Ask a Coach
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Do you have a burning fitness or nutrition question you’ve always wanted the answer to? Are you new to training and need a bit of advice? Maybe you’re confused by the mixed messages you’ve read online. If so, our Online Coaching Tips may be the solution you’re looking for. It will never replace the personalized coaching or the accountability factor you’ll get from a real life personal trainer, but it can help you get started.
You can ask absolutely anything to do with diet, fitness, goal setting, motivation, building muscle and more. No question is too silly or too complicated. We will post questions anonymously on our website so others may benefit from questions asked.
Please note, we aren’t doctors and can’t offer medical advice. If your question is beyond our expertise, we will advise you to speak to your GP or consultant.
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Here are the questions and answers to some of the more recent Ask A Coach submissions.
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How many days a week do I need to exercise?
How many days a week do I need to exercise?
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week for cardio-respiratory exercise (30-60 minutes of moderate intensity five days per week or 20-60 minutes of vigorous intensity three days per week). Resistance training should include training all major muscle groups 2-3 days per week. -
What should I eat before I workout?
Ideally, you should fuel your body about 1 to 4 hours pre-workout, depending on how your body tolerates food. Experiment and see what time frame works best for your body. If you’re a competitive athlete, this is something you need to explore during your training days and not during game day.
Here are some suggestions for pre-workout fuel:
A peanut butter and banana or PBJ sandwich
Greek yogurt with berries
Oatmeal with low-fat milk and fruit
Apple and peanut or almond butter
Handful of nuts and raisins (two parts raisins: one part nuts)Notice that each of these suggestions include some protein as well as carbohydrates. Carbs are the fuel. Protein is what rebuilds and repairs, but also “primes the pump” to make the right amino acids available for your muscles. Getting protein and carbs into your system is even more vital post workout.
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What should I eat after I workout?
After a competition or workout, focus on getting carbs and protein into your body. This gives your muscles the ability to replenish the glycogen they just lost through training and helps your tired muscles rebuild and repair with the available protein and amino acids. Try to eat within an hour of completing an intense workout.
Post-workout meals include:
Post-workout recovery smoothie (or post-workout smoothie made with low-fat milk and fruit)
Low-fat chocolate milk
Turkey on a whole-grain wrap with veggies
Low-fat yogurt with berries
The above offer mainly carbs, some protein and are convenient — with the first two liquid options also helping to rehydrate the body. -
How do I stay fit during the quarantine and avoid weight gain?
Weight gain is usually a combination of excess calories (from eating) and not expending enough through movement. It is a balance of both to maintain our body weight, so starting an exercise plan and making small modifications to eating habits as well.
For exercise plans, you need to find activities that you enjoy because that will help you stay with an exercise plan. During the stay at home orders, the options are definitely different. I am including some links for online programming. One is online Zoom classes taught by our Drop In instructors (live and recorded options) and the other is online resources from the fitness industry. What activities do you like to do? What were you doing before the stay at home order?
Generally a well-rounded exercise plan includes:
Strength training
-strength training should be done 2-3 non consecutive days per week, 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps, for each major muscle group
-body weight options like squats, lunges, tricep dips, push-ups, core work
-or get creative with making some weights—like your bookbag filled with some books (adjustable for what exercises you are doing—you want to make it slightly challenging: squats, lunges, overhead press, bicep curls, tricep extension, chest press), or grabbing something heavier that might be around your home such as gallon of water,
-strength training should include all major muscle groups 2-3 non-consecutive days per week
Cardiovascular exercise
-adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. (30-60 minutes of moderate intensity at least 5 days per week or 20-60 minutes of vigorous intensity at least 3 days per week)
-If going outdoors (walking/jogging/running/hiking) be sure to practice social distancing and to monitor your intensity.
-Online resources are provided in the links. One of the instructors put together HIIT workouts at home. She has a video clip of the exercise and the timer all ready for you!
With any exercise program, you want to be sure to include a warm up and a cooldown to your workout. This can be starting the movements with lighter or body weight, gentle stretching or building on the intensity of the workout.
The number 1 excuse for not exercising is time. So be sure to schedule your workout into your day/planner. Set aside a designated time to do your workout will help you maintain the fitness schedule.
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how I can lose the fat around the thigh? Are there any specific exercises or goals I can set for that?
No exercise will eliminate fat from a specific area of the body, just as no change in your level of caloric intake will guarantee that the fat will melt away in the area of the body you most want to address.
Targeting specific body areas during exercise is effective in building muscle and shaping/toning those areas, but it won’t help you lose fat in that specific area.