What is ROCOFIT up to?

Living Life To The Fullest

2012-01-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

I write this post with a very heavy heart as I am starting the New Year without a dear friend. I will be taking the next week to reflect and simply be still. Please be patient as I love this page and the supportive community it is creating, all in the name of health, bettering ourselves and happiness.

I will be back next week with regular posts, kettlebell workouts and more for you.

My friend Ozge was one of the most beautiful, inspiring and caring people I have known. She lived life to the very fullest and inspired me to try and do the same. She was one of those people you never forgot, she made an impression on people she met even just once and simply made you a better person for knowing her.

Oz was a yoga teacher and ran her own yoga practise with her good friend and business partner Scott Johnson in central London. She loved to travel, photography and being with people.

This is my friend Oz: http://ozgekarabiyik.com/aboutozge.html She wrote a blog called the bubble of happiness.

Despite this incredible great loss I look forward to 2012 with an immense amount of hope and excitement. This was what my friend was like. My sadness can not be described but neither can my gratitude for having known such an incredibly special person.

Wish you all health & happiness.

Rosa (rocofit)

ps The photo above is from the Camino De Santiago in Spain, a special walk Oz and I did together...twice :)

2012 Rocofit Goals

2011-12-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I love setting New Years resolutions! I know it's true you shouldn't have to wait until the new year to set new goals however I think it's important to have a clear time and date when you look back at the previous year, see what you've accomplished and decide what you want to achieve in the new year.

How I go about setting my goals. I first make a list of attainable goals for my business, health, relationships and personal life. From there I then set one or two crazy goals. The ones that seem more to be a dream than a goal. This is my favourite part.

I then look at the year as a whole and decide when I would like to achieve these goals by and more importantly when I'm going to start them.

In the past I use to try and start on all my goals at once, all I found is that I felt stressed and spread myself thin. Looking at the year as a whole means I sometimes don't start on a new goal until much later in the year. This simple change has allowed me to achieve so much more, feel happier and less stressed.

I always take a break from everything in August. Why August? I'm a summer girl and it's my month to relax on the fitness, relax on work and spend time with friends and family or go on vacation. It doesn't mean I turn in to a couch potato, I'm probably more active in August then any other month, it just means it's not as planned and structured like the rest of my year. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely a planner and love some form of structure...just not in August :)

A few of my goals for 2012 that I can share:

Business
1) Build the rocofit facebook fan page to 5000 followers by the end of 2012- I love this page and love sharing my thoughts on health and fitness.
2) Complete the Rocofit 30: Fat Loss Made Simple, online program by 15 January 2012- I've always
wanted to create a fat loss program that is focused on health to help people achieve their fat loss goals.
Personal
3) Take a short vacation every 4 months.
Health
4) Take time for myself - still need to figure out how to set this one before the new year :) I am definitely a workaholic, it's challenging when you love what you do.

These are just a few of my goals. From here I finish off by writing a list of month/weekly/daily tasks that need to happen to achieve my goals.

It's true that a goal not written down is simply a wish. Since I've started writing things down I have accomplished so much more than I ever thought possible, including those crazy goals I set that sometimes simply feel like a dream.

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy was an incredible book that taught me how to set my goals. I am forever grateful to my friend Zvonko who gave me this book.

DREAM BIG - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Rocofit

Health & Fitness Speakers - 15th Dec

2011-12-06T06:57:00.001-08:00

Billy Schwer - World Boxing Champion

Rosa Coelho - Personal Trainer & Writer

Matt Thomas - Professional Rugby Player

This dynamic trio will be speaking together:

THURSDAY 15th DECEMBER

LONDON, ENGLAD

MARYLEBONE HOTEL

7:30PM

Tickets are free but must book to reserve a place. Send an email to Rosa at contact@rocofit.com

Supporting Quitting Sugar!

2011-11-28T13:48:00.001-08:00

I've recently spent a lot of time on youtube, mostly uploading my videos to the rocofit youtube channel but as usual I do often get distracted and spend a bit of time checking out other videos.

I recently came across Scott Milford's video on quitting sugar. Scott and his wife are sharing their journey of quitting sugar. It's brilliant! He is very honest and open about what he is doing and you can hear the uneasiness in his voice of what lies ahead.

What shocked me at first was the amount of products in his video of food that contains sugar! Every day items that so many people have and don't realise are full of sugar.

Here is his first video:

One month later and the results are obvious but listen in to find out what his biggest challenge and surprise has been.

The best part of Scott's journey is that his primary focus wasn't losing weight, it was his health. Losing weight is simply a bonus. The weight loss was inevitable but with the focus on health Scott stands a much better chance at keeping it off long term.

I'm looking forward to more posts from Scott on his journey. It's amazing what we can learn from each other.

A big thank you to Scott (who I've never met or heard of until now) for sharing is health journey. Visit is blog at http://quittingsugar.com/

Rocofit

Join our health community at www.facebook.com/rocofit

Rocofit takes deep breathes...arghh!

2011-10-27T04:46:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm taking a few very deep breathes. Why? Because this picture really ticks me off! Ok I'm not seriously angry but it is frustrating.

This photo was posted on my personal facebook page. The thing is the people who posted and commented on this photo know how passionate I am about health and they get a kick out of posting the stuff they eat, I use the word 'stuff' because seriously we can not call any of the above 'food'.

It is shocking to me that not everyone cares about their health, but my naive way of thinking comes along with my career choice. I am passionate about health and the photo above me makes me sad because it simply has disease written all over it. There is not one natural thing in the photo. How on earth do we expect our bodies to do anything productive with these foreign substances?

People may brag about eating what they want but when their health is taken away from them the joke quickly ends. Ah I can hear the arguments from them now 'you only live once' This is so true! You only live once so why on earth would you not live life with health, vitality and energy.

I don't believe you can eat a diet of the foods above on a regular basis and not be affected by fatigue, depression, skin problems, digestive problems, sleepless nights and anxiety. The foods above are addictive!!! The high salt and sugar content is simply a recipe for disaster. A slow forming disaster but a disaster nonetheless.

My hope is that my friends, family and facebook rocstars are doing their best to get off this stuff and eat real food.

Keep Your Smile!!

2011-10-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I was invited to a talk on inner happiness. I have to admit my first reaction was to roll my eyes but I've learned all too often that taking risks is worth it and being open minded can bring great things.

I went for 2 reasons, one I was invited by a good friend and a chance to spend time with good friends is always worth it, second it was free, it was going to cost me nothing but my time so why not check it out.

Well I learned the lesson I have learnt many times over and that's to not be judgemental. The talk was brilliant and has had me thinking all week.

It was led by a beautiful Filipino women who kind of reminded me of Mother Teresa, she had such a gentle energy about her.

She spoke of many things but the one I have taken away with me is when she told us not to let others take our smiles away. She made us think of our days and how we wake up wanting to have a great day and suddenly we come across someone or a situation that upsets us and we give our smile away!

Wow, the idea that we are in control to stay happy and keep our smiles, that it is us and not the other person that has given our smile/happiness away. This is an incredibly empowering idea!

To make the decision if we come across someone that annoys us or makes us angry to simply wish them well and keep our state of mind, our happiness, imagine what that does for our health!

I know if I ever feel angry, I feel it physically, my body feels like it tightens up and I can feel it deeply. I also make know that once I start this way the rest of the day often changes. The great thing is the true is opposite. On happy days, nothing can go wrong! It's not that nothing goes wrong but the way you deal with it definitely is different.

I loved this talk and already this week I had something terrible happen at work, the details don't matter but thanks to this new way of thinking, I simply smiled wished that person well (in my head) and walked away. If I caught myself thinking about it thoughout the day, I simply stopped. After all that continued negativity was only going to affect my health and not the person who I was upset with.

This takes a bit of practise but it works!!

I can't help but think of how it will help people on their journey of fat loss and health. If your state of mind is in a happy place, succeeding is so much easier and a lot more likely.

A massive thank you to my friends who invited me :)

Rocofit

ps Join me and many others at www.facebook.com/rocofit as we build a community to help and support each other on our journey of health

Friends is best!

2011-10-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

I love the fitness industry. The possibilities are endless for what you can do.

Unfortunately there is a small part of the industry that attracts people who are competitive but not in a nice way.

In my opinion there is no need to be competitive with anyone in the industry other than yourself. The health industry is worth billions! There is plenty of money and success for everyone.

The best way to become successful is to work together and help as many people as you possibly can, after all you'd hope that is the reason people go in to personal training in the first place. Money and success should be a biproduct of doing what you love, not the focus.

Here's a short video I did for a friend through the industry. CJ Swaby is an amazing personal trainer. I don't know him well but I myself have gone to him to help me with my kettelbell skills. I always think it's important to keep improving. CJ definitely helped me out and I highly recommend him to anyone interested in improving their kettlebell skills. Check out his website: www.cjskettlebells.com/

CJ asked me to do a KB workout and here it is. I still have to improve my skill but it's getting better :)

Rocofit

Accountability is Key!

2011-09-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

I love my career, being in the fitness industry is definitely where I belong. Not only am I able to be a personal trainer and massage therapist but also and entrepreneur. The possibilities in this industry are endless especially if you have vision, a good work ethic, a commitment to continuous learning and a love for networking.

My biggest struggle is perhaps having too many ideas, too little time and wanting to help absolutely everyone I come in to contact with wether it's with fat loss or a career change.

I was recently lucky to have some time away in a beautiful part of the world, Saudi Arabia. My time away was brilliant not only because of the unique experience but also because it gave me time to think away from the craziness of my life in London.

The time was invaluable and helped me to reflect on the year so far. It's been a big year for me, I've been published in a few very big UK fitness magazines, I've worked with exclusive clients, I've made big progress in my nutrition business and have attained an international qualification in Kettlebells as well as started thai boxing. Even so I feel like things aren't quite where I'd like them to be.

My conclusion is that I try to do too many things at once and as most entrepreneurs I am often left to my own devices to make decisions. It can be a bit lonely when it comes to making big decisions.

As a result I've come up with an action plan. To work on one big project at a time and complete it before starting another. To partner up with another entrepreneur that can hold me accountable and help me to review my plans and goals. As a result I'm meeting once a week with a good friend and fellow trainer. We will help each other stay focussed, give each other critical advice most importantly hold each other accountable.

I'm so excited to see where the remainder of the year leads :)

Rocofit

Join rocofit on facebook for training and nutrition advice

Continuous Learning

2011-08-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Since becoming a personal trainer like many I have tried to find my niche. This industry is massive and the possibilities are endless. You have amazing trainers that focus on the bodybuilding and competitive side of things, to those who go for bootcamps and teaching classes, those who train in peoples homes, those who go to offices, you get the picture.

On my journey one thing was clear from the beginning, classes weren't for me, neither was the body sculpting side of things. Before becoming a trainer I found gyms very uninspiring and never held a membership. I was quickly bored of the machines and because of this boredom I was never able to stick to anything long enough to achieve great results.

Does this mean gyms are not effective, definitely not! They simply didn't work for me. This is why discovering kettlebells for me was a true gift. I loved the dynamic nature of them, I loved that I had to think while using them and most of all I loved the results. I got results because I actually used them. They too are not a magic solution if you don't enjoy them.

Although to this day kettlebells are still an important part of my training and will likely always be, I continue to grow and develop in this training world.

I have recently been fascinated with movement and the ability to move our bodies freely in which ever way we choose. Have you ever seen a young child play? This is what I mean. They are not inhibited by their bodies, they can swing themselves across the monkey bars, are flexible to crawl under things and they seem to run effortlessly. This is what I want to get back to!

As a result I have started training using various animal movements. I realise these are not the full answer to achieving the result I want but they are a good start. Already in a short few weeks of intensive training, simply focussing on mobility drills, balances and dynamic movements my flexibility has greatly improved and as a nice surprise my body shape has changed. I am much more more toned and defined. This I did not expect.

This next phase for me has just begun and I'm so excited. Here is a bit of what it looks like. The beginning....

I trained like an animal!

2011-08-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Today I was seriously training like an animal. I moved like a chimp, lizard, horse, duck, dragon, frog, inchworm and a bear. I have to tell you it was not easy!

To be able to mimic the moves of these animals requires strength and flexibility through out your entire body. Many of us are strong and flexible in one way or another as we've adapted to our environment, or trained in our favourite methods or sport but we are often limited in one range or another.

Why I'm enjoying training this way? I've come to realise that there is freedom in moving your body in which ever way you choose. That being strong isn't just about lifting weights. I want be able to move my body from point a to point b gracefully, to be injury free, to feel I can move every joint with ease. I no longer want to feel stiff or limited by range of motion.

So where am I learning all of this from? I'm training with one of the UK's best movement specialists. Not many people know of him because he doesn't keep a blog or website, he doesn't even like to put classifications to what he does; primal is simply a way to describe it and a term that is out there that many people have already heard of.

The trainer is Keshava Raghuveer (Kesh). Have a look at what he can do:

One thing I learned early on as a trainer is if you want to be the best you need to train with the best, Kesh is definitely one of the best out there. The surprising part is he's just beginning, there are no limits to what he will do next.

Get out there and move!

Rocofit

Join rocofit on facebook for daily motivation

Race For Life?!

2011-06-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

I happened to go for a walk today with a friend and to my surprise the annual Race for Life was taking place. Things have been so busy recently I wasn't aware it was happening.

I love the Race For Life. It's well organised, and a great event. Although there is an element of sadness the mood is fun and the camaraderie amongst the participants is infectious.

This particular Race For Life attracted 4200 women! It was a brilliant turnout.

As I stood to the side to watch the race I was quickly stunned by a realisation I had not expected. Well over 70% of the women were overweight and many obese.

I was stunned!!! What are women doing to themselves?! And I don't mean this in the sense of how they look. In my heart I truly believe everyone is beautiful and not everyone is meant to be slim. This isn't about weight but about health and whether we like it or not the two are LINKED. Being overweight puts you at risk for several diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

It blew me away the realisation that these amazing women were running for an incredible cause. They are caring and beautiful people and yet they are putting themselves at risk for the very cause they are raising awareness for.

Why are people willing to do so much for others and yet so little for themselves?

Perhaps a bit of an insight to the problem was visible at the event itself. It's true it was well organised but as part of the event there was a stand selling tea and bacon sandwhiches and another selling cakes.

The messages are so mixed, it's no wonder people are unsure of what the right thing is anymore.

It's for this reason I continue to work hard on the www.rocofit.com website. I might not always have it perfect but I will continue to do my best to provide good, simple, clear information on nutrition, exercise and lifestyle.

"Prevention is always better than cure"

Health & Happiness

Rocofit

ps. This post and part of the reason I'm so passionate about health is for the beautiful women in my family that sadly lost their battle against cancer.

Small Steps Huge Successes

2011-06-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

The month of May and June have been incredible for me. I have been given massive opportunities, some that I can speak of and others that I can't just yet.

This post however, isn't about listing all the great things that have and are happening in my life as it doesn't really matter. What I see as great and successes for me may be different for someone else.

What it is about is sharing the process of why these great things are happening. People often think I'm lucky but the truth is luck has very little to do with it.

The keys to my success come down to 3 things:

1) Great people
2) Taking risks
3) Hard work

1) I've always enjoyed learning no matter what it was. I don't ever feel you can know enough or be good enough at anything, there is always room for improvement. The only way to improve however is by learning from others. People who are where you want to be or are on their way.

2) I've never been scared of taking risks, however risks even so need to be smart risks. For example when I changed careers I first went to part time teaching for a couple of years while I ensured my personal training business was solid and the time was right to leave the teaching. The reason being if I simply left teaching, especially during a recession, the financial stress and burden would have been too great to fully enjoy and grow in my new career.

3) Hard work. Thanks to my mother I've never been shy of hard work. There are days where I get up and I question why I'm doing what I'm doing but I simply keep going. One example of this is my www.rocofit.com website. There are times I wonder why I keep writing and giving free information away but then I receive an email from someone saying how much they love it. I have also had great writing opportunities and amazing clients come to me because they liked the site.

There are no secrets to success. There is simply choices, hard work and trust in that what you are doing will take you to where you want to be. The small daily steps we take don't always seem to be going somewhere but over time they can produce huge successes.

I'm forever grateful for my past, present and future successes and know I wouldn't have gotten there without hard work, consistency, taking risks and most importantly the help and influence of others.

Go out there and achieve whatever it is you want, simply because you can...if you really want it!

Rocofit

Public Speaking with World Boxing Champion and Actress!

2011-05-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've recently started speaking about a topic that's really important to me. Nutritional Fitness.

I was lucky enough this March to be invited to speak in Murcia, Spain and I have to admit I LOVED it. I really love speaking and have realised it's one more outlet for me to share my passion of being nutritionally fit.

The next event I will be at is this Wednesday in Luton. I am so honored to be sharing the stage with Billy Schwer, World Boxing Champion and Karen Eyo, actress and personal trainer extraordinaire.

All these talks are sponsored by Juice Plus. A whole food supplement that I proudly put my name behind and have taken for years. Anyone who knows me knows I like to keep things as natural as possible and in todays modern world to have found a supplement as effective, scientifically researched and supported is a big find.

I can't wait for this Wednesday in Luton!

Rocofit

ps. Join me on the rocofit fan page at www.facebook.com/rocofit

My Primal Diet/Lifestyle Struggle?

2011-05-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

I continuously struggle with the decision to market myself as a primal life style personal trainer. My struggle hasn't been whether I stick to it personally, the struggle is whether I put clients on a primal diet.

Why do I struggle? I'm not quite sure. I personally feel amazing when I'm on the primal diet and any time I have strayed I've regretted it in the form of nasty detoxing, cramps and bloating from eating too much wheat or grains.

The struggle comes from the look on peoples faces when you tell them they'll need to avoid grains. I always get comments like 'but porridge is good for you', 'what's wrong with whole wheat pasta', etc Well a lot, here's an explanation from Marks Daily Apple: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-grains/

So where to go from here? I think it's getting to the point where I will have to embrace the primal diet/ lifestyle full force. The reason being how can I have one set of rules for myself and another for clients?

So watch this space, www.rocofit.com will be changing slightly

Be Fit, strong and healthy!

Rocofit

Rocofit's 2nd Twitter Birthday!

2011-04-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

It's my second twitter birthday today. I can't believe I've stuck to it but most of all I can't believe how much I have gained and enjoyed being part of twitter.

I've made twitter friends whom I continuously learn from: @Smashfit @MsFitBC @billybicepz @HealthHabit @StrongSarah @VanBird

Some I've had the pleasure of meeting in person: @nutritionguru1 @kravmascara and @BalancePhysio

Others were already friends that I get to stay in touch with: @fitgirltweets @bjrule @Gaylene T

It's also brought me amazing opportunities such as writing for health magazines like @bodyfitmag and Health & Fitness Magazine @millier82UK as well as an interview on Sky Active channel with @kyrinhall

I can't possibly list all the people on twitter that inspire me on a regular basis with their contributions, there are simply too many. However I have to say twitter really is a brilliant tool to connect and I am grateful I stuck with it.

Thank you to all my twitter friends and followers.

Rocofit

www.twitter.com/rocofit

Kettlebell Weekend - My idea of fun!

2011-03-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

I had the best weekend. I was on a course with the International Kettlebell and Fitness Foundation to get my Certified Kettlebell Teacher Certification.

I didn't necessarily need it as I'm already qualified to instruct but for anyone that loves kettlebells they know this is the course of courses! To be honest I took it more for myself. I love training with the best people and that's why when I found out Ken Blackburn was coming to London, I had to sign up. Ken is one of the Directors and a world champion.

People came from around Europe to attend the course. We had someone from Germany and two people from Portugal. Funny how I don't know anyone who is portuguese in London and yet I meet three on a kettlebell course. Now that's Portuguese Power :)

The weekend was brilliant. I met some great trainers and learned a lot. Kettlebells are a tool that I love for many reasons. I use them a lot with clients as they are dynamic, fun and get quick results. They're not the only tool I use as I also love body weight training, using the olympic rings, clubbells and Thai Boxing but they are an important part of my training. I think whatever type of training you do it's important if you are training others to master the movements yourself.

What's next? I might try competing this year. Yup there are Kettlebells competitions! I'll likely write more about that later :)

In the mean time, I'm going to train hard, keep training my clients hard and just have some fun!

Stay fit and active!

Rocofit

Partner Up For Success!

2011-03-03T02:00:00.000-08:00

As I sat and wrote down my goals for March the first thing I did was review the one's I had set for February. Surprisingly and yes I means surprisingly I accomplished them all! To be honest a couple of them I set and thought there's no way.

So why do I think I accomplished all these goals? Simple reason - accountability!

At the beginning of February I had this idea to form a small group with two friends/ business women. We meet every Monday at 11:30am at a Starbucks (free wifi). We don't have anything to do with each others business but we meet to hold each other accountable to our set goals.

At the beginning of the month we write 3 clear goals we would like to achieve (These are all based on our yearly goals).

Then at the beginning of each week we set weekly goals that will get us to our monthly goals. From there we set weekly tasks that need to happen to achieve the weekly goal.

We review these together and help each other to keep the goals very specific and ensure the tasks are productive tasks that will get us there. We start the sessions by reviewing the past week and then looking at the coming week.

The meetings are not a gossip session, which isn't always easy as we are good friends. We really get to business and meet for 45minutes, each having about 15minutes to go over their particular goals.

I know this is the reason I accomplished so much last month.

Now of course you know I'm going to relate this to health!

Look no man/woman is an island. Left to our own devises it's too easy to cheat, lose focus and lose momentum.

So how to apply this to health goals? Meet with one or two other people, more than this becomes too difficult to get the attention each one deserves.

First independently set your yearly goals: Share these at your first meeting. Then work back setting monthly goals. Work one month at a time, don't worry too much about the bigger picture once you've set the yearly goal. The monthly goals will get you there.

Example:
Yearly Goal: I want to lose 60 pounds by next Christmas

Monthly Goal - Lose 4-6 pounds

Weekly Goal - Lose 1-2 pounds
Tasks: Keep a food diary every day
Cut out sugary drinks and replace with non caloric drinks such as water, herbal teas, etc
Exercise: Yoga class on Mondays and Gym session 30 minutes on Thursdays

Set realistic tasks and goals. Don't set too many tasks, it's about making things realistic and achievable.

At the following meeting if you didn't lose 1-2 pounds your group can help you review your food diary, ask if you made it to your exercise session, etc. It won't matter if you didn't quite get there, part of the process is figuring out why early on rather than leaving it to the end of the month.

Remember the key to success is always always write everything down! Treat your health like a business.

Success breeds success. The more you achieve the more you want to achieve. We are human, we will encounter times when we are down, times when we may be ill, emergencies may come up etc. Having a group will ensure these times are kept short. You will get down, the important thing isn't that you are down, it's how quickly you get back up.

Hope this helps.

Rocofit

ps. Let me know if you give this a try. I love success stories!

My weekly shop!

2011-02-26T07:34:00.000-08:00

Part of my weekly shopping

I love Saturdays! It's the day I hit Broadway Market to buy most of my shopping for the week. This week I stocked up on:

Berries
Tomatoes
Pineapple
Oranges
Leaks
Pears
Apples
Salmon
Aubergine (Egg Plant)
Eggs
Broccoli
Bananas

This is quite typical of what I have. I also purchase on a weekly basis: walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, wild game, chicken, sardines, olives, nut milk and almond butter (and most weeks a bit of 85% dark chocolate).

You will sneakily see my Juice Plus on the right hand side. That's because even though I buy a lot of fruit and veg, I'm aware that some days I don't eat the required amount. Also the stresses our bodies face now require a greater amount of antioxidants and phytonutrients than the recommended 5 a day. On top of that this looks like a lot of food but 5 a day means by the end of the week, I'm running out.

Eating well is easy as long as you prepare for it. Take the time to plan and remember that variety is key. If you stick to the same fruit, veg and protein then boredom sets in and it's easy to be tempted by quick fixes.

Hope this helps give ideas of some things to include in your weekly shop.

Rocofit

ps. If you don't already be sure to follow:

www.rocofit.com
www.facebook.com/rocofit
www.twitter.com/rocofit

2 months in to the year!

2011-02-25T09:35:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe the first 2 months of 2011 are almost finished!

The end of the month is always a great time to reflect and plan for the new one ahead. Two months in and I can hardly believe how lucky I have been.

I have:
Written for 2 big London magazines as a fitness writer

Been taken on by W Athlietic agency for fitness modelling
http://www.worldsportsmodel.com/pro/rocofit

Passed 1000 followers on twitter...haha

Finally gotten off my butt and gotten involved in charity work: http://arcticamalia.wordpress.com

All of this has been down to hard work, consistency and staying focussed but also down to the amazing people I surround myself with and that support me.

As they so 'no man (woman) is an island'. I know I couldn't accomplish what I do without the support of those around me - thanks to the internet those around me are both near and far, some I haven't even met.

It's easy to think we do everything ourselves and although others can't do it for us, we have to remember why it is we are able to give the time and dedication to achieve the goals that are important to us.

To my friends, clients, role models, co-workers, social networking friends and of course my family. A huge thank you to an amazing year so far.

Rocofit

www.rocofit
www.facebook.com/rocofit
www.twitter.com/rocofit

rocofit Profile on WSM Pro

2011-02-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

rocofit Profile on WSM Pro: "View rocofit Profile on WSM Pro"

Rocofit goes mostly Primal...why?

2011-02-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

For months now I have gone back and forth between the Primal way of eating and then slipped back in to having grains, dairy and some wheat and then back to Primal.

As a result I have noticed when I stick to Primal at least 95% of the time I have more energy, feel stronger and become leaner (without increasing my exercise). Those reasons are enough to make me want to stick to the primal way of eating/living.

(I started out with a focus on Paleo, a slight difference from Primal)

I can't quite remember when I first heard about Paleo but I remember buying a book The Paleo Diet for Athletes by L. Cordain. Let's just say at the time it was over my head and just a bit more complex than I wanted. Don't get me wrong it's a brilliant book and one that as soon as I have some time, I will go back to...I think I'm ready now.

I was then introduced by a friend to Mark's Daily Apple. Mark blogs about Primal living - read here for the differences between Paleo and Primal.

Following Mark's blog has been revolutionary for me. He has enough information in the form of ebooks, recipes and posts to follow this way of living. I did however recently purchase his book: The Primal Blue Print The main reason I bought the book was firstly, I love books and secondly I thought here is a guy that gives so much for free, the least I can do is support him back by purchasing one of his products. I've just started reading it and I'm in LOVE, this is definitely the best health book purchase I have made.

Of course like anything there will be critics and there are some weaknesses when it comes to the exercise side of things but let's focus on the brilliance. This is a healthy way of eating, a sensible way of living and a blueprint for getting back to basics. Mark clearly has a passion for helping others to lead long, strong and happy lives.

As a personal trainer and someone with an equal passion for nutrition, life and helping others I fully support and promote his blog.

Here is a fun youtube video describing the Paleo Diet, thank you to my twitter friend Doug from www.healthhabits.ca (another great site I will write about one day soon) for sharing this. Still have some time? Read his article: What Kind of Paleo Are You?

People often speak about Primal and Paleo in the same ways, I don't worry too much about the differences, the principles are similar enough that for me it's not worth arguing over. Let's pick our battles and focus on the positives.

Health & Happiness always,

Rocofit

Sing up to www.rocofit.com updates by entering your email on the right hand side of the rocofit.com site

Helping Amalia Help Others

2011-02-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Well it's about time, I've finally signed up to do some work for charity. A good friend of mine asked me a couple weeks ago if I was involved in charity work and I embarrassingly had to admit that I did nothing!

They say life is about timing and believe it or not the very next day I had an email from the lovely Amalia. We'd met about a year ago at a business meeting and have kind of stayed in touch through email. Last week Amalia sent out an email talking about this amazing Arctic Challenge she was about to embark on to raise money for a palliative care unit in Greenwich.

Palliative care units hold a special place in my heart as I have unfortunately had a few family members that had to be admitted to them. I say unfortunate as palliative care is where people are taken care of in their last days. Fortunately they often have amazing volunteers who are kind, caring and supportive at a time when both the patient and family need it most.

To make a long story a bit shorter I rang Amalia and explained that any money I would donate wouldn't make a significant difference but perhaps I could donate my services as a personal trainer to raise money. That's when Amalia asked if I could train her to prepare for this great adventure. I was more than happy to accept.

As of tomorrow at 7:30am Amalia and I will work together twice a week, with I'm sure many emails and phone calls in between, to prepare her for the physical challenge ahead. Lucky for us we'll be training in an amazing space provided by World Champion Thai Boxer Sophie Pittaway. She's been kind enough to donate the KICK space for our training sessions.

I'm so excited to help and can't wait to see the journey unfold.

Watch this space as I update you with Amalia's progress.

Read HERE for more details and to find out more about Amalia, her charity and why she is doing this.

Happiness always :)

Beach Holiday Work Out - No need for a gym

2011-01-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

Back from beautiful sunny Cuba. While in Cuba I had planned to use the gym to get my workouts in but unfortunately the lovely gym that was in the online photos didn't exist.

It probably worked out for the best as I was forced to do all my workouts on the gorgeous beach. I lucked out and found one log on the entire beach which was perfect for a bit of resistance work.

As well as this workout I also did interval training on the beach. I simply drew two lines in the sand about 400 meters apart and did sets of sprints. I would sprint as fast as I could to one line, walk back to where I started, then sprint again for 8-12 repetitions.

Working out on holiday is one of my favourite things to do. It's nice to work out knowing that you can spend the rest of the day lazing around in the sun.

The next time your on holiday and there's no gym, remember it's no excuse. When your focussed and want to achieve your goals badly enough nothing will stop you.

Be Fit, Strong and Healthy

Rocofit

ps. I also took Juice Plus while on holiday, it was a perfect as vegetables were not readily available on a daily basis and when they were they were overcooked.

Create Momentum for January - key to long term results!

2011-01-03T05:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can hardly believe it is 2011. The New Year is always an exciting time for setting goals and starting fresh.

Like many I have set my self goals for the new year. It's easy to get excited about plans but not always easy to follow them through.

What ever your health goals use this month to create momentum that will keep you going long term.

For example, if this is the year you are going to start working out and you know you find going to the gym a bit of a challenge, then use January as the month to get in the habit of going. Don't worry so much about how long your there or even what your doing. Keep the focus on getting there and establishing a routine. Once it becomes a habit then move on to the next step of following a set program and moving to the next level.

Creating moment is the key to long term results. We all know the feeling of being in the zone, when everything feels effortless and it just seems to work. As soon as something disrupts it and we break the habit, it's so much harder to get going again....we've LOST momentum.

write down your goals, write yourself an achievable plan and start creating MOMENTUM.

In Health & Happiness,

Rocofit

www.rocofit.com

Thank you to my clients!

2010-12-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

This time of year is always a good time to reflect on the past year.

As I reflect specifically on my Personal Training the one thing that instantly comes to mind is how fortunate I have been to have some of the most amazing clients.

I'm blessed to have clients that trust in my ability, trust that I will give them the best advice I possibly can and trust I will get them to their goals.

Trust plays a big part in training. Clients invest their time and money in hope that you will get them to where they want to be. At the beginning some of my advice may not make sense, for example trusting that taking a protein shake straight after training or lifting heavy weights won't bulk them up, etc. With time they realise it's true but when someone hears something for the first time all they have to go on is trust.

This post is to say a big THANK YOU to everyone that has trained with me. Thank you for trusting in me and mostly thank you for making my job so much fun and challenging in all the right ways.

I'm looking forward to the coming year and I can promise I will continue to develop and learn new skills that I can pass on to you.

Rosa. X

www.rocofit.com

Fat Loss Rant!

2010-11-30T15:43:00.000-08:00

I consider myself a fat loss expert. Why? I have successfully taken dozens of clients through my programs and have had them lose the unwanted body fat they set out to lose.

It hasn't been done by some crazy diet or ridiculous workout. It's been accomplished through healthy eating, knowing when to eat certain foods, changing old habits, keeping written evidence of exercise and diet. Most of all it was accomplished through their hard work, determination and trust in what they were doing was right.

I've titled this post 'Fat Loss Rant' simply because I some times get tired of hearing how many pounds people have lost in short amount of times. Losing weight extremely quickly is rarely sustainable, unhealthy and doesn't necessarily mean you've lost body fat.

Most of my clients lose 5-10 pounds in a month. Not much you may think but if you asked them they wouldn't care. Why? Because they look AMAZING! They didn't lose a huge amount of weight on the scale but they 100% lost body fat. The evidence is in the their waist measurements and before and after photos.

We know they've lost body fat and put on lean muscle because their shapes completely change from the start of the program.

I think it's time to stop promoting rapid fat loss, stop obsessing with the scales and start focussing on what's important. Health from the inside out!

Be healthy first and the fat loss will come.

Rant over,

Be Fit, Strong and Healthy.

Rocofit

www.rocojuice.com for a simple way to boost your immune system, reduce oxidative stress and reduce inflammation.

Take Time To Learn About Your Health!

2010-11-23T01:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a great video I came across. It's by Dr. Mitra Ray explaining the importance of nutrition on our health. Yes it's a long video but not everything can be quick. Take the time to listen to this video. The link is sponsored by Juice Plus but even if you don't wish to order JP you will with out a doubt learn about your health and the impact/importance of fruits and vegetables.

The Science of Juice Plus - Dr Mitra Ray on Vimeo.

Health & Happiness

Rocofit

www.rocojuice.com

Paleo Pancakes - kind of :)

2010-11-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

Paleo Pancakes...yum! Eating paleo is eating as close to the way our ancestors ate as possible. That definitely means no wheat. Once you omit wheat you omit a lot of favourite recipes....or do you?

Here's a recipe I tried, thanks to a lovely client of mine. It's for Paleo Pancakes. The recipe is nice and simple.

Recipe:
1 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
2 small eggs
cinnamon
vanilla extract (optional)
cocount oil (for cooking)

Mix together. Cook on a hot pan with a bit of coconut oil. Wait until small bubbles form and break (just as with regular pancakes), flip and finish cooking

Once they're finished serve with fruit and plain yoghurt. The yoghurt is where the sort of paleo comes in as dairy isn't allowed on the paleo diet. I personally go through stages when I'm strict paleo, this wasn't one of them.

The real question is, do they taste like traditional pancakes....not quite but they are nice :)

Eat Healthy, Be Healthy

Rocofit

ps remember to got to www.rocofit.com to sign up for health and fitness updates

In The Zone

2010-11-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

I've been training hard the last couple of weeks and am on day 5 of my strict nutrition regime. The reason: I need to get some new photos done for the rocofit site and that means being as lean and toned as possible. I won't necessarily lose weight but I will lose body fat.

It takes a lot of hard work and disciple but I'm definitely in the zone. I know I'm there when temptations are no longer an option. It's clear in my mind what I have to do every day to achieve my goal. It's true I love my lattes and my favourite food is pizza; treats I'll have when I'm not being super strict.

What I'm doing:
Training (6 days a week): 2 KICK sessions with Sophie Pittaway (Thai boxing & kick boxing), 2 kettlebell sessions and two bikram yoga sessions.

Food: Low carbs, approximately 50 grams a day. My carbs come mostly from fruit and veg. If I've had a big session and feel I really need carbs then I have sweet potato, quino or a bit of spelt pasta. I mostly stick to a variety of protein, some fruit and a lot of veggies.

Supplements: Coconut oil, Juice Plus Premium (fruit, veg and berries)

It's not easy but and a times it isn't much fun but nothing beats the feeling of knowing every day I am one step closer to achieving my goal.

Be Strong!

Rocofit

Be Healthy, Take Responsibility!

2010-11-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Be careful what you put in your body. Be sure to understand the complete effects both long term and short term. There's a reason I back Juice Plus:

Juice Plus+ is the most thoroughly researched nutritional product in history, shown to:

~ be bio-available (it gets into our blood)
~ significantly increase antioxidants in your body
~ significantly reduce free radicals (oxidative stress)
~ protect and help repair DNA
~ enhance the immune system
~ improve circulation
~ improve heart health
~ improve skin health
~ improve gum health
~ reduce symptoms of the common cold
~ reduce systemic inflammation
~ improve athletic recovery and performance

My work and passion are to inspire, educate and help people to be healthy from the inside out. It's no longer enough to wait to be ill and put your health in the hands of a doctor. Take responsibility and learn about what true health really is.

Remember: A healthy person has many wishes, a sick person only has one.

Health and happiness always,

Rocofit

www.rocojuice.com

Bye Bye Latte!

2010-10-28T05:19:00.000-07:00

I confess I've been having one too many lattes lately. It's just sort of happened as bad habits often do. I was keeping it down to once a week, then twice a week, then one a day and the last few days I've caught myself having two! Arghh..

So what's the big deal? The big deal is the average latte has approximately 15-18 grams of carbs, it doesn't take a genius to add them together and realise I've been having about 30-36 grams just in lattes! Doesn't sound like a lot but I'm looking to lean down and in order to do that I need to keep my carb intake to about 50 grams per day (non training days).

That means I've been drinking over half of my carbs for the day! Not good.

Does this mean I'm giving up coffee? Not a chance! Look we all have our thing and coffee is mine. To be honest coffee can actually be quite beneficial to your health, it all depends on how you have it and how often you're having it.

My plan of action is to have one coffee a day and as I can't bring myself to drink black coffee I'm going to have a bit of almond milk with it.

Wish me luck...or should I say wish those around me luck :)

Rocofit

ps. Marks Daily Apple has a an excellent write up on carbohydrates and how many you should be having to either lose or maintain weight. I'm a big fan of this site, if you haven't checked it out yet I highly recommend it. Click HERE

pss check out the www.rocofit.com site for free health & fitness articles

Think your fruit is fresh? Think again

2010-09-27T01:33:00.000-07:00

I heard a rumor yesterday that the apples we buy in the supermarket and labelled as fresh are actually quite old. At first this made me furious, then I though it couldn't be true and then I decided to do a bit of research.

Sadly it's true! Supermarket apples can be up to one year old!

Now I know apples in the supermarket can't possibly arrived there within a day or two of being picked, especially if they're from abroad; however eating an apple up to a year old makes me wonder just how nutritious it can possibly be. As well if this happens with apples then it obviously happens with other fruits and vegetables.

What to do?
Buy seasonally
Buy locally
Supplement with Juice Plus - click here for facts

Knowing these facts won't put me off buying fruits and vegetables at the supermarket completely but it does make me more aware and I will be taking the steps I've just suggested. In fact I already do. I eat JP every day and once a week I go to my local market for my fruit and vegetables. I go to the supermarket a lot less than I use to.

Be healthy and be aware

Rocofit

My mamma turned 70!

2010-09-22T02:14:00.000-07:00

That's right my mom just turned 70, the cool thing is no one would guess her age, she's energetic, fun and full of life.

Her secret? Good home cooking and regular exercise. My mom has always grown her own vegetables, rarely eaten out and walks everywhere!

One time she told me she carried a rock on her walk so that it made the walk more difficult, I love it resistance training in a real life situation! I asked her if she got funny looks from carrying a big rock, she said no as she had put it in a carrier bag....haha. That's another secret to staying young, lots of laughing!

The reason I'm sharing this experience is because that's exactly where my passion for health comes from. The idea of staying young no matter what your age.

Health & Happiness

Rocofit

How to kick the soft drink habit!

2010-09-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

My good friend Michael Nelson-Cole (aka The Dark Dragon) stopped by my Juice Plus office today and told me a brilliant story.

Michael is an amazing Kung Fu Instructor and passionate about health, what I didn't know until today was that he wasn't always like that. At one time Michael was addicted to Coca-cola, he would drink it all the time.

With 39 grams of sugar per can, he knew it wasn't good for him. Most importantly it was keeping him from reaching his potential; after all we all know if you're not strong from the inside, you can't possibly be strong on the outside.

Unfortunately knowing something isn't good for you doesn't make giving it up easy. The fast food and soft drink industry make giving up difficult, the foods and drinks are addictive and the advertising is every where.

So what did Michael do? He started drinking a glass of water with every can of coke he drank. Over a period of time the coke became less and the water became more. Eventually he found that he no longer craved coke.

Brilliant! It's a simple method but it worked for him. Perhaps it can work for you? Give it a try and stick with it for at least 30 days, see what happens. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Put your health first!

Rocofit - Health & Fitness advice go to www.rocofit.com

Breakfast, Snack, Dessert...All Of The Above

2010-08-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

We all experience cravings at one time of anther, whether we give in to them is our choice. A particularly bad time for myself for cravings is either late afternoon or late evening, a few hours after dinner.

What do I do? Well at the moment I'm on a strict post holiday regime, it's time to get serious and so I definitely don't give in to cravings but what I do is find healthy alternatives.

This one in particular saves me every time. It's delicious and best of all you can have it either for breakfast, a snack or dessert. The only thing I change is the quantity, in this case it was for breakfast so I have a slightly larger portion then I would if it was for a snack.

I call it Roco-Berry Crunch (I do just make these things up)

Recipe

Plain Organic Yoghurt
Berries (strawberries, blackberries and/or blueberries)
Crushed walnuts and cashew nuts
Agave Nectar (just a touch)

I love it, it's delicious and it takes away those cravings. Give it a try!

Stay healthy from the inside out!

Rocofit

ps Remember to sign up to www.rocofit.com updates. Simply enter your email at the top right hand side of the page.

A Personal Trainer's Report Card

2010-07-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Below is a lovely testimonial I received from a client who has just completed the Rocofit 30 Day Intensive Fat Loss Program.

She didn't have a lot to lose but like many women even losing 5-10 lbs without the correct information can feel impossible impossible and frustrating. She was an ideal client, like most of my lovely clients, who followed everything to the letter and I mean everything from nutrition to exercise to sleep to supplements.

It wasn't easy, the workouts were intense and the nutrition plan is challenging but it works. I always say the best motivation is results. She became stronger, fitter healthier and more toned.

One month for some isn't enough but this one month intense program equips people with the right tools to continue their journey.

Here's my Report Card :)

_________________________________________________________

Before I met Rosa I was pretty frustrated with not achieving much with the way I worked out and how I would eat (skipping meals, being always hungry and feeling guilty after every meal). Despite being in the gym 3-4 times a week and watching my food I didn't get anywhere...rather the opposite.

When I met her for the first time, I told her how upset I was about the constant efforts to maintain a good and healthy figure but not succeeding. We started a 4-week training-session shortly after.

First of all trusting Rosa and her approach, training with her and sticking to the diet she suggested, lead within a short period to a visible change. I lost 2 inches around my waist and my overall body looks much leaner.

Through Rosa's extensive knowledge and the way she trained me, I now know how to work with my body, to stay fit and most important of all I feel happy with the way I look. She definitely knows what she is talking about, she is understanding and sensitive in regards to what her clients' need.

Nina Wise

__________________________________________________________

Be fit, strong and healthy from the inside out!

Rocofit

ps To sign up to rocofit updates go to www.rocofit.com and/or join rocofit fan page at www.facebook.com/rocofit

My Friend Eric's New PT Studio!

2010-07-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

My good friend Eric has just opened his first Personal Training Studio in North London at Trent Park. I'm particularly excited about this opening as Eric and I met when we both decided to change careers and become personal trainers. We studied together while both holding down full time jobs, me as a primary school teacher (year 5) and Eric in IT. I couldn't be prouder or more excited to see someone from our class being successful in an industry where only about 15% of those who graduate truly succeed.

A big congratulations to Eric, I look forward to the years ahead on this amazing journey. I know you will continue to make a big difference in peoples lives.

Rocofit & Kelly Brook

2010-07-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last week was an interesting week. Thanks to my good friend Ishwarya I got asked to be involved in Reebok's launch of a new workout called Jukari Fit to Flex. The new face of reebok in the UK is Kelly Brook.

The launch consisted of a photoshoot and a bit of filming. I was there for four hours and Kelly showed up to do her thing for about 2 of them. It was a fun day. I was there with 20+ other girls. We got a nice reebock work out outfit and some trainers for showing up.

You can see me on the far left of both photos :) Maybe next time I'll be a bit more aggressive and get to the front. We kind of just got placed wherever we put ourselves.

It was a fun day and an interesting experience. It's always cool to see how celebrities interact with every day people and I'm alway fascinated by the behind the scenes activity from the photographers, to the cameramen and make up artists. I wish I had some good gossip but I don't :)

The launch has also been put on youtube. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eJQHpRdbpw

Don't blink or you'll miss me but once again I'm always on the left of the screen. Looking forward to more photo shoots in the future!

Rocofit

ps Sign up to rocofit updates at www.rocofit.com

Rocofit Fast Food - 6.5 minutes

2010-07-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

That's right there's such a thing as healthy fast food.

This was dinner today. Plaice pan fried in a bit of coconut oil with a side salad of mixed organic greens, tomatoes, olives and a bit of houmus.

You don't even need to know how to really cook to make this one and it tastes yummy!

Best of all no carbs and it was filling.

If you have any cool recipe ideas under 10 minutes please share.

ps Remember to sign up to www.rocofit.com for updates.

Rocofit's Pet Peave - Unfit or Unhealthy?

2010-06-28T03:20:00.000-07:00

The warm weather in London has been amazing. It means we're able to enjoy the many parks this great city has to offer. Like many others I've been hitting the parks for a picnics and fun with friends.

Most of the time the football comes out and all the other fun summer time running around games. It's always interesting as this is the point when many people decide they are unfit as they struggle to run a few meters after a ball. These comments usually come from those who are heavy smokers and/or drinkers. The question however is are you unfit or unhealthy?

Why is it that people associate first their lack of stamina with lack of fitness rather than lack of health. Our bodies are great adapters but we can't expect them to filter all the toxins we put in them, plus environmental pollution and then on top of it push them to perform.

Believe it or not I'm not judgmental, I have many friends that are in to health and many that aren't. I do believe that how people choose to live is up to them although as a friend I do try and influence them on the side of health.

My petpeave isn't peoples habits but the inability to admit or understand the effects of those habits.

Be healthy, live long and happy

Rocofit

ps Sign up to rocofit free articles at www.rocofit.com

pss. Give you're body every tool it needs to be strong and health. Click HERE for my must use product, don't underestimate it's power on health.

Rocofit Health Insurance...not what you think

2010-06-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

I often get asked if I take supplements and if so what do I take. The answer is yes I do take supplements. I wish I didn't feel the need to but the truth is living in a busy city surrounded by various pollutants, stress from a busy lifestyle, oxidative stress from exercise and sometimes eating on the go, I do feel I need to supplement my nutrition.

I take two items consistently and I refer to them as my 'health insurance.' I take Juice Plus (fruits, vegetables and berries) and a good quality fish oil.

I refer to them as my 'health insurance' because they are both highly researched and proven to have positive effects on a persons health. I also believe if you don't invest in your health you will invest in illness. Here are a few reasons why I consistently take these 2 products:

Juice Plus research has found:
1. Key phytonutrients are absorbed by the body
2. Reduces oxidative stress
3. Supports healthy immune system
4. Helps protect DNA
5. Impacts on Cardiovascular wellness

Fish Oil Research has found fishoils:
1. Help improve blood circulatoin
2. Aids in fatloss
3. Anti-Inflammatory properties
4. Relieve depression and anxiety
5. Improve vision & skin health

If you have any questions regarding these products or anything regarding health, fitness and nutrition, simply send me an email at contact@rocofit.com

Health & Happiness

Rocofit

ps. If you like what you read please sign up to www.rocofit.com for updates and to the www.facebook.com/rocofit

Rocofit Breakfast - It's not for the weak!

2010-06-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

I wake up every morning hungry and ready for a serious breakfast. This morning it was mackerel, egg and a few almonds and walnuts. YUM!

No it's not Atkins, I eat heaps of vegetables and a variety of foods throughout the day. What it is, is some serious protein first thing in the morning. It keeps me going all day and most importantly makes me feel strong and helps me to maintain my lean muscle mass. You can't get that lean, toned look on little food or so called diet foods.

Yesterday I had sardines and avacado, the day before, hamburger mince, an egg and tomatoes.

Cereal...seriously never.

Rocofit

ps. Remember to sign up the rocofit.com site for updates

Also have a look at what I take daily to up my fruits and vegetables, I take it in place of a synthetic multivitamin. Click HERE Any questions email me at contact@rocofit.com

Results Achieved

2010-05-25T05:10:00.000-07:00

My strict no carb diet did pay off. It wasn't easy but most like most things we want from life we have to work for it.

The hardest parts:

1. Remembering to eat every 2.5-3 hours. It's amazing how time passes you by on some days. A quick meeting with a friend or an unexpected phone call and before you know it you're over the 3 hour mark.

2. Protein for breakfast. This did get easier but breakfast has got to be one of the most difficult meals to get right. Other than eggs and protein shakes, I find it tricky to find other things to eat. I did end up eating chicken and even mackerel some mornings.

The easiest parts:

1. Eating. I love food so the idea of eating every 2.5-3 hours was great.

2. Cooking. Preparing steamed vegetables and lean meats or fish is quite simple, quick and tasty.

Towards the end of my strict diet I found that it got easier as my body adapted to the timings and the food. I found that I was naturally hungry around the 2.5 hour mark. My energy levels also soared and my sleep improved immensely.

The question however is: Is it sustainable? For the most part yes. I haven't changed much other than allowing my self 4 cheats a week. I usually have a desert after a nice meal or my favourite sandwhich for lunch.

Most people often wonder what to eat if you cut out, pasta, potatoes, bread and rice. The truth is not depending on these staples actually forces you to be imaginative with your food choices.

Rocofit

Follow on www.facebook.com/rocofit

Back to Carbs Back to Pain

2010-05-10T02:19:00.000-07:00

So my week of no carbs went extremely well. Don't get me wrong the first few days were really tough, especially because I love my porridge first thing in the morning.

After a few days a few things started to happen:
1. I no longer craved porridge or carbs
2. My portion sizes decreased - Was simply feeling full on less
3. I never felt bloated once - This is something I suffer with at times
4. My energy levels soared - My energy levels are usually ok but even so I noticed a difference
5. My body shape changed - Even in a short time I was definitely looking leaner

On Saturday I had photos take for the site and various projects, I'll post them as soon as I get them. As a 'treat' I decided to have some carbs (vietnamese noodles) that evening. I was shocked at my bodies reaction, before I even finished my noodles I started to suffer from really bad stomach cramps and that evening was very bloated. The next day I had some pizza and that's when I realised my energy levels were suffering, I was feeling exhausted.

What I've learned: I'm back on the no carbs this week, this time it's not for any photos but simply because I loved the way I felt.

I should be a bit more clear when I say no carbs as we all know that most foods have some level of carbs. What I mostly ate was protein and veggies and some fruit. I was very mindful to eat a large variety of protein (sardines, mackerel, chicken, lean steak, tuna, herring, eggs, etc) and a huge variety of veggies (kale, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc)

One site that a friend of mine introduced me to is Marks Daily Apple Mark blogs about a primal lifestyle and primal eating. This site is brilliant and I got a lot of my meal ideas from here. It also made the process easier knowing that there are people that eat this way all of the time.

When you tell people to give up carbs you can often see the fear on their faces....what am I going to eat?! No carbs doesn't mean boring eating. There are so many amazing foods out there. In my opinion one of the biggest problems of high carb diets is that they are boring and most people eat the same thing repeatedly...rice...pasta....potatoes.....boring!

Give no carbs a go, do your research and read Marks Daily Apple and let me know how you get on, I'd love to hear about your experience. Any questions feel free to email me!

In Health & Happiness

Rocofit

ps. Remember to sign up to www.rocofit.com for updates.

No Carbs for ROCOFIT

2010-05-05T04:32:00.000-07:00

This Saturday am having photos taken which means the abs have got to be showing...yikes. How I'm going to accomplish this.

No carbs all week other than from fruits and vegetables
Lots and Lots of water
Protein protein protein
Eating every 2.5-3 hours
Getting my sleep every night

Eating little carbs isn't easy. Although I don't generally eat a huge amount I do still have brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal and spelt pasta, all of which are very good for you. Going with no carbs is a bit extreme and I'd only recommend it for a short amount of time, it does work however if you want to get lean quickly.

What no carbs isn't? It doesn't mean that I'm not eating well, I'm eating extremely well. I load up on as many different veggies as possible and it terms of protein I also have a huge variety, I get my protein from whey, hemp, sardines, mackerel, tuna, lean beef, chicken, salmon and eggs.

Am looking forward to my big cheat meal on Saturday evening, haven't quite decided yet what it's going to be but am sure I'll think of something :)

Rocofit Feeling A Bit Down :(

2010-04-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Haha...ok you can tell I'm faking the sleeping on the train, I couldn't keep a straight face for the life of me. What I wasn't faking was how exhausted I suddenly became in the last few days, I'm ok now as I smartened up really quick.

Basically I've been training 5 days a week, working 6 days a week and have started a couple of new projects; it's no surprise it finally caught up with me.

I'm always ranting on about how important sleep is and it really is the key to good health. Get everything else right but the sleep part wrong and you're going no where fast.

Well 5am wake ups and late nights working got the best of me. I really needed to take my own advice but no one's perfect.

The signs of exhaustion other than the obvious are also loss of appetite and becoming withdrawn and avoiding social situations.

I knew something was wrong when it was the London Marathon and rather than wanting to go with a big group of friends I chose to go on my own so I wouldn't have to chit chat. That's right I didn't feel like talking! For those of you that know me well you know that is truly shocking.

The good news is as soon as I figured out what was wrong it only too a few days of good nutrition, going to sleep on time and including power naps to get back to my usual self. I also took time off training.

It's sometimes difficult to take a step back however I suffered from overtraining last year during my marathon training and new the symptoms well. If you don't take a few days out of complete rest from everything then the long term effects can lead to chronic fatigue and you definitely don't want that.

Arghh it's 9:40pm Need to get to sleep. Good night :)

Rocofit

Rocofit's Flat Abs Smoothie!

2010-04-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my favourite healthy treats. I call it the Flat Ab smoothie because it's full of fibre, protein and that special spice known for burning abdominal fat...cinnamon!

It's a great treat on a hot day, a brilliant snack or even a delicious breakfast option. This takes me less than 5 minutes, including clean up time!

Simply put together all the ingredients listed below and use a hand held blender to mix. The thickness will depend on how much nut milk you add.

RECIPE:

Frozen Berries
Organic plain yoghurt
Almond Milk
2 scoops of hemp protein
Agave nectar to sweeten
Cinnamon

Protein content is approximately 15 grams, fibre about 12 grams.

Enjoy!

Rocofit

ps. Remember to sign up to www.rocofit.com updates

Juice Plus- St. George's Hotel London UK

2010-04-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday I went to anther Juice Plus Lecture. This was one of my favourites for a couple of reasons one the guest speaker was Dr. Nyjon Eccles of The Chiron Clinic Harley Street and the location was amazing! It was at the St. George's Hotel on Great Portland Place and as you can see the views of London were spectacular.

The lectures was unique as Dr. Eccles is GP with Naturopathic interests, this is not a typical combination. Dr. Eccles recommends Juice Plus to his patients. Reading his website you can see why.

Taken from his website:
http://www.natural-remedies-clinic.co.uk

Under his leadership the ChironClinic and it's team is fast becoming a centre of excellence for research, clinical trials and clinical support in the areas of:

Healing and Beauty Restoration / Preservation by novel plant medicines and lotions.
Nutritional medicine programs of established clinical effectiveness.
Bioenergetic medicine.

I myself have been taking Juice Plus for over 3 years now and wouldn't imagine not taking it. When it comes to my clients the clients that take Juice Plus do without a doubt achieve better results than those that do not.

This is quite the statement and here is why. I am not for one second implying that Juice Plus is the reason they achieve better results, however clients that understand the importance of nutrition and embrace all aspects of nutrition from water intake, to eating regularly, taking fishoils, including protein with every meal, etc. simply achieve the most out from their training.

Taking Juice Plus has been scientifically researched and proven to:

Juice PLUS+® delivers key phytonutrients that are absorbed by the body

Juice PLUS+® reduces oxidative stress

Juice PLUS+® helps support a healthy immune system

Juice PLUS+® helps protect DNA

Juice PLUS+® positively impacts several key indicators of cardiovascular wellness

For myself the most powerful part about taking juice plus is the constant physical daily reminder to stay on track with your nutrition.

For any questions about Juice Plus click HERE or contact me at contact@rocofit.com

Rocofit

Back to Bikram

2010-04-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

I started back to Bikram Yoga this week and am loving it! If you don't know what it is, it's 26 yoga postures preformed in a hot room. By the end of it, or really at the start of it, you are seriously dripping!

The reason I'm back to Bikram is that I've been following quite a challenging strength program and I felt I needed 2 days a week dedicated to stretching. I don't stretch during my strength days, well static stretch that is. I take myself through various dynamic stretches (stretching with movement) and mobility patterns, I also ensure that I preform my exercises in full range.

I find bikram is great for me as I LOVE the heat, I find it challenging and I like the discipline of it.

If you haven't tried it and think you can take the heat then I'd highly recommend it.

Be Fit, Strong & Healthy!

Powerplate - For or Against?

2010-04-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

So after almost four months of training at the Virgin Active Gym I finally decided to give this powerplate thing a try. Glad I did and glad I won't be wasting any more time on it.

There was a class starting and so I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about. First of all I couldn't stop laughing as it was tickling my feet and second of all I didn't feel I was going to get a good workout out of it. I did squats, mountain climbers, step ups and lunges; to be honest it's much more challenging to do a good resistance session.

I didn't finish the class as it was cutting in to my regular training program and I felt I was wasting time but here's the funny thing, I later bumped in to the instructor who asked if I just found it too hard! Whatever. I politely just explained that I wanted to try it but that it simply wasn't for me.

This is the same instructor that came over and had me change my squat position in to a poor squat position, apparently my back wasn't bent over enough..what! I figured I wasn't going to injure myself and just did what he asked, I really didn't want to come across as a snob, haha although I probably am now that I'm writing this post.

So am I totally against powerplates? Not Really. It's like anything if you can justify why it's a good tool for your training then fine go ahead and use it; however if you're already able to successfully completely challenging resistance program the I'd have to say you're probably wasting your time.

Be strong fit and healthy!

Rocofit

Quinoa is a winner!

2010-03-31T05:04:00.000-07:00

It's no secret how much I love quinoa. It's high in protein, iron, magnesium and fibre. Click HERE for more nutritional goodness facts.

I love it so much I wanted to share one of my favourite quick recipes. This one's a salad although you could also have quinoa warm.

Like my other recipes there is no measuring as it's up to you how much of something you want to have.

Quinoa Salad Recipe
Cooked Quinoa
Chopped peppers
Cherry tomatoes
Chopped cucumber
Feta cheese
Olives
Tuna (optional if you're veggie)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (if you want)
Salt, pepper

Mix it all together and enjoy!

This is great as a side dish or a dish on it's own. You'll almost always find it in my cupboard.

Tip: You can keep cooked quinoa in the fridge up to 3 days. I often cook extra and have it as a quick meal on busy days.

Note: If you're looking to shed a few pounds then keep portion sizes under control. Quinoa is high in carbohydrates even when subtracting the amount of fibre. Better yet have quinoa on training days as you'll need the good carbs for recovery.

A Little Gym Etiquette Goes A Long Way

2010-03-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

I was seriously annoyed at the gym today. I was training in the weights area and yes it was a little busy but if everyone was aware of their space it was ok...not over crowded.

So here's what happened. I was in the middle of some front squats when this girl started doing some bar work exercises (if you can call them that....and yes that's me being bitchy), she stood so close to me that I almost didn't finish my set. Honestly it was completely unnecessary as there was plenty of space and she didn't need to come in to mine. The only reason I can think she did this was either to annoy me or to check herself out in the mirror.

Here's the thing. I'm always impressed when other women come in to the weights area. I think for some it can take a bit of courage as all the testosterone can often be intimidating. I often end up speaking with the girls that comes in and it's always nice. What isn't nice is girls like this one that come in and try to be all that! It's not cool. It's especially not cool if they're doing it lifting a 10kg barbell...pick up a real weight! (that's me being bitchy again)

That's my rant over, those of you that know me well know that I'm rarely bitchy so you can imagine how much this had to have ticked me off. Girls need to stick together in the weights area, not push each other out. Maybe next time I see this girl I'll approach her and figure out what's up...maybe.

Fast Healthy Dinner - Rocofit Lentil Supreme

2010-03-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

ROCOFIT LENTIL SUPREME

This is one of my favourite recipes. It's super fast to prepare, super healthy and let's add another super....it's super delicious.

I make this quite often over the weekend as it then means I have a quick meal for a the first part of my hectic week. To be honest like most stews, it really does taste best the next day.

Here's what's in it:

Onions
Garlic
Chilies
Tin of organic tomatoes
Tin of organic lentils
vegetable stock
courgettes (zucchini)
aubergines (eggplant)
mushrooms
parsley

I haven't included the amounts as you really can't get this wrong. Add as much or as little of the ingredients as you want. Experiment and add other veggies such as peppers, peas or corn. Just thought of ginger root...mmm wish I had some to add to todays recipe.

Here are a few reasons why this stew so good for you.

Lentils: Good source of protein, high in fibre
Chiles: Potassium, folic acid and iron
Garlic: Lower bad cholesterol, antiviral and antimicrobial
Parsley: Eye protective carotenoids, bone-building vitamin K
Mushrooms: Known to absorb and safely remove toxins....so cool!
Tomatoes: Anticancer and reduces blood pressure
Aubergine: Good source of fibre, powerful antioxidant and low in calories.

Let me know if you give it a try!

Fun at Vishal's Studio

2010-03-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

I had the best day today. My friend Karen invited me to an amazing studio she's working at in Highgate London.

What a fun place! It's run by Vishal who is a brilliant and extremely successful trainer. He was nice enough to let me in and play around for a while.

He has everything! Clubbells, kettlebells, olympic rings, tires, things to hang from, things to glide on...it was seriously a personal trainers heaven. Can't wait to go visit again!

This is my friend Karen, playing around or should I say hanging around!

Vishal making it look so easy!

Sardines! Do you love them or hate them?

2010-03-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Love them or hate them, there's no denying Sardines are AMAZING for you!

I personally love them and just had some for lunch with some steamed veggies...yum yum!

If you didn't know how great they are listen up! These tiny fish are packed with goodness. They're full of Omega 3 Fats. Studies have proven that even a small amount of omega 3's can have a big impact on cardiovascular health. Sardines are also high in calcium and contain postassium, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins.

A cool fact about sardines, they're don't contain mercury because they're so low on the marine food chain.

Next time you're looking for a quick snack or as part of your meal reach for a tin of sardines. Look for sardines packed either in olive oil or tomato sauce.

Enjoy!

Rocofit

Vienna & Juice Plus

2010-03-11T04:57:00.000-08:00

Am off to Vienna for the weekend and no it's not as a tourist but for work, I'm attending a Juice Plus Conference. Juice Plus is a fruit and vegetable concentrate in capsule form. I've been taking it for over 2 years and absolutely love it. The more I learn about the benefits of fruits and vegetables and having a variety of them the happier I am that I take Juice Plus.

I'm sure this weekend's not going to be all work and no play. Am looking forward to taking in the Vienna sites and cafes in between conference sessions. Will post what I see and most importantly any thing new that I learn about health. My belief is that prevention is always better than a cure. Working hard to stay healthy is a lot more fun than working hard to get well. Things will happen and we can't always avoid becoming ill but there are things we can do to give ourselves the best chance possible.

In health & happiness

Rosa.

ps. Any questions about JP send me an email via facebook or contact@rocofit.com

McDonald's Comes To Africa

2010-03-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

FUNNY? You Decide

When I first came across this picture titled 'McDonald's Comes To Africa' I have to admit at first I laughed. When I looked at it again all I felt was complete anger. Why? Not because this photo is real and not because McDonald's is going to Africa but because of this:

When I looked at this photo I thought what on earth are we doing to ourselves? Why do we live in a society that is willing to feed ourselves such rubbish! I believe we are nutritionally starving ourselves.

Time, money and laziness are often the reasons for eating ready meals. If we take a hard look at ourselves we'll realise these are simply excuses.

When we know that whole foods in particular fruits and vegetables are the keys to being internally healthy. We know they have cancer fighting properties, boost our metabolism, strengthen our immune system, promote digestive health. Yet we still don't eat enough.

Ready made healthy snacks:

Apples

Pears

Oranges

Dried Fruit

Nuts & Seeds

Tin of Tuna

Tin of Sardines

Whey Protein

This list really is endless....

There are so many foods that don't need prep time and don't need cooking. What they do need is for us to make the choice to eat them.

Rant over.

Rocofit

Pretty Weight Lifting Gloves For Tough Girls!

2010-03-04T01:25:00.000-08:00

How cool are these! That's right they're pink weight lifting gloves for the girls! I love them. One of my clients came in wearing them and I've been telling all my female clients about them every since. Why do I love them so much? Well other than the obvious because they've got pink on them, I also love them because they fit women's hands properly. The men's gloves never seem to fit quite right, even the smaller sizes. In the Uk you can get these at Sweaty Betty but I'm sure if you search on line you can find them quite easily regardless of where you live.

Who needs to wear these? Women that train hard and lift heavy (which all of my female clients I'll proudly admit do). Look ladies, lifting real weights won't make you bulky, they won't make you look like a guy, what lifting real weights will do is make you strong and as a bonus look amazing. You're muscles are there already, lifting weights won't create new ones, it'll just bring out the ones you already have.

The summer is coming so if you're ready to show off those great abs, fabulous arms and shapely legs then start lifting real weight.

If you don't know how then be sure to ask someone who does. Lifting heavy weights without proper form and nutrition to back it up will not get you the results you want.

ps. Women and men should lift the same, there's no reason why they should train differently. I successfully work with female and male clients. The principles of lifting do not change.

pss. Sign up to www.rocofit.com for free health and training articles

Never forget my supplements again!

2010-02-28T05:40:00.000-08:00

Check out my new accessory! It's a little key ring container for my Juice Plus Capsules. I'm so excited because I sometimes forget to take them as I'm out all day and forget to take the evening veggies with me. Now I'm all set and will never forget again.

I love taking Juice Plus. I'm passionate about it as I know that one of the keys to good health is making sure to not only eat fruits and veggies but to get a variety of them in your diet every day. With JP fruit, veggies and berries I get 26 of them! JP has a lot of research behind it proving that it's bioavailable, meaning it gets in to your blood stream. On top of that it is well supported by countless doctors, health professionals and athletes.

People often ask how I feel from taking it. That's the same as asking how do you feel from taking fish oils. The proof is in staying well, having energy and rarely getting colds. It's not to say I don't get ill, I do but I recover much quicker than many people around me.

It's not a magic pill, it's simple. It's fruits and veggies dehydrated and the encapsulated, it's just real food. What we need to ask of ourselves is: why would we rather get ill and then take medicine, rather than do our best to not become ill?

To find out more about JP, watch this video and read the research provided. Click HERE

Muddy Fun!

2010-02-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

Went out for my usual Thursday morning run with my running club (Trent Park Running Club). I can't say I felt much like going for a run this morning but was so glad I went.

It was so muddy out! I guess after a week of non stop rain, it was to be expected (photo to prove it). I've got to say it's probably my favourite conditions to go out in. It's true that it can be slippery and if you're training for an up coming event, probably not smart as your chances of injury are greatly increased. However I'm not looking to break any records, in fact for once I'm running for the pure fun of running rather than training for a particular event.

Running in Trent Park is one of my favourite places; the hills are challenging, the setting is beautiful and to top it off I run with a great group of people.

Looking forward to spring running when all the daffodils come out!

Rocofit

ps. Remember to sign up to rocofit updates at www.rocofit.com Free healthy recipes when signing up!

Time; the one thing you can't get back

2010-02-23T03:56:00.000-08:00

Since getting my new gym membership and really sticking to my resolution this year of putting my own training first, I've become very aware of how difficult that actually is to do. So often a friend will ring and want to go for coffee, or something will come up to tempt me to change my plans.

It's not been easy but the way I've gotten around it is by scheduling my time in at the start of the week just like I would client appointments or various other commitments. Once it's in my diary then I view it as set in stone and I don't change it. I simply work other things around my training.

The way I view it now is if I don't train on a day that I'd planned then it's time that I can't get back.

The result: I'm starting to see the best results I've ever accomplished! Goes to prove that consistency really is key to achieving your goals.

Rain Rain Go Away!

2010-02-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

Argh...if anything gets me down it's the rain. I can handle it for a day or two and then it starts to become hard work.

The only good thing I can say about the rain is that it forces me to really dig deep and find that motivation I need to get going with the day. When it rains everything for me becomes a challenge. So this morning I didn't feel like going to the gym and training, well actually I did, I just didn't feel like the journey to get there.

I have to say I went and the one thing I realize is that working past our excuses makes us STRONGER! I felt great for going and felt like I had conquered my rubbish attitude toward the rain.

So even if the rain doesn't go away the one thing I know is that it won't stop me from doing the things I need to do.

ROCOFIT

http://www.rocofit.com Sign up for free healthy recipes! Yummy

So adorable!

2010-02-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

Is this not the most adorable kettelbell ever?! I didn't even know they made them this small.

It was funny when I asked this gym in particular if they had any kettebells and they pointed at these two cute 2.5kg bells (it's all they had!). I personally want to get my own little one as they'd make such an adorable paper weight.

Funny enough I did find some use for them just the other day. I had a client who I was teaching the Turkish Get Up to for the first time. I usually first take them through the movement with no weight, this time I used the little kettlebell! It was brilliant. They were able to go through the movement and feel like they were holding a K.bell. It's true that it probably wasn't necessary but if it's there why not find a use for it :)

I have since brought in my own real kettelbells and if I'm truly honest words like cute and adorable should NEVER be used in the same sentence as 'kettlebell' lol.

Get Training
Rocofit

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Fatloss on your own terms...hmmm

2010-02-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

I can't count the times that people have said to me that they want to lose their excess body fat. The statement is more often then not followed by BUT I can't give up drinking, I can't give up my lattes, I don't have time to go shopping, I can't drink that much water, I can't remember to have my snacks.....the list goes on.

The truth is the formula for losing fat may vary slightly from trainer to trainer but again more often then not the main principles are the same.

Eat real food

Eat every 3 hours

Drink 2 litres of water

Have protein with every meal

Watch portion sizes

Strength train

Get your sleep

Do the excuses above sound familiar? The truth is no matter how good your trainer is, until you decide for yourself that you really want to achieve your goal of fatloss then it simply won't work. Losing the fat for someone else or for an event might work temporarily (and it could be a great way to start for some) but for long term results you've got to:

1) make the decision
2) stop with the excuses.

As a trainer I guarantee to all my clients that I will make the stronger, I will make them more flexible, I will make them move well...but when it comes to fatloss, I will give them all the information and support they need but this is one goal that they need to take on board. It's the one area that I'm not in control of as I am not with them 24/7, although a few I'm sure would claim they see my face as they reach for the wrong foods :)

Stay fit and healthy!

Rocofit

ps. Remember to sign up for health and fitness advice at www.rocofit.com

A Personal Trainer's Shopping Spree

2010-02-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

I went on a shopping spree today that I think only a personal trainer or someone equally obsessed with training and nutrition could get excited about. For the price of a new handbag, nice makeup or even a girly treatment I went shopping for a green drink, fish oils, whey protein, vitamin C and mineral tablets as well as coconut oil (not in the picture).

It was so much fun! I love taking these things as I find it helps me to keep my nutrition on the right track. These items aren't cheap and so I wouldn't want to waste them on my body by then eating rubbish processed foods.

It's essential that I take these extra supplements to keep my energy levels high. Currently I'm up at 5 am's and at times not getting home until 9 pm, on top of that I've stepped up my training to at least 4 times and sometimes 5.

Happy Shopping!

Stay fit, strong and healthy.

Rocofit

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Pick up a real weight!

2010-02-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

Ladies, pick up a real weight!!!! I find one of the most frustrating things as a trainer is watching well intentioned women putting the time in to training and yet getting no where. Just yesterday I witnessed 3 women doing chest presses with no more than 3kg weights, in one case I think it might have even been 2kg.

Now if you're in the gym just to pass some time and enjoy the atmosphere, then fine, but if you want to get results then pick up a heavier weight. Choose a weight that is challenging and that you find quite difficult as you near the end of your set. As long as you can maintain the correct form through out then the weight isn't too heavy. You know it's too heavy if you can't maintain form, this is important 'never risk correct form for numbers in terms of weight or repetitions'.

Unfortunately many magazines aimed at women still go on about high repetitions and low weight. The truth is you need to change what you do. There are times when you need to bring the sets up, the reps down and the weight up, there are times when the opposite is true (I'll write more about when and how to change what you do in the near future).

In the mean time: break out in a sweat, work hard and work smart!

Health & Happiness

Rocofit

Recovery meal at it's cutest :)

2010-01-31T00:31:00.000-08:00

One of my pet peeves about recovery drinks is the size of the shakers! They're huge and what's the point, most of the time you only fill them a quarter of the way. One scoop of protein and a bit of water doesn't require a huge container.

Well here's something I discovered thanks to a friend of mine. It's an adorable half the size shaker...and to top it off it's pink!!! I love it. It is possible to be a serious female trainer and like pink. Seriously after doing a T. Get up with the 24Kg kettlebell I was proud to have my delicious chocolate protein drink from my new super adorable pink shaker.

If you're not having protein straight after training then it's time to give your recovery some serious thought. During exercise we damage our bodies, all the good stuff happens in the recovery, all cuteness aside this is to be take seriously! My favourite protein powder is by Solgar and is called Whey To Go, I like it because it tastes nice and is free from artificial sweeteners, which many whey proteins contain.

What you eat and when you eat it in relation to training is crucial to accomplishing optimal results. Here's a great article not to be missed. Click HERE

Happy Training!

Remember to sign up to www.rocofit.com for updates and 12 Free Healthy Recipes!

Rocofit

Rocofit Healthy Recipe Giveaway!

2010-01-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

ROCOFIT HEALTHY RECIPE GIVEAWAY!

Sign up to the rocofit website and receive 12 Healthy Recipes complete with packaging suggestions and shopping lists.

As well as the recipes receive regular updates on health, nutrition and training.

It's simple. Enter your email address HERE, open the confirmation email (check your junk mail just incase) and receive the free recipes. Remember healthy eating combined with staying well hydrated, regular exercise and sleep is a recipe for feeling and looking great!

Be Healthy & Happy!

Rocofit

Cold Weather = Hot Tub

2010-01-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm training full time I found myself to have big gaps in my day. I'm always working early mornings and as well as evenings. This works well for me as I need the gaps to work on my website and various other projects that I'm involved in. The problem I was having was that I was wasting a lot of time going back and forth on the train from where I work to where I live.

Thanks to a great client of mine who was going on about how great the Virgin Active Gym is, I decided to pop in and have a look. I signed up straight away! Now I'm not writing this as free publicity for Virgin (although I guess it is), as any great gym would have worked but this particular Virgin Active is in the perfect location for me and so I need to give credit where credit is due. It's a very cool gym. Fully equipped including kettlebells, sauna, hot tub, steam room, swimming pool and a great cafe with WiFi

This has seriously revolutionized my life! Less time on the train means more time to workout and work on my projects, as well as writing articles for you!

This is my average day:

5am wake up - 3 clients

12pm Lunch

1pm Hit the gym, sauna and steam room

2:30 Writing and other projects

5:30 3 more clients

8pm Home

It's hard to find a balance between work and looking after yourself. It's all about searching for a means to balance everything out.

Stay Strong and Healthy

Rocofit

ps. Subscribe to rocofit.com and receive 12 Free healthy lunch recipes complete with shopping list and packaging suggestions. If you've already signed up and would like the recipes simply send an email to contact@rocofit.com

Excited for the training week ahead!

2010-01-24T03:28:00.000-08:00

Last week was about getting my nutrition right, this past week I got back in to my running and a light kettlebell session consisting mostly of swings and snatches. This coming week it's time to up my game!

I'm writing my program for the next 6 weeks. The first 3 weeks are all about conditioning and getting my body back in to pre holiday shape. The following 3 weeks are all about starting to prepare for the Kettlebell Sport competition that I'm entering in March.

I love it, there's nothing better than being in training mode! Remember though, nutrition always has to come first. If you're nutrition isn't perfect than you can't expect to give you training the effort it deserves.

Get Training!

Rocofit

Passing Moment

2010-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

In my last blog you saw how strict I've been with my nutrition since returning form holiday. I've actually found it quite easy and enjoyable until yesterday evening. A friend of mine decided to eat 4 digestive biscuits with a big cup of coffee....yum. The problem was they did it right in front of me! I wish that it wasn't tempting but oh my word was it ever!!! Just looking at them was making my mouth water.

What was I going to do?! I went and got myself and apple, sliced it and spread a bit of almond butter on it. It worked! It was delicious, nutritious and most importantly the craving passed. The truth is as I pictured myself eating the biscuits the thought of how guilty and disappointed I would feel afterwards was stronger than my craving.

So if you have one of those moments just think to yourself the moment will pass and you'll come out of it feeling stronger, in control and empowered.

Keep healthy eating!

Rocofit

ps. Sign up to my website www.rocofit.com for more health & fitness fun!

Getting My Nutrition Right

2010-01-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Having returned from holidays earlier this week I have now accepted the fact they are over and am truly excited about getting back on track.

As I suffered quite badly from jet lag I decided to get the nutrition on track first and then will hit the training hard first thing Monday morning.

Here's what my nutrition looked like over a couple of days.

Day 1 Day 2
Breakfast
Glass of water with squeezed Glass of water with squeezed lemon
lemon

Scrambled eggs with a few Plain organic yoghurt with blueberries
slices of homemade chorizo

Snack
Cottage cheese and blueberries Almonds and an apple

Lunch
Chicken and green salad with Lentil stew (onions, garlic, lentils,
cucumber and olives chickpeas, tinned tomatoes)

Snack
Coconut water and brazil nuts Carrots and cucumber with
homemade humus
Dinner
Salmon with steamed veggies Prawn Stirfry (chilli, garlic, onions,
sprinkled with seeds and olive oil snow peas, broccoli, red peppers,
(broccoli, Kale and cauliflower) baby corn)

I have also made sure to drink 1.5-2 liters of water each day and 1-2 cups of green tea.

Most importantly I've been focussing on my portion sizes, these easily became distorted over the holidays.

Finally I've started back on taking all my supplements which consist of hcl for digestion, fishoils, juice plus to boost my fruit and veggies and milk thistle and dandelion drops to help my liver.

In just a few short days I'm already feeling more energetic and my clothes are feeling looser; although this is likely due to releasing water

Hope this may give you some ideas for your own nutritional protocols.

Keep healthy!

Remember if you haven't signed up for rocofit updates, go to www.rocofit.com (remember to open the verification email)

Loving the Mexican Coconut Water!

2010-01-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Just back from a 3 week vacation. Two weeks in Canada, then realized I couldn't bear the cold (-22C) so was off to Mexico for a week (Puerta Ventura).

As soon as I arrived in Mexico I was so excited about all the coconut trees! It was amazing, the thought of real coconut water was very cool. The only problem was 'how was I going to get the coconut down from the tree and open it up...hmmm'. I quickly became friends with one of the staff members at the resort who was kind enough to get me my daily coconut...lol.

Surprisingly it tasted almost exactly the same as the natural coconut water you buy at the health food stores. If I had the choice I'd always have it straight from the coconut but it's nice to know that buying it is the next best thing.

Remember the benefits of coconut water. Click HERE

Stay healthy and happy!

ps. Remember, if you've signed up to the www.rocofit.com updates you must open the verification email to get started.

Out of sight out of mind!

2010-01-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

It's the new year and my thoughts are already on spring and summer; I'm definitely not a winter person. I'm already thinking of all the great summer outfits and time at the beach. Unlike winter outfits summer outfits are definitely a bit more revealing and so like anyone else I want to be in the best shape possible.

Just like a lot of people I always put on a few extra pounds over the holidays. Mostly I'm ok with this as it's nice to have time when you're not always watching what you're eating, as well the holidays are all about family and family usually means eating together.

The first thing I do in the New Year to get back on track is to get rid of all the junk food. During the holiday period there is constantly baking on the table, chocolates in the cupboard and alcohol ready to be poured. I know that if it's there I'll have it and so getting rid of it is key to getting back on track. If it's no in front of me then I'm not tempted or even crave any of those things.

As great as the holidays are, it's quite exciting to get back on track.

In health & happiness

Rosa.

ps. Remember to sign up to my website for health & fitness articles and updates. Go to www.rocofit.com

No New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big believer of New Year's Resolutions. I often think that people use the new year as another reason to put things off. For example someone who might consider quitting smoking in December then decide to wait until January to get started. By January they could have been well on their way to a healthier life.

I do however believe in setting short and longer term goals through out the year and continuously reviewing how they are coming along.

I like to set a few goals covering different areas of my life: health, career, family and personal.

Goals help us to stay motivated, confident and focussed. Writing down goals is a powerful tool, be sure to write down your goals and keep them somewhere where you'll remember to review them regularly.

Stay Happy!

ps. Remember to sign up to www.rocofit.com for regular health & fitness updates

My jeans are tight!

2009-12-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

lol...it's true, it's boxing day and already my jeans are feeling a little on the tight side. As the panic sets in I've quickly formed a plan to keep the holiday damage under control.

Step 1: Increase water intake. It's so easy to forget to drink enough water in the winter and yet due to being indoors so much and exposed to indoor heating, drinking water in the winter is just as important as when it's the middle of summer. It also is calorie free and helps to increase your metabolism.

Step 2) Increase green veggies. Green veggies are full of vitamins, low in calories and high in fiber! Over the holidays this is usually the last thing we reach for.

Step 3) Reduce portion sizes. Our portions sizes often become distorted over the holidays. It's time for a reality check and getting back to eating normal portion sizes again.

Step 4) Stop picking! During the holidays it seems that every where you go people are putting food in front of you. Now that Christmas day is over it's time to go back to 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks. No more picking on nuts, sweets or any other treasures people put in front of you.

Step 5) No more fancy drinks. It's amazing how quickly your caloric intake increases with fancy drinks topped with cream, sprinkles and whatever else people like throw in there over the holidays.

Hopefully with these simple steps the beginning of the year will be easier to get in to top shape with out too much effort.

Christmas & New Year's Free GIFT!

2009-12-21T07:09:00.000-08:00

What do you get the person that has everything? Looking for a little stocking stuffer?

Get a Free Subscription to ROCOFIT PERSONAL TRAINING! :)

Who says you can't get anything for free? You can! Why subscribe to rocofit personal training?

Rosa Coelho (that's me!) am a London based personal trainer and love what I do. One of my favourite things is sharing the gift of health & fitness information with as many people as I possibly can.

A few articles that I'll post in the New Year are:

Liver Detox - Holiday Damage Control

Power of Antioxidants

Metabolism Boosters

No Gym Membership Workouts

The Magic of Sauna's

All you have to do is go to www.rocofit.com Enter your email address on the rocofit homepage, remember to open the verification email and there you have it, you're all set to receive rocofit articles and updates.

Wishing you all a holiday season of health and happiness.

Rosa.

ps. Tip for the stocking stuffer write rocofit's address (www.rocofit.com) on a decorative card.

To Take Or Not To Take?

2009-12-16T03:42:00.000-08:00

I often get asked if I believe in supplements and if I take them. First of all supplements aren't a belief system; high quality supplements have been scientifically proven to have positive benefits on your health.

I also get asked if they make me feel differently or if I feel them working. It's like anything else to do with health, it's important to not just do one thing right and hope for miracles. You can't take supplements and eat fast food everyday expecting to be healthy.

On a regular basis I take Juice Plus, fruit and vegetable capsules and a hight quality fish oil. The results I feel are:

rarely getting colds
excellent energy levels
strong hair and nails
clear skin
quick recovery from workouts

It's true that on top of taking these supplements I also try to regularly exercise, eat well, sleep well and drink plenty of water.

The question is would I feel these benefits simply from the way I live and do I need the supplements to ensure these benefits?

First of all taking the supplements everyday for myself personally are a reminder of how I want to start my day and commitment to living a healthy lifestyle. On top of it science has proven in the case of juice plus that it is bioavailable, meaning it's absorbed by the body.

As well living in busy city such as London where I am constantly surrounded by pollution, I do like to know that I am giving my body the extra help it needs to cope with the stresses of the pollutants I breathe every day.

So there you have it. I take supplements and wouldn't consider not taking them. They aren't cheap but as cheesy as it sounds I believe it's important to invest in your health. What I spend on supplements I save on medicine. What do you think about supplements?

Stay healthy!

Rosa.

p.s. To learn more about juice plus watch this video
p.s.s. Remember to sign up to www.rocofit.com updates

Turkish Get Up - One of my favourites!

2009-12-09T01:53:00.000-08:00

The Turkish Get Up is one of those exercises that when I first teach it to a client they just stare at me and wonder what the heck I'm on about. What could possibly be the point of holding a heavy weight (with one hand) over your head, standing up with it and then lying back down?

They especially don't get it when they first try to do it without a weight, keep forgetting what to do next and mostly just feel a little silly. I love watching this process, simply because I know they'll learn to love it. Once you know how to perform the exercise and can then execute it with a decent weight then there's no going back.

The benefits are massive. The Turkish Get Up is a full body exercise, it's brilliant for: core strength, core stability, shoulder stability, flexibility, coordination and a great calorie burner.

In the last couple of weeks I've had 3 clients move on to perform the TGU with 20kg and the 24 is just around the corner for one of them :)

If you've never tried it, be sure to either have someone show you or do some research. The key to the TGU as with any other exercise is perfect technique.

Stay fit, strong and healthy!

ps. Remember to sign up to updates at www.rocofit.com

Tabata Time!

2009-12-07T02:01:00.000-08:00

I've just been reminded by a good friend and personal trainer BJ Rule of the tabata method of training.

Thanks BJ the timing was perfect. Outside of my regular training, I was looking for an intense and short workout that I could fit in twice a day in the lead up to the holidays.

Tabata is an excellent short workout during this busy time of year. Tabata consists of working hard for 20 seconds resting for 10 for 8 sets (4 minutes). This might sound easy but I dare you to try it. So far I've been doing my tabata sessions with kettlebell swings, burpees and squats.

Click HERE to read BJ's detailed article on the Trojans Lifting Club site.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Keep strong!

p.s Remember to sign up to rocofit updates at www.rocofit.com

Meet my new 12kg Kettlebell!

2009-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

Today was such an exciting training day for me. I finally got my two 12kg Sports Bells. I'm excited as my serious kettlebell training can now begin. My goal in the new year is to learn how to properly clean and jerk and continue to work on my snatching. Hopefully I can then go on to compete. I'm looking forward to a new challenge since putting marathon training to the side...for now.

One Month to Christmas!

2009-11-25T00:54:00.000-08:00

That's right it's exactly one month to Christmas. I'm not one for self sacrifice during the holidays so here's what I do so that I can fully enjoy them guilt free.

I step it up BIG time! From now until just before Christmas I step up my training, getting in to the best physical shape possible. This year my goal is to take off 5 pounds before the holidays so that I can put them on without feeling horrible. This way I'll be back at my pre Christmas weight rather than 5 pounds heavier after the holidays.

I'll be training 5 days a week. Two of the days will be full training days (strength training) and the other three will consist of two 20 minute workouts (conditioning). One in the morning and one in the evening or late afternoon.

Can't wait for the holidays!

ps. Have you signed up to ROCOFIT updates?

Tired Today?!

2009-11-23T05:13:00.000-08:00

Woke up feeling a bit tired. The truth is I was up far too late considering I had to wake up at 5am. Unfortunately it couldn't be avoided as I had a conference call with part of the Canadian Juice Plus team.

How to deal with feeling so tired? The first thing I did was make sure I woke up to a good breakfast of scrambled eggs and avocado. Rather than a coffee I opted for a peppermint tea. Finally the best pick me up I find is coconut water. Am keeping my nutrition as perfect as possible today to ensure I get through it with as much energy as possible.

Finally I'll be sure to get to sleep early tonight. How do you cope with days where you feel a bit tired?

Stay strong, fit and healthy

Rosa.

ps. Remember to sign up to updates at http://www.rocofit.com

Busy Week

2009-11-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

This was a very busy week for me and fitting in my regular exercise sessions was quite the challenge. Rather than skipping my workouts I decided to decrease the time to 30 minute sessions and increase the intensity.

As I love training with kettlebells (KB) part of my intense sessions involved sets of 20 swings with a 20kg KB followed by 1 minute of skipping for 8-10 sets. This is an amazing way to work your cardiovascular system, posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes and lower back) and definitely your core.

The pressures of life and commitments in particular as we near the holiday season make exercising a challenge but not impossible. Remember that when we're our busiest and most stressed is when we need to treat our bodies with the very best care.

Stay fit, strong and healthy!

ps. If you haven't done so be sure to sign up to Rocofit Personal Training email updates: http://www.rocofit.com

Don't miss out on ROCOFIT!

2009-11-15T04:30:00.000-08:00

Signing up to the ROCOFIT website ensures that you won't miss out on the latest updates. Every week or every other week I'll be adding new articles and information that you won't want to miss.

How to sign up? Enter your email address on the homepage, go to your inbox to verify the subscription and you're set! Each time I update the site you will be sent the new entry in the form of a newsletter.

Sign up HERE: http://www.rocofit.com

If you know anyone that would benefit from the information tell them about it or send them the link.

Health & Happiness always,

Rosa

Why Rocofit is blogging?

2009-11-13T04:56:00.000-08:00

Since becoming a personal trainer I have also discovered my love of social media. I've found it to be a brilliant and effective way of communicating with people that you would not otherwise be able to reach.

The purpose of this particular blog is to share my thoughts, opinions and advice regarding health and training. It is also a way of me sharing what I'm up to with my own health and training.