Try these 5 Yoga poses before bed time

March 9, 2017November 1, 2018 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

The importance of sleep surpasses the obvious involving lifting your mood and physically looking less tired. When you have difficulty sleeping at night, it affects your day to day life, wellbeing and even your weight. TruBe trainer Dipa Trivedi, who specialises in yoga, explains the different effects of sleep and how yoga can be a simple and effective solution to aid a peaceful night’s sleep.

I get a lot of feedback from most students saying “some days I can sleep and others I just wake up and cannot go back to sleep”… When I ask them why, the answer is ‘I am stressed or I feel hot or I don’t know why’.

Usually, having a good night’s sleep is a combination of several factors:

Physical fatigue
Mental state
Emotional wellbeing
Routine
Nutrition
Overall hormonal health

All of these factors are interconnected and getting the right balance is vital to having a continuous good night sleep.

Now it is different for everyone, so we cannot apply the same principles for all, however there is a baseline. Having a good night’s sleep is key to living a life with minimal illnesses. You might be in your 20’s or 30’s and think that it is okay to have 4 hours sleep and then catch up on sleep on weekend. However, as you are building a gap, this can be difficult to fill over time which may result in various health issues. If you observe a child, for example, they would sleep at least 10 hours a night. A working adult (from 22) should sleep an average of 7 hours a night to live long and well. Sleeping helps with memory recovery, focus, immunity and mental stability. Plus, it allows for muscle recovery and growth after sport and exercise.

There are various yoga sequences you can try to improve your general sleep.

MY 5 FAVOURITE RESTORATIVE POSES YOU CAN TRY:

1. Supta Badcharakan Asana

This works to improve the digestive system and blood circulation to the brain.

2. Supported Child Pose

This helps you let go of your day – as you are energetically turning your back to the world; as well as releasing tension from your shoulders to the lower back.

3. Legs Up the Wall

helps the circulation of both blood and lymphatic fluid.

4. Siddhasana – Simple Crossed Leg Pose

Focus on your breathing as this helps to stop the mind from wondering

5. Savasana

Lie down, start to let go of each limb and drift into relaxation

Performing these quietly, restorative poses can help calm your body and mind whilst relieving stress and anxiety.

Have a good night,

Dipa

Want more advice and fitness tips? Download the TruBe App and check out our expert trainers where you can book a session today!

Don’t forget that our TruBe trainers can come to you right in the comfort of your own home!

Burn Fat at Home in 10 Minutes

February 27, 2017November 1, 2018 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

In one of our recent blog post 5 Ways to Burn More Calories During a Workout, the more muscles you use, the more fat/sugar you will burn. Total body workouts where you choose big groups of muscles (complex exercises) are the most effective. Try these exercises that will get the whole body working:

KICK THROUGH:

Start in the box position with knees into hips. Drive the right leg out to the left, sitting back on the heel of your left leg. Return to the start position and repeat to the right.

WALK OUT:

This is great for your arms and abs! Start standing, drop hands to the floor and walk out as far as you can reach. Walk the hands back and stand. To progress add a jump or a jump and turn 180 in the air and walkout in the opposite direction.

CURTSEY LUNGES:

Great for the glutes! Squat down and bring your right leg behind the body and out to the side (8pm on the clock). Return to standing and repeat with the left leg (4pm on the clock). Again to progress, add a jump and rotate round facing the other way.

See how many reps you can do of each in a 40 second time frame. Rest for 20 seconds then repeat 5 times! Try these exercises with one of our trainers!

Post Workout Nutrition:

Always eat protein and a small amount of sugar from a natural source to help with recovery. Fruit is great source of sugar from a natural source. Also, remember to hydrate! We can lose at least 2 litres of water a day and even more when exercising. We need to replace this to keep the body functioning efficiently.

Sleep at least 7 hours a night to aid recovery. This can have a negative effect on hormones and cortisol release, which then stimulates fat storage, which we don’t want.

Don’t forget that our TruBe trainers can come to you right in the comfort of your own home! Try this workout with one of our trainers, anywhere anytime.

For more expert advice and workouts download the TruBe App today!

The Vegan Diet: Myths & Benefits

February 17, 2017November 1, 2018 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

Record numbers of people are turning to veganism in the UK. Vegans do not eat meat, dairy products, seafood and other foods and items that may include animal by-products. Vegans also do not wear leather, wool or anything tested on animals. This once much maligned lifestyle is now seen as trendy, with much of the food industry catching onto its increasing popularity. However, there are still some misconceptions. Our TruBe trainer Angela Rochester is here to clear things up!

Myths

You can’t get enough protein

Vegans are often asked ‘Where do you get your protein from?’

Protein is not just restricted to meat. Protein can also be obtained from foods such as tofu and tempeh. Other sources include grains, pulses, nuts and seeds. Eating a variety of these foods means a vegan can achieve the recommended daily amount of protein. Vegans can also build muscle on a plant-based diet; check out Torre Washington!

It’s Boring

The rise in vegan Instagram accounts shows the variety of meals that can be made. An internet search can provide a wide variety of alternatives. Do you miss pizza? Burgers? There are tasty vegan versions of these.

Vegans are Skinny and Automatically Healthy

Think carefully about the reasons for choosing to become vegan. Turning vegan will not help you with weight loss. Although it can certainly be very healthy, there are still highly processed vegan foods that contain a lot of sugar and salt which should be avoided to maintain a healthy weight.

Vegans lack energy

Vegans lack no more energy than those on other diets. However, they must check their intake of vitamin B12, which plays an important role in preventing anaemia and nervous system damage. It cannot be reliably sourced from a vegan diet but it can be obtained from fortified foods or taking B12 supplements. Gaining Iron from a vegan diet is also easy, if a wide range of fruit and vegetables are eaten. Include foods with vitamin C to further aid the absorption of iron. If you are unsure that you are gaining the right amount of nutrients from your diet, check with a doctor or dietician.

It takes a lot of planning

Just like any other diet or lifestyle, you need to plan what you eat in order to stay healthy. However, once you know what you need it becomes second nature!

Benefits

Health Benefits

Vegans can have lower levels of cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower risk of diabetes and lower body mass indexes. However, those who have these benefits also tend to have balanced diets and stay active.

Helping the planet

The main reason for many being vegan is their concern for animals and the environment. It is less of a drain on global food supply and is a great choice for those concerned with animal welfare.

Physical looks

Those who adopt a vegan diet often report that they have less acne prone skin, stronger hair and nails and the reduction of bad breath and body odor!

It is easy to transition into/try out

If you are thinking about becoming a vegan you don’t have to leap into it. You can gradually see what suits you and there is no need to feel guilty if you make mistakes or if you think it is not right for you.

Self-Awareness

It can lead to greater self-control as you cannot simply grab anything when shopping for food. You will gradually pay more attention to what you put into your body which has great health benefits in itself!

For more information check out these useful links:

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Vegetarianhealth/Pages/Vegandiets.aspx

https://www.vegansociety.com/

https://www.happycow.net/

Want to try veganism whilst keeping fit? No problem! Our TruBe trainers are here to help! Book a session tailored to your needs!

By Angela Rochester

How to get lean at home

January 28, 2016July 22, 2017 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

What is the secret to losing weight and toning up? Is there a big secret that you might be missing?!

As the title suggest, there is no secret!. We believe that you need to stop relying on the gym and start exercising at home! Realistically the 4 gym sessions you planned to do at the start of the week turns into 2 maybe 3 sessions.

To lose excess body fat you need to have a daily calorie deficit. This means that you need to use more calories than you consume every day. In order to make a difference over the week you then need to have this deficit at least 5 days a week.

Getting to the gym for an hour long session 5 times a week takes up a lot of time. By the time you’ve got to the gym got changed and got home it can be more like an hour and a half to 2 hours out of your day.

However these workouts don’t all have to be hour long sessions. You can burn around 300 calories during a 20 minute HIIT workout done in your own home. This could be all you need to create your daily caloric deficit and you don’t have to waste time packing your kit, traveling to and from the gym, with your own private shower and changing room at hand.

Try this 10 minute HIIT workout and see for yourself what can be done from your own living room.

Let us know how you get on with your HIIT workout!

Download our app and book a session with one of our highly rated trainers. Sessions are only £25, for a limited time only!

5 Top Tips to Achieving your fitness resolutions

January 15, 2016July 22, 2017 Alex CoombesLeave a comment

It’s that time of year again when everyone is talking about heath and fitness. Wherever you look there is advice and tips of how to get in shape. I want to simplify it all for you. It’s all about making small changes.

If you stick to these 5 simple tips, then you will be on your way to a healthier you:

Time Efficiency
Being efficient with your time it’s one of our most precious commodities. Knowing exactly what you have to do when you exercise will reduce workout procrastination.

Working out at home instead of the gym means that you you will save time going to and from the gym. You will avoid having to carry a wet towel around all day whilst wearing your crinkled shirt that you pulled out of your bag this morning.

To save time food shopping you can order boxes of organic and fresh ingredients with some awesome healthy recipes from Mindful chef. Use the promo code TRUBE50 for 50% off your first box!

Lifestyle
Alcohol is one of the barriers that gets in the way of achieving our dream bodies. If you still want to go out and have a drink with your friends then remember this. Gin and Vodka comes out as the lowest calorie option. Try these healthier options when drinking alcohol.

Gin and slimline tonic
Vodka, soda and lime

Exercise
The secret to good exercise is consistency. To get you started we have launched the TruBe Detox exercise program. All the workouts can be done from the comfort of your own home and are perfectly designed to blow away those holiday cobwebs.

Try week 1 for yourself:

Nutrition
Experience tells us that if we make small achievable changes to our diet, we are more likely to stick to it, rather than drastic fad diets that are not sustainable and potentially unhealthy.

Remember to eat protein and sugar after a workout to help with recovery. If you want to take supplements because it’s quicker and easier than eating straight after exercise, then there are some great products available from Super Vitality and as a friend of TruBe you can use the promo code TRUBE10 for 10%off all of their products.

Remember to hydrate! We lose at least 2 litres of water a day, even more when exercising. We need to replace this to keep the body functioning efficiently.

Sleep
Our body needs at least 7 hours a night to aid recovery. The lack of sleep can have a negative effect on hormones and cortisol release. Which then stimulates fat storage.

If you need any help with your at home workouts then why not get one of our trainers to come to you. Download the app.

Andy Hall – UK Master Trainer