‘At Lifegym Personal training Gym we work with you on a one-to-one basis on a Personalised Training and Nutrition Plan to assist you in Achieving Your Goals in all areas of Health, Fitness & Weight Management’
Now you can get all the benefits of Personal Training by simply logging on to our main site www.lifegym.ie
This article gives you a brief outline of Fitness Training, Nutrition & our services here at Lifegym with a view to helping you achieve a Healthy Lifestyle
Introduction
Staying fit and healthy isn’t supposed to be easy, but Lifegym can take the pain and strain out of keeping in shape-and literally halve the time you spend exercising each week.
With Ireland’s premier personal fitness expert, Tony Matthews, guiding your training and dietary programmes in a one-to-one environment you can expect to see instant results in your health, well-being and even body shape.
Tony draws on over 10 years experience in providing top class health and fitness advice and training at Lifegym Personal Training Gym in Dundalk, Ireland.
Tony holds a Diploma in Holistic Dietetics and is a qualified NCEF Personal Trainer to level 2 and before starting his own business he worked in Various Leisure Centres and Gyms with individuals and teams.
At Lifegym you will be assessed and provided with a training programme fully tailored to meet your needs and Tony will ensure your fitness plan fits into your lifestyle and not the other way around.
“I think the problem with exercising in gyms is that people can spend too long doing the wrong things,” Tony says. “At Lifegym we can create unique training programmes for each individual that take as little as 20 to 30 minutes, 3 times per week.
Tony uses resistance training that re-shapes the body and can also provide clients with an aerobic type workout.
This also boosts your metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories while increasing your energy.
What’s more, Tony can create training programmes to suit any individual of any age, male or female.
“We first assess a persons fitness level and current diet and then develop a plan to suit their goals and needs,” Tony continues. “It’s not a strict diet plan, but guidelines as to the best food to eat to suit different individuals and there’s plenty of choice.”
Tony’s programmes are geared to achieve results and with one-to-one attention his clients train in a controlled environment each and every time they work out. This dramatically reduces the prospect of picking up injuries.
One-to-one sessions also provide Tony’s clients with greater motivation.
“People have told me that having to keep an appointment means they are more likely to work out than if they were just going to the gym on their own,” he notes.
Tony also motivates and encourages his clients as they work out, ensuring they get the most out of every session.
Tony can now accommodate small groups of up to 3 or 4 friends training at one time at Lifegym.
Gift vouchers are always available and lifegym sell the latest health food supplements.
Healthy Lifestyle
Lets take a look first at the benefits of switching to a healthy lifestyle
We all have an idea of how we’d like to look and feel but how many of us come even close to achieving this?
We have many excuses not to look after ourselves or not to go to begin a training programme.
First of all let me explain some of the benefits of regular exercise and how life can be much easier when you take control of your well being. I will also dispel some of the common myths associated with exercise and nutrition.
The benefits of fitness training
The ‘Feel Good’ Factor
Research has shown that exercise releases “feel good” hormones from the brain (endorphins), which elevate mood.
Increased Energy
The excuse that “I don’t have enough energy to exercise” doesn’t hold here because proper training will actually boost energy levels (Physical & Mental!).
Training will boost your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories/fat), which results in a dramatic boost in your energy levels and helps you burn fat at the same time.
Reduces the risk of major diseases
Research has also proved that proper exercise and nutrition significantly reduces the risk of the biggest killers in this country, namely heart disease and cancer.
It can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis and can even reverse this condition.
It also reduces the risk of arthritis and diabetes among many other ailments.
Improves Mental Health
With all the pressures, stresses and worries of modern living it is important to realise that exercise helps mental health as much as physical health. In fact the two go hand in hand, haven’t we often heard the phrase “healthy mind in a healthy body”?
Exercise is known to reduce stress, depression and anxiety and generally helps you to feel good about yourself.
Through enhanced body shape and increased physical and mental ability, exercise can boost confidence and self-esteem.
Exercise also aids efficient sleep and helps you feel wide-awake in the morning.
Because of these mental benefits the person can much more efficient, thereby dispelling the myth that “I don’t have enough time to exercise” because exercise actually creates time.
Listed below are just a few of the many other benefits of a regular exercise routine;
· IMPROVES FITNESS
· CONTROLS WEIGHT
· ENSURES EFFICIENT MUSCLE FUNCTION!
· ENSURES EFFICIENT HEART AND LUNGS!
· INCREASES MOBILITY!
· INCREASES QUALITY OF LIFE (better able to do everyday tasks)
· BETTER CONCENTRATION
· BETTER COMPLEXION
· SLOWS DOWN THE AGING PROCESS
Explanation of training
The most important aspect of fitness training is the correct information. A lot of people fail to achieve their desired results because they are doing the wrong type of training. The training system I use is quite unique. The best results are obtained with a short workout, say about 20 minutes duration. You can get into and stay in excellent shape with 3 x 20 minute workouts per week. The way this is done is to start with a weight that exhausts the muscles in about 12 repetitions. Then you change to a lighter weight without taking a break and do the same again and then a 3rd set with a lighter weight. Then you move on to your next exercise and do the same system. There are a couple of reasons for doing it in this way. First of all it boosts the production of growth hormone, which promotes the production of firm muscle tissue and reduces body fat. Secondly it is the only way of working all the muscle fibres. Most people in gyms only work the strongest muscle fibres in each muscle group because they take a break between sets and allow the strongest fibres to rest and then work them again. With the system I am using you exhaust the strongest muscle fibres first and then because you don’t take a break for the next set the deeper, weaker fibres must kick in.
Obviously if you haven’t been training then you start with a low intensity and work up but you will be amazed at how quick you will see results with this type of training.
Women and weight training
Many women I speak to have a fear that training with weights will make them big and bulky. This simply can’t happen since women don’t have the hormones (testosterone) to do this. What will happen however is that women will create lean, well-toned bodies’. When women replace bulky fat with shapely muscle they lose inches as well as weight on the scales (note that fat takes up 5 times more space than muscle). Since this muscle burns extra calories even while sitting down you can actually eat more while still seeing results.
How to get started
If you’re new to exercise and don’t quite know how to get started then seek the assistance of a qualified personal trainer who also has a nutrition qualification. This is also a good idea if you are currently training and wish to improve on the results you are achieving. They will be able to design a training and nutrition plan tailored to suit your goals and needs. They will also be there to support, motivate and encourage you and ensure that you are achieving the results that you set out to achieve.
The Benefits of Correct Nutrition
· CONTROLS WEIGHT
· INCREASES QUALITY OF LIFE (better able to do everyday tasks)
· BETTER CONCENTRATION
· BETTER COMPLEXION
· INCREASES ENERGY
· PREVENTS MANY ILLNESSES AND DISEASES
· SLOWS DOWN THE AGING PROCESS
Explanation of nutrition
The first rule is to eat foods as close to nature as possible, avoiding processed food.
The results you will achieve with this type of training are much better if you are on a proper diet. Most people eat too many carbohydrates because they are trying to stay on a low fat diet. A lot of the low fat foods on supermarket shelves are high in carbs or sugar instead. This is actually worse than the fats they are trying to avoid. The problem with carbohydrates is that what you don’t use up for energy, you will store as body fat. There is a lot of research to show that we should eat foods that have a low glycemic index. The G.I. is a rating of foods in relation to blood sugar response. If a food has a high G.I. then it will raise the blood sugar quickly and cause a surge of insulin, which in turn causes the storage of fat. These foods are also very bad for your energy because when a lot of insulin is released it not only brings your blood sugar back to where it was at the start, but can bring it way down below this. This is why you may feel sleepy after a large meal with a lot of carbs in the form of potatoes etc. Potatoes are high on this G.I. scale. Most carbohydrate foods are high in this scale, even some of the ones that people think are healthy foods such as pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, most cereals and most fruit Sugars are even worse offenders. That is sugar in any form; table sugar, confectionary, soft drinks etc. the ones that are low on the G.I. scale are basically all protein and fat foods. That is all meat, fish, foul, full fat dairy products etc.
Proper Nutrition and why ‘Dieting makes you fat’
When encouraging people to eat sensibly I try to avoid the word ‘diet’. People associate this with the fad starvation diets that are always advertised. These diets are misinforming and dangerous. They encourage people to lose weight by dramatically reducing calories. Cutting calories will inevitably reduce energy because you lose more muscle than fat and it’s this muscle that gives you energy, in other words you’re losing the muscle that helps you to burn calories/fat. The body then loses its muscle tone and you get softer. The body then learns to live on fewer calories and when you return to a normal diet (as is inevitable) you will be more susceptible to gaining fat because your metabolism has slowed down. The way around this is to go on a proper nutrition plan that can be sustained long term and will enhance your body shape and energy levels.
Conversely, if you lose fat and gain muscle then your body’s energy levels and metabolism are increased and you burn more calories. Therefore you can actually eat more while staying lean and without gaining fat!
Your dietician may also suggest some dietary supplements, which have proven to improve results for many people.
The Benefits of One-to-One Personal Fitness Training
The advantages of using a personal trainer are numerous:
Knowledge / expertise
Personalised programmes to suit the individual, regardless of age.
Supervised Instruction in correct technique to maximise results.
Safe-Injury prevention
Motivation
Goal achievement
Time-effective
Privacy
I think the problem with exercising in gyms is that people can spend too long doing the wrong things. At Lifegym we can create unique training programmes for each individual that take as little as 20 to 30 minutes, 3 times per week.
90 Minutes a Week – Get into Great Shape…Genuinely
In the time it takes you to watch a soccer match or 1 and a half episodes of Coronation Street, you could be achieving your ideal body shape and all that goes with it.
Knowledge / expertise
There is a critical factor in ensuring you get the best out of your training programme. If you don’t have it, it almost guarantees failure. And that’s the best information. Most people are busy enough with their job and their daily lives to be off researching the latest techniques on training and diet. But some people do this for a living. They are usually called ‘personal trainers’
Many people who want to get into great shape start off with the best of intentions but after a few weeks very often that ‘rock solid’ commitment is usually not 100%. And even if it is, a lack of knowledge on how best to train means that many will literally spend hours and hours running on a treadmill every week with little or no gain.
How many people do you know who spend ages in a gym but don’t get results? Quite often the reason is because they don’t know what to do.
Many will spend a fortune joining a gym only to leave a couple of months later without any results. Why not invest your money wisely and get a return? Personal trainers, once they have the best information, will allow you to achieve what you want.
Motivation
One-to-one sessions also provide Lifegyms’ clients with greater motivation.
The client is constantly monitored, motivated and supported to steer him/ her towards the agreed goals in a safe, effective and efficient manner.
People have told me that having to keep an appointment means they are more likely to work out than if they were just going to the gym on their own.
People often give up because they dont have the correct guidance
Goal Achievement
This is very much a goal-oriented service and focuses on each individual. (As opposed to the alternative method of joining a public gymnasium and being left very much to your own devices).
So at the start we discuss your goals so we know what we are setting out to achieve and we design your programme accordingly.
Supervised Instruction
A qualified fitness instructor who is specifically qualified and experienced in the area of personal training supervises the clients’ overall routine, as well as each workout.
Privacy
You can train in a private environment, which suits people who may feel self conscious about training in a crowded Gym.
Safe-Injury Prevention
Our programmes are geared to achieve results and with one-to-one attention our clients train in a controlled environment each and every time they work out. This dramatically reduces the prospect of picking up injuries as a Personal Trainer will take any injuries / illnesses into account when writing your routine.
Time-Effective
With our training programme, you get results without spending every waking hour in the gym. 3 x 20 or 30 minutes sessions a week with some changes to your diet (and that doesn’t mean eating grass!!) and very soon you’ll see changes.
So what is personal training?
Basically it is working with the client on a one to one basis on a training and nutrition plan.
The services offered are supervised training and nutrition plans to help the individual achieve their desired goals such as:
Weight loss
Weight-gain and muscle building
Tone up
Sports specific training
Aerobic conditioning
Endurance training
Energy increase
Explanation of service
First of all I will give you a brief outline of my service.
At Lifegym we train clients in our fully equipped Personal Training Studio on a one-to-one basis in all areas of improving Body Shape, Weight Loss, Health & Fitness.
The service provides the client with a personalised nutrition and exercise programme.
We ensure your fitness plan fits into your lifestyle and not the other way around.
We use resistance training that re-shapes the body and can also provide clients with an aerobic type workout.
This also boosts your metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories while increasing your energy.
We can also create training programmes to suit any individual of any age, male or female.
The Procedure:
When the client comes in first of all we go through a Lifestyle Questionnaire.
This gives us information like what your goals are, if you have any injuries or illnesses, if you are on any medication, have any allergies etc. etc. etc…
The first step is to find out what your goals are. You may already have a clear idea of this. If so, that’s great. If not I will be able to assist you in defining these.
We also go through an assessment to find out our starting point.
We can begin by checking your things like your weight and (if you wish) body fat percentage.
This can assess the different areas of fitness such as aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility. Please bear in mind that because this is Personal Training we take things at your own level and the assessment is quite easy and non-strenuous.
We also do a Posture Analysis, which can also assist us when writing the routine.
This serves as a basis, along with your goals, for me to write your personalised routine. It also serves a baseline for comparison. In other words, when you have gone through about 4 weeks of training we can do the same tests again and see the results.
All this information allows us to write your Personalised Training Plan.
We also go through your current dietary habits and make some changes if necessary.
Tony is also qualified to provide clients with a personalised diet designed for their individual lifestyles and goals. This is a point that is often overlooked when providing the client with an overall health/fitness programme and will aid the clients exercise efforts in maximising their results.
Resistance Training
There are numerous reports to show that weight-training programme was found to have been one of the most successful ways of getting into shape. And not just that, there were plenty of other benefits too. For example, improved libido (more testosterone in your system), higher energy and drive, better complexion, better concentration spans and interestingly, a powerful anti-ageing tool. Not bad for working out on a few machines.
It is possible to get into shape at any age. But very often you will need some help in getting there. Unfortunately, life doesn’t wait around for anyone so why not get up now and make a commitment to getting into your ideal shape. All it takes is a phone call. Then, given time, you’ll be watching TV programmes with your own six-pack rather than a canned version.
Who is this Personal training service for?
Well basically it is for everyone because I take your own condition and goals into account and work to a personalised plan designed just for you. On an ongoing basis I will progress the training as appropriate and this may differ from person to person.
Summary
T o summarise:
The benefits of a healthy lifestyle that involves proper nutrition and training are:
· Improved physical and mental energy
· Improves body shape
· Increased fitness
· Prevention of illness and injury
· Improves mental health / reduces stress
· Slows down the aging process
· When training, best results are achieved with short resistance training workouts
· Regarding diet, eat foods as close to nature as possible
· Avoid processed foods
· Keep sugars to a minimum
· Avoid ‘starvation’ diets / severe calorie restricted diets
· Personal Training, where you train one-to-one with a Professional Fitness Coach, is the best way to get results as it focuses on your current situation, condition & Goals and gears your Programme with this in mind
· It is also good for Motivation & Reducing time spent working out and also helps prevent injury
Now you can get all the benefits of Personal Training by simply logging on to our main site www.lifegym.ie
For further details on all lifegym’s services please phone 00353-42-9354992 or contact us via the web site www.lifegym.ie
