Tony Stacey Answers your Fitness and Nutrition Questions!

Our current expert, Tony Stacey has answered this week's questions. To find out more about Tony and to ask him a question, view our 'Ask the Expert' page.

classynurse asks:

I have recently lost over 5 stone. I need to tone up but have osteoarthritis in many joints so find any exercises painful. What can you recommend?

Tony answers:

Firstly, many congratulations on what you've done so far. To lose five stone is a tremendous achievement. You should be proud of yourself. Now let's see if we can help you lose more...To avoid pain in the joints, the key is to do exercises with minimal impact. That means running or jumping is out of the question.

However, resistance training with weights is a great option. The strain is on our muscles, not our joints. It's the best way for us to tone up our muscles and burn calories. Start with 3 exercises: one upper body, one lower body and one core exercise.

For a full list of exercises and videos please check out http://www.absolutept.co.uk/exercise-library.html

rosy asks:

What is the best and easiest way to lose my baby fat?

Tony answers:

You've got loads of options here.

If you don't have time/ access to a gym then the key is to stay active. First and foremost, push the baby around the park or surrounding areas for 30 minutes each day, and challenge yourself by utilising any hills.

If you're a touch more adventurous, you could also use the pram as an exercise aid (you've probably seen mum's exercise classes in the park doing something similar). Use the pram as stability and perform squats and lunges. Another great trick is take a small mat to the park and perform a series of body weight exercises in a circuit formation e.g. press-ups, squats, lunges, sit-ups and planks.

If you do have some time to go to a gym, then don't slog away on the treadmill. You'll become bored too quickly. Instead perform circuits of upper body, lower body and core exercises so you make the most of your time there.

Also, remember the importance of nutrition. Plenty of greens and protein, and keep to sensible portion sizes.

sarahasands asks:

Which exercises are good for legs, bums and tums that I can do on my own with no equipment?

Tony answers:

Good question. There are literally hundreds of exercises for you to choose from which means you have no time to get bored, as the variation will keep you motivated. Try and choose compound exercises (using more than one muscle group) initially, and then increase to more specific exercises.

Lunges, squats, press-ups, planks, crunches, side lunges are all easy exercises to start with. As you get a little stronger and confident in your ability you can choose some plyometric exercises which are more dynamic.

For a complete list of everything you can do please go to http://www.absolutept.co.uk/legs.html where I've listed them in a simple format.

pinkjude asks:

I am 48 and had a hip arthroscopy last September. I have arthritis of the hip too - what exercises would be good for me?

Tony answers:

Hi there. Thanks for the question.

People associate arthritis with age, but in exercise terms you are still relatively young. So you have a lot of options.

Resistance training will tone and strengthen your muscles so take advantage of all the upper body exercises you can do on a bench (bench presses, shoulder presses, chest flyes, bicep curls etc). There are thousands. This would have no affect on the hip at all. But it will tone your muscles, boost your metabolism and burn your bodyfat.

Regarding the hip. I would expect you to now be fully healed so it's a case of trying to keep the mobility initially. Gentle stretches of the abductor muscles, hip flexors, quadriceps and hamstrings will increase flexibility. Swimming is fine and will be a great benefit too.

In a few weeks' time start some basic resistance training incorporating the swiss ball. This will have you working harder to stabilise yourself and therefore have a positive effect on your health with zero impact on the hips.

bubblesstar74 asks:

I really want to get rid of my belly fat - what exercise do I have to do and what food so I have to avoid?

Tony answers:

The truth is that we can't reduce fat in one specific area as our bodies do not work in that manner.

We all store fat in different places. What we need to do is reduce our total bodyfat percentage. Foods to avoid are snacks that are high in sugar and carbohydrate. Reduce things like sausage rolls, crisps, biscuits and chocolate.

Keep your portion sizes sensible. Eat plenty of greens and protein, as well as healthy snacks. And stay away from carbs (potatoes, pasta, rice) after 6pm. Your metabolism is slowing down at this time of day and your body won't be able to process the food efficiently - and will store any excess carbs as fat.

Substitute tea and coffee with a green tea, and if you do have coffee have it black.Exercise-wise, I'd perform 3 sets of 5 compound exercises of your choice from http://www.absolutept.co.uk/multi.html. Aim for about 15 reps of each and then finish of with 5 fast sprints on the treadmill of about 100m to torch away that belly fat.

wendymclean asks:

I am naturally slim and struggling to maintain my healthy target weight of 8 stone. I am 5,2 and don't want to be light! What should I do?

Tony answers:

Hi, without seeing what you eat now it's difficult. But I can give you some general principles.

Eat healthily and eat often. What I would suggest is eating 4-6 small meals per day and increasing your protein intake. That means plenty of chicken, fish, beef, turkey, tofu, cheese etc.

You still need to eat carbs though, so please don't neglect good sources of carbohydrate such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice.

When you're in the gym don't just do cardiovascular activity. Grab some weights and do some resistance training to help turn that extra food into a toned physique. Do a variety of upper and lower body exercises and you should maintain your current weight. See how you get on after 6-8 weeks then get back to me.

Jaxcats asks:

I lost 8 stone over the past year. How do I maintain my current weight and know how much food I can eat?

Tony answers:

Well done on your achievement. To lose eight stone in a year is amazing.

The two factors in maintaining your current weight are exercise and nutrition. Stay active: lots of walking and other exercise such as sports or gym work. If it's the latter then have a good mix of cardiovascular and resistance training with weights.

In terms of nutrition, stay away from the junk food. Crisps, chocolate, cakes and biscuits all contain loads of "empty" calories. Stick to healthy food and snacks - and try to eat more earlier in the day. Your metabolism - and hence your ability to burn calories - is at its fastest when you wake up. So have a big breakfast, a medium lunch and then a light dinner (preferably with very little carbohydrate).

The recommended calorie consumption for a man is 2500 calories, and for a woman it is 2000. If you want some precision, then there are simple calculators on the internet that will tell you how many calories you need to consume per day. Basically, you need to determine your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and then incorporate your basic daily level of exercise. This will leave you with your daily calorific intake.

Keep up the good work.

mary83 asks:

I want to lose weight but suffer from anaemia and depression - can you recommend anything?

Tony answers:

If you've not done so already, look at increasing your iron levels. You can get some great supplements from all good health stores. Please check with a qualified member of staff first though that your choice is well-suited for you.

I think the key here is that you don't put too much pressure on yourself, so set small targets like a 20-minute brisk walk to the park, then start to progress gradually. Walk faster, longer, and maybe incorporate a small jog. Then move onto some bodyweight exercises including squats and lunges.

The small targets will leave you feeling positive and the exercise will get the endorphins rushing around your body. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You've made the first positive step. Everything you do from now on will help you achieve your goal.

"Thanks for all your questions. Keep them coming over the following weeks and I'll do my best to answer as many as I can. Well done to everybody for the efforts you're making." - Tony