Twelve Week Fitness and Nutrition Programme for Women: Real Results - No Gimmicks - No Airbrushing

590 Pages·2014·37.64 MB·English

by  Morey

CONTENTS
Introduction
1 Healthy Lifestyle Versus Unhealthy Lifestyle
2 Knowing Your Body Inside and Out
3 Healthy Eating
4 Training Basics and Set-Up
5 Let’s Get Started
6 Nutrition Plans and Training Sessions
7 Anatomy and Exercises
8 Release the Pressure: Massage and Stretching
INTRODUCTION
My name is Gavin, and I am a personal trainer. I created the Twelve Week Fitness
and Nutrition Programme, tailoring one for women and one for men – both with
amazing results.
(cid:1037)e Twelve Week Fitness and Nutrition Programme for Women has been designed to show you how to
change your body and lifestyle for the be(cid:1063)er in just 12 weeks. (cid:1037)is book is for those who want to change,
and with this programme change will be inevitable. But how much you change is up to you.
How
does
the
challenge
work?
I noticed that most other 12-week programmes available on the market showed very unrealistic ‘before’ and
‘a(cid:1052)er’ shots, completely unachievable for the average person. I wanted to design a simple, achievable
programme that anyone could follow in their own home, and that would be believable and possible for
anyone willing to give it a try. It was important not to have any of the photos retouched, so what you see in
this book is 100 per cent real. No gimmicks, no airbrushing, real results.
We used a home gym, bike, home health checks (glucose test, cholesterol test and blood pressure kit),
other health tests readily available on the internet (fat percentage monitor, callipers, tape measure and peak
flow meter), bleep tests, plumb line to check posture, and a home-made photo studio.
(cid:1037)ere are over 55 workouts in this book, with pictures of every aspect of the training, plus weekly
pictures of Alison herself to show her progress throughout the programme. Over 80 of the exercises
performed in this book are illustrated, each with a label explaining its purpose and how to perform it
effectively.
Will
the
12-week
programme
work
for
me?
(cid:1037)e simple answer is it will work for anyone who wants to give it a go. Having done it herself, Alison is
living proof that it works.
Let me now introduce you to Alison. I chose her to complete the programme as she is fairly typical of
someone who wants to look and feel good, lose a bit of weight and become more toned. She works in a
leading spa and knows how important it is to look a(cid:1052)er yourself. With irregular shi(cid:1052) pa(cid:1063)erns and li(cid:1063)le
spare time, however, she found going to the gym difficult, although she did play volleyball once or twice a
week.
When I asked Alison if she would be my model for the 12-week challenge, her immediate reaction was a
de(cid:1048)nite no. However, when I offered to give her the (cid:1048)nal say on the book a(cid:1052)er she’d completed the
challenge, Alison finally agreed. And I’m delighted to say that she was over the moon with the results.
I needed to start Alison’s training slowly and gradually build it up as, like most people, she’d had no
previous experience of training. We began by introducing her to full body workouts with weights, and by
gradually upping her walking to running. I then chose to incorporate weights to give Alison some shape
and tone. (cid:1037)e cardio training improved her (cid:1048)tness levels and decreased body fat. Finally, I introduced
circuit training to reduce her body fat further, improve her cardio and increase her muscular endurance.
Although the training programme was a factor in ge(cid:1063)ing Alison’s body into shape, it was just as
important for her to follow a sensible nutrition plan. Without following the nutrition plan, the results
would not have been so impressive.
Injury
and
disclaimer
Muscles and injuries are my (cid:1048)eld of expertise, but before you begin any hard and strenuous exercise you
should consult a GP. This is only to have reassurance from the medical field.
01 HEALTHY LIFESTYLE VERSUS
UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE
(cid:1037)is book is here to show you the truth behind poor (cid:1048)tness programmes, faddy diets,
fake photos and imagined results. To achieve your ultimate goal it takes effort, hard
training, a healthy balanced diet, lifestyle changes and commitment.
In this chapter we look at how many times you will be training a week, and look
behind the scenes at Alison’s training plan. We shall also be taking a quick look at why
Alison decided she wanted to change both her body and her lifestyle.
Alison’s progress is shown through weekly photos, and weekly (cid:1048)tness and health
tests. You will be guided step by step through all the training sessions, training
principles and exercises in her personal diaries.
BEFORE THE CHALLENGE
What
was
Alison’s
lifestyle
like
before
taking
the
challenge?
‘Although I have quite a small body frame, at the age of 18 I gained weight by gorging on sweet things and
tortilla chips. Combine this with eight years of si(cid:1063)ing full time behind an office desk, and the result was a
considerable amount of cellulite and chubbiness around my hips and thighs. Eventually this crept up to my
waist too. I decided to join an outdoor pursuits club, eat fairly sensibly and work out playing volleyball a
couple of times a week. However, I never really shifted much weight.
‘I then decided to change my career path, which involved irregular shi(cid:1052) work. (cid:1037)is made it really hard to
form regular eating and (cid:1048)tness routines. Eventually I had to give up my (cid:1048)tness club as it clashed with my
work shi(cid:1052)s. I would work most weekends, and never had quality time with friends and family. It wasn’t long
before I became very unhappy with myself.
‘I suffer from asthma and it can be triggered by vigorous exercise, so I never really pushed my body past
any pain barriers. My view was when I felt tired, I would stop. However, now I realise that the (cid:1048)(cid:1063)er I am, the
less I’m held back by my asthma. Now I feel so much healthier, and it is all thanks to Gavin and the Twelve
Week Fitness and Nutrition Programme for Women.’
How
did
Alison
feel
about
the
way
she
looked
and
felt?
‘I felt so ashamed of myself and the damage I had done to my body – especially my thighs and general
health. With excess weight and cellulite, I never felt confident wearing a bikini, and when Gavin asked me to
wear one to show my progress in this book, I immediately said “NO!”
‘I was self-conscious about my body and never liked the shape of it, particularly the (cid:1051)abby bits. I was
o(cid:1052)en tired and exhausted, and always put this down to working too much and doing shi(cid:1052)s with silly hours.
I thought this was normal and that this was how everyone felt, but now I realise it was because I was un(cid:1048)t,
unhealthy and stuck in a rut.
‘I never gave my posture any consideration at all, I thought my body was the way it was because it was
supposed to be like that. However, I did notice a considerable difference to my neck area a(cid:1052)er working for
eight years at a desk with incorrect ergonomic desk se(cid:1063)ings – my neck curved, forming a slight hump. Also,
I suffered from regular lower back pain.’
What
did
Alison
used
to
eat?
‘I didn’t think I had that bad a diet before starting the 12-week programme. I like my sweet foods and
would enjoy these as a comforter. I would always have breakfast, but either toast or cereals that are meant to
be good for you. But I’ve since found out that they are high in sugar.
‘As I am allergic to dairy I have never eaten any dairy products, so that was never too much of an issue
with me. For lunch I would eat a sandwich or food provided for me at work. (cid:1037)ese meals tended to be high
in carbohydrates, such as chips, jacket potatoes or pasta, and I would always (cid:1048)nish with a sweet pudding of
some sort.
‘Again, I would snack during shi(cid:1052)s with li(cid:1063)le cakes, sweets and crisps, and for dinner I enjoyed eating
pasta and quite hearty and simple foods at home. However, when I was on shi(cid:1052) work, I would eat pre(cid:1063)y
much the same as lunch. I love to bake and so if I had a sweet craving, I would bake something sweet and
devour the lot. Again, I know that this is one of my biggest downfalls.
‘I thought my diet was normal, but these foods eaten regularly over a period of 10 years or more made
me overweight and extremely uncomfortable. Since doing my challenge, my diet has become much more
balanced and varied thanks to Gavin’s recipes.’
BEHIND THE SCENES
(cid:1037)is is as real as it gets. By taking you into Alison’s life, with real pictures and results, this book shows you
that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.
I (cid:1048)nd it hard looking through the various health and (cid:1048)tness books and magazines that show these
amazing results in just two weeks. (cid:1037)ese books promise you the earth, and to follow their diet normally
consists of you following a bodybuilder’s pre-contest diet. Of course this type of diet works, but trust me, I
have trained a fair few amateur bodybuilders in my time and they do not follow this type of diet all year
round.
Even now, you can see ‘before’ and ‘a(cid:1052)er‘ pictures that are just unrealistic. (cid:1037)ey either look like they are
completely different people, heavily airbrushed, or you can see that the photos have been taken a(cid:1052)er a far
greater length of time than is claimed.
On a serious note, it is never good to lose weight too quickly as your body needs time to adapt to its new
routine. Remember, with the yo-yo diet you will always end up pu(cid:1063)ing on more body fat than you (cid:1048)rst
started with.
Fake
tan
or
real
tan?
I am against the use of fake tan in our photos as it goes completely against our ethos of no gimmicks. Alison
has never used fake tan as she prefers the sun. (cid:1037)e reason why you can see Alison becoming more tanned
week by week was because we trained outdoors, where possible, during the summer months.
Remember, the sun is really vital for a healthy lifestyle and it gives our body lots of vitamin D. (cid:1037)is is
essential to help absorb and use calcium within our bodies, and it helps our immune system. Too much
sun, however, can damage our skin and cause health concerns, so it is really important to use sun protection
when you are outside for long periods or if UV levels are very high.
Real
pictures
or
airbrushed
pictures?
I need you, as the reader, to understand what it actually takes to get into shape, and if we ended up
airbrushing any of the pictures we would be cheating not only ourselves but also you by showing
something that cannot be sensibly achieved.
The style of these pictures is based on the photos you normally see in fitness magazines. The difference with these photos is that when you look
closely, you will see Alison’s flaws and blemishes – no airbrushing. These pictures are taken before and after Alison completed the 12-week
challenge. What a difference.
Photographs
We chose to take photographs weekly to show you exactly what happened to Alison’s body and what could
happen to yours. Also, by taking weekly photos we can prove that the before and a(cid:1052)er photos were not
separated by a longer period, so that you can follow Alison’s progress with accuracy. Alison’s photo was
taken weekly and taken at approximately the same time of day to give you the truest results possible.
I decided not to use a professional photographer, but to take the photographs myself. (cid:1037)is provides you
with realistic view of Alison, as she has no special lighting or make-up to hide behind.
SUPPLEMENTS
I’m not sure why so many books say you have to drink meal replacement shakes and/or use supplements to
reach your dream physique. (cid:1037)at is a load of rubbish, and it angers me because this is not the case. You can
achieve the body you want without any supplements, as Alison has in this book and I did in the men’s
book.
If you do choose to take supplements alongside your (cid:1048)tness and nutrition plan, please buy the best
quality ones you can. I’m not against supplements, just the misuse of them. If you use them sensibly, they
can aid in achieving your dream physique, but only if used alongside a balanced and healthy diet (or if you
have a deficiency of some sort). Provided they are accredited, you should achieve excellent results.
In the next chapter, you will get to know your body inside and out, by recognising your body’s health
signs. You will start to understand how a poor diet or de(cid:1048)ciency in vitamins or minerals can affect you. If
you are suffering from a de(cid:1048)ciency, then by all means either try eating the right foods or take supplements.