Fit for Life with Blair

I wanted to begin an entry talking about supplements by focussing on one of the most common in the fitness world. Creatine. Creatine is one of the most researched and widely used supplements in the fitness world—yet it’s also one of the most misunderstood. Whether you’re trying to build muscle, improve performance, or simply understand what you’re putting into your body, here’s a clear, evidence-based look at creatine, what it is, what it is not, and how it can be used. First, it is important to start with what creatine is. Creatine is a naturally occuring compound produced in small amounts by the liver, kidneys and pancreas. Most of your creatine is stored in your muscles, where it plays a key role in producing energy during short, high-intensity activities like sprinting or lifting weights. At the cellular level, creatine helps regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), your body’s primary energy currency. More available creatine means faster ATP replenishment—especially during explosi...

This year I hit the big 4-0. While I never thought that reaching a certain age would bother me that much as age is just a number as much as a milestone, it has focussed my attention on what I do and why I do it. My great-grandmother lived independently in her own home until 104, while my maternal grandfather is still going strong at 91, having been extremely active throughout his life. He still manages to cut his own hedge (don't tell my mum). However, my grandmother suffered a series of strokes which robbed her of independence in the last decade of her life, while with my paternal grandparents, my grandmother died of a heart attack at 72, and my grandfather suffered from vascular dementia in his later years. As I have gotten older, aspects such as these in my family tree have become much more prevalent in my thinking and my approach to, not only my own health and fitness, but how I work with clients. This way of thinking has also become the focus of my approach since reading Peter...

 Breathe Motherf****r Breathing is an essential component of, well, everything. Don’t breathe and things tend to go wrong pretty quickly. When it comes to moving heavy weights, how you breathe determines how stable the movement will be, and how much force you will be able to produce. In the fitness industry, at least when I was going through my level 3 qualification, you are taught to,‘breathe in on the way down/in, and breathe out on the way up/out.’ At the outset, this can be a good starting point for many beginner regressions of exercises and for using resistance machines. As well as when it comes to learning compound movements with lighter weights. However, it is not the ideal way for teaching breathing mechanics when it comes to maintaining stability under the heaviest weights. In the next section, I will highlight how to increase stability through the role of core bracing and intra-abdominal pressure. But first, I want to expand - pun intended - on how our breathing helps cre...

The last of the macronutrients to turn our attention to are carbohydrates. The main function of carbohydrates is to provide energy, and the majority of cells in the body will use carbohydrates and fats for this purpose. Only using protein when carbohydrates are limited for this purpose. Indigestible carbohydrates, known as fibre, are also critical for aiding gut function and health.  The government guidelines regarding nutrition recommend that the majority of our diet should be from carbohydrates, around 50-60%. However, I would take this figure with a pinch of salt - pun intended. While the total amount of carbohydrate intake will vary among person to person, an individual’s goals and the quality of carbohydrates should take precedence. As I’ve spoken about in other posts, when calculating macronutrient targets for clients, I always base the initial figure on on protein intake (between 2 and 2.8g per kg of lean mass in most cases), then factor in the fat intake, while the remainde...

  Let’s talk about Fats. In my last post, I wanted to outline the role of protein in the body, and why it is important. Now let’s turn our attention to another of the macronutrients in Fat. The role and importance of dietary fat is something that has had a substantial rethink in recent years. Categorised under organic compounds called lipids, part of the negative connotations surrounding fat centre on energy density. At 9kcal per gram, fats contain over double the number of calories to protein and carbohydrates. It was therefore reasonable to assume that limiting fat consumption would make it easier to reduce caloric intake. However, fat consumption does not make us fat. Consuming excess calories in comparison to energy output does. And demonising fat ignores the essential role fats play in our physiology. Specifically, fats are required for the formation of cell membranes and the transportation of vitamins; they constitute the majority of the central nervous system and spinal cord...

Let's talk about protein. Having covered the role of macronutrients, and their place in understanding our bodies energy needs for the purposes of fat loss. Understanding how each macronutrient works in the body, their role, and the best sources of nutrition for your targets is important. The aim for this post is to focus specifically on protein. - what it is. - what role it plays in the body. - how much you need, specifically when looking to build muscle and lose fat. This post will not specifically look at protein supplementation as this is something I will cover in more detail in a future blog entry. As a macronutrient, protein has three main roles within the body. Namely: - structural - homeostatic - fuel Proteins are essential for the growth, maintenance and repair of body tissue. It is a major part of every living cell and most tissues, such as skin, and - as will be discussed in more depth - muscle. The structural and physiological role of proteins in the body includes: hormo...