Eating Right Year-round

Where did summer go?! 

We hope you all were able to disconnect and enjoy some kind of vacation. Perhaps it wasn’t exactly what was planned because of the ‘rona situation, but now Autumn seems to be setting in and we’ve got work to do! 

Many of us indulge during vacation, and maybe also weekends, only to come back and find that we’re struggle-busing in our workouts and all those #gains are more like kg gains. Ugh!

So what’s the deal?

• Secret Eating

Ok, so maybe it’s not so secret when we’re on vacation and you think, “yeah, go on then, it’s vacation! I’m going to have that ice cream again today! Oooh, yes, another Sangria please! Wooo!” 

Hate to say it, but vacation(and weekend) calories still count if you’re working towards general weight loss. Now, I’m not saying you have to cut out all the fun vacation foods and eat overpriced kale salad while you watch everyone else enjoy a meal; but if you want to make lasting change, you’ll need to adjust all aspects of your life, even vacation and weekends. Those extra snacks can add up over the course of a week, month and year. 

The tip here is that energy in = energy out. Generally, if you’re looking to lose weight, you’ll want to be in a deficit, so you’ll have to see ALL the sights and keep pretty active in order to have some of those more indulgent snacks. However, this is still going to vary from person to person, we strongly suggest working with your trainer or our in house Nutritionist to find the right plan for you. 

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• Stress

Fun fact: hormones affect more than just our moods, they also affect how well we digest food and absorb nutrients. One of those hormones is the stress hormone Norepinephrine. This hormone is part of our subconscious “fight or flight” response and while we aren’t running from predators in the plains, but more likely running from one meeting to the next while also trying to complete a big project and then take care of regular adulting requirements(omg, just stressed myself out thinking about that!) our body unfortunately, does not know the difference between these types of stresses and therefore starts to slow down the digestion processes. This leads to the body storing energy, aka piling on the kg, so it can focus on the perceived threat(s). 

Our tips here - try slowing down and incorporating something like Yoga or meditation into your week. You could also join the Trail Fit Club to get fresh air and nature into your life from the monthly guided hikes. Hey, maybe also try out boxing to relieve some of that tension! 

Meeting with our Nutritionist here would also be wise to develop a program that fits your needs.

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If you seem to be managing both of those issues, but still struggle with nutrition, here are some tips to start you off:

• eat until only 80% full

• eat slowly and mindfully

• eat more minimally processed foods

Get into these tips and more by signing up for personal training or booking a nutrition consultation with us today! 

Keeping your immune ninjas ready for battle!

The world is slowly opening again and, I think for most of us, this time away from our regular routine has been enlightening to say the least. For us, the sudden and overwhelming amount of fitness-related content on social media has been impressive. Everyone seems to have decided, as most people do at New Year’s, that during this lockdown, they’d get super fit, do all the organizing and other household things that have been put off for so long, and be their best selves. (#doALLthethings)

 The intention is great, but that’s a lot of stress! Perhaps even you started out watching and participating in some of those free online sessions and made a plan to do at least one of them every day. But then Netflix and work and kids and all the other things just got in the way and well, the fitness thing just didn’t make the cut.

While life does have a tendency to throw us pandemic size curve-balls, it’s good to remember that fitness doesn’t have to be let go or overdone to maintain your overall health: So, don’t be so hard on yourself for missing out on all that online content. There are many benefits to just getting out and going for a nice walk or throwing/kicking a ball back and forth with your kids.

As it so happens, staying active and going to the gym can be more than just a way to get your body to look or feel a certain way; research suggests that exercise can actually boost your immune system, which is great news during this historic event.

But, how, you ask?

Well, let’s get into just a few of the science-y bits:

First, your body has antibodies and white blood cells which are your natural defense system. Think of them like your own private ninja army. Now, if you do regular exercise it’s like giving them the necessary training and some nun-chucks to make them stronger and circulate faster to, in theory, detect illness earlier and deal with the threat before it can do too much damage.

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Next up, good old Oxygen. Physical activity, as many already know, increases oxygen intake; Like when you’re running late and you’ve got to sprint to make the bus/train/plane. Or you’re attending one of our HIIT classes and you feel like you might die, but you’re still breathing? Those periods of short extra oxygen intake may actually help flush out bacteria from your airways and reduce your chances of catching things.

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Finally, I think we can all agree that stress is the worst: There’s actually a specific stress hormone that contributes to making us feel unhappy/anxious etc., but if that weren’t bad enough, it can also increase your chance of illness. See? The worst. I think by this point you can see where this is all going, but studies have shown that moderate exercise slows down the release of these hormones.

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You might now be thinking to yourself, “Crap! I should have done ALL the training during lockdown!” To that, I say, yes and no. As mentioned previously, just incorporating a circuit like ours once or twice a week and some walking can be enough to boost the immune system. On the flip side, if you do too much training, it can actually increase stress on your body which as we now know, isn’t ideal. You want to aim to do a regular and moderate amount of training and of course keep a healthy, balanced diet, but that’s a topic for another post. ;)

So how should you move forward to maintain health or improve your immune system during this time?

Check out one or two of our circuit classes!

Catch up with a friend and go for a walk, maybe even try to go for a hike with our Trail Fit Club. You can also sign up for a personal training session to learn some weight lifting techniques to really get that ninja army ready. Whatever you choose, your Evolve Team will be right there with you for support.

Further information on exercise and the immune system can be found here, or here.

The Importance of exercise during and after pregnancy

It is well known that pregnancy can take its toll on the body for a number of reasons and without doubt its highly important to keep exercise in mind before and after labour. I am Neil Locock and I am a pre and post natal fitness specialist living in Munich with over 10 years experience in the leisure and health industries. Here is my advice:

Exercise during pregnancy can reduce excessive weight gain, reduce the onset of gestational diabetes, enhance body image, make for easier labour, improve psychological well being and decrease lower back pain to name a few. If you were active before your pregnancy then in most cases continued exercise is recommended during. Pregnancy however is not the time to begin a new fitness regime, your body will already be going through a big change, this is not the time to start something new.

A prenatal personal training client at Evolve Fitness

Exercise during pregnancy is very person dependant, this is the most important time to listen to your body. As your bump grows and your hormone levels change then different exercises become more more/less advisable/achievable. For example there is a point during pregnancy when exercises on your back become uncomfortable due to the baby pressing on a major blood vessel, in this scenario exercises must be adapted immediately.

Relaxin is a hormone that plays a very important role in pregnancy, one role is its relaxation of the ligaments around the pelvis. It will also cause all other joints to relax to a certain extent, this means that for future mums high impact activities should be minimised. Remember the most important rule here: “Listen to your body!!”, some ladies continue running during their pregnancy with no discomfort. I always recommend to my clients that they switch from the treadmill to a cross trainer to remove impact.

Let’s take the reduction of back pain as an example. During pregnancy the excess weight that you carry on your front can cause the rounding of your upper back and also the arching of your lower back. During sessions with clients I adapt exercises such as the lat pulldown and low row to maximise upper back strength which can improve alignment of the spine/ posture and combat the changes mentioned.

The “Mum’s & Babies” Fitness class at Evolve Fitness

At Evolve Fitness I run a mother and baby class on Mondays and Wednesdays @ 11am. This class is designed to start building muscle, burn off baby weight, strengthen pelvic floor muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness, rebuild core strength and of course meet like minded Mums in Munich. We use the babies for a lot of the exercises we do in class and for the rest of the time they chill out and play together. Providing you haven't had any complications you can try walking post pregnancy as soon as you feel comfortable, this can reduce your chances of blood clots.  Please wait until after your post natal check to start fully exercising after giving birth. Again the exercises you can do are determined on your exercise levels during pregnancy. If you had a cesarean then your doctor will typically get you to wait for 6-8 weeks so your body can heal. Please remember “Listen to your body!!”

More info on our “Mum’s & Babies” Fitness class here- http://www.evolvefitness.de/mums-babies/

A new start in Munich!

Simon Conway is an expat from Dublin, Ireland living in Munich for the last 4 years. A corporate advertising sales & account manager by trade and a qualified personal trainer by hobby he took a different career path following a few months research of the fitness industry in Munich and launched Germany’s first personal training and group fitness studio for the International community of Munich. We see how life has developed for the young Irish man during his start up years in Munich. 

What made you realise this could be a viable business for you in Germany?

Well, first off I started doing some part time work for a personal training company in Munich that had a number of English speaking clients. Having realised myself how tough it can be to integrate as an expat in a city such as munich I knew the importance of connecting with people you can relate to on a personal level. This company lacked a particularly level of service and personal connection that I knew expats would automatically warm to. I simply saw a niche at that point for an international studio with the right service and quality training combined. 

So what makes the Evolve Fitness studio different?

Atmosphere number 1. We have created an environment that is unparalleled to other studios in Munich. When an expat steps in our doors we want them to feel 100% relaxed and in a place where they get quality workouts from top class trainers whilst having the chance to meet like minded expats and make some friends! 

What levels of fitness or ages do you cater for? 

All. We don’t specialise or favour one type of client or audience. Our training team have a wide range of qualifications and skills and we look after all age ranges male and female no matter what your goals. We currently have clients learning weightlifting techniques, training for a sport, keeping fit while pregnant or simply needing to make a change in their lifestyle. 

You seem to provide a wide range of classes for your clients from looking at your website?

Sure, As well as personal training the classes have grown in recent months. We now provide 5 different class types to our clients. Circuit training which can include HIIT, functional training, Kettlebell workouts and TRX for all fitness levels. The Pilates and Yoga classes run weekly too. Outside of this our new mother & baby classes have grown hugely in popularity since we launched them earlier this year. We are also into our second year of running both our Ski-Fit and trail-Fit classes where we get clients in shape mentally and physically for the skiing or hiking seasons. So overall now we have a great range of classes in both English and Spanish to cater for all area’s of fitness.

Simon Conway- Owner of Evolve Fitness in Munich

Do you miss your old career?

Not for a second. I now believe all my previous career experience has lead me to starting Evolve Fitness and has given me the chance to build a dream business while being surrounded by people I appreciate and respect more than ever. My job now encompasses management, sales, marketing and teaching so it covers all aspects of what I love most about business. I don’t like the often 6am starts but I don’t struggle getting out of bed like I used to! I think that says it all about how much I love what I do.

What’s the next step for you and your company? 

When it comes to Munich fine tuning really. We still have areas of our business we need to improve on and some additional services we want to provide clients. Moving into nutrition and relaxation services mainly. Then looking further afield to other cities of Germany where such a studio would be in demand. We want to grow but in the right way. The number one thing that makes us different being our service and atmosphere has to remain regardless of how many studios we open. That’s why having the right team is of huge importance to me.

What do you miss most about home?

People mainly. That small town community feeling no matter where you are in Ireland. I miss the spontaneous conversations I would have with strangers on the street going about my day. However, I would like to think we have created a slice of this in our studio here in Munich. 😊

Women v Weights

Dear Ladies,

It’s time to learn about weights. No, I’m not talking about metric vs imperial weights, I’m talking about getting into the gym and lifting those big weights. I realize they look heavy and difficult and there are always men-always-in the heavier free-weight section. But hear me out! Strength training is about growing muscle: You will not “bulk up” because women are built differently than men. Men have more muscle fiber connections and higher fat metabolisms, both due to higher testosterone levels. Whereas women have estrogen which is great for storing fat! (Thanks nature!) While we do naturally have less muscle mass and a little more fat than men, this doesn’t give us a pass when it comes to weight training. Training in a similar fashion as men do will yield similar gains. However, the fact that we have smaller muscle fibers/less overall muscle mass, means that we don’t have to worry about getting “bulky” while weight training! 

Now while you will not get bulky, sticking with pinky weights at high repetitions will not achieve that “toned” look either. Muscle growth requires progressively increasing the force output of the muscle through incremental weight increases. This means getting into the gym and starting with a reasonably heavy weight where you can do, for example, 10 easy repetitions, and then increasing the weight to where you start to struggle to meet that final repetition. Repeat 3 times at the slightly heavier weight and once that weight is the new easy, increase to the next heavier weight! The “struggle” is the production of lactate in the muscles and does lead to muscle soreness sometimes. 

Muscle soreness is a natural part of weight training, but that does not mean you want to feel sore all the time, or worse, pull muscles by doing an exercise incorrectly. Learning how to lift a weight properly is the best point to start in your strength training. Using the techniques of lifting/moving weights correctly will not only help you on your fitness journey but also in your daily life. For example, moving that overstuffed suitcase before vacation could throw out your back! A major bummer. But if you know how to lift, you’ll have no trouble getting it to and from your destinations! 

If you’d like to learn how to lift properly, build your strength and confidence, come visit us at Evolve Fitness for a free initial consultation!

-Danielle Curzadd

Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Coach at Evolve Fitness

Hike into the Bavarian Summer!

If you’re new to Munich, you may have noticed mountain sports feature heavily in the weekend activities category. Hiking in the spring and summer is an easy activity to get you out of the city to clear your mind, get in some cardio and work on endurance all while taking in some killer scenery. The sense of accomplishment reaching a peak just can’t be replicated. You can easily see your progress as the towns shrink away into the distance and the only sounds you hear are the birds and the steady thud of your feet hitting the path in front of you. While your heart is pounding and legs are burning you’re not only increasing your overall physical health but your mental health as well. According to a report from the Institute for European Environmental Policy, access to nature reduces depression and obesity.

The trains available from Munich Hauptbahnhof make all kinds of trails, from easy to strenuous, easily accessible to all. And you can enjoy the trails alone or with friends, whether they be two-legged or furry and four-legged. Make sure you pack some water, snacks, some sunscreen and an extra layer and you’re ready to go! 

If you’re keen on checking out what these Alps have to offer, my personal favorite is a medium difficulty day-hike from Oberammergau to Puerschling(1566m) and down to the Kolbensattlehuette. From there you can ride an alpine coaster down to the finish. Follow the signs if you want to go all the way, or if you’re a beginner/hiking with small children hike up to the Kolbensattlehuette to look over Oberammergau and enjoy the activities available in the area. 

Not sure about hiking alone as a woman? At Evolve Fitness we have created a fitness program for women who are looking to get more fit for the hiking trails, whether here or abroad, by pairing a weekly circuit at our studio with a monthly hike. At the end of each 10-week session, we have a two-day hike where we overnight at one of the mountain huts. The first of our two sessions is already underway and we’ve just done our first hike in the Ammergau Alps. You can find more information on our website evolvefitness.de/trailfit-club. 

-Danielle Curzadd

Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Coach at Evolve Fitness