It’s well known that professional athletes have a strict nutritional diet enhanced by various supplements to maximise the results from their training.
Avid gym goers & prosumers have been using products such as protein, anabolic and nutrition supplements for years to improve the results from their training. While many products are proven to be beneficial, it’s wise to use peer reviewed and professionally recommended products only, and to be realistic with expectations, there are no shortcuts to your dream body.

Protein sources

Muscle fuel. The base materiel for your body’s own maintenance program. How much protein should you intake? What types of protein are best? Is it better to get protein powder mixes or to improve your diet to include a more suitable level of protein?

You should be consuming between 1.3g and 2.3g of protein per kilo of your body mass from all sources (supplements and your diet), this is an appropriate amount for your body, too much protein, and your liver will remove it from your bloodstream like any other excess, too little and your body will not gain muscle mass or repair itself effectively.

Arguably the best measure of quality for protein, both from supplements and foods is its BV value. This is the percentage of protein consumed which is actually absorbed, retained & used in the body. Certain foods, for example eggs have a very high BV value (100), while other high protein foods such as beans and legumes have a much lower BV (approx. 49). One advantage of supplements, is the protein you ingest generally has a very high BV value compared to most protein rich foods.

Different types of protein are ideal for different workout routines. Whey protein is a fast digested protein suitable for intake shortly before and after exercise. Casein/milk proteins are a more balanced, time released protein effective for the whole day.

Consuming small frequent meals is the optimal way to eat, regardless if your goal is muscle gain or fat loss. To keep your body constantly in positive nitrogen balance, you should consume a complete protein every three hours of exercise, protein bars and shakes are ideal for this.

Protein supplements are effective because they give you a good source of protein and can be combined with a low calorie diet for effective fat loss and muscle gain. The biggest advantage of protein supplements is convenience. It’s easier to drink a protein shake or bar than it is to buy, prepare, and cook whole foods.

Protein from healthy foods such as eggs, lean meats, vegetables, seeds and nuts is effective in that you are consuming complete proteins which are nutritionally balanced with carbohydrates, oils, vitamins & minerals. A significant way proteins from whole foods are more effective than supplements is that they stimulate the metabolism more, this is known as the “thermic effect”. However, it is recommended to consume protein every three hours or so, for many people, cooking and making time to eat this often is nearly impossible. This is why consuming a healthy amount protein from both food and supplement sources is ideal for the active lifestyle.

Recommended calorie intake

General physical activity

30-40 minutes/day, 3 times a week

Normal diet,

1 800-2 400 calories

Moderate levels of intense training

2-3 hours/day, 5-6 times a week

2 500-7 000 calories

High-volume intense training

3-6 hours/day, 1-2 sessions/day, 5-6 times a week

3500-8 000 calories

Nutrition

Carbohydrates – Best source: unrefined grains.

Fats – Best sources: avocados, olives, nuts and oily fish.

Minerals – Best sources: Fresh fruit and vegetables, supplements such as one a day mineral tablets

Proteins – Best sources: Meats, fish, eggs, pulses, nuts, seeds, soya products and supplements.

Roughage (Fibre) – Oats, wheat bran, lentils, wholegrain cereals, beans, dried fruits.

Vitamins – Best sources: Fresh fruit and vegetables, supplements.

Water – It’s important to drink plenty of water, especially when training, water is essential to maintaining a healthy body during heavy exertion. You can mix water with a small amount of sugar and salt to make a cost effective electrolyte solution.

Performance supplements

The following supplements are proven to increase exercise performance.                                  

• L-arginine boosts aerobic endurance.

• Beta-alanine enhances anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance.

• Caffeine improves endurance and reaction time.

• Creatine increases performance in strength and power events.

• Nitrate advances aerobic endurance exercise.

• Alkalinising agents (sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate) increase anaerobic exercise performance.

The following supplements are tested to be not effective or are dangerous to use:

Glutamine, Smilax, Isoflavones, Sulphopolysaccharides, Boron, Chromium, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), Gamma Oryzanol, Prohormones, Tribulus Terrestris, Vanadium, Calcium Pyruvate, Chitosan,

L-carnitine, Phosphates, Herbal diuretics, Ribose and Inosine.3

Dulwich Health Club strongly recommends you check with your GP and a reputable website such as www.webmd.com or www.supplementreviews.com for expert information and advice before using any supplements.

Running really is great exercise, but I think the majority of us can agree on the fact that it’s not

usually the most exciting. Some people love to run and could just keep going all day. If that’s you,

we salute you. For the rest of us, though, this top rated workout can get pretty old pretty quick.

Here are some tricks we’ve come up with to help you beat the boredom:

1.Set distance goals. Maybe this week, your goal is just one kilometre. Next week, though, you can

make it two or three kilometres. As you keep adding onto your final goal, you’ll want to keep

running to finally accomplish it. Similar to training for a long distance run, it’s that end number that

keeps you motivated. Start and slow and build your way up to a good distance.

2. Run with a friend. Whether he or she is on the treadmill next to you, or you’re running outside

together, having a friend makes running so much more entertaining. You can talk about what you

did this past weekend, gossip about the latest news you heard, or share all the details about that

date you went on last night (well maybe not all the details, but you get the idea). Talking and

running can be difficult, though, so make sure you stay at a pace that won’t cause you to have an

asthma attack halfway through. Even just the silent company of a friend can be motivating enough

to help make running better.

3. Try an interval run. Instead of the same boring speed the entire run, switch it up a little. Not only

will this distract you from watch the seconds go by on the clock, but it’s actually really healthy for

you and will help get you in seriously good shape. It doesn’t have to be a complicated workout, just

begin with a warm up and then switch back and forth between hard and easy running about every

two minutes. Don’t forget to end with a cool down run for five minutes.

4. Listen to a book. Not everyone loves to read, but almost everyone can find some book that they

find interesting. Download the audio version of it onto your iPod and start running. Instead of

basing your run on time or distance, you can commit yourself to run for a certain number of

chapters.

5. Zone out. Since you’re on a treadmill, you don’t have to have the same concentration that you

would if you were to run outside. You don’t have to think about anything except moving your legs.

Get into a rhythm and try to block out everything around you. The treadmill may not be quite as

relaxing as yoga, but it’s definitely possible to enter into a peaceful state and enjoy your run.

6. Switch up your playlist. I don’t care how much you love Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke or the new

Tom Odell album, at some point you need to change it up. You can only listen to the same playlist

for so long. After a while of running with the same songs playing over and over, you’ll actually

probably start to hate the songs. Save yourself from ruining good songs by changing playlists

frequently and putting your iPod on shuffle. Don’t forget to keep the songs upbeat and motivating!

7. Reward yourself. It’s important to reward yourself but don’t think that this means run to the

fridge and eat chocolate cake as soon as you finish a good run. Rewards can include little gifts to

yourself like going to see a movie, buying a new CD, or getting a new pair of sneakers. Spending

money every time you run would be ridiculous though, so save the bigger rewards for when you

accomplish tougher goals. Meeting smaller goals can be rewarded through watching a guilty

pleasure show on TV or just taking a long, relaxing shower without worrying about time. Simple

things can be good motivators; just knowing that you have something to look forward to after your

run can help you push through it.

8. Watch a movie or a TV show. With all of the streaming and downloading capabilities there are

these days, it’s really easy to watch shows on your phone, mp3 player, or tablet. Use your run as

time to catch up on your favourite shows or part of a movie that you’ve been wanting to see.

Watching TV engages your brain to forget about running and focus on the show. It makes time go a

lot quicker, and is my personal favourite boredom beater when I run on the treadmill!

9. Try a different machine. Maybe you’re not necessarily bored with running, but you’re bored of

the treadmill. The elliptical and bike don’t have the exact same benefits as the treadmill, but they

have other advantages, such as less stress on your knees. Rotating between different cardio

machines each week can help you fight off getting into a boring routine. You can use the elliptical

one day and the treadmill the next. If you get bored really easily, try switching up machines within

the same workout. Warm up on the elliptical, run on the treadmill, and cool down on the bike. The

options to keep your cardio interesting are endless!

10. Go outside! While I’m the first to choose running on the treadmill over going outside, there are

some benefits to doing cardio outside of the gym. Running outside allows you to see different areas,

houses, nature, people, animals, you name it. You can change up your route or turn different

directions whenever you want, which definitely keeps the run entertaining. Be careful when you run

outside though; avoid running at night, be sure you don’t get too lost, and maybe even bring a

friend. Going to the gym definitely has its advantages, but running outside sometimes can be a

really great change of pace.

We are happy to announce the beat buzzing class, which is a mixture of African Dance and Aerobics to beats from Africa will be gracing our gym this spring.

This class has been featured in chain Gyms across London for the past 7 years and we are glad to have Shaida on board

Watch this space!

Check them out!

www.afrobix.com