Intro

The quest for a healthy lifestyle requires a great amount of dedication and commitment. Above all, individuals should set themselves achievable and healthy targets which require progressive changes to their activity levels and nutritional routine. There isn’t a crash diet or quick fix on the planet that will help you achieve long term and sustainable body shape goals, so it is important from the off set to understand that hard work is the only thing that will help you reach your target.

Whilst working hard in the gym is a major influence on any healthy lifestyle, there are a number of simple and easy to apply changes that you can make straight away. Consuming 5-6 small meals a day, only consume high GI carbohydrates around exercise, chew your food properly before swallowing, eat your fruit and veg and drop the unhealthy snacks between meals. They may sound obvious, but they are definitely effective.

Your Diet

The key to any healthy diet is to monitor the amount and type of calories you consume on a daily basis. From a volume perspective, consuming more calories than you burn off will ultimately result in weight gain. Unfortunately, those on a weight control diet tend to use the logic that missing a meal altogether is the best way to reduce calorie intake. Denying your body of a regular calorie intake can slow down your metabolism resulting in fewer calories burned throughout the day. Also, as your body is desperate for energy and you are refusing to supply it, you will go in to survival mode where your body will actually store more calories from your next meal, which can actually lead to weight gain.

From a type of calorie perspective, it is important to supply your body with a variety of nutrients to make up your daily calorie allowance. Eat small meals on a regular basis to keep your metabolism active and make sure you consume protein, low GI carbohydrates, fibrous vegetables and healthy fats.

Breakfast

• 1 bowl of porridge with skimmed milk
• 1 glass of fruit juice


• 1 portion of fruit


• 1 slice of wholegrain toast

Mid-morning snack

• ½ a wholegrain bagel with sugar free jam spread

Lunch

• 40g (uncooked weight) of whole-wheat pasta salad with chicken, tuna or ham in an oil dressing
• Portion of fruit
• 125g low fat yoghurt

Mid-afternoon snack

• A hand full of fresh or dried berries

Evening meal

• A portion of mixed vegetables or salad
• A 100g portion of lean red meat, chicken or salmon
• 40g (uncooked weight) of whole-wheat pasta or wholegrain rice

This meal plan is suggested for an average female and should be adapted to meet your individual requirements. When planning your diet you should always take into account your current state of health, activity levels and any special dietary requirements. Please ensure you consume plenty of water throughout the day. We do not advocate or promote any specific diet or nutritional plan apart from a varied and healthy diet.

Supplements

The following supplements have been recognised as being suitable to help achieve a balanced and healthy diet. These supplements should be taken alongside and in conjunction with the meal plan in the “Your Diet” section of Women’s Fitness.

Breakfast

• Krill Oil
• Elle Active Woman


• Trans-Resveratrol

Mid-morning Snack

• A handful of a variety of Natural Nuts

Mid-afternoon Snack

• 1 Elle Virtue Bar

Pre workout

• 1 bottle of ONE Isotonic, to be consumed throughout your workout
• Elle Thermopure

Post workout

• 1 serving of Elle True Diet

Evening meal

• Elle Active Woman

Training

The aim of this programme is to help you burn off excess body fat and promote the growth or maintenance of lean body tissue. Training should combine resistance exercise and cardiovascular exercise. The more lean tissue your body is made up of, the more calories you will burn during exercise. One thing to avoid is the concept that working a certain muscle, abdominals being a perfect example, will not result in reduced body fat around this muscle. You need to work all muscles evenly at the correct intensity.

This training programme is based on a frequency of 3-4 sessions per week. Attempt to have at least one day of rest in between each exercise session. Please seek the advice of a fitness professional regarding the correct form and technique of all the following exercises and ensure a thorough warm-up is performed before you start the programme and a thorough cool down is performed after the programme.

The intensity to which you work during this programme should be based on your current level of fitness. Resistance exercises should be moderate and should not elicit complete muscular fatigue upon completion of the specified sets and repetitions.

Day 1-4

Cardiovascular Exercise

Any cardiovascular exercise can be performed for a total of 45 minutes. Your cardiovascular exercise may be a single exercise or combination of exercises and can include running, swimming, cycling, rowing or any other rhythmic cardiovascular exercise.  Work should be performed at around 50-70% maximum heart rate. Try and vary your cardiovascular exercise as much as possible in order to avoid reaching early plateaus in your fitness levels.

We highly recommend seeking the advice of a medical expert before commencing any exercise routine. This training programme should be viewed as a guide only and should be adapted to meet your individual requirements and current level of fitness.

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