New Year, New You

As the 2012 London Olympics is now in sight, what better time to make – and stick to – those resolutions to get fitter. Follow this handy guide to achieve a healthier and happier New Year

1 Set realistic goals – to change your habits 100 per cent is nearly impossible to stick to. Introduce changes one at a time. Accustom your body to these minor changes and before you know it you will be eating healthier, and feeling fitter.

2 Keep to ‘Natural Foods’ – if it didn’t once swim, fly or run away and you can’t pick it out of the ground or off of a tree, then try not to eat it! We are still genetically set up to eat like our caveman ancestors. High amounts of protein and fat stabilise blood sugar levels promoting fat loss.

3 Minimise grain consumption – they make insulin levels rise sharply, causing silent inflammation, increased storage of body fat and are linked to many diseases.

4 Calorie counting is one of the biggest problems in today’s society. Forget the calories and start looking at the sugar in what you’re eating. An Increase in sugar = insulin spikes = storage of fat.

5 Eat Fat – having a high consumption of healthy fats, such as avocado, olives, nuts and seeds, will actually help you to lose weight.

6 Keep carbohydrate intake down – under 100g a day ideally. Fuel your day off of fat (nuts, seeds etc). Take carbs from vegetables. For optimum results keep fruit minimal in your diet as it is high in fructose.

7 Try to consume a gram of protein for every pound of body weight. Exercise, especially weight training (which is optimum for burning fat) will cause muscle breakdown, and an insufficient amount of protein will hinder any muscle growth. Long, slow distance cardio will only make you weaker due to muscle loss.

8 Train with resistance as much as possible, use large multi-joint compound movements. The more muscle used the more weight you can lift, the more effective your training will be. This does not mean body building. You will NOT build muscle unless you train and eat to do so over a long period of time.

9 Interval training and circuit-based training is far more effective than slow, steady cardio for weight loss, running for an hour on average will burn 400 calories, you can do this in under 20 minutes with high intensity training. We didn’t evolve working at 60-70 per cent of our maximum heart rate for 30-40 minutes – do what we’re built to do and the results will speak for themselves.

10 Fitness should be a natural part of life and not a chore, so try to make it as fun as possible so that you stick to your new plan. Why not try a dance class or enquire about local fitness classes to suit you. You are bound to find one you like and you could make new friends at the same time.

Words kindly supplied by the Barcel� Combe Grove Manor Hotel, Monkton Combe, nr Bath