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Personal trainer Bromley, West Wickham, Beckenham, Petts Wood and Orpington.
Exercise has been a mixed bag for many of us. Some have kept going with their personal trainers online using skype or zoom, others have opted to start running. Many are using the extra time to walk with family or friends more often (albeit at a 2 metre distance). During the first lockdown back in 2020 many people went online for home workouts, of course many jumped around with Joe Wicks (jealous hiss splatters my screen!!). But since that time, the novelty of those things have likely started to fall for some. Not just because we crave variety, or need better results, but because a sense of never-ending lockdown hangs over our heads like a dark cloud.
Personal Trainer Bromley - My Tips
As a personal trainer in Bromley and Orpington, I can tell you that exercise can help and has helped my clients get through. I used to be more of a mobile personal trainer, visiting a range of clients in Orpington, Bromley and Kent. But, during the lockdown, I have transitioned to do more online health coaching and personal training. Now, we all know that exercise helps improve happy hormones like serotonin to produce more, but it also helps it to synthesise serotonin too, meaning it does not just release more happy hormones from exercise but produces more serotonin even when you are not exercising. We are all getting battered by a triple threat of limited movement, limited human contact and huge uncertainty and that is having serious impact of peoples physical and mental health and will likely be the next pandemics.
I will be honest, I am about to give you 5 tips to get you back on the road to a healthier body, these are nothing you won’t know, but it isn’t about what you know that makes you look and feel good, its about what you do. So, don’t brush them off as obvious, of course they are obvious. Use them as a chance to start taking control of what you can control. Your health and fitness.
Personal Trainer Bromley - Tip 1: Be predictable
I am sure you have heard the saying by your personal trainer or fitness friend that ‘consistency is king’. Meaning you need to keep exercising and eating a good diet; not just for a period, but for a way of life. The issue is uncertainty is consistency's ugly brother, always bullying our consistency to start flaking out and quit! It is time to kick uncertainty to the curb.
Take these steps to becoming more predictable:
Step 1: Find the time you can exercise, even if its just 7 minutes. Write down the time, days and length in your diary and block it out. Tell whoever you need to tell about it and stick to it.
Step 2: Find the right workout plan for you. If you are unsure feel free to ask me what you think is best either below in the comments or email me here and ill try to help.
Step 3: Tick it off as you go. Literally have a physical diary and tick each day you complete. Even when you do not do it. The important part is the action helps you to keep consistent and remember ‘consistency is king’.
Personal Trainer Bromley - Tip 2: Go to bed
When life gets us down it’s common to stay awake looking on social media, binging on Netflix and convincing ourselves that we need this ‘chill time’ as we are overwhelmed and stressed out. It may be true that it feels good to have this time alone, a type of release from the harsh reality we all face. The issue is it is feeding the anxiety animal. Yes, I said it. When we lack sleep we release more stress hormones that make us have lower happy hormones, it’s linked to more weight gain and can make us feel anxious and overwhelmed. So, you see, when you break the pattern and get a good night sleep you will feel the need to binge far less as you will feel less overwhelmed.
Also, my highest number of training cancellations from clients comes from a bad night sleep! In fact, as I write this, I realised I have had 3 of my Bromley personal training clients cancel just today as they didn’t sleep well last night. Take these steps:
Step 1: switch off from technology about 1 hour before bed. Blue light will impact your sleep hormones and effect sleep quality.
Step 2: go to bed around 10:15pm ready to sleep by 10:30pm every night (including weekends)
Step 3: Set an alarm from around 6:30-7am and get up first time it goes off. You can add some minutes or take some away to find your perfect duration but try to be consistent with your bed routine.
Pro tip: taking magnesium before bed has been shown to improve sleep quality.
Personal Trainer Bromley - Tip 3: Plan your day the night before
When you plan it helps to prep the brain ahead of time meaning you help yourself to avoid those moments of: What shall I eat, what workout should I do, who am I… p.s. the last one was just me checking you were taking it all in!! Plan in a diary and tick as you go, that will make you feel productive and in control.
Personal Trainer Bromley - Tip 4: Keep it fresh
Try something that you have not done before. Perhaps set yourself different exercise routines. You can find many simple one-off ones to try on YouTube or ask your personal trainer to do these for you.
Day 1: 30 minute beginner yoga – front room
Day 2: Core work out – garden
Day 3: Weights workout – 20 minute circuit
Day 4: 7 minute mornings workout – free access here
Day 5: couch to 5k
Day 6: Dance workout
Day 7: Rest
I always say to my clients, when it's freezing cold and raining in the middle of a Bromley park: "when you have something new, that will challenge your body and help everyday to feel different it will likely teach you things about your body, like what muscles or stretches you need to do more of and so on". Either way, try new routine to keep your body and brain learning and improving and maintain the excitement and motivation.
Bromley Personal Trainer - Tip 5: Track your progress
Having a weekly realistic target, like to lose 1lb or to run a little further, to complete one more workout and so on can really help. Having a diary to help track your fitness and health programme can really help you to keep consistent. I give a habit tracker diary to all of my local personal trainer and health coaching clients in Bromley and Orpington. They find this beneficial in tracking their progress.
Contact me for a free copy on my site HERE.
One day, this lockdown will end, we will be in control of our environment again, we will be able to see, hug and enjoy the company of others. When that day comes how do you want to be looking and feeling? Take the above steps or feel free to add any of your own below to help others, keep moving, keep feeding your body, mind and soul and stay positive as much as you can. Let us know which steps you will take to get fitter and healthier over the coming weeks.
For anyone that is struggling feel free to reach out to me here for help:
Email me at info@anthonydelamare.co.uk or contact me on my site here and I'll be happy to try to help.
To Your Health and Happiness
Anthony