerals contain ‘phytochemicals’ again comes from plants and plant products (tomatoes).
Phytochemicals neutralise free radical damage. Free radical damage is caused by eating bad foods and a person who has a high saturated diet with lacing vitamins and minerals will have a high number of free radical damage which can lead to CHD, ill health and possibly death.
This phytochemical can be remembered in the group – antioxidants.
Antioxidants are found in all the vitamins and minerals listed above… include as many varieties in your diet as possible every day.
As you can see Nutrition is no joke, it’s very complex. Let PSPT take care of all this for you, Paul will provide a full dietary advice plan and explain it all to you. Call PSPT today and get on that road to where you want to go!
PSPT offers a full nutritional plan, completely specific to you. So if personal training isnt for you, but you could do with some inside info on nutrition, drop Paul a email today.
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