Recover quicker from your workouts!

We’ve all had that feeling the day after a hard leg workout or a long run where sitting down and walking up stairs is just no fun! But hey, when you go hard during your workouts, it’s bound to happen now and then. Thankfully, there are a few tried and true strategies you can use to help maximize recovery and minimize muscle soreness/cramping in the following days/sessions.

1)       Water – Muscles are largely made of water, so it makes sense that being hydrated will help your body recover after a session. Make sure you get enough, especially on workout days. If you’re thirsty, you’re probably already dehydrated, so grab that bottle of water and drink up.

2)      Replenish electrolytes – If you’re getting a lot of muscle cramps and spasms, it could be a sign that you’re low in electrolytes – which you lose through sweat during workouts. Waking up in bed each night with those nasty calf and foot cramps is never fun. Two commonly identified electrolytes include magnesium and potassium.

Whole foods are always the best source you to go to for replacing electrolytes. You can get magnesium through green veggies (spinach) or legumes (beans and peas); you can get potassium through bananas, spinach, prunes, and tomatoes. Adding a pinch of sea salt (Himalayan pink sea salt) into each litre of water is a good way to increase your electrolytes through drinking. 

3)      Cool down – Cooling down after a major cardio session helps to reduce the lactic acid that can build up in your muscles during intense workouts. Many experts believe that cooling down after a workout (spinning on a bike for say, 5 minutes and then a 5 minute stretch/roller session) can help to reduce muscle soreness that can occur days after training. 

Liam Barrett and Phil Brown are the Personal Trainers who run personal training company The Fit Scene, who have trained the winning models of the last 3 series of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model and have special expertise in the fitness training & nutrition requirements of models.

www.thefitscene.com 

"The only certainties in life are Death and Taxes"

As Benjamin Franklin once said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except Death and Taxes".

As April has now ended, and with it the UK's financial year 2012-13, I'm sure all you British models have recently received one of your least favourite arrivals through the letter-box (or into your inbox) - HMRC's Self-Assesment Tax Return!! 

Model Hideout have partnered with NOIR Wealth Management, a financial advisory and wealth management company set up by model Zabeena Harris to cater specifically to the financial needs of models and other fashion industry professionals. 

NOIR WM are offering models FREE first-time consultations to discuss any financial issues or queries you might have, and a FREE Tax Return accountancy service for models - visit www.noirwm.com or call 0203 011 0096 and quote 'Model Hideout'

This service is also available for international models who file taxes outside the UK.

Chewing gum fails to decrease appetite, & puts people off fruit!

Now, I have to admit that in the past, like many models, I've used chewing-gum as a meal-replacement aid when trying to lose 1 (*cough* 4 *cough*) inches off my hips in time for Fashion Week...sometimes carrying 2 or 3 packs of different flavours in my bag to switch it up a little and make it a little less boring (n.b. I am not condoning this very unhealthy approach to weight-loss!)

However, a new scientific study claims that "there is no evidence it can control hunger, and mint-flavoured varieties may even deter people from healthy foods like fruit".
Read the study here...

The nutritionists at one of our favourite partner brands, The Food Doctor, say this:

One of the most popular reasons for chewing gum is to freshen the breath. Chewing stimulates the production of saliva which contains natural substances that kill the bad bacteria which cause bad breath and tooth decay. However, since chewing gum naturally stimulates the digestive process, it follows logic that chewing excessively between meals when the digestive system is empty might not be the best idea.

But what about effects on appetite? Past studies have shown that people who chew gum eat fewer high-calorie snacks and report lower feelings of hunger and cravings for sweeter foods. Yet in these new experiments the researchers found that although people reported feeling less hungry after chewing gum, they were much less likely to choose healthy snack options such as fruit, particularly if they’d been asked to chew a mint flavoured gum. What’s more when participants’ were asked to chew gum and keep a food diary, the researchers discovered that people were more likely to consume extra calories if they ate gum before a meal!

Our bodies are naturally programmed to respond to signals that indicate the arrival of food. Although chewing gum isn’t food, its sweet taste in the mouth initiates a small rise in the level of insulin. Normally this extra insulin helps to direct the incoming sugars into the body’s cells but when you chew on an empty stomach these sugars don’ts arrive and the body has to steal energy from the circulating glucose pool. This causes a drop in blood sugar and rise in appetite!

• To combat these effects it’s best to only chew gum after meal
• Choose a chewing gum that is sweetened with xylitol but free from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame – check out your local health food shop for suitable brands
• Opt for a cinnamon flavoured gum rather than a mint one – cinnamon helps to kill bad bacteria in the mouth, balances blood sugar levels and won’t put you off eating an apple mid morning!

Read the full article at The Food Doctor... 

5 reasons to do Interval Training

The second installment of those pearls of fitness wisdom from the personal trainers at The Fit Scene - this week: why Interval Training is the secret weapon to get a hot bikini body...

        

 


Interval Training  - a workout repeatedly alternating between short bursts of high-intensity and low-intensity exercise.

It’s that time of year when everyone is trying to get themselves back in shape for the summer and hopefully if you’re reading this, you're not one of the shockingly high 70% of the public who has already given up on their new year's fitness goals.

Even after being in the industry for coming up 5 years, I still find it bewildering the sudden influx of people around January and June. I myself view fitness and exercise with the same principal as sleep. It’s just a part of life, that will positively impact everything else.

One thing which I see year in and year out, which has unfortunately not been put to rest, is people spending far too long on cardio machines. This principal of monotonously plodding away on a treadmill for 20-30 minute is unfortunately still present in most gyms. And unless you’re wanting to run endurance events/marathons, is a bit of a waste of time. 

When it comes to getting in shape of course, any kind of exercise is going to be good for you and is certainly better than not doing any at all! However if losing body fat and toning is the goal you’re aiming for, running for short-medium periods, is going to lead to a lack of results and eventually discouragement leading finally to giving up all together.

So do yourselves a favour and have a quick read of the 5 reasons below why interval training is going to be better for you. And hopefully will help you achieve those elusive summer (or even lifetime) goals you've set for yourself.

1 – It’s Quick!
Because you’re going through 4-6 rounds of jogging and then full on sprints, you don’t need to spend very long doing it. So it’s perfect for the majority of people who are time poor.

2 – Burns more calories!
Using this system of training means you flick between your aerobic and anaerobic energy system. This makes your body burn more Calories!

3 – Increases metabolic rate!
Interval training increases growth hormone secretion, leading to increased fat burning potential, and a heightened metabolic rate for 24-48 hours after training.

4 – Improves Insulin sensitivity!
Interval training as well as high intensity aerobic training improves cells' insulin sensitivity, making it harder for you to store fat in adipose (fat-storing) tissue.

5 - It's more Fun!
Rather than staring at the wall endlessly on the treadmill, interval
training can be much more imaginative where one session can be completely
different to the last. The chances for longer term well-being increases as
your boredom levels are lower than normal.

Liam Barrett and Phil Brown are the Personal Trainers who run personal training company The Fit Scene, who have trained the winning models of the last 3 series of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model and have special expertise in the fitness training & nutrition requirements of models.

www.thefitscene.com 

Breakfast - the most effective way to kick-start your day

The saying, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” should not be taken lightly. Much research backs up this saying, and stresses the significance of not skipping breakfast. 

  By the time we wake up and get  

  ready to have breakfast, we

  technically have fasted overnight 

  while sleeping. So skipping breakfast

  adds to this fasting period, it may 

  disrupt blood glucose balance, and

  may result in lack of alertness and

  energy. Studies suggest that due to 

  this disruption in blood glucose, 

  breakfast skippers may develop a 

  higher tendency to over eat during the

  day, since they crave more unhealthy

  foods to give a quick-fix. 

  Consequently skipping breakfast may  

  also mean your body is playing catch up all day to try to make up for missing breakfast. Interestingly, some studies suggest that eating breakfast regularly may lead to improved mood, better memory, and may boost metabolism which may be beneficial for weight loss or management.

Not only is eating breakfast important, but so is what you eat for breakfast. Consuming sugary pastries and a coffee is not the best breakfast option because these food items may upset your blood glucose balance.. Read more...

For great breakfast ideas and more, visit www.thefooddoctor.com

Flattening that Stomach!

Introducing the first article in our fitness series, the personal trainers from The Fit Scene give you their top tips for achieving the perfect, toned stomach: 

The area that everyone has an issue with, hands down is getting that flat

toned stomach. Guys and girls alike, time after time, come to us and ask
how do I get a flat stomach?

Here are our 5 tips below:

1) DON’T JUST TRAIN YOUR ABS!

This is a common mistake, ever wondered why big built guys walking around
the gym, look like they are constantly hunched over? It’s because they
are! If you only train your main abdominal wall, then the muscles are
tighter than the rest of your core complex; leading to you being hunched
after a prolonged period of time. This can also leave a weaker core and
lengthened posterior chain (back muscles).

2) THINK OF YOUR ‘CORE’ AS A CYLINDRICAL BLOCK OF MUSCLE.

So what's the reason for training the entire core not just the main
abdominal wall?
The core is the building base for the entire body, so training only a 1/4
of it may make your front look great but won’t help with achieving the
full package.
Training all sides of the core will lead to a better base for anything you
want to do with your body including  - running faster, lifting bigger,
looking taller, jumping higher…… literally everything!

3) THE DREADED SPARE TYRE!

The body will keep its most vital organs protected to the fullest extent,
as long as it possibly can. Ever wondered why you can’t shift that last
bit of fat that sits round your stomach (sometimes referred to as the
spare tyre)? It’s because your body is protecting its vital organs. This
is the last place that it will go from!
In honesty if this is the only place you’re holding fat, you're doing a
pretty good job already!

4) NUTRITION! NUTRITION! NUTRITION!

You can do as many sit-ups as you want, without lowering your body fat
percentage, you’ll never see your abdominal muscles!
By lowering your carbohydrate intake your body will naturally resort to
using fat stores as energy. So opt for a high protein, low carbs nutrition
plan. This along with a high intensity cardio based workout program will
allow those ever allusive abs to start saying hello!

5) FOUR GOOD CORE EXERCISES

- Full range sit-ups on a BOSU. (Main abdominal wall)
- Side raises on a Swiss-Ball (obliques and sarratus anterior)
- Plank (all cylindrical core muscles)
- Skydivers (multifidus/ TVA)

Liam Barrett and Phil Brown are the Personal Trainers who run personal training company The Fit Scene, who have trained the winning models of the last 3 series of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model and have special expertise in the fitness training & nutrition requirements of models.

www.thefitscene.com 

Things we love.

NOIR - Fashion's finance experts

Model Hideout is very pleased to introduce Noir wealth management, a financial advisory & wealth management service which specializes in the needs of Models and other Fashion industry professionals.

Noir are offering Model Hideout's models a FREE initial consultation for you to discuss any money questions or problems you might have, and to discover if Noir's expert services in managing money & tax affairs for models would benefit you, and also a FREE Tax Return accountancy service to help you correctly file your Self-Employed Tax return at the end of the financial year.

An introduction to Noir in the words of its founder, established international model Zabeena Harris:

      "With my experience and background I wanted to offer help and support to my industry. Over the years I have felt that financial help was never there when it was needed. As an international model for over 14 years I, together with fellow professionals have encountered a wide variety of financial obstacles which would not have presented a problem if appropriate advice had been available. Young models in particular I feel are vulnerable, often naive in financial matters and suddenly faced with a large amount of income without any real knowledge of how or where to invest, what kind of protection to have in place and in many cases what the tax implications are. These are just a few of the areas I want to address; consequently I set out to build a company that not only specialises in offering advice in these areas but also has an insight into our industry, its culture and its challenges."

As we all know, the accounting department of most model agencies do not give models any help or advice in matters such as: registering yourself as Self-employed, filing Tax returns, savings accounts, investing your money, tax-efficient financial planning... 

And if you, like so many models, are the first member of your family to be a self-employed worker then the whole system of managing your money and taxes can be overwhelming! Not forgetting that you get paid in many different countries and in many different currencies!

For more information on the services provided by Noir wealth management, visit the Model Hideout lounge, visit www.noirwm.com, or contact director Zabeena Harris on 0203 011 0096 (quote 'Model Hideout')

Noir W.M. is a division of Finsbury International, an international wealth management, financial and tax advisory company based in Switzerland & the UK

Model of the week. Sara Ellisson.

Who will be The Face of 2013...

Following on from success in the USA, modelling contest reality show The Face is coming to the UK.
Unlike Britain's Next Top Model (et al.), this contest is open to already-established models who are signed with an agency - the prize for the winner is not an agency contract, but an advertising campaign for a major brand.
'Challenges' are real jobs for brands and designers, and mentoring is provided by Naomi Campbell, Karolina Kurkova and Coco Rocha.
Reality television is not for everyone.... but if you have been craving a publicity boost for your career, and you think you deserve to be 'The Face' of 2013.... why not give it a go??

APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 5th APRIL
For more info, or to apply, email thefacecasting@princesstv.com