London-based private studio No1Fitness is responsible for transforming the bodies of some of the top City execs – helping them to juggle high-flying jobs with 5am workouts, lifting weights at lunchtime and protein balanced diets to excel not only on the gym floor but also on the trading floor.
A planned diet is a good diet
When it comes to your daily nutritional intake, better and worse decisions made throughout the week are always an option waiting to happen. By adding in some structure, such as planning ahead where you may be eating each lunchtime and evening meals can help you focus on days you may want to increase your calories slighter and add that dessert or cheese board. At No1 Fitness we look at calories over the course of a week rather than just “have you had a bad day?"
10,000 Steps and above
Making sure you are always staying mobile is crucial to keeping the bulge away. Generally speaking, people that have a higher level of NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) throughout the day will have a better chance of keeping un-wanted body fat off. These are actions that we wouldn’t put into the exercise category but involve us still using energy and, thus in this case, will be burning fat.
Hey Siri
In the age of the smartphone we are now best equipped with tools and technology to help and guide us. Apple’s Siri smartphone personal assistant is the perfect aid to get you moving and eating throughout the day. Try starting off with “Hey Siri, remind me at 2pm to grab some water”.
Drink more water
Generally speaking our bodies are pretty good at telling us when we need something and, with water, it’s pretty much the same thing. What’s more, drinking between 2-3 litres per day and also moving our body throughout the day is going to help hugely with hydration of everything within the body, especially our tissue health.
Sleeping for fat loss and stress management
Sleeping is key to any City slicker. The days of ‘I can operate on four hours sleep’ are long gone with numerous research showing productivity can be hugely affected by lack of sleep. Having a good amount of sleep will also help one of the body's stress hormones, cortisol, which is crucial to fat loss. If the cortisol stress hormone is floating around the body uncontrolled it can have a huge effect on losing the weight or maintaining the slick slimmer.
And breathe
Yes I said it. Meditate, why? Because even 20 minutes of breathing and meditation time through the day is a great way to find focus and mindfulness. No, you’re not a Shaolin Monk but you can certainly listen to some of their teachings. Breathing techniques are going to help the body tap into the PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System) which has a primary role of gut health. Keeping the gut healthy is a bonus as we want our foods to be digested and metabolised the right way. Try this simple technique – breathe in for seven seconds and out for 11 seconds and focus your mind on the breath. Repeat for 5-10 minutes.
Vary your training
Exercise is going to be the fundamental thing you need to add to your working week. That doesn’t mean you need to do bicep curls with Jonny in front of the mirror everyday but it does mean you’re going to have to get up and move. Here at No1 Fitness we deal with complete novices to professional athletes and we always recommend adding some variability to your training to avoid boredom. It’s great for not only keeping you motivated until you get your mind focused on something a little more structured such as one of our body transformation packages. Your week should consist of traditional training, adding in some high intensity mixed with some movement-based exercise that will help with your body’s health and longevity. Varying your training does not mean make it up as you go along though – have a structured plan of what you are doing for the next upcoming weeks.
Go for the fillet if knocking back a few glasses of Montes
When drinking wine and having a nice juicy steak we want to ensure that the other food choices we make are good ones. Your body’s natural response is going to be that the liver metabolises the ethanol straight away as it enters your body. Whilst this is happening this will override the metabolism of any other macronutrients (protein, fats and carbohydrates), so ensure the protein you eat is nice and lean and go for the fillet.
Protein has the largest thermogenic effect of all the macronutrients creating more heat as your body metabolises it – leaving less energy as the end product. So keep in mind when you are having a drink to opt for lean proteins rather than starchy carbohydrates and fats. This will result in less energy being stored in adipocyte cells (fat cells).
L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is definitely a ‘go to’ for the team at No1 Fitness. We don't advocate shoving large amounts of supplements down your throat because in reality a lot of them do not work. We do however, believe in a good quality fish oil if you’re not eating enough fish and, of course, L-glutamine. This powerhouse will not only help with muscle building and recovery but will also help with any sort of gut digestion problems that may be occurring.
Fasting the right way
Research has shown that populations with a reduced amount of calories tend to live longer. If living longer doesn’t tickle your fancy then you should still look at fasting as it’s a great way to manage your weekly caloric intake. As mentioned, we look at calories over the course of the week rather than just daily, so add a 16-hour fast (e.g. don’t eat past 8pm the night before and then eat again at midday) which means that you’ve in essence cut a certain amount of calories for that week giving you some headspace and room to enjoy some additional food later in the week.
Ultimately your weight loss journey and weight management is going to have a lot to do with your caloric intake throughout the week. There’s no need to go on an extreme diet that you’ll never sustain after you’ve finish BUT you will have to take control of this and look at how it can be managed and sustained. At No1 Fitness we offer anything from a one-to-one consultation all the way through to 12 week full body transformations.
For more info, see No1Fitness.co.uk
